Time rewinds to two years ago.
Zhi Ning, Fang Qingzhuo took three children and Ashi Liren after passing through the Aurora Gate.
It was like a brief dreamlike journey. Before their eyes seemed to be countless lights and shadows shuttling. In a short moment, they were already in a completely unfamiliar world.
Yellow sand everywhere!
As far as the eye could see, there was a boundless, endless desert.
It was truly infinite. Compared to the desert between the Western Cool Kingdom and the Raging Wave Kingdom, this desert before their eyes was many times larger.
Was this the Extreme South Desert of the Southern Barbarian lands?
According to the sun in the sky, Zhi Ning determined the direction. Then she wrapped Baby Zhi Yu well, not letting him be sunburned. With one hand she held the eldest daughter of Fang Qingzhuo, and the eldest daughter held the youngest daughter.
Fang Qingzhuo carried Ashi Liren on her back, as well as fresh water and food.
The group continuously walked north.
The sun in the sky was not poisonous. Moreover, Ashi Liren, who had turned into something like jade stone, continuously released icy cold energy from her body. As long as they stayed close to her, it was always cool.
The group kept walking, kept walking.
They walked for a whole day.
But everything seemed as if there was no change at all. The surroundings were still the vast, boundless desert. Apart from their footprints, nothing was left.
Night fell, and the desert temperature instantly dropped.
The cold here was actually no less than at the northern end of the human kingdoms, where there were endless glaciers.
Moreover, here they could not find any firewood to start a fire. In this desert, there were not even shrubs.
Fortunately, the medicinal pills given by the Golden Flyer Die Wu were still there. Dissolved in water and taken, they could resist the cold. However, at this temperature, the water had already frozen. Fang Qingzhuo still needed to use dragon power to heat and melt it.
Like this, three adults, three children, journeyed north all the way.
Walking day after day, day after day…
They did not know how many li they had walked, but the surrounding scenery remained unchanged. It was always yellow sand everywhere.
A serious problem: water was gradually finished, food was also gradually finished.
Thus, Fang Qingzhuo and Zhi Ning basically stopped drinking water, and also did not eat much. They left the water and food for the three children.
Like this, they arduously advanced for another three days.
Finally…
The two could completely no longer support themselves. Fang Qingzhuo plunged headfirst onto the desert. And Zhi Ning used her last bit of strength to slowly tilt and lie down.
Because she worried that falling like this would injure the baby.
All three adults had fallen. The three children sat on the ground crying loudly, pushing their mothers.
“Mummy, scared, scared…” The baby sat beside mummy crying loudly and shouting: “Daddy, daddy…”
Fang Qingzhuo’s daughter was a bit older. She took out the water flask and poured it into mummy and Auntie Zhi Ning’s mouths.
But even so, mummy and Auntie Zhi Ning remained unconscious.
The three children continued crying. Crying and crying, they cried themselves tired.
After crying, Fang Qingzhuo’s two daughters felt they were big children now and had to take care of their little brother. They took Baby Zhi Yu over to comfort him, and fed him food and water. Then they moved mummy, Auntie Zhi Ning, and Auntie Ashi Liren all together.
Then the two little girls, holding the baby, nestled in mummy and Auntie Zhi Ning’s arms, and fell into a deep sleep.
They did not know how much time had passed.
A ray of light and shadow shone down from the sky. It was as if a mirage had appeared.
Then, a breathtakingly beautiful woman, carrying a magical light, with bare jade feet, slowly walked over.
Her beautiful eyes first fell upon Ashi Liren’s body, then fell upon Baby Zhi Yu’s body.
Even though the baby was asleep, his face was still full of fear. The hanging tears had almost frozen.
A trace of pity flashed in her beautiful eyes.
Her jade hand gently waved. Several gorgeous phoenix birds flew over from the horizon.
This woman stepped forward, gently lifting Baby Zhi Yu into her arms. The several phoenix birds behind her landed. Their massive claws respectively grabbed the two little girls and the three adults.
Then, this woman holding Baby Zhi Yu gently leaped onto a flying goshawk, flying towards the distance.
…
Time returns to the present!
Devil’s Cave, inside the mountain cave.
“Have you heard of my husband? His name is Soren.” Zhi Ning asked. She had no focus. Her pitch black eyes looked at Lan Ling, yet she could see nothing.
Lan Ling’s breathing was rapid. Instinctively he wanted to shout, I am Soren, then go up and hold her in his arms.
But very quickly…
He calmed down!
This was an illusion. This was absolutely an illusion.
Once he really hugged her, he would almost certainly die!
Because this was a fatal mental trap. This was not Zhi Ning at all, but merely an illusion.
Lan Ling hardened his heart and said: “Sorry, I have not seen him.”
“Oh…” Zhi Ning said: “Then can you take me out? I cannot see with my eyes. I am lost.”
Then, she stretched out her delicate jade hand towards Lan Ling.
Lan Ling shook his head and said: “Sorry, I do not have time! Please excuse me, let me pass. I need to get through.”
“Oh, alright.” Zhi Ning said softly.
Then, this beautiful figure instantly turned to dust and smoke, disappearing without a trace.
It was indeed an illusion. Lan Ling let out a deep breath of relief, but his heart became even more distressed.
He continued walking deeper along the cave!
This cave was extremely narrow. One even had to walk bent over.
After walking a full several hundred metres, he encountered another fork.
Then, another figure appeared!
A woman with a devilish figure to the point of near exaggeration, but her entire body was covered in fresh blood. She was already on the verge of death.
Hearing footsteps, this woman turned around and looked at Lan Ling.
Even though Lan Ling had already prepared himself mentally, he was still shaken.
Because this woman was Yan Naier, his most beloved wife.
Her demon bloodline seemed to be used up. She was on the verge of death.
“Husband, save me, save me…” Yan Naier stretched out her jade hand towards him. Her beautiful eyes revealed bone deep affection.
She was incomparably weak, incomparably pitiful.
This was the woman most deeply devoted to him. It was the woman Lan Ling was most sorry towards.
“Husband, I am going to die. Before I die, can you hug me once more, kiss me once more.” Yan Naier softly pleaded.
Lan Ling’s face twitched. He said in a cold voice: “Sorry, I need to get through. Please let me pass.”
Instantly, Yan Naier looked at him resentfully. Then her beautiful yet blood stained body once again turned to dust and smoke, disappearing without a trace.
Lan Ling continued walking forward, continuing deeper.
Several hundred metres later, he arrived at another fork.
Here stood a woman with a graceful figure and an absolutely beautiful face. Moreover, she was wearing the black robes of a Grand Inquisitor.
She was… Fu Lingxi!
The woman Lan Ling most loathed, most hated.
Fu Lingxi stared at Lan Ling with cunning coldness, laughing coldly: “Soren, you incompetent man. It is because of your incompetence that your women fell into hell. Your wife Gui Qinshao, your daughter Suo Qinqin, do you know how I tortured them? Hahaha…”
“Gui Qinshao was still heavily pregnant. I directly let several dozen men violently rape her. So sorry, your child… is gone…”
“Your daughter Suo Qinqin is very young, tender and delicious. So I gave her to the Demon Sect. Whatever Ashi Luo experienced, she experienced. Hahaha…”
“Are you very angry? Are you burning with rage? Come kill me, come kill me…”
Fu Lingxi stretched out her neck and said: “Come, come strangle me to death, come strangle me to death…”
This was another terrifying mental trap.
Previously, it had first used Lan Ling’s emotional weaknesses, using the illusions of Zhi Ning and Yan Naier to make Lan Ling embrace them.
Lan Ling did not fall for it. Thus the Black Ghost Old Demon created the illusion of Fu Lingxi, arousing Lan Ling’s hatred, making him want to strangle Fu Lingxi to death.
But regardless of which type, as long as he touched the illusionary woman, he would fall into the Black Ghost Old Demon’s mental trap.
And these illusionary figures all came from Lan Ling’s own mind.
Even though the Fu Lingxi before his eyes was an illusion, Lan Ling was still burning with rage, wishing he could go forward and tear her into pieces.
Taking a deep breath, Lan Ling said coldly: “Sorry, I need to get through. Please move aside!”
The Fu Lingxi illusion looked at Lan Ling, her gaze filled with mockery: “Incompetent man. You could not kill me in the human kingdoms. Even if you have become Lan Ling, you are still so incompetent. You still cannot kill me. Hahaha…”
After a bout of sharp laughter, the Fu Lingxi illusion turned to dust and smoke, disappearing without a trace.
Lan Ling gradually stopped his footsteps!
The three illusions before were one Zhi Ning, one Yan Naier, one Fu Lingxi.
This was the Black Ghost Old Demon testing his weaknesses.
It would continue adjusting the mental trap according to his personality. Then what would the next trap be?
Actually, facing mental traps was very simple. Just ignore them, directly say: Move aside, I need to get through.
No matter what he saw, it was all fake! No matter how hateful, how miserable, how heart stirring the illusion was, it was all fake, all illusion.
At this moment, Lan Ling’s heart was beating somewhat faster. He was somewhat uneasy, not knowing what the next illusion would be.
“No matter what the next illusion is, I will not care. I will directly shout get lost!” Lan Ling solemnly told himself.
Then, he continued walking forward.
After walking several hundred metres, he saw another fork. He did not see a human figure, but heard a burst of crying, a baby’s crying.
It was Baby Zhi Yu!
Lan Ling’s eyes suddenly twitched.
This evil Black Ghost Old Demon always went to exploit the softest places in people’s hearts.
Lan Ling walked over.
Instantly, on the forked cave path ahead, he saw his son Baby Zhi Yu, bare bottomed, sitting on the ground crying loudly.
His little face and body were covered with scratches. His small hand still had blood.
He had grown quite a bit. His little face had also become thinner.
Even though he knew this was an illusion, when Lan Ling saw the baby, tears still instantly welled up. His entire heart seemed to instantly melt.
In front of the baby, there was a huge evil wolf eyeing him covetously. Blood red eyes, sharp teeth. At this moment it was looking at the baby drooling.
At this moment, the baby seemed to discover Lan Ling. He no longer cared about the evil wolf behind him, turned around and crawled towards Lan Ling.
“Daddy, daddy…”
“Awoo…” The evil wolf behind suddenly pounced over.
“This is an illusion, this is an illusion. Quickly dodge, quickly shout get lost!” Lan Ling told himself again and again.
The baby crawled towards Lan Ling using both hands and feet. His big eyes hanging with tears looked at Lan Ling, pitifully shouting: “Daddy, scared, scared…”
This was an illusion. Once the baby pounced onto his body, it would equal being caught by the Black Ghost Old Demon. And once he dodged, he would be safe and sound, having escaped the mental trap.
It was just that Baby Zhi Yu would be completely torn apart by this evil wolf, even if it was only the tearing apart of an illusion.
Dodge, dodge!
“Get lost, get lost…” Lan Ling shouted at the bottom of his throat, yet discovered he could not shout it out at all.
He wanted to directly dodge, but his feet stood stiffly in place.
Just like this, Baby Zhi Yu crawled to Lan Ling’s front, directly pouncing into his embrace.
Lan Ling closed his eyes, let out a long sigh in his heart, then held the baby in his arms.
“I know this is fake, but even so, I cannot see the baby torn apart by an evil wolf.” Lan Ling said in a trembling voice: “Black Ghost Old Demon, even if it is fake, let me feel the temperature and scent of my child.”
Then, he just tightly hugged this non existent baby like this.
Before his eyes went black!
“Hahahaha…”
“Jiejiejiejie…”
By his ears came a burst of sharp, mournful laughter, like a dagger scraping across a wall.
Before his eyes brightened!
Then, the surrounding illusions ended, returning to the real world.
Lan Ling was entangled by a tentacle.
This was the deepest part of the Devil’s Cave. There was a massive pool of water.
A giant octopus was in the water. One of its tentacles was tightly wrapped around Lan Ling’s neck. Countless suckers were attached to Lan Ling’s brain.
This octopus’s head was several dozen metres in diameter. Countless tentacles, each nearly a thousand metres long.
So the so called Black Ghost Old Demon was actually an octopus.
After the Ghost King Empire perished, it fled here along the underground water system. But its body could not leave the water. Thus it created various illusions to attract people inside.
After entering the Devil’s Cave, once one saw illusions appearing at a fork, that was one of this octopus demon’s tentacles.
As long as you let the illusionary person pounce onto your body, it equalled letting the octopus tentacle wrap around your neck, controlling your brain domain.
Looking across, the massive centaur Khan Xieli was also entangled by a giant octopus tentacle.
With Khan Xieli’s strength, he could of course easily break free from the octopus tentacle. But the suckers on the octopus tentacle were firmly attached to his head, controlling his brain, making him unable to move.
“You clearly knew it was fake. Clearly as long as it was an illusion, you would still be captured by me?” The Black Ghost Old Demon said: “Lowly human, should I say you are clever, or should I say you are stupid?”
Indeed, from the start Lan Ling had seen through the Black Ghost Old Demon’s trap, and also had the method to break the trap. Yet he still stepped into it himself. Was this cleverness? Or stupidity?
Lan Ling asked: “Nearly a year ago, a centaur entered the Devil’s Cave. Is he dead or alive?”
The Black Ghost Old Demon said: “The son of this giant centaur? He is of course still alive. As long as one has powerful martial arts and a simple mind, I will let them live, becoming my slave, to be driven by me.”
Then, the Black Ghost Old Demon looked at Lan Ling and said: “But for someone like you with low martial arts but a cunning, clever brain, I cannot keep you. I can only suck your brain dry while you are alive and eat all your flesh and blood. Hahaha…”
Then, the Black Ghost Old Demon’s tentacle became incomparably sharp, suddenly about to stab into Lan Ling’s brain, to suck his brain dry!