Even if Ling Feng had been drugged into a stupor, she would never have made such an aggressive move; this entire situation carried a distinct air of the bizarre!

"Could it be..." A terrifying thought suddenly blossomed in Chen Feng's mind, his eyes flashing with sharp light, as if trying to pierce through something unseen.

"Could it be you don't like me?" Ling Feng opened her eyes and saw Chen Feng frozen in place. Tears immediately welled up, her expression tragically piteous—a sight that would compel even the hardest heart to yield to her demands.

"Hoo..." Chen Feng exhaled slowly, easing the tension in his chest. He narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "When we first met, you competed against Headmaster Xia Liubin of Tianfeng Academy. What was one thing you said to me then?"

"What did I say? I forgot. Kiss me now..." Ling Feng continued speaking, her eyes clouded with intoxicating haze.

At this moment, Chen Feng's face was chillingly cold, like frost, and he slowly uttered three words.

"Who are you?"

"Who am I? I am Ling Feng!" Ling Feng's voice held a thread of wounded resentment.

"Ling Feng?" Chen Feng suddenly stood up, his five fingers drawn together into a tight fist: "I only trust my judgment and my own fists!"

Without another word, regardless of the power behind the figure before him, he unleashed a forceful strike, delivering a punch directly to her lower abdomen. With a sharp thud, she was sent flying backward.

"You... why did you hit me?" Ling Feng showed a flash of unwillingness, an expression mixing sorrow and anger, but it vanished instantly as her entire form dissolved into nothingness.

"If it were the real Ling Feng, she wouldn't be unaware that our first meeting was in the forest, and she wouldn't fail to know that the first thing spoken was, 'Come out, who are you!'"

Chen Feng's fist trembled slightly, his effort to keep his voice level palpable. Just then, his vision swam, and indeed, all the scenery before him vanished. He found himself standing before a sheer cliff face.

To be able to deceive the spirit of a peak Saint Domain powerhouse—the strength of this formation was almost unbelievable.

Turning, he saw Ling Feng standing nearby, looking at him with concern, completely unlike her previous demeanor. Yet, for some reason, Chen Feng felt a subtle twinge of disappointment...

"What just happened?" Chen Feng pushed the negative emotion aside and asked.

"We arrived here and saw a cave. You jumped right in. I tried to follow, but for some reason, I couldn't get inside. While I was hesitating, you reappeared!" Ling Feng recounted.

"You don't know what happened inside?" Chen Feng asked, perplexed.

"No!" Ling Feng shook her head.

"What a potent illusion array!" Chen Feng murmured, suddenly struck by a thought: "What if my judgment was wrong, and the one just now was truly Ling Feng?"

Seeing the genuine worry etched on the face of the Ling Feng before him, he couldn't help but shudder: "Fortunately, it wasn't the real Ling Feng, otherwise... I truly wouldn't have been able to strike! But if it had been the real one, what harm would a kiss have done..."

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"Pfft..." The old man in the golden robe spat out a mouthful of blood.

"What is it, Ancestor?" Emperor Suomen cried out in alarm.

"I'm fine!" The old man in the golden robe shook his head and sighed, "Impressive, truly impressive!"

"What's impressive?" Emperor Suomen inquired.

"Look at the crystal ball!" The old man pointed ahead.

"What's wrong?" Emperor Suomen turned toward the crystal ball. After just one glance, he stammered, "He... he passed the second trial too?"

"Yes!" The old man in the golden robe confirmed. "I didn't expect him to be so ruthless, to be capable of attacking his own woman. I truly cannot fathom what his heart is made of! How can it be so hard!"

"What exactly happened?" Emperor Suomen pressed.

"The second trial was the [Seven-Colored Heart Demon Array]. It provokes a person's most fundamental desire. Bashiangan is young and vigorous, paired with his woman, it was bound to stir some desire-based inner demon. I never imagined he would see through the formation's reality at a glance and shatter it directly! That one punch nearly destroyed the entire array!" The old man’s eyes held a trace of fear as he spoke.

This youth is too ruthless. Even the world's supreme experts could not escape those two trials. I thought his rapid advancement might have made him restless, and these two trials primarily target the spirit, yet he seemed utterly unaffected. This level of strength and mental fortitude is simply terrifying," the old man finished, his eyes clouded with defeat.

"Then do we really have no recourse?" Emperor Suomen couldn't help but grow tense upon hearing his Ancestor's words.

"Regardless, this person must be killed, or the repercussions will be endless!" the old man in the golden robe said grimly. "The final trial depends on whether Little Nine can succeed. If he fails too, then we truly have no options left!"

"Little Nine is meticulous and intelligent; it's unlikely he will expose any weakness through desire. If he is discovered, given Bashiangan's character, he certainly won't let him go, perhaps not even keeping him alive this long," Emperor Suomen observed.

"Good, that's reassuring. How are those three people doing?"

"They are still being held in the cave in the back mountain; everything is fine!" Emperor Suomen reported.

"Do not be careless for a moment, or we will truly be playing with fire ourselves!" the old man in the golden robe cautioned.

"You have already played with fire!" At that precise moment, a cold voice slowly resonated.

"Bashiangan..." The old man in the golden robe and Emperor Suomen simultaneously gasped in shock and spun around, their faces registering profound astonishment.

"Indeed, it is me!" Chen Feng sneered. He had already materialized before Emperor Suomen, suddenly extending his arm to seize his neck, immediately hoisting him up.

"You... release me..." Emperor Suomen's face turned beet red, unable to speak.

"Aren't you afraid of mutually assured destruction?" the old man in the golden robe shouted.

"Mutually assured destruction? Are you worthy?" Chen Feng sneered, glaring at Emperor Suomen in his grasp. "I warned you once not to provoke me, but it seems you paid me no heed!"

"You... don't kill me... I'll give you whatever you want! Even my throne!" Emperor Suomen urgently pleaded.

"The throne? You think I care?" Chen Feng scoffed. "I don't know where you gained the confidence to challenge me, but you must pay the appropriate price for provoking me. Let me make one thing clear... The Luoqi Empire is finished!"

"Bashiangan, release him quickly, and I can spare John and the others. Otherwise, I will..." the old man in the golden robe threatened fiercely.

"And