Chapter 412 - Illusions Stir Chaos of the Mind but Fade at the Tranquility of the Heart. (1/2)

Half a day had passed but there was still no sign of Ning Fan getting past the first stage.

In the lower level of the Black Lightning Realm, Hong Yi’s eyes remained gloomy. She took out a piece blood-red bronze mirror and touched its surface with one of her fingers. Within the mirror, it vaguely showed the scene happening in the cloud realm in the upper level.

In the lightning palace, Ning Fan had already stood for half a day with his eyes closed, pausing before the first stage.

Outside the formation, there was an elderly man in grey robes who was making mocking remarks and laughing at Ning Fan. He was the one who controlled the illusions in the formation to deceive Ning Fan.

The cold light in Hong Yi’s eyes slowly became more intense. If she was not wrong, that grey-robed elderly man who was hiding outside the formation was the realm spirit of the White Lightning Realm.

“How dare a mere realm spirit touch my people? He’s blatantly seeking his own death!”

Anyhow, Ning Fan was considered to be her subordinate. The fact that he was being trapped by a mere realm spirit really enraged her.

Unfortunately, she was just in the form of her primordial spirit and she did not dare to go up the cloud realm recklessly to help Ning Fan.

Just as her anger rose within her, Ning Fan’s eyebrows moved. After standing there without moving for half a day, he finally opened his eyes.

“Truth and illusion.”

Two demon stars slowly surfaced in his left eye while two devil stars appeared in his right eye.

On his glabella, two divine stars gave off traces of lightning.

He seemed to have gain a new insight but he looked even more bewildered.

He looked at the two figures of Zhihe in front of him. Both of them had the exactly same appearances and smiling faces. It was difficult to identify which of them was the true Zhihe.

He could not find any exit for the first stage after spending half a day standing there. The elderly man did not lie to him. In order to pass the first stage, he must kill either one of the two figures in front of him.

One of the two figures was the genuine shadow of Zhihe while the other one was an illusion.

If he kills Zhihe’s true shadow, it would harm the luck of Zhihe’s true body.

If he kills the illusion, he could get through this stage. However, Ning Fan felt somewhat reluctant.

He could massacre millions of living creatures without mercy but there were also some people whom he was reluctant to kill.

In the past when he faced Zhihe’s illusion that was manifested by his Heart’s Devil, he was reluctant to kill it. Today, he felt the same.

One of the two woman figures donned simple and plain cloths while the other wore a coat made of the fur of a white fox. After Ning Fan opened his eyes, both of them gracefully walked towards Ning Fan. Their delicate and pretty faces were still filled with a hint of puerility like usual.

That immature and innocent expression on her face that showed unsophisticated she was had softened Ning Fan’s stony heart.

The two of them gave him a radiant smile, as if it was their greatest bliss in the world to be able to see him safe and sound.

One of them mustered her courage and held Ning Fan’s hands even though her face was filled with embarrassment. Her delicate hands were still soft and cold like before.

The other Zhihe looked at Ning Fan shyly but her eyes were filled with delight. At the same time, her face showed a hint of petulance, as if she was angry at him for not returning after so many years.

“Big Brother Fan, just kill me. Then, you can pass the first stage.” The two figures spoke calmly, as if they were not affected by each other’s presence.

Their words had made Ning Fan even more hesitant.

He had tainted himself by carrying innumerable crimes and sins. He could massacre countless beneath the heavens. He could carry the infamy which would make him an evil person in public for thousands of years. However, he could not harden his heart and kill Zhihe, even though the so-called Zhihe was just an illusion.

His heart was filled with even more struggles. The lightning palace before his eyes gradually became blurry. Vaguely, layers upon layers of illusions appeared in front of him.

The first layer of illusion was the All Pleasure Sect.

The second layer of illusion was the Seven Apricot.

The third layer of illusion was the Ning City.

Each scene of the illusions enfolded Ning Fan. The illusions which he fell into became deeper and deeper, making it more difficult for him to extricate himself.

Outside the formation, the elderly man in grey robes laughed even more maliciously. His cold and evil laughter reverberated within the illusions.

“Weak. You are too weak! You can’t even make up your mind to kill either the true shadow or the fake illusion and you still think that you can pass the first stage?! Your state of mind is so frail and fragile. I really wonder how you managed to come this far!”

“Frail?”

Ning Fan’s eyes turned cold. His heart gradually became still and quiet.

The last scene of illusion paused at the night when he left. Standing under the grapevines, Zhihe murmured her little wish.

“Big Brother Fan, when you return from the Endless Sea, could you bring back a bell orchid?” The Zhihe who was in plain clothes spoke.

“I heard that the orchids in the Endless Sea will emit a sound like wind chimes when wind blows. It is very pleasant to hear… When I hear that sound, I will know that you return…” The other Zhihe who wore fox fur coat said.

Ning Fan closed his eyes. He thought he was able to distinguish which one of them was the true shadow while which one of them was the fake illusion. However, he eventually realized that it was just a wishful thinking.

From the very beginning, his heart had never viewed these two woman figures as illusions, much less harden his heart to kill either one of them.

Which one is real and which one is fake?

So what if I can’t distinguish? So what… if I can’t distinguish?!

Even if he manages to identify the fake Zhihe, would he be willing to kill her?

His mouth formed into a warm smile. He reached out both of his hands and stroked the cheeks of the figures. His touch was still as gentle and affectionate as always.

He would never hurt Zhihe. Never. No matter it was her real self… or her illusion!

He activated the power of his heart formation and gradually understood why this grand formation of True Illusion was able to find his weakest point and manifested the figures of Zhihe to disturb his state of mind.

It turned out that the power of this formation had already intruded his heart and accessed all his weaknesses without exception!

“Discovering one’s weaknesses by peeking into their hearts and create the illusions which could enchant them, huh…”