Rebirth of a Quasi-Immortal Spirit

Just as Gao Zhun and his group were pondering how to escape this dangerous secret realm, a voice rang out simultaneously in the three-person group: "The first level has been passed, the second level has begun."

"..." Gao Zhun twitched his lips. Why did the style of this secret realm feel so similar to Yongcheng back then?

Mo Nishang and Xuanyuan Huanyu expressed their deep agreement. However, before the three of them could react, they felt a dizzying sensation. A moment later, Gao Zhun found himself in a completely different place.

"Hmm? Isn't this the courtyard where I live in Fengming Villa?" Gao Zhun looked around and came to this conclusion. However, she hadn't forgotten the voice in her mind that said the second level had been opened. So, this definitely wasn't a teleportation back to the Gao family, but rather—an illusion.

Upon learning that the place was an illusion, Gao Zhun raised his vigilance to the highest level. Some cultivators, due to unstable mental states, are easily deceived by illusions and develop inner demons. However, what exactly is this secret realm? It seems that no matter how you look at it, it all comes down to the word 'inner demons'.

Thinking of this, Gao Zhun felt a glimmer of inspiration flash through her mind, but before she could grasp it, it vanished without a trace.

Gao Zhun pursed her lips. Needless to say, it must be the illusion causing all this trouble. Oh well, she'd better just wait and see. It's just a mental demon, right? Because of the "Nourishing Essence Technique," apart from her cultivation level, all her physical indicators had reached the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, so there was no problem with her mental state being unstable.

However, she overlooked the fact that in ancient times, this "Nourishing Essence Technique" was not a secret art at all. Not to mention that everyone had a copy, at least the major powers would not lack this technique. Unfortunately, this secret realm was formed in the distant ancient times, so the requirements for the cultivator's state of mind in this secret realm have been raised considerably. At the same time, it is also destined that this trip to the secret realm will cause a severe blow and reshuffle to the entire cultivation world of the Immortal Spirit Continent. All cultivators who do not meet the requirements of the secret realm, whether they are human, demon, or monster, will be permanently left behind to become nourishment for the next opening of the secret realm.

Deep within the secret realm, a figure clad in a bright red robe stood gracefully, with countless mirrored water surfaces appearing before him, observing everything that those who stepped into the realm did.

The woman in red murmured to herself, "The first trial tests 'self-control,' while the second tests 'obsession.' It seems there's something wrong with the cultivation world these days. It looks like it's providing plenty of nourishment for the next opening of the secret realm."

As she spoke, the woman in red chuckled softly, though the laughter didn't reach her eyes at all...

Just as Gao Zhun was struggling with the dangers of the illusion, she felt something tug at the hem of her clothes. She subconsciously looked down, her expression momentarily dazed: "Little Ling'er..."

Realizing that the person tugging at his clothes was actually Gao Ling, who was far away at home, Gao Zhun jolted awake, his mind instantly clearing. He furtively glanced around before scooping the little girl into his arms and asking, "Little Ling'er, where's Mother? And Ah Zhong, what about them…?"

Before Gao Zhun could finish speaking, Gao Ling, who was being hugged, had tears welling up in her eyes, and golden beans kept falling down her cheeks. If you were to ask what Gao Zhun, whose strength had greatly improved, was most afraid of now, it would definitely be her little Ling'er's tears.

So, as soon as Gao Lingjin shed tears, Gao Zhun completely forgot about the secret realm and illusion. His top priority now was to stop his younger sister's tears, and everything else had to take a back seat!

"Sister, I miss you. It's been so long since I played with you."

Gao Zhun coaxed Gao Ling for a long time before she finally stopped crying. With a pout, she began to complain about Gao Zhun's neglect of her.

After Gao Ling said that, Gao Zhun knew that she had indeed neglected Gao Ling over the years because she was busy with various things. Knowing that she was in the wrong, she could only apologize and belittle herself. After a long time, Princess Gao Ling finally stopped pouting and smiled sweetly.

Looking at Gao Ling's smile, Gao Zhun felt a moment of dizziness, as if something in his heart had been touched. Just as he was about to say something more, a familiar yet unfamiliar voice came from behind him.

"Qin Hanyuan?" Gao Zhun was a little unsure. Was the person who had just called her with a familiar voice, yet an unfamiliar gentle tone and title, really Qin Hanyuan?

However, the unease in his heart only lasted for a moment before being forcibly suppressed by an inexplicable force. Gao Zhun turned around as if he were familiar with this scene a thousand times over, and replied with charming eyes, "Han Yuan, you've come."

Qin Hanyuan nodded and stepped forward. However, when he saw Gao Ling in Gao Zhun's arms, he paused slightly, then continued walking forward as if nothing had happened.

"Zhun'er, I have come here with the sect's permission to submit the marriage certificate for us to become cultivation partners." Qin Hanyuan's voice was so gentle it could melt water. Such a gentle and refined man was actually saying he wanted to become cultivation partners with her. Another sense of incongruity swept through Gao Zhun's heart. She frowned, as if she had noticed something.

Qin Hanyuan frowned upon seeing this, his gaze subtly sweeping over Gao Ling in Gao Zhun's arms. Gao Ling, as if sensing his gaze, also looked up. Their eyes met for a fleeting moment; the former's eyes were filled with confusion, while the latter's were clear with understanding. Gao Zhun's sense of unease and irritation grew stronger. She frowned at Qin Hanyuan, as if remembering something, and said to him, "If we become cultivation partners, what about Han Yue?"

"Han Yue?" Qin Hanyuan looked puzzled and asked, "Han Yue is just the spirit of my natal magic weapon. What does it have to do with our marriage?"

How could there be no connection? A voice echoed in Gao Zhun's mind, but she couldn't recall what the connection was. After racking her brains to no avail, she could only frown, look at Qin Hanyuan, and then at Gao Ling in her arms. She felt as if she had forgotten something at some point, but what exactly had she forgotten?

Deep within the secret realm, the woman in red took in everything within Gao Zhun's illusion. When she saw Gao Ling in Gao Zhun's arms, a glint flashed in her eyes, and this time, a smile finally appeared in them: "Third Son, I didn't expect this person to be connected with the Third Son. However, even the Third Son cannot help others without restraint in the secret realm I set up, hehe..."

As soon as the woman in red finished speaking, Gao Zhun felt a blur before her eyes, and the daytime outside suddenly turned into night. She was originally in the courtyard, but now she found herself in a room decorated with festive decorations. Looking at Qin Hanyuan, who was dressed in a bright red wedding robe, she seemed to have some memories. Today was her and Qin Hanyuan's dual cultivation ceremony.

They met in Yongcheng in their early years, and later went through life and death together in various secret realms, and their feelings for each other gradually grew. For a hundred years, they were inseparable. Finally, today, as expected by everyone, they became Daoist partners. She should have felt happy about this, but she felt it was absurd.

"Zhun'er." Qin Hanyuan saw that familiar struggle reappear on Gao Zhun's face, and his anxiety grew. Yet, his words became increasingly gentle and tender. His captivating voice, which seemed to drown people, was his invincible weapon. Through this, he also wanted to keep Gao Zhun in the illusion, because this was his—the mission of the phantom beast.

Gao Zhun felt herself constantly struggling between clarity and confusion. One moment a voice in her mind would tell her that none of this was real, that it was all an illusion, and the next moment another voice would tell her that this was the truth, and that this was what she had longed for. Now that her obsession had come true, what was there to doubt?

And so, the two voices argued endlessly in her mind. Just when Gao Zhun felt her head was about to explode from the argument, a pair of cold hands touched her face. Gao Zhun looked up and saw Qin Hanyuan's face getting bigger and bigger in her eyes... Just as the two faces were getting infinitely close, the door to the room was violently destroyed, and a blurry figure rushed in and threw Qin Hanyuan out of the room in a moment.

"You are... Xiao Ling'er?" Gao Zhun stared blankly at the grown-up woman in front of him. Although he had never seen her before, he still connected her with the little girl in his memory who had just hatched and grown to be three years old.

Seeing that the other party recognized her, Gao Ling revealed a sly smile on her originally pure face and said with a hint of seduction, "Sister, would you be willing to elope with Xiao Ling'er to a place where no one knows us?"

"Elope? Go somewhere nobody knows us?" Gao Zhun pondered Gao Ling's words, his expression growing increasingly strange. In an instant, everything came to mind. Realizing he had been tricked to this extent, Gao Zhun shoved Gao Ling away, saying fiercely, "This is the so-called second trial?"

Gao Ling, who was pushed to the ground by Gao Zhun, was stunned at first, and then showed a regretful expression. Before Gao Zhun could understand what that regret meant, the illusion in front of him shattered into pieces like a broken mirror. Everything she experienced in the illusion played out in front of her again and again like a revolving lantern. Gao Zhun was annoyed. He flicked his right hand, took the Biguangzi Sword in his hand, and released several sword energies, which shattered the pieces of the mirror in front of him that were playing out everything in the illusion. Then he returned to the secret realm. All the cultivators who had gone mad in front of him had disappeared. Mo Nishang and Xuanyuan Huanyu beside him were struggling and had not yet woken up.

"The second level is over, the third level begins. This is the final level. Defeat her, and she is yours." (166reading.com)