Chapter 126 — Heart

The chief teams of both sides immediately switched positions, surrounding Lian Mu.

Gu Qingyu sneered, “So you’re actually a Heavenly Spiritual Root. No wonder you’re always so arrogant.”

Lu Feishuang said coldly, “The Returning Immortal Sect has a Heavenly Spiritual Root sword cultivator and still kept it hidden? Did you think you could stage a comeback with this? Let me test your limits today.”

Of everyone present, only Ying You didn’t move. He stared at the sword in her hand, his gaze sweeping over the flame-forged blade and resting on the hilt. Between her fingers, faintly visible, was a carved crabapple blossom.

Yuan Huai murmured, “No wonder I felt something was off about that sword earlier. Turns out the problem wasn’t the sword, but the person.”

A Heavenly Spiritual Root sword cultivator wielding a grade-seven sword would naturally boost the sword’s power too, which explained the spiritual pressure that surpassed its rank.

Seeing everyone encircle Lian Mu, Wen Yun and Bai Li Que immediately rushed to her side.

Guan Shize tried to follow but was grabbed by Ji Mingyue. “Stay put. Don’t go over there.”

The fourth illusion was about to vanish. The first sun in the sky had already begun to set.

On the sand, the flames ignited by Lian Mu’s blood still hadn’t died out. Blood constantly streamed from her eyes, covering her whole face.

The fire on the ground formed a wall of flame—anyone who got close would be devoured by it.

Relying purely on instinct, Lian Mu swung her sword at Changsun Li. The wave of flame spread out, engulfing him.

“Such a foul mouth. How about I knock out a few of your teeth?” Lian Mu thrust her blade at Changsun Li’s chest. The spiritual form was shredded by sword aura; before the tip touched his flesh, it turned solid and stabbed straight through his skin.

Changsun Li grabbed at the blade, but his hand passed through the flame blade and caught nothing.

A searing pain scorched through his entire body. His eyes widened in shock.

“Crimson Sky Sect chief body cultivator Changsun Li is eliminated and will soon be expelled from the illusion—”

His body dissolved into mist. Lian Mu withdrew her sword and pointed it at the others. “Who’s next?”

Lu Feishuang was about to strike when suddenly the spirit jade token chimed with new information.

“The Returning Immortal Sect’s chief team has successfully harvested the first Fire Core Flower. All Returning Immortal Sect disciples will soon be expelled from the illusion—”

Ying You frowned. “?”

Lu Feishuang froze too. “But isn’t the Returning Immortal Sect’s chief team all here…”

She trailed off, suddenly realizing she had unconsciously considered Lian Mu to be the chief sword cultivator.

She didn’t know why, but this Lian Mu seemed more like a leader than Guan Huailin. Except for Guan Huailin, all the other chiefs of the Returning Immortal Sect revolved around her.

Seeing her, Lu Feishuang instinctively thought the entire chief team was here.

“What did you do to the Fire Core Flower? Why did it bloom early?” Yuan Huai demanded.

Once the Returning Immortal Sect harvested the flower and the jade token broadcast the message, a protective barrier would automatically shield all its disciples.

Ying You said, “Withdraw. Return to the Vermilion Bird Bronze Platform.”

Since it would affect the final ranking, Lu Feishuang also prepared to leave.

Lian Mu said, “Leaving now? Too late.”

As soon as she spoke, the ground began to tremble. The once-still sand flowed into swirling sinkholes, forming countless quicksand vortices out of nowhere. Yet no one was sucked in—each whirlpool collapsed with an eerie screech before vanishing entirely.

The suns above wavered too. Soon, the second sun vanished, then the third… until only the one true sun remained in the sky.

“The illusion realm is collapsing!” Shen Wusang could barely keep his balance. “What did you do!?”

Lian Mu replied calmly, “Oh, nothing much. I just felt bad that the three sects got dragged down because of me, so I’m giving you all a chance to start over.”

She had told Guan Huailin to pluck the flower, then stomped the plant to death herself. This illusion realm was born from the Fire Core Flowers—if both were destroyed, the cycle would reset.

Everyone was speechless.

Who wanted to do it all over again!?

“The Fire Core Flower has withered. All sects without a ranking will re-enter the cycle—”

The spirit jade tokens buzzed endlessly. The ground split apart as sand and dust filled the air.

Ying You looked up at the sky, lips pressed into a thin line, gripping his Flying Swan Sword tightly.

Lian Mu suddenly felt a twinge of unease. As he raised his sword, she shifted her footing.

The next moment, the Flying Swan Sword and Wealth Bringer collided with a sharp clang.

Everyone was stunned. No one expected Ying You to attack so suddenly.

But every Returning Immortal Sect disciple had a protective barrier—striking now was pointless.

Lian Mu, standing so close to him, didn’t panic at all. She chuckled lightly. “Captain Ying, don’t waste your strength.”

Ying You stared at her, his sword merely pinning hers down without delivering a killing blow.

“…?”

She sensed it clearly—he wasn’t using his full strength. Even Guan Shize’s strikes were heavier than this.

Puzzled, Lian Mu caught a faint whiff of magnolia drifting from him.

“You—”

She hadn’t finished speaking when he suddenly gave a muffled groan and coughed up blood.

“…?”

Was he trying to frame her?

He staggered backward. Lian Mu instinctively reached out to steady him but only caught a strand of his windblown silver hair.

The world cracked apart, the scene twisted.

Lian Mu felt a wave of dizziness. The sand under her feet shook violently.

Desert and oasis warped and reassembled. Blood-red light flooded everything. Her vision blacked out—she stepped on nothing.

She wiped her eyes. When her sight cleared, she found herself somewhere entirely new.

A sea of red rock and fire.

She had been sent into the second realm.

Lian Mu immediately checked her spirit jade token. The crystal blue liquid had risen to the top.

The Returning Immortal Sect’s ranking hadn’t been wiped out, but because they hadn’t exited before the collapse, they were all caught in the cycle again.

She was now in the second realm and only needed to wait fifteen minutes—after that, the Pangu Illusion Realm would expel all the Returning Immortal Sect disciples together.

Scanning her surroundings, she tested the loose rocks beneath her feet. A jet of fire erupted instantly.

She jumped back a few steps, stepping on more unstable stones. More fire pillars shot up, forcing her to dodge frantically.

When the underground flames finally subsided, Lian Mu let out a breath of relief. She didn’t want any more injuries before she was sent out.

She drove her sword into a crevice to wedge two rock slabs together, then turned Wealth Bringer slightly. A dull, drum-like rumble echoed behind her.

She looked back. Embedded in the rock wall was a heart—crimson, veins pulsing with dark purple blood, beating steadily.

So this illusion realm was actually inside a massive flame beast’s body?

She reached out and touched the heart. It was scalding hot. For some reason, she felt a tremor in her own chest.

Wealth Bringer quivered faintly. Its flame edge gradually dimmed.

Lian Mu regained her composure. A strange thought surfaced—if she pierced this heart, would the second realm truly collapse?

She immediately drew her demonic crystal blade and stabbed at the vein. It didn’t break.

“Hiss—” A stabbing pain shot through her chest, forcing her to stop.

The vein was smooth as glazed jade. She could even see her blood-smeared face reflected in it.

Apparently, this thing couldn’t be damaged.

What a pity. Lian Mu could only stay obediently in place and wait out the fifteen minutes.

……

……

“What is she doing now?” The Crimson Sky Sect elder’s eyes bulged. “Isn’t the mess she’s made enough already?”

Shang Liu said calmly, “Don’t fuss. That’s the heart of a peak-tier flame beast. She can’t break it.”

“The time’s about up. The Returning Immortal Sect people should be coming out.” Shang Liu rose to his feet. “I’ve changed my mind. The Azure Profound Sect won’t just sit back and ignore this. We’re going to investigate this Lian Mu too.”

Xin Wanbai asked coldly, “What does this have to do with the Azure Profound Sect?”

Earlier, he clearly said everything would be left to the Clear Thought Sect’s sect leader, and the Azure Profound Sect would only wait for the outcome.

But before Lian Mu came out, he suddenly changed his mind—there must be something wrong.

Shang Liu said, “You all saw it just now. The Azure Profound Sect’s team leader fought her and was corrupted instead. Isn’t that enough to prove who she is?”

Everyone knew that Ying You of the Azure Profound Sect possessed an Innate Sword Bone—a prodigy among sword cultivators. His sword bone was extremely pure; before it stabilized, it was highly sensitive to impurity and easily corrupted by any taint. Only after stabilizing at eighteen would he be immune to such influence.

“Our Azure Profound Sect finally found such a promising talent, yet someone actually tried to target him through the Immortal Sect Grand Competition. The Azure Profound Sect will never allow such a thing to happen.”

Xin Wanbai fell silent for a moment, said nothing more, then turned and left the hall to receive the disciples coming out of the Pangu Illusion Realm.