Within the illusory realm, celestial mists swirl, exotic flowers bloom in abundance, jade-like herbs carpet the ground, cranes soar, and white apes leap joyfully—it is truly a fairyland.
However, beneath this seemingly peaceful world, undercurrents were surging. Eight young men and women were watching a man and a woman in the flower bushes. The man was completely naked, his smooth body radiating a faint glow, but his eyes were dull and lifeless, and his face was blank.
Although the woman's clothes were disheveled and her hair was loose, it couldn't conceal her unparalleled beauty. Her graceful and alluring body exuded an aura of purity, and her snow-white skin, like solidified jade, shimmered with a subtle glow. However, her peerless face was now filled with shame and indignation. She pointed at the naked man before her, unable to utter a single word, her body trembling slightly.
Meng Ke'er never imagined that such a day would come. The most outstanding successor of the ancient holy land of Tantai was entangled naked with a man just moments before. This made her extremely ashamed and angry, and she felt like she was going crazy. At this moment, her heart was in complete turmoil.
The eight men and women outside the flowerbed looked at each other in disbelief. They had never imagined such a scene would unfold. The descendants of the ancient sacred land of Tantai were considered incomparably chaste by the world. Their most outstanding descendant, Fairy Meng, had recently gained considerable fame on the mainland. She was the embodiment of justice, a symbol of beauty and chastity, and a fairy who had mistakenly fallen to the mortal world. But what lay before them...
Chen Nan seemed completely oblivious to the strange gazes of the eight people beside him, nor to the murderous aura emanating from the stunning beauty before him. His eyes were lifeless as he murmured in the language of the ancient Immortal Fantasy Continent: "I am someone whose fate has been defied by heaven… I am a dead man… even the power of gods and demons cannot conceal the vast, ocean-like aura of death… defying fate…"
The words of the nameless god and demon deeply shocked him. He seemed to understand something and felt a deep sorrow in his heart.
"Is defying fate a benevolent rescue or a premeditated manipulation? Who is the one who defied fate to change my destiny? Did he bestow upon me divine and demonic power, or is it the culmination of millennia of sedimentation in the Cemetery of Gods and Demons? Am I a 'living dead'? Do I truly possess a vast, ocean-like aura of death? Was I unintentionally saved, or has my fate been manipulated all along?" Chen Nan was filled with endless questions, asking himself these questions again and again.
A gentle breeze stirred, causing the jade-green tree to sway and gleam, its fragrance filling the air and refreshing the soul. Yet, the feelings of those present were complex and difficult to describe.
A chilling killing intent permeated the area, and the biting cold air made people tremble involuntarily. A sword aura shot into the sky and then fell straight down, slashing down at Chen Nan from mid-air.
Enraged, Meng Ke'er launched an attack. The summoned flying sword shone brightly, brimming with killing intent, and slashed down towards Chen Nan's neck like a bolt of lightning.
Although Chen Nan was in a state of confusion, it did not mean that his mind was completely disordered. The overwhelming killing intent instantly startled him awake, and out of instinct, he used the Divine Void Step to quickly dodge to the side.
The flying sword is closely connected to the cultivator's mind and moves with the cultivator's will. Within a short distance, it can be controlled as easily as an arm or elbow. The moment the flying sword misses, it instantly changes direction and transforms into a dazzling rainbow light, flying towards Chen Nan again.
The chilling aura caused the surrounding temperature to plummet, and the boundless killing intent emanating from it startled the nearby small animals, causing them to flee in panic. The peaceful atmosphere vanished instantly, and the sizzling sound of sword energy shot out in all directions, scattering and scattering withered flowers and leaves everywhere.
The area around the flower bushes seemed to be plunged into a harsh winter. Soaring sword energy surged and raged, and radiant flying swords chased after Chen Nan, slashing horizontally and vertically. If it weren't for his unparalleled footwork, he would have already been injured by the flying swords.
Chen Nan gradually regained consciousness. Of course, he knew why Meng Ke'er wanted to kill him, but at this moment, all explanations seemed pale and powerless. Both of them were clear about right and wrong. The other party wanted to kill him simply because of her instinctive reaction of shame and anger.
He drew his longsword from his waist, raising it to parry the flying sword brimming with killing intent. A dazzling golden light emanated from his sword, colliding with the radiant flying sword and erupting in a blinding flash. The force of the impact scattered, ravaging nearby plants, leaving branches and leaves withered and petals scattered. But the flying sword, after being blocked, only paused briefly before resuming its initial, rapid slash at Chen Nan.
Chen Nan was shocked, secretly alarmed by Meng Ke'er's extraordinary cultivation. He hurriedly focused all his power on the longsword, and the steel longsword instantly transformed from vanadium iron into gold essence. The longsword shone with golden light, and was surrounded by mist. It seemed to have come to life and began to tremble gently, emitting soft sounds.
The golden longsword and the dazzling flying sword collided directly. With a loud bang, brilliant light burst forth in all directions, and Chen Nan's body was sent flying backward. The longsword in his hand was severed in half, leaving only one piece in his grasp. He felt a sharp pain in his chest and abdomen, a sweet taste in his throat, and he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
At this moment, he finally understood that there was indeed a considerable gap between him and Meng Ke'er. The most outstanding successor of the Tantai Ancient Holy Land was indeed remarkable. He was worthy of being one of the top ten young masters on the mainland. He was indeed extraordinary and worthy of being the successor of Tantai Xuan!
Meng Ke'er, dressed in flowing white robes, gradually concealed the shame and anger on her beautiful face, but the killing intent in her eyes remained undiminished. With a wave of her hand, she sent her flying sword slashing towards Chen Nan once again.
Chen Nan was furious. The Heaven-Shattering Demonic Power within his body circulated at will, and the profound power was constantly being generated. He was ready to fight without restraint.
However, at this moment, Xiao Feng, the number one expert of Shenfeng Academy, and Qianlong, the mysterious expert of Xianwu Academy, made their moves at the same time. The two rushed forward like lightning, leaving two afterimages in place, and crossed their swords to block the flying sword that was rushing towards them.
With a deafening roar, Meng Ke'er, Xiao Feng, and Qian Long all swayed slightly and involuntarily took a step back. The radiant flying sword returned to Meng Ke'er's hand, and the killing intent in the arena subsided, returning to calm once more.
The spectators were astonished. Meng Ke'er's strength was truly exceptional; the combined power of two top experts was barely equal to hers. However, Chen Nan didn't think so. He was closest and had already seen that Xiao Feng and Qianlong were hiding their strength and not going all out. Even so, it was clear that Meng Ke'er's strength was indeed incredibly formidable.
Although Xiao Feng had a rugged appearance, he was not a boorish man. He advised, "Please calm down, gentlemen. At this moment, we should unite. We must not fight each other, but unite against the outside world and try to escape from here."
Qianlong also said seriously, "Brother Xiao is right. We must not hate each other. We just entered a terrifying illusion. What happened in the illusion was all... a misunderstanding. It was not anyone's fault. The cause was all from the nameless gods and demons."
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Chen Nan quickly put on the clothes that were scattered on the ground.
At this moment, others also came over to persuade Meng Ke'er. Although the scene was still awkward, the tense situation was no longer there.
Meng Ke'er gradually calmed down. Thinking about the scene in the illusion, she felt really embarrassed. In that terrifying yet ambiguous illusion, she was the one who took the initiative to pounce on Chen Nan, and she was the one who tore off their clothes.
As expected of the most outstanding successor of the Tantai Ancient Holy Land, Meng Ke'er instantly put away the murderous intent on her face, her expression becoming calm, and she didn't mention what had just happened, as if nothing had occurred.
She looked around at everyone and then said, "Everyone, we were too reckless. We really shouldn't have ventured into the depths of this Deathly Abyss. Now that we're trapped in the Illusory Realm of the Void, it will be very difficult for us to escape."
Everyone fell silent. At this moment, no one could escape from here. Although the nameless god and demon were not by their side, they were now isolated from the outside world and had no idea how to break out of this illusion. This place seemed to be another world altogether.
Chen Nan sighed inwardly at Meng Ke'er's formidable nature. After such an embarrassing incident, an ordinary woman would have been mortified and furious, unable to stand there unmoved. But she seemed completely unconcerned, showing no sign of distress whatsoever. Chen Nan felt a chill run down his spine. Meng Ke'er was too much like Tantai Xuan; both were deeply cunning. He had to be more vigilant in the future.
Everyone in the room was preoccupied with their own thoughts, all contemplating how to escape.
Chen Nan glanced at the crowd and noticed a hint of resentment in the eyes of Ling Yun, the young master of the Ling family, one of the ten great cultivation families of the Eastern Continent. This startled him, but the sinister look quickly disappeared.
Chen Nan had always felt that the young master of the Ling family, with his sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes and imposing presence, seemed to be two-faced. Although his words and actions showed excellent manners, Chen Nan always felt that he was somewhat hypocritical. Of course, this was entirely an instinctive intuition.
When they entered the Death Zone, Meng Ke'er suggested splitting into two groups to explore. Ling Yun tried his best to protect Meng Ke'er, making excuses to let her walk behind. Chen Nan noticed something at that time. It was obvious that Ling Yun was trying to win Meng Ke'er's favor, which could be seen as pursuing her. However, in that situation, his selfish side was clearly revealed. He left the danger to others and the safety to "his own people".
At this moment, Chen Nan saw a flash of resentment in his eyes and understood that he must hate him for his naked entanglement with Meng Ke'er. But could he blame him for that? His opinion of Ling Yun dropped again. This guy was clearly not a good person, two-faced, and definitely a ruthless character.
At this moment, Alice, the mysterious masked female magician from the Illusion Demon Academy, turned to Chen Nan and asked, "Brother Chen, how are you able to communicate with the nameless demon god? How do you understand his language?"
The other eight people also had this question, and upon hearing this, they all looked at him.
Chen Nan knew they would ask this question sooner or later, so he said without changing his expression, "I grew up in a remote mountain village. It was a relatively backward place with little contact with the outside world. The local language was very ancient and seemed to have remained unchanged despite the changes in the outside world. Therefore, I can read ancient texts and understand ancient language. The language spoken by the nameless god and demon is extremely similar to the language used in that ancient mountain village, so I can understand it."
The crowd was skeptical of what he said, not entirely convinced, but also unable to investigate further.
Just as everyone was lost in their own thoughts, a series of violent energy fluctuations came from the sky, and a tall demonic figure flew over the flower-scented field. The nameless god and demon who had gone mad earlier had returned.
A vast, ocean-like pressure descended from the sky, causing everyone to feel a tremor in their hearts. The oppressive, suffocating atmosphere made it hard to breathe, and everyone felt extremely uncomfortable. However, the nameless god-demon quickly withdrew its powerful aura, and everyone's pale faces gradually returned to normal.
The nameless demon god descended from the sky, his gray and white demon wings whipping up a gust of wind. A gaping, bloody hole in his chest emitted a blazing red light, and his shattered half-skull looked particularly grotesque and terrifying. Undoubtedly, he had regained consciousness. He stood before the crowd, his single eye fixed intently on Chen Nan, the crimson light emanating from it seemingly trying to pierce through his body.
His voice was low and powerful: "Why? Why am I so confused? Why do I feel a familiar aura in you? I feel like I see myself in you. We seem to be the same kind of people! There is no doubt that you are also someone whose fate has been defied by heaven, but it is not just that! What is hidden within you? Why do I feel uneasy? Endless life force, vast death energy, why are two different kinds of forces, life and death, intertwined? What secrets are hidden within you?"
Chen Nan quietly looked at the nameless god and demon, but his heart was surging. Although the nameless god and demon had forgotten many things in the past, he mentioned that he was a person whose fate was changed by someone defying the heavens. The nameless god and demon seemed to have seen through some incredible things that happened to him, and perhaps he could tell him the secret of why he was able to be resurrected!
He was filled with a complex mix of emotions, including anticipation, nervousness, unease, and fear. He wanted to know the truth, yet he was also afraid to learn it.
The nameless demon emanated an endless aura of death, yet he claimed that Chen Nan was also a dead man, and that even the power of a god or demon could not conceal the vast, ocean-like aura of death! Based on his words, Chen Nan dared not think further; he couldn't believe it, and felt an overwhelming fear within him!
"Where do you come from? Who are you? What is your identity?" The nameless god-demon spoke in a low voice, his expression solemn, as if these questions contained some extremely important matters!
The mystery seemed about to be revealed, and Chen Nan was incredibly excited. The life-or-death mystery that had been troubling him seemed to be about to surface!