Above Zhuoxin Temple, Tao Shanren and the other demonic cultivators, including Niu Jinmao, looked down, watching Lin Fengyuan and Ye Yu with thinly veiled delight.

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In their view, Lin Fengyuan and Ye Yu were merely walking in place, unable to escape from the room. They were trapped, caught within Tao Shanren’s illusion.

Earlier, when Lin Fengyuan and Ye Yu sensed spiritual energy fluctuations outside, that had been a deliberate act by Tao Shanren’s minions to draw their attention, creating the perfect opening for him to cast his Grand Illusion Technique.

As soon as Tao Shanren had entered their room, the illusion had taken hold, trapping both Lin Fengyuan and Ye Yu. Everything they saw—the blood demons and the unbreakable barrier—were all illusions. Tao Shanren’s plan was to drain their spiritual energy, then have the other demonic cultivators destroy their souls and take over their bodies, rendering them his puppets.

The leader of the Soul Transfer Hall, Lu Xiji, asked skeptically, “Isn’t this a bit too easy? Lin Fengyuan’s power is formidable. She wounded the five sacred land leaders with a single strike. Could this be a trap?”

“Heh, you’re overthinking it,” Tao Shanren replied with a smirk. “When Lin Fengyuan escaped from Demon Suppression Mountain, her aura was unstable. Her body and soul were clearly weakened. If not, would I dare to risk it?”

He’d noticed Lin Fengyuan’s instability early on, and now it seemed he’d bet correctly. She was indeed vulnerable, providing him with a perfect opportunity. Tao Shanren was already envisioning a future where Lin Fengyuan would conquer lands in his name.

Niu Jinmao, remembering his earlier conversation with Ye Yu, felt a pang of guilt and murmured, “Sect Leader Tao, may I make a humble request? Could we spare Ye Yu? He’s a decent person. We... had a good conversation earlier.”

Tao Shanren turned sharply and snapped, “Foolish sentimentality! Have you forgotten that you nearly died today?”

Niu Jinmao shuddered, recalling his narrow escape from Empress Li Ruowang’s overwhelming power. The strength of that woman had been terrifying.

Taking a step forward, Tao Shanren continued coldly, “Ye Yu’s cultivation is low, so he’s of little use. But his four partners are exceptionally powerful. Only by controlling Ye Yu can we bring those four to our side. With their help and Lin Fengyuan’s strength, we could conquer any place, kill anyone. Remember, we are demonic cultivators—we don’t indulge in petty sentiments!”

Feeling Tao Shanren’s faint killing intent, Niu Jinmao lowered his head, silenced.

Satisfied, Tao Shanren barked, “Lu Xiji, prepare to act on my signal. When their souls are weak, we’ll strike. I’ll seize their bodies, so control your strength!”

“Understood, Sect Leader Tao. This is crucial to the survival of the demonic path; we won’t fail,” Lu Xiji responded, bowing.

With a dismissive wave, Tao Shanren disappeared in a flash of light.

Meanwhile, down below, Ye Yu was supporting Lin Fengyuan, looking at her in concern. “What’s wrong?”

Lin Fengyuan, through a telepathic message, replied, “After three thousand years of breaking against that seal, my body and soul are on the brink of collapse. I don’t have the strength to fight anymore. I’m sorry for dragging you into this.”

Ye Yu felt a chill. He’d hoped to depend on Lin Fengyuan’s strength, but now it turned out she was barely holding herself together. And here they were, in Zhuoxin Temple, surrounded by enemies.

Watching more blood demons close in on them, Ye Yu realized that he could only rely on himself now. He raised his hand, attempting to use the Universal Star Map to shatter the barrier and escape with Lin Fengyuan. But despite his efforts, the barrier remained unbroken.

Ye Yu’s expression turned grim as he led Lin Fengyuan back, realizing something was wrong. Reflecting on the scene around him, the endless blood demons behaving like respawning weeds, he grew suspicious. This had to be an illusion.

He immediately retrieved the Illusion-Breaking Mirror from his storage ring, an artifact he had obtained as a reward in a dream realm. It was capable of breaking through illusions cast by anyone below the Immortal Monarch realm.

As soon as he activated it, the blood demons around them began to blur and fade, revealing the truth—everything was indeed an illusion.

Feeling a surge of relief, Ye Yu channeled his spiritual energy into the mirror. The mirror emitted a brilliant light, and the blood demons and the barrier receded like an ebbing tide.

It was then that Ye Yu spotted Tao Shanren standing directly before him. Their eyes met, and both reflected shock.

Ye Yu hadn’t expected Tao Shanren to be standing so close, while Tao Shanren was even more stunned that Ye Yu could so easily break his Grand Illusion Technique.

Seeing the intense glow from the Illusion-Breaking Mirror, Tao Shanren instantly recognized it as a rare and powerful artifact. Determined to seize it, he reached out to grab it—only for Ye Yu to evade him effortlessly.

Tao Shanren froze, shocked. How could a Tribulation-Transcending cultivator fail to grab a mere Golden Core cultivator?

Realization dawned on him. Ye Yu wasn’t in the Golden Core stage at all; he’d been hiding his true power.

Knowing he couldn’t afford to underestimate Ye Yu, Tao Shanren immediately sent a signal to the other demonic leaders above. “Attack!”

Then he retreated quickly, casting his illusion spell toward Lin Fengyuan once more. He only needed to hold her in place for a few seconds, enough time to strike Ye Yu down. After all, even if Ye Yu was hiding his power, he surely couldn’t be at the Tribulation-Transcending stage.

Pulling back, Tao Shanren prepared his spell, hoping to restrain Lin Fengyuan temporarily. But to his surprise, Ye Yu didn’t hesitate—he activated the Binding Sigil.

Golden characters surrounded Tao Shanren, illuminating the area. He felt his body stiffen, as if paralyzed, his spiritual energy frozen and unable to circulate.

The next instant, the sound of countless swords filled the air, and Tao Shanren looked up, horrified, as invisible sword energy converged upon him. He couldn’t even raise his hand in defense. The swords tore through him, disintegrating his body entirely.

With Tao Shanren dead, his illusions faded, and Lin Fengyuan shook off the lingering effects of the spell. However, the sky above grew dark with thick clouds, and black lightning suddenly surged down toward where Ye Yu and Lin Fengyuan stood.