After nine lifetimes of reincarnation, the yandere villainous heroine descends.

Three days later.

Shen Shuchou followed the young man and woman who had survived the first trial, and led by the elder, they arrived at a secluded path.

The entrance to the small road is shrouded in a light white mist, and shimmering lights can be vaguely seen in the mist, as if leading to another world.

"The second trial: the illusion of inner demons."

The elder's voice was not loud, but it resonated clearly in everyone's ears.

As soon as he finished speaking, a low murmur arose from the crowd, and the previously calm atmosphere instantly became somewhat restless.

"The Illusion of Inner Demons...this is far more terrifying than the Ascension Path!"

A young girl instinctively clenched her sleeve. "I heard that many people from previous years perished here, trapped and killed in the illusion, their souls never even lingering..."

"Hmph, what's there to be afraid of?"

A young man in brocade robes sneered, his face filled with arrogance!

"I've already made it through the first thousand-step trial, what's there to be afraid of in this mere illusion? It's nothing but a bunch of bluffing tricks."

"That's one thing..."

Someone else's eyes flickered, and they subconsciously glanced back at Shen Shuchou at the edge of the crowd.

He still looked disheveled, and although the bloodstains on his clothes had dried, they were even more glaring.

"Do you think... he'll be able to get through this?"

Someone lowered their voice, their tone tinged with uncertainty.

At this moment, Shen Shuchou seemed to be isolated from everyone by an invisible wall, and no one was willing to approach him.

"Who knows?"

The boy beside him frowned, then clenched his fist. "But I have to go! I must step through the gates of the Qingxuan Holy Land!"

Hearing the whispers around him, Shen Shuchou didn't even lift his eyelids.

He didn't care about the stares of others, only staring at the rolling white mist, pondering to himself.

What will the illusion of inner demons reflect? Will it be the regrets of past lives, or something else?

"The Illusionary Realm of Inner Demons, time limit: one day and one night."

The elder glanced at the crowd and added in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, many people's faces immediately darkened.

The first trial was difficult, but there was no clear time limit. As long as you could hold on, you could gradually move forward.

However, this second trial had a strict time limit—one day and one night, a mere twelve hours. If one was trapped in the illusion and couldn't escape, it would be a dead end.

"Of course, the earlier the better."

The elder's voice was flat and emotionless. "If you haven't come out by the time limit, you will remain in the illusion forever and become part of the secret realm. Alright, now begin, line up and enter one by one."

The white mist still churned at the entrance of the small road, like a silent, gigantic maw.

The first boy took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and stepped into the mist. His figure was instantly swallowed up without even a ripple.

Then, the second, the third... the crowd moved slowly forward, each person's steps heavier than when they ascended the steps to immortality.

Shen Shuchou was at the back of the line, watching the figures ahead of him disappear into the fog one by one.

Soon, it was his turn.

Shen Shuchou looked up at the bottomless white fog, and without hesitation, stepped inside.

At this moment, all the elders in the main hall were staring at the water mirror in front of them, discussing in hushed tones.

"For this second trial, who do you all think will prevail?"

"It's hard to say; the second level is far superior to the first."

If the first trial is the Thousand Steps to Immortality: a physical purgatory, it tempers one's bones and willpower.

The second challenge is the Illusion of the Heart Demon: Questioning the True Self, which tests one's Dao heart and obsessions.

Physical suffering can be endured with gritted teeth, but the demons in one's heart are far sharper than steel knives and heavier than the pressure of the path to immortality.

It will tear open the scars you least want to touch, tempting you to indulge in the most deadly desires. If you are not careful, you will be doomed and sink into eternal damnation.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the water mirror.

The first boy to enter was seen to have an old man's phantom appear in the illusion.

The second girl faced a gigantic, ferocious monster.

The third person was also a demonic beast.

The inner demons of most of the young boys and girls later on are in human form or in the form of ferocious beasts.

Soon, the illusion shifted to Shen Shuchou, the last to enter, and all the elders focused their attention on watching closely.

After all, this young man, whom no one had any faith in, actually managed to pass through the Thousand Steps to Immortality.

But when everyone saw the scene in Shen Shuchou's illusion, they were all stunned.

The elders looked at each other, their eyes filled with disbelief and shock.

This was because within Shen Shuchou's illusion, apart from himself, there was only a seemingly ordinary Taoist temple.

There was a rocking chair in the courtyard, and Shen Shuchou was lying lazily on it, rocking gently.

There was nothing else besides that, not even a trace of inner demons.

"How is that possible?"

An elder spoke up in disbelief.

"He... doesn't have any inner demons?" Another person followed closely behind, full of astonishment.

"This child has no inner demons? Absolutely impossible! Since the founding of our Qingxuan Holy Land, such an anomaly has never occurred!"

"Could it be that there's something wrong with this illusion?"

Some people speculated, but even they themselves felt it was far-fetched.

In the water mirror, Shen Shuchou was still rocking in the rocking chair, sunlight filtering through the leaves and falling on him. The scene was so peaceful that it didn't seem like a trial, but rather like a serene painting.

The hall was completely silent. The elders stared at the "empty" illusion, their hearts filled with turmoil.

A person without inner demons? That's practically a fantasy in the cultivation world.

It should be understood that even those powerful beings with extraordinary cultivation levels dare not claim that they can completely sever all their obsessions.

There is only one explanation for this situation.

The white-haired old woman frowned deeply, her voice carrying a hint of solemnity, "Either this child's Dao heart is so pure that it far surpasses yours and mine, and even inner demons cannot attach themselves to him, or... he is not human."

She paused, then shook her head: "But even alien races or demonic beasts have their obsessions on the path of cultivation. How could they be completely free of inner demons?"

Upon hearing this, the discussions in the hall completely ceased, leaving only the heavy breathing of the crowd.

Regardless of the explanation, it all exudes a chilling eeriness.

On the other side, Feng Wujiang sat alone in the quiet room, the water mirror in front of him reflecting Shen Shuchou's illusion.

He gazed at the peaceful Taoist temple, at the boy swaying leisurely in the rocking chair, his fingertips lightly tapping the table, and fell into a long silence.

Even though he already knew that Shen Shuchou was a calamity in Lu Wanheng's life, he never expected that this calamity would be so strangely clean.

"Just who are you?"

Feng Wujiang gazed at the figure reclining in the rocking chair in the illusion and murmured to himself.

Within the illusion, Shen Shuchou quickly calmed down after his initial shock. He hadn't expected that stepping into the illusion would cause not even a ripple.

There are no ferocious enemies, no painful memories, only this peaceful and tranquil little courtyard.

He quickly figured it out. Perhaps it was because in each reincarnation, he walked in the world with a "new body," and the obsessions of the past were diluted by the power of reincarnation.

Or perhaps, the system was secretly shielding him from his inner demons, paving a shortcut for him.

Either way, it's a good thing for him right now.

Shen Shuchou simply relaxed, letting the rocking chair gently sway him, and even closed his eyes to feel the simulated breeze and sunlight in the illusion.

He had no idea that his leisurely moment was being watched closely by countless eyes, stirring up a storm.

Unlike the tranquility on his side, the illusions of the other trial participants were already filled with bloodshed.

Some people, in their battle with their inner demons, have bloodshot eyes and their spiritual power goes berserk.

Some people indulge in false desires, wearing foolish smiles, and find it difficult to wake up.

Even worse, within a mere half-hour, their souls were completely devoured by their inner demons, and their figures in the water mirror turned into specks of light and vanished completely.