Chapter 756: The Test

‘Illusion Demon Palace? Could this Small World have been left behind after a Great Emperor of the Illusion Demon Clan fell?’

Seeing the three large, shining words.

Yang Xiao’s Heart Spirit couldn’t help but tense slightly.

His mind drifted to certain events from the past.

‘I wonder how that little girl is doing now.’

The image of a girl constantly clad in red surfaced in his mind.

A gentle smile involuntarily touched the corners of Yang Xiao’s lips.

Back then, when his consciousness first awakened, the first living being he met after leaving Fire God Island was the little princess of the Illusion Demon Clan, Illusory Moon, who always wore red.

Unfortunately…

Due to various circumstances, they were separated soon after.

But in Yang Xiao’s memory, she was his very first friend.

And a very important person at that.

‘If she’s still alive, she’s probably reached the level of a Top-tier Emperor by now, at the very least. But the Illusion Demon Clan, despite calling themselves demons and belonging to the Demon Race, has always remained hidden from the world and rarely fought with others. If this truly is a Small World left behind by a fallen Great Emperor of the Illusion Demon Clan, then who could have killed him?’

Yang Xiao was puzzled.

From what he knew, the Illusion Demon Clan was incredibly powerful. Their Talent Ability was terrifying, and their noble lineage was almost on par with his own first life as an Innate Fire God.

Yet, this clan had remained secluded since the Ancient Era, disliking conflict.

They didn’t even walk among the mortals of the world.

His own meeting with that girl, Illusory Moon, had been a complete chance encounter.

But she was quickly taken away by her clansmen.

He had been heartbroken for a long time back then.

As he grew stronger over the years, Yang Xiao tried many methods and searched for a long time, but he never found any trace of the Illusion Demon Clan.

He only managed to learn a few secret pieces of information about the Illusion Demon Clan by chance.

One of which was that they seemed to live in a hidden place, disconnected from the mortal world.

They appeared to be abiding by some ancient rule.

Never revealing themselves to the world.

His encounter with Illusory Moon back then was likely just a coincidence.

But now…

A Great Emperor of the Illusion Demon Clan had actually fallen here.

This led Yang Xiao to a certain speculation.

‘Could it be that the Illusion Demon Clan of that era no longer needed to follow the ancestral edicts of the Ancient Era?’

At this thought,

his eyes lit up.

If that were truly the case, perhaps he might meet that girl, Illusory Moon, again.

However…

When he thought about his current situation,

Yang Xiao gave a wry smile.

‘It’s been more than one million, three hundred thousand years since Illusory Moon and I parted ways. With her talent, she must have already reached a height that I can hardly hope to match right now. Even if we did meet, things wouldn’t be the same, would they?’

Yang Xiao sighed softly.

A million years really could change a lot of things.

He knew this all too well.

So, reigning in his thoughts, Yang Xiao refocused his gaze on the Illusion Demon Palace.

With a single thought,

he stepped directly inside.

Since he was already here, and this place was very likely the Core of this Mysterious Space, he certainly wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass.

The moment he stepped inside,

Yang Xiao felt as if he had entered another dimension.

Before him was no grand hall, but a vision of a flaming Hell.

The raging flames burning in that Hell, the lethal blades, the terrifying ghouls—all of it was menacing and incredibly realistic.

But Yang Xiao

remained perfectly still,

as if he saw nothing at all.

He strode forward.

And the further he walked,

the more terrifying the flames became.

The blades glinted with a bone-chilling cold.

It seemed as if they would pierce Yang Xiao’s body at any moment.

And the ghouls, each one more hideous than the last, radiated a terrifying aura. It felt as though any one of them could tear Yang Xiao to shreds.

And yet.

Yang Xiao strode through the flames.

Past the blades.

And under the ghouls’ sharp claws.

He marched onward,

as if going to his death.

But the result was…

When he stepped through the flames,

they disappeared.

When he walked into the blades,

they disappeared.

When he met the terrifying ghouls,

crashing right into their claws,

these ghouls disappeared too.

Everything.

It all disappeared.

Only then did Yang Xiao stop walking.

He saw that the grand hall before him had returned to a state of tranquility.

He let out a small sigh of relief in his heart.

‘The Illusion Skill of the Illusion Demon Clan is truly formidable, enough to be indistinguishable from reality. No wonder we saw those illusions when we first entered. I suppose it’s a way for this thing to protect itself, and at the same time, a test… And this palace… However, Illusory Moon once said that when facing an Illusion Realm, it doesn’t matter if it’s real or fake. As long as you can hold fast to your true heart, even what is fake can be treated as real, and what is real will turn fake!’

Yang Xiao sighed softly.

If he hadn’t met Illusory Moon back then and learned of this characteristic of the Illusion Demon Clan,

then anyone would have shown a trace of fear just now.

And as soon as one’s state of mind wavered,

that is, if one believed, even for a moment, that this place was real,

then,

everything here would likely have become real.

And once it became real,

whether it was the fire,

the blades,

or those non-existent ghouls,

any of it could have easily torn him to shreds.

Moreover, this ability had nothing to do with one’s cultivation.

It was all about one’s mental fortitude.

The stronger one’s cultivation, if their mind was not strong enough to see through the illusion and had a flaw, they would still be killed by the fire, blades, and ghouls here.

Even an ordinary Great Emperor would likely find it difficult to resist.

Perhaps only a Top-tier Emperor could remain unaffected.

‘Having experienced that illusion, I imagine that next, aside from more illusions, the Artifact Spirit of that thing should be making an appearance.’

Yang Xiao stood still, his focus unwavering.

Sure enough,

after a short while,

his surroundings began to change.

Waves of black mist began to surge.

The black mist was terrifying.

It seemed capable of corroding anything it touched.

Everywhere Yang Xiao looked, he could see

the ground, and various parts of the palace,

being attacked by this black mist.

They were becoming pitted and scarred.

If a normal person were to see this, no matter how resolute their mind, they would likely assume it was an even more terrifying poisonous gas attack following the initial illusion. But with Yang Xiao’s knowledge of the Illusion Demon Clan, he knew that if he allowed his imagination to be swayed by the black mist,

the mist itself would begin to change.

It would become real.

Therefore,

Yang Xiao cleared his mind of all distracting thoughts.

He stood indifferently.

Completely unshaken.

And when the black mist came into contact with him,

it instantly vanished.

After this,

for a long time,

the palace remained unchanged.

Even Yang Xiao

was beginning to think he had guessed wrong.

Suddenly,

a figure

appeared.

Yang Xiao’s gaze

instantly lit up.

‘It’s here! The Artifact Spirit of this Emperor’s Weapon is finally here.’