Junior Sister must ascend this time!

Yun Qing and Jiang Mian passed through the barrier and headed towards the area with the densest spiritual energy.

Soon, the two arrived at a stone platform. The platform wasn't very high, about half a person's height, and in the center of the platform was a fist-sized grayish-green bead.

Similarly, an array was also set up near this stone platform.

Yun Qing didn't move, but looked at Jiang Mian, "Does this also require the blood of the Illusionary Spirit Royal Family?"

"Give it a try."

Jiang Mian cut her palm again and dripped blood onto the formation.

As expected, the formation quickly failed, and Jiang Mian obtained the Condensing Void Pearl with almost no hindrance.

However, just as the two turned to leave, the Phantom King suddenly appeared behind them and slapped them with his palm.

Jiang Mian quickly pulled Yun Qing aside to dodge the attack. "Junior Sister, run!"

The Illusionary Spirit King waved his hand, sending Yun Qing flying against the stone wall. Then, he walked step by step to Jiang Mian, grabbed his neck as if he would break it at any moment, and demanded, "Hand over the Condensing Void Pearl!"

Jiang Mian struggled desperately, but the Illusionary Spirit King still managed to snatch the bead away.

He casually tossed Jiang Mian to the ground and eagerly channeled his spiritual energy to establish a connection with the Condensing Void Pearl. The gray-green pearl then floated in mid-air and gradually turned scarlet.

Suddenly a red light appeared, and Yun Qing could see nothing but hear a shrill scream.

"Aaaaaah! My eyes! No... Aaaaah!!"

"It was because he trespassed into the depths of the Illusionary Realm and forcibly took away the Condensation Pearl that our Illusionary Spirit Clan was punished by the Heavenly Dao and suffered endless misfortunes."

"I will personally plant this curse upon him to appease the wrath of Heaven and save our Phantom Spirit Clan from this calamity..."

When Yun Qing's vision cleared again, she saw Jiang Mian bound to a high platform by chains, his hands separated and locked to stone pillars on either side, his eye sockets hollow, and blood sliding down the contours of his cheekbones.

The Phantom King held his beautiful eyes in his hand, still bearing traces of undried moisture.

Then, the Illusionary King held his hand above his head, "In my name, I seal this bloodline. The sins of the clan shall be atoned for in this body. All spiritual power is lost, eyes are blinded, immortal and indestructible, to bear the sins of the clan. Heaven is above, this seal is the proof."

"No! No!"

Yun Qing staggered towards the platform where Jiang Mian was, having lost her eyesight, all her spiritual power, and becoming immortal...

No! She absolutely would not allow this curse to work on her fourth senior brother.

She gripped the Lifeless Sword and stood in front of Jiang Mian, the tip of the sword pointing at the Illusionary Spirit King. "Let him go!"

The Phantom King scoffed, "You kill me, and I'll let him go. How about it?"

He sent Yun Qing flying with a single palm strike, yelling, "You overestimating yourself!"

Yun Qing fell to Jiang Mian's feet, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Although Jiang Mian couldn't see her, she clearly recognized that it was Yun Qing. "Junior Sister, how are you?"

Yun Qing shook her head. "I'm fine. Fourth Senior Brother, you're in a lot of pain, aren't you?"

"I'm not in pain," Jiang Mian said. "How about you help Fourth Senior Brother kill him? As long as you kill him, I won't be in pain anymore."

The Phantom King looked down at her, "Come on, kill me!"

Yun Qing used her sword to prop herself up and stood up, saying softly, "Okay."

Then, she concentrated all her spiritual power into one sword, and the Lifeless Sword hummed, emitting purple lightning.

Yun Qing gripped the Wusheng Sword and slashed fiercely at Jiang Mian, who was standing to the side.

"Go to hell! You actually impersonated my fourth senior brother, die!"

Jiang Mian looked on incredulously. "Junior Sister, what are you doing? I'm your fourth senior brother..."

Before she could finish speaking, everything in front of her disappeared, and the scene transformed back to the moment when she and her third senior brother had just entered the secret realm.

There was also one that had been split in half...

Spirit of the Secret Realm.

The little green dumpling tried to piece itself back together, the one on the left muttering, "This is impossible! I used all my illusion magic to create this illusion, how did this woman see through it?"

"I usually only use 60% of my power, yet I've already trapped many normal cultivators in the illusion forever. Could she not be normal?"

The group on the right answered its own question: "But then again, who in their right mind would attack their own senior brother?!"

The little green dumpling—no, there are two clumps now, because they can't be put back together…

"Waaaaah!!! This woman is too much! She broke the illusion, fine, but why did she have to attack me? Now I can't go back..."

Yun Qing held a sword in each hand, the tips of the "Never Mind" sword and the "Lifeless Sword" protruding from the two mounds respectively.

"Those two lumps, do you always talk to people like that to their faces? They've been split in two and they still won't behave."

The two figures, furious, shouted in unison, "What do you mean by 'those two lumps'?! I am the spirit of the secret realm!! Do you understand what a spirit of the secret realm is? Everything here is under my control..."

"A spirit of a secret realm?! A treasure!"

As she spoke, Yun Qing tore off the two small green balls, kneaded them in her hands for a long time, and barely managed to put them together as one. Although it looked a bit ugly, she said, "It's still easier to talk like this."

The spirit of the secret realm erupted in fury, "Aaaaaah!!! What are you doing? You foolish human!"

Yun Qing examined the spirit of the secret realm again and again. "You did that to my fourth senior brother in the secret realm. Am I wrong to treat you like this?"

The spirit of the secret realm lamented, "Illusions are created based on your deepest desires or fears. Whatever you think, it will become. Whatever you fear, it will amplify."

It paused, its voice softening, "Is this my fault?... "

"It's not your fault..." Yun Qing gritted her teeth and punched it twice. "If it's not your fault, who else is it?!"

"From this moment on, you'll stay by my side, or I'll blow up your entire secret realm!!"

The spirit of the secret realm was terrified. "I won't leave! I absolutely, positively, will not leave!"

The spirit of the secret realm cried out indignantly, "I, the dignified spirit of the secret realm, have actually been defeated by a mere human girl! I refuse to accept this! I refuse to accept it!"

The spirit of the secret realm threw a tantrum, "No, you have to tell me, how exactly did you break my illusion?"

Yun Qing looked at the writhing spirit of the secret realm and chuckled, "You're very clever, and you imitated it very well. I almost fell for your trick. But you overlooked one thing..."

"My fourth senior brother will not let any of us take risks. He will not risk his safety for the sake of Ningxu Pearl, knowing that Shi Jin's three sons wish they could kill him."

"My cultivation level is so much lower than that of the Illusionary Spirit King, he would rather die than let me kill the Illusionary Spirit King."

The spirit of the secret realm seemed to understand, yet not quite; the relationships among humans were truly complex…

At this moment, Si Mingche ran past Yun Qing at lightning speed, as if he were being chased by a ghost.

Yun Qing looked around, but there was nothing behind her...

She called out in confusion, "Third Senior Brother, what's wrong?"

As a result, Si Mingche ran even faster!