"Of course, you're from China's Jiangnan Province, aren't you? You transmigrated here, have you forgotten?"

Ding Wanyan looked at Lei Dong with utter bewilderment, as if his question were profoundly foolish.

Not just her, but even Chen Ge and Wei Hua, their faces streaming with blood, mirrored the expression that Ding Wanyan was correct.

Suddenly, Lei Dong's mind cleared completely, as if understanding had struck him in an instant.

He let out a cold chuckle: "Senior Sister, did I ever tell you that? If you were truly my Senior Sister, wouldn't you have told me you hailed from the Lei Family Town in Wanxi City, Wu Kingdom?" "Junior Brother Lei, what do you mean?"

Ding Wanyan's expression abruptly shifted to one of heartbreaking sorrow and fright, like a pitiable woman abandoned after a brief affair: "Junior Brother, you—you don't want me anymore?" "Enough."

The cold smile vanished from Lei Dong's face, replaced by an angry roar: "My inner demon, you are forbidden from insulting my Senior Sister any further."

"Ah~~" A streak of blue light flashed, and with a mournful, wailing sound, the Dharma Wheel grew larger and spun ever faster. In the blink of an eye, the phantom Ding Wanyan, conjured by the inner demon, was sliced cleanly in two.

As the two halves dissolved into faint smoke, she still called out mournfully, "Junior Brother, you are so cruel-hearted~" Her voice echoed endlessly within the hall.

Even though Lei Dong knew clearly that what he had destroyed was his own inner demon, his heart could not help but tremble, and a faint ache brushed across his soul.

His eyes, slightly bloodshot, fixed upon the two spectral figures of his 'brothers,' his breath growing ragged. He raised his hand and shot a Nether Fire Bomb directly at them: "This is the end for you as well..."

The eerie green flame exploded, instantly blasting the two ghosts—who had begun to bleed from all seven orifices—away.

"That's enough. Heart Demon Hall, I, Lei, now understand. All of this was the work of the inner demon."

Lei Dong violently kicked over the throne and roared: ... "Let me leave..."

However, there was no sign of him being allowed to depart.

Instead, those kings of various races whom Lei Dong had driven away suddenly reappeared, all kneeling in fear and subservience, crying out: "Great Emperor, where are you going? Do you abandon us?" The Asura King crawled forward, weeping and begging desperately: "Great Emperor, please don't leave us. Little Deer is willing to conquer realm after realm for you, making you the sole Emperor of all realms." "Great Emperor, we beg you not to go. We will fulfill every single one of your wishes."

"Enough, I’ve had enough fun. This is all fake, all of it is false."

Lei Dong erupted in a roar, his body engulfed in surging Nether Ghost Qi, which transformed into countless black pythons that lunged to strangle those 'kings.' Upon contact with the black pythons, each king instantly turned into a statue, then exploded, dissipating into the air without a trace.

After all the 'kings' were annihilated, Lei Dong remained rooted in this ancient and majestic hall, showing no sign of leaving, nor did any teleportation array appear. He stood frozen on the spot. He had clearly seen through the inner demon, so why could he still not get out? Did he have to smash the entire hall to pieces?

Deciding to act, Lei Dong began to summon his Ghost Servants, the Soul-Devouring Shadow Tigers, using the Nether Ghost Qi, and started furiously destroying everything in the Heart Demon Hall that could be broken.

After an unknown period, this grand and magnificent Heart Demon Hall was almost completely dismantled.

Immediately, Lei Dong froze. Not only did the demolished Heart Demon Hall instantly restore itself to a pristine, undamaged state, but the destroyed Ding Wanyan and all the other kings reappeared. Furthermore, the Hell of Vengeful Spirits, the Mountain of Corpses and Sea of Blood, and the Tide of Dry Bones all manifested once more.

Staring blankly at this spectacle, Lei Dong’s heart filled with confusion; he didn't know how to escape this illusion. His nerves were taut and anxious; he was close to madness.

He destroyed everything again, but swiftly, everything reproduced itself anew. It was like an endless nightmare that refused to dissipate. He could not free himself from it.

"Your heart is too restless; your desires are too numerous."

A voice, both familiar and strangely alien, suddenly rang out beside Lei Dong’s ear, striking him like a thunderclap that made his entire being, from soul to body, tremble violently.

"Who is it?" Lei Dong opened his blood-red eyes wide, scanning everywhere and shouting: "Come out! Who are you?"

The voice sounded like a reprimand: "Enough, you little demon spawn of the Yinsha Sect. If I had any other choice, I wouldn't bother helping you, letting you sink forever into the boundless sea of desire until your spirit withered and your physical body decayed."

The voice sounded again in his ear: "Do as I say. Calm your heart. You have too many chaotic desires; your inner demon is too powerful."

"Jie Chen?" Lei Dong was utterly stunned. How could it be him? Why would he suddenly appear in his inner demon illusion to help him? Could this also be part of his inner demon?

He sneered repeatedly: "Jie Chen, with your fiery temper, I doubt you can even help yourself, can you?"

"I cannot hear what you are saying while you are in the illusion, but I am right beside you and can see your expression. Don't look dismissive; time is running out. I will transmit a Heart Calming Mantra to you. Recite it with me. Just pretend I am your inner demon—are you unwilling to even try?"

Jie Chen’s voice sounded distant and ethereal, yet it seemed to resonate right next to his ear: "Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, when practicing the profound Prajna Paramita deeply..."

Indeed, even if this was his inner demon, reciting along with him couldn't cause any harm. After all, he was already trapped in the inner demon world and couldn't get out. How much worse could it get?

So, he began to follow along, reciting one word after another: "Shariputra, form is no different from emptiness, emptiness is no different from form... No eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind; no form, sound, scent."

After the first recitation, Lei Dong's agitated and restless heart seemed to slightly subside. Then came the second recitation: ... "Shariputra, all dharmas are empty phenomena, neither arising nor ceasing, neither defiled nor pure..."

As the pure mantra was recited again and again, the restless and anxious mood miraculously settled down.

Regardless of how the surrounding 'kings' pleaded desperately, how the 'Senior Sister' lamented sorrowfully, or how his 'brothers' reproached him, Lei Dong's expression remained calm and natural, devoid of any fluctuation. The scarlet tint in his eyes gradually returned to normal.

Suddenly, a thunderclap roared in his ear: "Om! Vajra-Sattva Hum! Lei Dong, wake up quickly!..."

Lei Dong felt as if a brilliant golden light had instantly shattered countless wisps of black energy before his eyes. He snapped his eyes open, and upon clearly discerning his surroundings, he was utterly dumbfounded.

The majestic and solid Heart Demon Hall from moments ago was still there. But the difference was stark: that Heart Demon Hall, though ancient and solemn, was spotlessly clean and perfectly ordered. However, the hall he was currently in, though identical in design, was ancient to the extreme. Two of the grand pillars were completely broken, and the remaining ones were mostly fractured, leaning precariously. A small section on the left had collapsed, and on the right wall, a large hole gaped, as if blasted open by some tremendously powerful spell. Far through the hole, only impenetrable blackness could be seen, with no light penetrating.

But these were not what shocked Lei Dong the most. After all, he knew the Heart Demon Hall’s unique properties had stirred up countless inner demons, nearly causing him to sink completely into the illusion.

There were many startling things, such as the dozens of withered corpses lying in the corner, each one older than the last, from left to right. The oldest corpse looked as if it had been stored for perhaps a thousand years, so decayed that a slight breeze might scatter it. What made Lei Dong’s heart palpitate inexplicably was that on the wall above each corpse, a line of text was carved with a sharp implement. For instance, "First to die from inner demons, Xiaoyao Dao Li Feifan," or "Seventh to die, Yinsha Sect Wang Tao." Each line was chillingly explicit.

Representatives from all eight major sects, including the Heavenly Dao Alliance, were accounted for. Even without explanation, Lei Dong knew these were the disciples from various major sects who had perished in the Heart Demon Hall in previous generations. Thinking of this, Lei Dong felt a wave of dread. If only...

"If I hadn't helped you, your fate would have been the same as theirs."

A firm voice sounded in Lei Dong's ear. Lei Dong glanced over to see Jie Chen of the Vajra Temple sitting cross-legged nearby. What struck Lei Dong as notable was that his injuries were far more severe than when they last met. When he fought Wu Peng head-to-head for several days previously, his wounds had been grave, but he still appeared spirited. However, this young monk, though speaking sharply, breathed weakly and his face was ashen. Lei Dong knew without checking that his soul was gravely injured; if not treated immediately, he might die right here.

"Little monk, you saved me from this, so you want me to heal your injuries?" Lei Dong glanced at him with a cold sneer: ... "Fine. This Lei doesn't particularly like owing favors, especially not to some little bald donkey from the Vajra Temple. Moreover, your worsening injuries were caused by me in the first place."

As Lei Dong spoke, his eyes swept around. Not only was Jie Chen severely injured and sitting cross-legged, but not far away, Tantai Bingyun was also sitting with a pale face, eyes closed, recuperating. Looking further out, Lei Dong was stunned to see Dongfang Fu also sitting motionless on the ground, his face the color of yellowed parchment. As for Zhao Wuji of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, he was lying on the ground, his state unknown.

The first few were sitting to heal, but the remaining few were rather bizarre. Qi Feifei, Wu Peng, and Xi Donglai were strangely suspended in the air, encircled by a ring of white light. Each wore a strange expression on their faces.

"Hmph, nonsense." Jie Chen, who had just transmitted the Heart Calming Spell to Lei Dong, remained utterly explosive in temper, his first words being impolite: "Do you have any idea how long you were trapped in the illusion? It's been three whole months! Those minor injuries healed long ago. And saving you wasn't so I could heal; it was so you could kill!"

"Kill?" Lei Dong was completely taken aback: "Kill who?"

"Kill me!"