"All you need is ruthlessness, and subjects who are blindly loyal..." The voice, thick with suggestion, flooded Mu Nà Zhēncè's mind.

"No, it's not... I don't want this anymore...," Mu Nà Zhēncè shook his head repeatedly. "It's not! I don't want this anymore. I... I need friends..., I don't want puppets..., what I want are friends..., friends...,"

Boom! A shock rattled Mu Nà Zhēncè's mind, and the beautiful kingdom instantly collapsed. He was back in the quiet forest. Countless fallen angels soared overhead, chanting their strange songs that lured one into illusion. Qián Jìng and the others wore exceptionally calm expressions, each with a slight, happy smile playing on their lips.

"No! Qián Jìng won't be that weak!"

Fén Tú Kuánggē roared, startling awake from his trance. He looked around curiously. "I wanted to defeat the Bloodline Warrior, but Qián Jìng absolutely wouldn't be defeated by me that easily. Nor would he kneel at my feet begging for mercy after a loss...,"

"I don't want to be Empress! I want to marry Qián Jìng...," Lùxīfǎ Liúshuǐ cried out, waking abruptly from her deep stillness. Feeling Mu Nà Zhēncè's smile, her cheeks instantly flushed red.

Mu Nà Zhēncè smiled faintly. Whether woman or demoness, this is what happens when they fall in love! No wonder my mother told me never to hurt a girl who is emotionally invested in you. If she truly loves you, she will give up everything for you. If you wound the heart of such a girl, you are worse than a beast.

"Qián Jìng ah, you must not hurt Lùxīfǎ Liúshuǐ...," Mu Nà Zhēncè murmured under his breath. "She for you...,"

"Her!"

Qièkèfúlìtè let out a cold snort full of disdain. His emotions barely fluctuated as he awoke from his deep stillness.

Mu Nà Zhēncè could only give a thumbs-up in admiration. This Qiè Shùai truly has a heart as hard as iron. Which of the others woke up from the illusion without strong emotion? Yet he woke with just a cold scoff!

"Pfft..."

Duàn Fēngbù'ěr suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood upon snapping awake from his quiescent state, but he hadn't actually emerged from the illusion. His eyes remained closed, his face etched with pain as he muttered, "This time, Qiè Shùai! I took that hit for you; I probably won't survive. If the stars grant us a next life, you be a woman and marry me, to repay me for taking that sword for you in this life," "Nonsense!"

Qièkèfúlìtè raised his blade, ready to lunge at Duàn Fēngbù'ěr, his murderous aura instantly focusing entirely on Duàn Fēngbù'ěr.

The sharp killing intent felt like a knife. Duàn Fēngbù'ěr suddenly threw his eyes open, looking at the furious Qièkèfúlìtè with surprise. He then glanced at his lower abdomen, asking with a face full of confusion, "Didn't I just get stabbed?"

"You didn't get stabbed just now, but you will now...," Qièkèfúlìtè held his blade, his face ice-cold. "You are about to get stabbed...,"

"Alright, alright...," Mu Nà Zhēncè quickly moved to embrace Qièkèfúlìtè from behind. This half-breed fallen angel Bloodline Warrior's pupils had been entirely filled with concern when he saw Duàn Fēngbù'ěr injured. That fierce killing intent was merely a way to shock Duàn Fēngbù'ěr awake.

"Why isn't Qián Jìng awake yet?," Fén Tú Kuánggē asked about Qián Jìng worriedly. "Judging by what just happened, it seems injuries sustained in the illusion translate to physical harm. So...,"

"Look at Qián Jìng's appearance...," Lùxīfǎ Liúshuǐ stared tensely at Qián Jìng. "Quickly look! Am I seeing things...,"

"Not good!," Mu Nà Zhēncè's eyelids twitched repeatedly. A trace of maturity had appeared on Qián Jìng's face—the kind that slowly emerges as a person grows older.

In this state, Qián Jìng was actually developing an air of maturity. There was only one possibility... Qián Jìng was sinking too deep!

Everyone looked tense. This meant Qián Jìng was genuinely happy, so he believed time was passing bit by bit within the illusion, and his body naturally grew along with it.

If this continued..., Qián Jìng would rapidly age..., and then die of old age!

"So this is what happiness feels like. A pity it's all ultimately an illusion...,"

Qián Jìng, eyes closed, raised his hand and punched toward the sky. The phantom images of the surrounding fallen angels scattered rapidly as if fleeing a raging fire, and that punch knocked down countless leaves.

Qián Jìng slowly opened his eyes and looked at the tense faces around him. "It was truly beautiful, truly perfect. So beautiful that even though I knew it was fake, I still wanted to linger there a moment longer. So beautiful that I didn't want to leave. But...,"

A hint of loneliness appeared in Qián Jìng's eyes. "It was fake after all...,"

Lùxīfǎ Liúshuǐ wiped the cold sweat from her brow, repeatedly hitting Qián Jìng's shoulders. Mist-like moisture shimmered in her single eye. "You scared me to death...,"

Mu Nà Zhēncè looked at Qián Jìng with confusion. This man clearly possessed a heart of steel, no less than Qiè Shùai's. At least in this illusion, it was evident that even Qiè Shùai only woke after a cold scoff, whereas he didn't even need that. With such a heart of steel, why did he falter at that crucial moment? Friends?

Mu Nà Zhēncè unconsciously frowned. I don't need any friends! I am the future Emperor! I only used the pretext of friendship to break out of that illusion just now!

That's it! It must be so! Mu Nà Zhēncè nodded repeatedly, finding a very strained excuse for himself. The phantom images of the fallen angels circled in the sky, watching the group below awaken. They let out shrieks and surged once more toward the Heart of Lùxīfǎ. The metal sphere began to shake violently again.

"What are you still looking at? Move and suppress it! Don't let it actually break free from this magic device! Now, its essence is about to be stimulated, don't hold back, everyone! Grab it!,"

Qián Jìng issued the command and decisively slammed his palm toward the Heart of Lùxīfǎ. The others, without hesitation, also struck the Heart of Lùxīfǎ with their palms.

Bang bang bang...

The continuous palm strikes hit the Heart of Lùxīfǎ. The immense force didn't damage it in the slightest, but countless essences within were forcibly reversed out by the magic device.

Duàn Fēngbù'ěr's eyes lit up. His Nine-Headed Serpent Bloodline Battle Form immediately manifested, and the unique devouring ability surfaced in his palm, greedily absorbing the essence once more.

Qián Jìng experienced an indescribable sensation. Various negative emotions continuously battered his spirit, and waves of indescribable warmth flowed into his body. Along with the warmth came scenes he had never witnessed before.

These were techniques practiced alone by the fallen angels during combat. Each movement of the martial arts flowed with the surrounding seasonal changes, adapting to every shift, as if one could always move with the current, no matter the moment!

Each martial art technique shifted and inverted, completely reversing the surrounding conditions—as if forging a path where none existed, or stubbornly digging for water where there was only desert. Everything moved against the prevailing current!

The sequencing of the Dou Qi followed suit. Two completely distinct arrangements of Dou Qi combined to form two colossal Dou Seals that spun in the sky.

"Is this the Lùxīfǎ clan's [Unparalleled Harmony and Discord Technique]?," Qián Jìng was surprised yet ecstatic. [Harmony] and [Discord] were the strongest Dou Techniques of the Lùxīfǎ Fallen Angel Bloodline Warriors. When combined, they were comparable to the Qián family's [Heaven and Earth Boundless Seal].

For a moment, Qián Jìng's inner Dou Heart began to turn again, rapidly arranging the Dou Seals of these two major techniques... Qián Jìng felt indescribably parched; this one harmony and one discord made his Dou Heart and body feel like they were shattering. Arranging them was far more painful and slow than imagined.

His three Dou Hearts were also rapidly expanding under steady nourishment, yet they showed no sign of truly breaking through to condense a Dou Soul, as if still missing that so-called fourth type of flame.

The Lùxīfǎ clan's techniques were not limited to just [Harmony] and [Discord]; there were other techniques as well. It was just that the quality of these other techniques did not reach the terrifying level of the Harmony and Discord pair.

Every single Dou Technique of a Bloodline Warrior family was fully displayed. Qián Jìng's eyes were dazzled as he frantically absorbed the various Dou Techniques, combat experience, and the various realizations gained when striving to improve strength.

People always said that 'Discord' (Nì) was an extreme power, and 'Harmony' (Shùn) was far inferior. Even the bards beneath the stars spoke of things like 'defying heaven' (Nì Tiān), and Qián Jìng had always believed this made perfect sense.

However, after witnessing the enlightenment of the former demons of the Lùxīfǎ clan, he gradually realized that the power of Harmony was in no way inferior to Discord; in fact, it was often far superior.

Discord is merely opposition! Rebellion is also a form of discord. But Harmony! Filial piety requires obedience (Shùn)! Without Shùn, how can there be piety?

Wasn't Harmony, too, a formidable power? It was the power that burst forth from true emotion!

The powerful ancestors of the Lùxīfǎ clan mixed their life's enlightenment with their combat experience, forging their so-called Warrior's Way.

Qián Jìng felt their feelings, experienced their experiences, and absorbed their vital essence. He entered a state of unprecedented clarity; many combat sensations suddenly connected at this moment. Compared to the replenishment of vital essence, these Dou Techniques, experiences, and realizations were tens of thousands of times more precious.

The few young people used their respective methods, frantically absorbing the vital essence of the Heart of Lùxīfǎ. The reserves inside were simply too vast. Even the Qián family members dropped their usual modesty, everyone scrambling to snatch as much as they could.

Fén Tú Kuánggē absorbed the vital essence frantically, not even glancing at the Dou Techniques. His Great True Gold Dou Qi possessed its own techniques; he couldn't possibly practice the Lùxīfǎ clan's techniques. Even though these were top-tier techniques, in his eyes, they weren't worth a single copper coin.

Duàn Fēngbù'ěr's devouring ability in his palm wasn't just consuming the vital essence. A small fraction of the Lùxīfǎ phantoms were forcibly swallowed into his body. The influx of realization felt instantly as if it were his own, causing his entire head to feel like it was about to explode in pain.

What exactly were these realizations? Duàn Fēngbù'ěr couldn't quite grasp it, only knowing that once they became his memories, it was like a small warehouse suddenly being filled with cargo exceeding its capacity.

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