All Realms and Worlds: The Lost Home

Shen Jianxin spoke calmly, attempting to explain.

"No?"

The girl laughed shrilly, as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"You dare say you didn't?!"

"My Linghua Sect has never harmed anyone!"

"My senior brothers and sisters take saving all living beings as their mission, and dedicate their lives to doing good deeds and accumulating merit!"

"My master was severely injured and nearly lost his soul while saving you!"

"But what about you? You repaid kindness with enmity!"

"You destroyed my sect! You slaughtered everyone in the Linghua Sect! You slaughtered everyone on the entire continent!"

The girl's voice grew increasingly agitated and shrill.

Her body trembled violently with anger and grief.

"If you want to go back to your hometown, then go back!"

"If you want revenge, go find your enemy!"

"Why do you vent all your anger on my Linghua Sect! On innocent lives?!"

The girl screamed out her last words with almost all her might.

Her eyes were filled with despair and resentment.

Looking at the girl's pained and angry expression, Shen Jianxin felt a strange pang of pain in his heart.

But he quickly suppressed the stinging pain.

He shook his head, a cold smile playing on his lips.

ridiculous.

It's ridiculous.

This sacred examination, it seems, is nothing special after all.

They actually used such a clumsy illusion to fabricate such a ridiculous lie, trying to make him feel guilty, to make him give up resistance, or even to commit suicide.

That's wishful thinking!

Although Shen Jianxin had weaknesses and indelible inner demons, he was still a man of great strength.

But his will was unwavering.

Such petty tricks could not possibly sway him.

You're lying.

Shen Jianxin said in an icy tone, looking at the girl calmly without the slightest ripple.

"I have never been to any Linghua Sect, nor have I killed anyone."

"All of this is just an illusion, a test that the Holy Trial used to examine me."

"Lying? I didn't lie!"

The girl roared, her killing intent growing stronger.

"I saw with my own eyes that you destroyed my sect! I saw with my own eyes that you killed my master, senior brothers, and senior sisters!"

"I would recognize your aura even if I were reduced to ashes!"

As she spoke, the girl gripped the short sword in her hand and thrust it fiercely at Shen Jianxin.

Her movements, though somewhat clumsy, carried a determination to perish together with others.

Shen Jianxin's eyes narrowed, and he slightly shifted his body to avoid the girl's attack.

The short sword pierced the air, but did not harm Shen Jianxin in the slightest.

The girl stumbled and almost fell to the ground because she exerted too much force.

"Why? Why didn't you fight back?"

The girl steadied herself, turned to look at Shen Jianxin, her eyes filled with incomprehension and anger.

"You monster, you've killed so many people, why didn't you dare fight back?"

"Do you think this will make up for your mistake? Do you think I will forgive you?"

"I'm telling you, it's impossible! I will never forgive you!"

Shen Jianxin looked at the girl but remained silent.

He didn't fight back, not out of guilt, nor because he wanted to make amends.

Rather, it was because he didn't want to harm an innocent, illusory phantom.

More importantly, he wanted to see how long this illusion could continue.

He wanted to find out what secrets were hidden behind this illusion.

"Shen Jianxin! Kill her!"

The second personality spoke again, his tone filled with impatience.

"A mere illusion dares to be so presumptuous in front of you."

"Devour her, absorb her power—even the power of an illusion can make you stronger!"

Shen Jianxin still ignored the second personality.

His gaze remained calm as he looked at the girl before him.

He could clearly feel the girl's aura; it was incredibly real.

Her anger, her sadness, her despair—none of it seemed feigned.

This made him feel a little doubtful.

Could it be that this illusion is not something made up out of thin air?

But if it were true, why would he do such a thing?

He clearly had never been to any Linghua Sect, and had never killed anyone.

Just as Shen Jianxin was filled with doubt, the immortals who had rushed over launched another attack.

Countless golden sword energies shot towards Shen Jianxin in dense array.

Shen Jianxin's eyes narrowed, and without further hesitation, he carefully mobilized the devouring power within his body.

He didn't use his full strength; he merely condensed a weak stream of devouring energy and placed it in front of him.

"Buzz—"

The Devouring Qi swirled slightly, completely absorbing the incoming golden sword energy.

His actions remained restrained, and he did not launch a counterattack.

"Demon! You truly possess bizarre powers!"

"Everyone, attack together and kill him!"

Upon seeing this, the immortals' fear deepened.

But they still did not back down, brandishing their immortal swords and charging towards Shen Jianxin once again.

The girl gripped her short sword tightly again and followed behind the immortals, charging towards Shen Jianxin.

Her eyes remained resolute, still filled with hatred.

Shen Jianxin took a deep breath and moved swiftly, dodging the attacks of the immortals with agility.

His mind was still racing.

What exactly is this illusion?

Why are these people's emotions so real?

Why are the things they talk about so specific?

"Shen Jianxin, stop deceiving yourself!"

The voice of his second personality rang in his ears again, tinged with mockery.

"Do you think all of this is fake? Do you think that as long as you don't admit it, you can pretend nothing ever happened?"

"But in your heart, you've already begun to have doubts, haven't you?"

Shen Jianxin's body stiffened slightly.

That's right.

He had indeed begun to have doubts.

This illusion is too real.

It was so real that he couldn't quite distinguish between reality and illusion.

But he still refused to believe it.

He refused to believe that he would become such a brutal and bloodthirsty monster.

I can't believe that I killed so many innocent people with my own hands.

"I don't!"

Shen Jianxin silently told himself this in his heart.

"All of this is a lie! It's all a test from the Holy Testament!"

He forcefully suppressed his doubts, and his eyes hardened once again.

He continued to dodge the immortals' attacks, without making a move himself.

He would wait until the truth of the illusion was fully revealed.

What he didn't know was that outside this dilapidated fairy pavilion, in a dark corner...

A figure stood there quietly.

The figure was shrouded in a dense aura of evil, obscuring its face.

All that could be seen were his eyes, blood-red and gleaming with a cold and eerie light.

He was coldly observing everything in the illusion through the cracks in the void.

Watching Shen Jianxin struggle, witnessing the seduction of the second personality, and seeing the girl's anger and despair.

A cold and eerie smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

That smile was full of amusement and anticipation.

"Shen Jianxin..."

He murmured softly, his voice hoarse and eerie, like whispers from hell.

"Enjoy all of this."

"This is not some kind of illusion..."

"All of this is real."

"It's just that it happened in another time and space, to another you."

His words faded into the shadows, unheard by anyone.

Meanwhile, Shen Jianxin, trapped in the illusion, continued to struggle.

He didn't know that what he was seeing was not an illusion created by Saint Kauss.

Instead, it is the real past of another "Shen Jianxin" in another parallel universe.

In that timeline, Shen Jianxin was consumed by his inner demons and controlled by his second personality because he could not bear the pain of Lin Nannan's death.

In the end, he unleashed the power of the Devouring Body, becoming brutal and bloodthirsty, indiscriminate in his understanding of good and evil.

He destroyed the Linghua Sect, killed countless innocent people, and became a nightmare for the entire continent.

Saint Kao merely presented a true fragment of this parallel universe before his eyes.

The purpose was to test him, to test whether he could stay true to himself and whether he could overcome his inner demons.

Is it possible to avoid repeating the mistakes of another time and space?

"Kill him! Kill this monster!"

The roars of the immortals once again resounded throughout the heavens and earth.

Countless attacks rained down on Shen Jianxin once again.

The girl charged forward again, her short sword, imbued with a determination to perish together with him, and thrust fiercely towards Shen Jianxin's chest.

Shen Jianxin's eyes narrowed, and he flashed again, dodging the girl's attack.

But just then, a powerful suction force suddenly came from behind him.

He turned around and saw that his second personality had taken it upon itself to unleash a powerful devouring force on the immortals.

"No!"

Shen Jianxin shouted, trying to stop the second personality.

But it was too late.

A powerful devouring force erupted instantly.

Several immortals who were at the forefront were instantly sucked in front of them by the devouring power.

Before they could react, they were completely devoured by the power of absorption, turning into a stream of energy that merged into the body of the second personality.

The second personality absorbed the power of the immortals, its aura becoming increasingly powerful, and the bloodthirsty light in its eyes growing ever stronger.

"Hahaha! That's great! That's really great!"

The second personality burst into laughter, his tone filled with cruelty and satisfaction.

"Shen Jianxin, did you see that?"

"The feeling of devouring is just so wonderful!"

"If you open yourself up and merge with me, we can become incredibly powerful!"

"At that time, not only will rescuing Lin Nannan be possible, but even ruling all the heavens and myriad worlds wouldn't be impossible!"

Shen Jianxin's face turned extremely gloomy.

He hadn't expected that his second personality would act on his own.

Moreover, it also devoured the power of the immortals.

The devouring power within her body became increasingly agitated due to the actions of her second personality.

He could feel his will being gradually eroded by his second personality.

If this continues, he might really be controlled by the second personality and turn into a brutal and bloodthirsty demon.

"Shen Jianxin! Wake up!"

Just then, the girl's voice suddenly rang out again.

She looked at Shen Jianxin, and the anger in her eyes was gradually replaced by a hint of doubt.

"You...you are not the same as the demon I saw."

"That demon was brutal and bloodthirsty, killing without hesitation and without blinking an eye."

"But you kept dodging and restraining yourself."

"Who exactly are you?"

Shen Jianxin's heart stirred upon hearing the girl's words.

Different?

The girl said that he was different from the demon who destroyed the Linghua Sect?

What exactly is going on?

Could it be that the demon who destroyed the Linghua Sect was not him?

But if that's the case, why would the girl say that his aura is exactly the same as that of the demon?

Countless questions once again swirled in his mind.

His resolve was strengthened once again by these questions.

He abruptly closed his eyes, straining with all his might to suppress the restless devouring power within him and the erosion of his second personality.

"Get out!"

Shen Jianxin roared fiercely at his second personality in his heart.

"This is my body, I won't let you control it!"

"I will not become like you, I will not become a cruel and bloodthirsty monster!"

"I will definitely save Lin Nannan, but I will do it my own way, without sacrificing any innocent people!"

As Shen Jianxin roared, the devouring power within his body gradually stabilized.

The aura of the second personality also became somewhat weaker.

"Hmph! Overestimating yourself!"

The second personality snorted coldly, a hint of dissatisfaction flashing in its eyes.

"Shen Jianxin, you'll regret this sooner or later!"

You'll find that your persistence is utterly ridiculous!

Despite saying that, the second personality still restrained its devouring power and stopped acting on its own.

He remained standing beside Shen Jianxin, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at the immortals, like a lurking beast waiting for another chance to strike.

Shen Jianxin slowly opened his eyes. The confusion in his eyes completely disappeared, replaced by determination and calmness.

His gaze fell once again on the immortals and young girls.

"I don't care who you are, I don't care who the demon you're talking about is."

Shen Jianxin said in a calm but firm tone.

"I can tell you definitively that I did not destroy your sect, nor did I kill your masters, senior brothers, or senior sisters."

"I don't know who this demon you're talking about is either."

"But I can assure you that I will not harm any innocent person."

"If you insist on taking action, I will not sit idly by and wait to die."

After saying that, Shen Jianxin activated the devouring power within his body once again.

This time, he did not restrain his power.

However, he did not launch an attack; instead, he used his powerful sword intent to form a strong defensive net of sword rain.

His meaning was quite clear.

People don't offend me, I don't offend people.

If someone offends me, I will retaliate.

Upon seeing this, the immortals all stopped in their tracks, staring at Shen Jianxin warily.

They could sense that Shen Jianxin's aura was becoming increasingly powerful.

Moreover, although his aura was exactly the same as that of the demon, he lacked the demon's brutality and bloodlust.

This made them feel a little doubtful.

Could it be that they really mistook someone for someone else?

Is this young man really not the demon who destroyed their sect?

The girl stopped and looked at Shen Jianxin, her anger gradually replaced by confusion and bewilderment.

She could clearly sense that the young man in front of her was indeed different from the demon she had seen with her own eyes.

That demon had cold eyes, was bloodthirsty and cruel, and had no emotions whatsoever.

But the young man in front of me had a firm gaze, and although his tone was cold, there was no malice in him.

Moreover, he kept dodging and restraining himself, and never intentionally hurt them.

"You...you're really not that demon?"

The girl hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help asking, her tone tinged with uncertainty.

Shen Jianxin shook his head and said firmly, "I'm not."

"My name is Shen Jianxin, and I come from Earth."

"I came here only to participate in the sacred examinations, and only to save someone who is very important to me."

"I have never been to any Linghua Sect, nor have I killed anyone."

Looking into Shen Jianxin's determined eyes, the girl's doubts deepened.

She didn't know whether she should believe Shen Jianxin's words or her own eyes.

She witnessed with her own eyes that the demon destroyed her sect and killed her master, senior brothers, and senior sisters.

The aura of that demon was exactly the same as that of the young man before him, without the slightest difference.

But the young man before them had a different aura than that of the demon.

Moreover, his every move didn't resemble that of a cruel and bloodthirsty demon.

Just then, the scene in the illusion began to distort again.

The once dilapidated pavilions and towers began to blur.

The figures of those immortals also began to become transparent.

"What happened?"

One of the immortals exclaimed in surprise, his eyes filled with doubt and fear.

"How did our bodies become transparent?"

Shen Jianxin's heart stirred, and he looked up.

He could clearly sense that the power of this illusion was rapidly diminishing.

It seems that this round of trials is almost over.

"Shen Jianxin!"

The girl suddenly spoke, shouting loudly at Shen Jianxin.

Her figure became increasingly transparent.

"If you really aren't that demon, if you really have the chance to find that demon."

"Please, you must avenge the people of my Linghua Sect! You must avenge the innocent people of the entire continent!"

The girl's voice was choked with sobs and pleading.