“Left sway, right sway...”

“Aiya!!!”

Sliding off the bucket for the eighth time, Shen Yan felt an increasing surge of irritation.

The path to climb up was already clear, but this damned bucket was just so hard to hook.

Mainly, the bucket was suspended by a rope.

As long as his hooking position wasn't quite right, or the force with which he swung the hammer was off, the bucket would sway in a very strange way.

Shen Yan took a deep breath: “Steady the mindset, steady...”

He aimed his hammer at the ground and thrust it down sharply.

Then, skillfully swinging his arm, he successfully hooked the bucket.

Sway.

Sway again...

This time, everything went smoothly.

Looking at the platform getting closer and closer, Shen Yan felt his heart fill with hope.

Beyond here, the peak was within reach.

Victory was within reach!

“Now!”

Shen Yan shouted loudly, seizing the opportunity.

This was his best chance to swing up!

Just as he was about to use the iron hammer to swing himself up, the iron hammer unexpectedly shrunk into a needle.

“???”

Shen Yan fell uncontrollably.

The snowy ground was slippery; each fall would cause him to slide a few steps.

This time, the angle of the fall was too tricky, and he rolled two full turns.

Seeing himself about to roll down the inclined slope of the rock, Shen Yan broke out in a cold sweat and instinctively swung the iron hammer.

His idea was to use the iron hammer to brace against the ground, stopping his sliding body.

However, the moment the iron hammer landed... the hammerhead suddenly grew larger!

It became even bigger than before!

Coincidentally, it just happened to touch the outstretched hand of the woman asking for help.

“Daoist, save me!”

The woman, laughing maniacally, grabbed the hammerhead of the iron hammer.

By the time Shen Yan reacted, it was too late.

The setup here was just like that infuriating “snake” in the game from his previous life.

Once touched, there was only one outcome—

The wood seemed to have a suction force, dragging Shen Yan down.

“No... no no no!”

Shen Yan’s breathing quickened, and he shook his head frantically.

He pulled back desperately but to no avail!

Following the curved wooden strip, Shen Yan plummeted rapidly.

Originally, if he fell on the snow mountain, he would only have to start climbing from the ancient pagoda.

But the position of the wood was independent!

“No, no!!!”

Shen Yan cried out in despair.

Snow Mountain, Pill Furnace, Ancient Pagoda, Tianxuan Mountain, Slide, Farewell Pine, Nostalgia Stone...

One familiar scene after another flashed quickly before his eyes.

Like a revolving lantern.

“Ah...”

Shen Yan felt like he couldn't breathe.

“Gaia—!!!”

He let out a never-before-heard, throat-ripping roar.

The fall finally stopped.

He returned to the starting point.

Yes, it was the very beginning of the Illusion Realm.

It wasn’t even the bottom of the valley where he fell after passing the Nostalgia Stone.

Instead, it was the starting point where he hadn't even climbed over the withered tree.

“Crack”

In a daze, Shen Yan seemed to hear a crisp sound of something breaking.

“Ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!!”

He desperately swung the iron hammer and plunged headfirst into the pond behind him without looking back.

【Demonic Path Value +1.5】

This was the only way to die in the game.

The screen flashed, and Shen Yan revived again.

“Why!?”

He roared to the sky, then swung the iron hammer again and jumped into the pond.

“Kill me!! Kill me ahhh!!!”

【Demonic Path Value +1.5】

Shen Yan could no longer suppress the despair in his heart.

He felt a violent impulse surging within him.

“Bang—!!!”

A loud noise.

Under the immense Spiritual Qi impact, Shen Yan forcefully broke through the Realm suppression of the Illusion Realm, and his Divine Sense instantly disconnected from the Illusion Realm.

“What’s going on!?”

Nangong Yuan, who rushed over upon hearing the commotion, was stunned by the scene before him.

Behind Shen Yan, two ferocious illusory figures, one black and one red, appeared.

The black figure held a hammer, and the red figure held a sword.

The two ghostly figures simultaneously stabbed towards Shen Yan!

“Heart Demon!?”

Nangong Yuan was greatly alarmed and quickly set up a formation with both hands.

Eighteen massive Talismans instantly enveloped the entire room...

...

...

With Nangong Yuan presiding, Shen Yan's Heart Demon did not cause any major trouble.

Shen Yan's Master, Chi Shengtian, soon arrived and took Shen Yan away.

Before leaving, he looked at Nangong Yuan and Lu Ze with a complicated expression.

“Elder Nangong, Little Friend Lu...”

Chi Shengtian's gaze was incredibly solemn.

“Before my foolish disciple wakes up, I ask that you two do not leave Tianxuan Sect.”

“I understand, I understand...”

Nangong Yuan sighed, then glared fiercely at Lu Ze.

“Today, I will definitely beat this Rebellious Disciple until he also develops a Heart Demon!”

With that, his entire body's Spiritual Qi surged.

Lu Ze also very cooperatively covered his head, feigning surrender: “Master, spare me! Your disciple knows his mistake!”

At the same time, he channeled Spiritual Qi into the plea-for-mercy jade pendant Nangong Yuan had just given him.

The two large characters “Haha” appeared in front of him, one after the other. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Lu Ze: “...”

Nangong Yuan: “...”

Nangong Yuan felt his fists clench even harder...

“Don’t worry, both of you. This old man keeping you at Tianxuan Sect is absolutely not to pursue responsibility.”

Chi Shengtian sighed, looking at Lu Ze as if he wanted to say more but held back.

“Today, Little Friend Lu being able to break Shen Yan’s Dao Heart might be in line with the Sect’s...”

“Ah, never mind, we’ll know the result tomorrow.”

“I ask that you two stay one more day at Tianxuan Sect!”

...

After Chi Shengtian left.

“Look at the trouble you’ve caused!”

Nangong Yuan’s face was dark.

The Elder of Tianxuan Sect wanted Lu Ze to help their Saint temper his sword Dao.

But he, on the other hand, went and completely messed up someone's Dao Heart.

Is this something a person does?

“Cough cough, I didn’t expect it to turn out this way either...”

Lu Ze guiltily averted his gaze.

He also didn't expect the consequences to «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» be so severe, that it would directly bring out a Heart Demon.

“Hmph, thankfully this old man was here, so no major trouble occurred!”

“Master, don’t worry too much. Elder Chi still called me Little Friend, didn’t he? Perhaps there’s no problem...”

“There won’t be a problem.”

At this, Nangong Yuan’s expression was calm.

At least regarding personal safety, he had never worried.

“If it were a thousand years ago, this old man wouldn’t dare to guarantee it.”

“But now, with the prestige of our Lingxiao Sect and this old man present, they wouldn’t dare do anything to you.”

Lu Ze thought about it and felt it made some sense.

Although Tianxuan Sect was the oldest, its development in recent years had been far from its former glory, showing signs of decline.

“But Elder Chi seemed to have a hidden meaning in his words? Master, did you understand him?”

“These guys from Tianxuan Sect always like to be riddle-tellers, so it’s normal not to understand... Never mind, although they won’t do anything to you, this old man will go and make some preparations first...”

...

...

Nangong Yuan returned to his room.

Lu Ze guessed that the old man had gone to make some Talismans or Magic Treasures to deal with unexpected situations.

Just then, the System's voice came:

【Task Completed!】

【You have successfully shaken the Dao Heart of the Righteous Path Saint, causing him to develop a Heart Demon, thereby curbing the development of the Righteous Path!】

【Your System has been upgraded, and the “Defense Break System” has been added.】

【You can gain additional Demonic Path Value when causing negative emotions in Righteous Path Cultivators.】