Heaven rewards diligence, but there are always fairies plotting against me.

Chu Chang's smile froze, and he was stunned for a moment: "Huh? You can do that? Aren't you the spirit of this place? How come you don't even have this much authority?"

"Of course, that's the rule for the forbidden zones I released!" The girl spirit snorted somewhat aggrievedly. "Not only me, but all the forbidden zones in the world actually have strange rules. These strange forces vary in strength, and although I am one of the top ones, maintaining these layers of illusionary tests has taken a huge toll on me! After this test ends, I'm afraid I won't be able to start another test for a long time."

At this point, the girl sighed heavily: "Sigh... But if you let me absorb more strange power to replenish my strange power, then I'll still be fine."

Chu Chang touched his forehead, somewhat speechless.

So this advanced artifact spirit is also a specialist with "insufficient power".

It seems sophisticated and high-end, but it falters a bit when it matters.

"Then how about... we stall a bit longer and wait for the experts from my sect to come and help? Before I came in, two of my friends went to the sect to ask for help," Chu Chang asked tentatively.

"I can't hold out for long," the girl shook her head. "At most, half an hour will pass before my magical power is almost exhausted. Then the illusion will automatically collapse, and everyone will be forcibly ejected!"

Chu Chang suddenly felt a bit overwhelmed.

In half an hour, the sect elders probably won't even have finished their journey. When the illusion breaks, everyone will be at a loss, knowing that those two Qi Refining Realm demonic cultivators are no pushovers.

"Don't worry," the girl comforted Chu Chang, seeing his grim expression. "Those two demonic cultivators were thoroughly exhausted during my test; half of their Qi Refining Realm strength has been depleted, and they're very weak. Lin Yuan was also quite weakened, but Xu Shuang is alright. With her strength, she'll be able to handle the current situation once she's out. Besides, don't you still have that Corrosive Blade? That's a treacherous weapon; you can handle that too!"

Hearing this, Chu Chang felt a little more at ease.

With the demonic cultivator having lost half his strength, plus Xu Shuang who still has some fighting power, this is a fight that can be won!

Before he could even catch his breath, the young spirit suddenly stared at the corrosive blade in his hand, a greedy glint in her bright eyes, and chuckled:

"By the way, after we've dealt with them, give me this strange weapon you have."

Chu Chang subconsciously pulled the short blade further into his chest, looking at her warily: "Give it to you? Why should I? This is a treasure I went through so much trouble to get!"

"Yes, I'm going to eat it!" The girl licked her lips with her pink tongue and said confidently, "The evil energy on it tastes amazing, and it's incredibly nourishing! If I swallow it, not only will I regain my demonic power, but my strength will also increase dramatically. The power boost I can give you will be beyond your imagination! This is a sure win for you, okay?"

"Never mind." Chu Chang shook his head decisively and tucked the Corrosive Blade even deeper into his arms.

"No matter how powerful the feedback I receive is, it's ultimately just external force, and it's gone once it's used up. But I keep this knife so I can defend myself at any time."

Chu Chang knew better than anyone whether he wanted to eat his fill once or every time.

Although this little mirror is a high-level artifact spirit, what's the point of empty promises compared to a magical artifact you actually hold in your own hands?

Upon hearing this, the little mirror's mouth pursed so much it looked like it could hold an oil bottle, its face filled with disappointment.

However, considering that she would have to rely on Chu Chang, who had an extremely yang constitution, in the future, she could only grit her teeth and forcefully swallow her saliva.

"You stingy person..."

The little mirror muttered something under its breath, then said seriously, "Now, I'll let them out; the illusion is about to be broken."

"Alright!" Chu Chang took a deep breath, his muscles tensed instantly, and he entered a state of combat readiness.

"Release your consciousness."

"Buzz!!"

Before Chu Chang could even ponder the meaning of those words, the ancient bronze mirror suddenly shone brightly.

The petite girl who was standing in front of him turned into a streak of bluish-gray light and disappeared into Chu Chang's sea of ​​consciousness in a flash!

Chu Chang didn't react at all, only feeling a cool sensation in his mind.

He was startled and instinctively became alert, his spiritual energy surging wildly within his body.

Fortunately, after entering his sea of ​​consciousness, that power docilely lay dormant, transforming into a small mirror image, and did not launch any attack on him.

Chu Chang secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that this little mirror was quite well-behaved.

At the same time, the surrounding black mist began to recede rapidly, and the sense of spatial distortion vanished instantly.

Chu Chang's gaze was sharp as lightning, and he immediately swept his eyes forward.

In the open space not far away, seven people were standing or lying haphazardly.

It was Xu Shuang, Lin Yuan, the two demonic cultivators, and three other hunters who had been caught up in the incident.

At this moment, their faces still showed confusion and struggle as they had not yet woken up from the illusion.

How could Chu Chang let go of such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a sneak attack?

His principle has always been "strike while the iron is hot and kill him!"

He shifted his feet, his body moving like a cheetah pouncing on its prey in the forest, instantly closing in.

The corrosive blade in his hand traced an almost invisible black path through the air, its chilling sharpness aimed directly at one of the tall demonic cultivators!

"Pfft!"

The demonic cultivator was still reeling from the illusion and had no time to react before the corrosive blade pierced his heart!

The corrosive toxins inherent in the artifact instantly spread wildly along the wound.

"ah!!!!!"

The demonic cultivator was still indulging in a life of pleasure.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my chest!

He screamed in agony, his eyes bulging out.

Chu Chang succeeded in his attack and didn't even need to draw his sword. He twisted his wrist and used the force to pull out his sword. He lowered his body and delivered a vicious sweeping blow!

"Sizzle!"

Another demonic cultivator who had just regained some consciousness felt a chill in his abdomen.

He groaned as his protective true essence, weakened by the weakened state, was instantly torn apart by the corrosive blade, leaving a deep, bone-revealing gash in his abdomen from which black blood gushed out.

In the blink of an eye, one of the two Qi Refining Realm demonic cultivators was dead and the other was severely injured!

"Senior Sister Xu!" Chu Chang suddenly shouted, his voice booming like a bell or a drum, instantly echoing through the empty Black Wind Forest.

This loud shout, like a thunderclap, instantly shattered the last wisp of mist remaining in the illusion.

Xu Shuang shuddered, and the confusion in her eyes vanished instantly.

"Senior brother..."

She murmured unconsciously, her outstretched hand still hovering in mid-air, as if trying to grasp that warm white robe.

That was her senior classmate whom she had secretly admired when she was young.

Unfortunately, she perished in a sect mission many years ago, a pain she was unwilling to touch deep in her heart.

The reason she has been so cold and aloof all these years is because of her senior brother's death!

She... completely shut herself off.

A cold wind blew by, and seeing the severed limbs and blood before her, along with Chu Chang's slightly anxious face, Xu Shuang instantly sobered up.

Her eyes hardened again, turning cold and resolute: "Was everything that just happened an illusion?"

"Senior sister, be careful! The demonic cultivator is trying to escape!" Chu Chang pointed ahead.

The demonic cultivator, whose abdomen had been slashed open, was deathly pale. He clutched his wound and fled into the depths of the forest in terror.

Xu Shuang gritted her teeth, her spiritual power surging, and was about to make a move when she saw Chu Chang move even faster.

With lightning speed, Chu Chang swung his arm, and the corrosive blade in his hand transformed into a streak of black lightning, whistling through the air!

"Pfft!"

The short blade pierced the demonic cultivator's back with unparalleled precision.

The powerful inertia carried his body forward several meters, where he was firmly pinned to the ground.

The demonic cultivator twitched twice, then fell completely lifeless.

In the blink of an eye, two renowned Qi Refining Realm demonic cultivators were killed!

Xu Shuang's beautiful eyes widened as she stared in disbelief at the corpses on the ground. She then turned to Chu Chang, exclaiming in astonishment, "You...you killed them?"

Chu Chang was just an ordinary disciple in the Body Tempering Realm.

These two demonic cultivators are genuine Qi Refining Realm experts!

Even if it was done through a sneak attack, this is still incredibly absurd.

Chu Chang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, deliberately panting heavily and swaying slightly as if he were exhausted, and said, "Senior Sister, you overestimate me. The main reason is that in this strange illusion, their strength was greatly depleted, less than one-tenth of it remained. I just got lucky."

Hearing this reasonable explanation, Xu Shuang was relieved, and her opinion of Chu Chang rose even higher!

He is courageous, resourceful, decisive, and ruthless; he is a promising talent.

The only downside is that I've argued with her before!

This made her very uncomfortable.

Just then, the others around also gradually regained full consciousness.

The three honest and law-abiding hunters patted their foreheads, their faces filled with relief at surviving a disaster!

Lin Yuan, who was standing to the side, finally opened his eyes slowly.

However, when everyone saw Lin Yuan's appearance at that moment, the air instantly fell silent.

Lin Yuan was standing on the ground, looking dazed, wearing only a pair of white underpants...

Indeed, during the second layer of lustful illusion, looking at the beautiful and tender young girl, he ultimately couldn't resist.

He was in the middle of a crucial moment in the illusion, halfway through taking off his clothes, when Chu Chang suddenly broke the illusion and dragged him back to reality in this state.

Lin Yuan shivered, looked down at himself, then at the strange-looking crowd, and froze on the spot. His face turned from white to red, then from red to purple, a truly spectacular sight.

Xu Shuang's eyes twitched slightly. Feeling deeply embarrassed, she turned her head away and said speechlessly, "Junior Brother Lin Yuan, you... hurry up and put your clothes on."