"No, I can't do it." Chu Feng had fallen into a strange loop. Despite Egg continuously reminding him, and despite knowing full well that what stood before him were nothing but illusions, he still couldn't bring himself to slaughter his closest family members with his own hands.
"Idiot! Those are illusions—they aren't really your family! If you don't kill them, they'll kill you, and you'll die right here. Do you want to end up like those others, trapped and killed inside this grand formation? Do you understand?" Egg shouted frantically, because she felt that Chu Feng's mind was being bewitched by the illusion formation as well.
"I..." Hearing Egg's furious roar, Chu Feng froze for a moment, then finally snapped back to his senses. He gritted his teeth and bellowed, "No! I will not die here! All of you damn illusions—go to hell!"
With that, Chu Feng stopped his evasive movements, closed his eyes, and unleashed the Void Dragon Roar Blade. A tremendous pressure descended from above, and those dozens of illusions were pinned down so heavily that they couldn't even move, on the verge of being crushed into nothingness.
"Feng'er, don't! Stop! I'm your father!"
"Feng'er, I'm your grandfather—please, don't do this!" In that moment, the illusions that had been brimming with killing intent moments ago suddenly began calling out to Chu Feng by name.
But Chu Feng, having already made up his mind, not only ignored them entirely, he actually intensified the power of the Void Dragon Roar Blade. In the end, he ground all dozens of illusions to a brutal, agonizing death.
"Is it over?" Sensing that everything had quieted down, Chu Feng slowly opened his eyes. But as his gaze swept across his surroundings, his expression froze and his pupils dilated violently.
He discovered with horror that the illusions had not disappeared at all. Around him lay dozens of corpses—his father's body among them, along with the bodies of other members of the Chu Family.
Their deaths had been agonizing. All had been crushed to death. The lighter ones could still be identified, but the worst had been reduced to pools of blood, their faces no longer recognizable.
"Thud."
In that instant, Chu Feng was stunned. He collapsed weakly to his knees, because when he probed them with his Mental Power, he found that these corpses were real. They still carried the lingering aura of his family. He had actually killed his own family with his own hands.
"What have I done? I killed my own father... killed Grandfather... killed First Uncle, Second Uncle..." Chu Feng clutched his head, his eyes flickering wildly. In that moment he was nearly driven mad, his spirit on the verge of collapse, an expression of unbearable agony plastered across his face.
"Chu Feng, what are you doing? Those are just illusions—illusions!" Seeing this, Egg hurriedly tried to snap him out of it.
"No—they're not illusions. They're my father, my family. I can feel their aura. They were alive, and I just killed them with my own hands."
"Are you out of your mind? Those are illusions! The reason you can't tell real from fake is because you can't resist the power of this grand formation. Your Mental Power has been useless here for a long time."
"Chu Feng, be strong! This is your inner demon—the burden you can't let go of. This illusion formation seized upon that very weakness and took on their forms."
"You must hold on. Believe in yourself, believe that you are right. They are illusions—everything is fake. As long as you persevere, you will banish your inner demon, and your heart will carry no more guilt, no more burden." Egg's voice echoed ceaselessly in Chu Feng's ears, like a guiding beacon illuminating a path toward survival.
Under Egg's relentless urging, Chu Feng's mind gradually cleared. He began to trust in Egg's words, to trust in himself. He stopped running away and instead faced those corpses head-on—including the corpse of his father.
"Hum." Under Chu Feng's unwavering gaze, the corpses began to turn translucent. The blood vanished. The bodies vanished. And finally, they disappeared altogether.
In that moment, Chu Feng was finally able to see everything around him clearly. He discovered that he was still engulfed in mist, but the feeling was entirely different from before—because now he understood the method to overcome the illusion formation.
"Egg, thank you. If you hadn't been here, I might not have gotten through this." Chu Feng wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, still shaken.
"Thank me for what? We're past that. Besides, it wasn't your fault at all—it's just that this illusion formation is far too powerful. The illusions were far too realistic and bewitching. No one could have seen through them right from the start."
"It attacks the heart through emotion—because whether it's familial love or romantic love, it can make people throw themselves into danger without a thought, and it can strip them of all reason."
"But I believe that even without me, you would have found a way to overcome this obstacle, defeat your inner demon, and let go of the past." Egg's sweet laughter rang out, her lively voice utterly delightful. Most importantly, it made Chu Feng's heart feel warm.
"Not bad—not bad at all." But suddenly, a deep and ancient voice echoed from behind Chu Feng.
The moment that voice sounded, Chu Feng's body shuddered involuntarily, because at the same time he sensed an overwhelming wave of pressure bearing down on him from behind.
Turning to look, Chu Feng discovered with shock that behind him were four pairs of blood-red eyes. Two of the pairs were each as large as a lantern, while the other two were even bigger—each pair large enough to fill two lanterns.
Those crimson eyes, though devoid of killing intent, still made Chu Feng's heart pound with alarm. His Mental Power was useless here—he couldn't sense what kind of being those blood-red eyes belonged to—but he knew instinctively that it was something extraordinarily powerful.
"Kid, what's your name?" The deep voice spoke again, resonant as a bronze bell.
"This junior is Chu Feng. I don't know the esteemed name of my senior." Chu Feng answered respectfully.
"I am the Xuanwu Shield Armor Technique. You've got decent luck, kid—not only did you manage to find this place, you withstood the Heart-Demon Illusion Formation. You show some promise."
"As long as you're willing to do me a favor, I'll consider passing on my abilities to you. The question is—are you willing?" The mysterious existence continued.
Hearing this, Chu Feng's heart surged with wild elation. Xuanwu Shield Armor Technique, and it had referred to itself as such—the same manner of address, a similar name. Chu Feng had already guessed the identity of this entity. It was very likely another secret technique hidden within the Emperor's Tomb.
Without a moment's hesitation, Chu Feng eagerly replied, "Whatever your command, Senior—so long as it is within this junior's power, I will do everything in my ability."
"Ha ha ha—clever kid. You already know what I am, don't you? Inside your body, I sense a familiar aura. I never thought that Bai Hu, that arrogant fellow, would actually submit to you?"
PS: This is yesterday's fourth update. The fifth update is being compiled and will be posted shortly.