The seven-day deadline approached, and the Hall of Life and Death filled with many figures. The Patriarch, Nie Qingsong, the Seventh Elder Nie Xinghai, the Eighth Elder Nie Longshan, and the Ninth Elder Nie Xingdong all appeared, though none spoke; silence enveloped the area. As noon neared, the brilliant radiance emanating from the Illusionary Realm began to slowly recede, gradually dimming.

"Only three remain."

Gazing at the three isolated cocoons, the Ninth Elder, Nie Xingdong, finally broke the stillness with a laugh. "I hope those two little ones, Nie Qing'an and Nie Kong, can hold out until the end. If that little girl from the Bai family snags first place, our Nie family will be quite embarrassed."

Someone suddenly remarked, "Why not just marry the little girl into the Nie family? Once she's a Nie daughter-in-law, she counts as one of us."

"Haha, that's a good idea."

A burst of hearty laughter filled the hall, instantly dispelling the slightly oppressive atmosphere. Everyone chuckled as they watched the three colored cocoons...

...

"It's over."

In the valley of the Illusionary Realm, Nie Qing'an stood up unsteadily, staring at the myriad colors in the sky. Blood dripped steadily from his body.

After retrieving the golden needle from the eye socket of the one-horned Blood Lion, Nie Kong also sat up with some difficulty. Bai Yuqing lay on the ground, unable to move, but a rare, faint smile touched the corner of her lips. The boundless, multicolored light reflected in her eyes, causing them to shine with an extraordinary brilliance.

Nie Qing'an and Nie Kong were extremely close. After a swift glance, Nie Qing'an smiled, his voice laced with mockery, "Nie Kong, do you still have the strength to stand up?"

As he spoke, his steps wavered as he moved toward Nie Kong.

"Of course!"

Nie Kong roared with laughter, forcing himself upright despite his trembling legs. Suddenly, as Nie Qing'an reached him, he stumbled, pitching forward onto Nie Kong.

"Careful," Nie Kong said, reaching out solicitously to steady him. But midway through his reach, his right hand accelerated abruptly, his fingers forming a sharp peck aimed at Nie Qing'an's left chest. Spiritual energy exploded outwards, and a plume of bloody shadow erupted from Nie Qing'an's back. At that very moment, Nie Qing'an's right palm was barely half an inch from Nie Kong's heart.

Nie Qing'an looked down in disbelief at the bloody hole in his chest, pulling a wry smile that was uglier than a grimace. "You... you were just a tiny bit faster... than me..." His voice faded until his head and his suspended right arm simultaneously slumped downward.

"I told you to be careful," Nie Kong chuckled, gently pushing Nie Qing'an's corpse aside. He then stumbled somewhat drunkenly over to Bai Yuqing, who was still gazing upward at the sky, and teased, "Sister Bai, do you still have the strength to take your own life?" This final rule of the first layer of the Life and Death Illusion was utterly perverse: when the deadline hit, even if one wasn't dead, suicide was mandatory. Otherwise, once the colored clouds in the sky vanished, the soul would fall into eternal slumber, unable to return to the body.

"..."

Bai Yuqing blinked.

"Good," Nie Kong said, helping Bai Yuqing sit up. "Then I'll go first. If there's no one else left in the Illusionary Realm, first place is yours. Hmm. I need to choose a more comfortable spot to die; this area is full of corpses. The thought of lying next to them for those last ten seconds after I die makes me a little sick."

Nie Kong didn't feel that letting Bai Yuqing take first place was wrong. In his heart, concepts like family honor were mere illusions. Moreover, this first place was something Bai Yuqing deserved; without her help, Nie Kong certainly wouldn't have lasted these final two days. Conversely, without Nie Kong's healing, Bai Yuqing might have succumbed to her severe injuries days earlier. They had, in essence, complemented each other.

With that, Nie Kong walked toward the stone cave. Nie Kong was still unwilling to give up on the White Jade Stone Wall, intending to test one last time before death to see if any medicinal scent still lingered within.

Laboriously settling into a cross-legged position against the stone wall, Nie Kong secretly circulated the "Five Star Shifting Art" for a moment, but still, not a trace of medicinal fragrance seeped out. Seeing the outside radiance begin to dim, Nie Kong could only give up, mobilizing the last thread of spiritual power in his acupoints, and brought his right fist down hard upon his left chest.

Seconds later, the sounds from Bai Yuqing outside the cave quieted considerably. Her slender index finger gently poked the high, jade-like peak on her left side, and a faint "crack" echoed from within her chest—the sound of a shattering heart...

...

The Hall of Life and Death.

"That boy Qing'an wasn't resilient enough; he came out first," Nie Xingdong sighed, shaking his head in disappointment as he watched the last two remaining colored cocoons. "Now, it's all down to Nie Kong."

"Bang!"

Another sharp sound echoed, causing the hearts of everyone present to skip a beat. When Bai Yuqing's fiery, delicate form was revealed, nearly everyone simultaneously let out a breath of relief, silently applauding. Bai Yuqing emerging first meant that first place would at least remain within the Nie family.

Immediately, a middle-aged woman rushed out from the crowd, intending to carry the unconscious Bai Yuqing out. However, as she reached Bai Yuqing, she paused, withdrawing her outstretched arms in slight surprise, for Bai Yuqing's eyes were open, showing no signs of unconsciousness whatsoever.

Seeing this, Nie Qingsong and the elders nodded secretly. For this young girl to hold out until this moment before emerging meant her mental fortitude alone far surpassed the younger ones who came before. Furthermore, out of the hundreds who entered the Life and Death Illusionary Realm, those who emerged still maintaining consciousness could be counted on one hand.

"Huh?"

A flash of irrepressible surprise crossed Bai Yuqing’s eyes. The moment she awoke, she discovered her cultivation had smoothly ascended to the ninth rank of the Spirit Unification stage. After the joy, Bai Yuqing instinctively looked back, and upon seeing the still-present cocoon, she let out an astonished, low cry.

Bai Yuqing was confused. If she remembered correctly, that location should have been Nie Kong's spot. Yet, she clearly remembered seeing Nie Kong blast his own heart apart; the sight of the flying flesh and blood could not have been mistaken. Logically, Nie Kong should have emerged long before her!

"Hmm, that's not right?" Nie Qingsong looked at the Illusionary Realm, his expression showing a flicker of astonishment.

Before the words had fully left his mouth, the Illusionary Realm in the center of the Hall of Life and Death—where only a faint, multicolored stream of light remained—suddenly roared violently. The seven-colored radiance rapidly transformed into a crimson glow. In an instant, countless streaks of light, as magnificent and bewitching as the sunset glow, burst forth, enveloping every corner of the Hall of Life and Death in a hazy, blood-red hue.

"Someone has forced their way into the second layer of the Illusionary Realm!" Nie Xingdong exclaimed, undisguised shock creeping onto his youthful face. Nie Qingsong, Nie Xinghai, and Nie Longshan also saw their expressions change.

"The second layer of the Illusionary Realm?"

Amidst the murmurs of disbelief, the gazes of a dozen clansmen in the vicinity snapped simultaneously toward the only colored cocoon remaining in the Hall of Life and Death... no, it should be called a blood cocoon. The multicolored light emanating from it was gradually being replaced by blood-red, until finally, no other mixed colors remained upon the shell.

Nie Qingsong frowned, contemplating. "Nie Kong only has the cultivation of the first rank of the Spirit Unification stage. How could he possibly possess the ability to enter the second layer of the Life and Death Illusionary Realm?" The Patriarch's words voiced the doubt shared by everyone present.

Looking at the crowd, whose expressions varied widely, Bai Yuqing's young, pretty face held a trace of bewilderment as she murmured, "The second layer? But I clearly saw him commit suicide!"

Nie Xingdong's eyes lit up. He materialized beside Bai Yuqing like a phantom, urgently inquiring, "Girl, you personally witnessed Nie Kong kill himself? Was the location where he committed suicide specific in any way?"

Bai Yuqing was intimately familiar with the spot where she had languished for seven days, so she answered without hesitation, "It was a very beautiful stone cave, with an arch-shaped White Jade Stone Wall inside. For the first few days, Nie Kong spent almost the entire day and night pressed against that White Jade Stone Wall cultivating."

"The White Jade Stone Wall? Arch-shaped?"

The other clansmen were mostly confused, but Nie Qingsong, Nie Xingdong, Nie Xinghai, and Nie Longshan sank into deep thought. Everyone glanced from the blood-red Illusionary Realm and the cocoon to Nie Qingsong and the others, instinctively holding their breath, afraid to make any sound that might disturb the Patriarch's contemplation...