Chapter 129: The Fate of the Phoenix

At this moment, Yan Luo’s eyes were tightly shut, and her delicate brows were furrowed.

Her cheeks were flushed bright red as she brandished non-existent weapons, her mouth constantly shouting threats like “Kill!” and “Die for this lady!”

Her body moved in sync with her imaginary combat, dodging left and right or rolling across the floor.

Seeing this, Chen Yuyang had no intention of stepping forward to disturb her.

For one, if someone was startled while trapped in such an illusion, it could potentially cause damage to their soul.

Secondly, this illusion wasn’t harmful; instead, it served to temper one’s state of mind.

If the girl could wake up on her own, it would be a significant benefit and a great boost to her personal growth.

With that in mind, Chen Yuyang found a random spot nearby and sat down cross-legged.

He waited patiently, occasionally checking on Yan Luo’s condition to ensure she didn’t accidentally hurt herself.

Two hours passed quietly.

Yan Luo remained immersed in the illusory realm.

By now, however, her forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, and the hair at her temples was damp.

Her clothes were mostly soaked through, clinging tightly to her youthful body, which was just beginning to develop but was already quite shapely.

The girl’s breathing was somewhat ragged.

She looked a bit disheveled, yet she possessed a peculiar, charming grace.

Suddenly, Yan Luo stopped all movement.

Although her hands remained in a hacking posture, her tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open.

A hint of confusion lingered in her gaze.

“I… I am…”

She looked at her empty hands, then at her surroundings, and finally at Chen Yuyang, who was sitting leisurely nearby.

Yan Luo finally realized what had happened.

“This is an illusion formation.”

Seeing her wake up, Chen Yuyang stood up and explained with a smile, “Congratulations. You woke up using your own strength.”

Yan Luo nodded somewhat uncertainly as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“I felt like something was off… Speaking of which, did you wake up a long time ago?”

Chen Yuyang nodded.

“Yes, a bit earlier than you.”

‘A bit earlier…?’

In the shadows, Yan Dangmo’s lips twitched upon hearing those words.

This kid had woken up in less than 2 breaths after entering the illusion; he hadn’t been affected at all.

However, Yan Dangmo had expected as much.

Since the boy could control the Sunfire so well, his soul power was bound to be formidable.

The first floor was only the weakest illusion formation, so it was understandable that it had no effect on him.

“By the way,” Chen Yuyang asked curiously, “how did you realize something was wrong and wake up?”

Yan Luo tilted her head and thought for a moment before answering seriously, “I… I don’t know.”

“I was just killing and killing until everyone around me had been hacked to death. There were fewer and fewer enemies in front of me until finally, I was the only one left. Then, when I opened my eyes, I was here.”

Chen Yuyang: “…”

The youth’s lips twitched.

So this girl didn’t see through the illusion through willpower or insight—she simply slaughtered every single enemy until the illusion had nothing left to show and ended itself?

Fine…

Even if she wasn’t the brightest, she was certainly a capable fighter.

One had to realize that within the illusion, Yan Luo had been playing the role of an ordinary soldier.

Without the heaven-defying abilities of a cultivator, being able to resolve everything through sheer brute force was also a valid way to break a formation.

“Alright.”

“Since you’re awake, let’s head to the next floor.”

Not dwelling on the matter further, Chen Yuyang turned and walked toward the stairs leading to the second floor.

“Is there something on the next floor?”

Yan Luo asked as she hurried to keep up.

“Hard to say,” Chen Yuyang replied, analyzing the situation as he walked.

“But I suspect it will be another type of illusion formation.”

“Since this Tower of Trials was set up as a test, it likely uses these methods to evaluate our qualities from various angles.”

Yan Luo clenched her fists and spoke with confidence.

“Mhm! I wasn’t prepared before, but now that I know they’re illusion formations, I definitely won’t get caught again.”

Chen Yuyang merely gave a noncommittal smile, his pace never faltering.

He knew very well that illusion formations weren’t something one could guard against just by being mentally prepared.

It was like dreaming; no matter how absurd or illogical the dream was, the person inside usually couldn’t tell the difference and would feel that everything was perfectly natural.

The principle of an illusion formation was similar.

Once the mind was pulled in, one would experience it as reality, making it difficult to break free.

Soon, the two arrived at the door leading from the first floor to the second.

Without hesitation, Chen Yuyang took the first step inside.

Yan Luo followed closely behind.

The scenery changed once more.

This time, before Chen Yuyang could even see where he was, he felt a heart-wrenching pain radiating from every part of his body.

Looking down, he saw his clothes were already shredded and he was covered in blood.

In his hand, he gripped a broken sword that was only half its original length.

Blood dripped steadily from his fingertips and down the blade.

Not far ahead of him, a giant beast 100 zhang long stood tall like a mountain.

Its massive, blood-red eyes looked down at him with disdain, emitting a terrifying pressure that made his heart tremble.

‘Oh? This illusion is actually quite decent.’

Chen Yuyang raised an eyebrow slightly, offering a silent note of praise.

Unfortunately, it was still ineffective against him.

Thus, a moment later, the illusory world shattered completely.

He opened his eyes to find himself back in the reality of the tower’s second floor.

The layout of the second floor was largely the same as the first, equally spacious.

However, the formation lines on the ground were much more complex.

Judging by the scale, this was a relatively difficult Rank 5 illusion formation.

Chen Yuyang turned to look at Yan Luo.

At that moment, the girl had her head tilted up.

Her face was pale, her lips were trembling involuntarily, and her legs were shaking.

Clearly, she was trapped and unable to free herself.

Chen Yuyang still didn’t disturb her.

He found a spot to sit cross-legged and waited patiently.

Fortunately, Yan Luo didn’t take 2 hours this time.

About 15 minutes later, following the girl’s passionate and determined cry of “I’ll take you down with me!” her eyes regained their clarity.

She gasped for air, her forehead once again covered in sweat.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she met Chen Yuyang’s black pupils staring straight at her.

Realizing she had fallen into an illusion again—and had apparently been so frightened that she made a fool of herself—the girl’s face instantly turned crimson.

Yan Luo quickly looked away from Chen Yuyang and said hurriedly, “T-That… since it’s over… let’s, let’s go to the next floor!”

Chen Yuyang nodded and said nothing, following her forward.

The third floor, the fourth, the fifth… the two continued to climb.

The illusions within were diverse and increasingly complex.

Most involved playing a certain role, being placed in a specific situation, and making a choice.

If the choice was correct, one would leave the illusion.

If it was wrong, one would remain trapped.

The grade of the formations rose accordingly, reaching the peak of Rank 6.

The moment they stepped onto the sixth floor, the scene changed.

The air was thick with the scent of cosmetics and the faint aroma of wine.

In his ears, he heard the cheering of men and women.

“Time to enter the bridal chamber!”

“You better treat the bride well!”

Before he could react, Chen Yuyang felt a shove from behind, causing him to stumble.

Immediately after, a hand took his arm and led him into a room decorated with extreme festivity.

Red candles burned brightly in the room, and the character for “Joy” was pasted on the walls, doors, and windows.

It suddenly dawned on Chen Yuyang.

Today was his wedding day.

“Husband?”

A familiar voice called out softly from beside him.

Chen Yuyang looked up.

Standing next to him was a woman dressed in a magnificent red gown.

The woman had a graceful, slender figure.

She wore a phoenix crown and a tasseled silk robe, her face covered by a translucent light-red veil.

Chen Yuyang’s body stiffened slightly.

Even his breathing became unconsciously rapid.

As if possessed, he reached out his hand and gently lifted the veil.

Beneath the veil was a face of peerless beauty.

However, as he looked at that face, Chen Yuyang’s brow furrowed even tighter.

“Yuyang, I can finally be with you as I wished, no longer burdened by fate.”

The woman’s voice was filled with endless affection, and tears shimmered in her eyes as she spoke.

“I can’t wait anymore, Yuyang. Come!”

The woman’s face was flushed with shame, yet her eyes held an undisguised longing.

Although her movements were clumsy, she was extremely bold.

Her arms wrapped directly around the youth’s neck, and her soft body pressed tightly against him.

Her warm breath fell on the youth’s ear, and then she tilted her head back slightly, about to kiss him.

Her soft lips were inches away…

His black pupils suddenly snapped open!

What met his eyes was the empty expanse of the tower’s sixth floor.

“The sixth floor… tests one’s willpower?”

Chen Yuyang muttered to himself, his brow slightly furrowed as a hint of surprise touched his heart.

He immediately realized that he had been trapped in that illusion for at least 10 breaths!

This formation was at most Rank 7.

Given his current willpower and soul power, even if he couldn’t see through it instantly, it should have been impossible for him to be trapped for so long.

Or perhaps…

This illusion formation happened to correspond to the weakest part of his inner heart. Romance.

Thinking of this, the youth shook his head slightly, feeling a sense of helplessness.

‘But speaking of which…’ Chen Yuyang recalled the scene in the illusion, his brow furrowing as he thought to himself, ‘Who was that woman? Why did she feel so familiar?’

‘Even if it was a test of romance, shouldn’t it have been Master?’

While Chen Yuyang was thinking, a crisp voice rang out.

“Oh, are you awake too, Yuyang?”

Chen Yuyang was startled and couldn’t help but feel surprised.

“Mhm? You actually woke up faster than me?”

However, when Chen Yuyang saw Yan Luo’s current appearance, his expression froze slightly.

Yan Luo was standing not far ahead, her cheeks flushed with an abnormal red, and her expression was somewhat dazed.

Although the girl’s eyes were open, they were unfocused; she clearly hadn’t truly woken up.

She wasn’t awake.

Then why did she just say those words?

Chen Yuyang’s heart skipped a beat.

Following that, a possibility immediately occurred to him.

Could it be… that the illusion Yan Luo was seeing was this very scene?

And right now, he was the object of her affection within her illusion!