Chapter 286: The Hall of Heart Demons

Deck’s abnormal reaction left those around him stunned, while the audience below began to erupt into chaos after a brief moment of shock.
Rumors spread like ripples—Rod again! Had he done something inside to drive Deck so mad? What exactly had happened? Why were these people sent out so quickly?
Right, ten people, ten spots—were the spots already filled? Could it be that Rod had taken Deck’s last spot? Discussions flourished, and chaos reigned. Deck became the focus of everyone’s attention, and more people grew frantic. It seemed hundreds of years had passed since such a situation had occurred! Ten people entering the second round at once was insane—truly worthy of being called the strongest group yet.
Now, everyone looked at Deck with pity and regret. How could he dare offend Rod? Didn’t he know who Rod was? The man who had withstood the God-Annihilating Thunder Tribulation, the one who caused the downfall of the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle Clan and the Nash Family, the lover of the Black Phoenix Clan’s lady… Thinking of these things, their pity for Deck grew even stronger.
On the stage, the Dragon Clan and Black Phoenix Clan members, seeing Deck’s behavior from the Mi Jiao Clan and recalling his earlier shouts, quickly figured out what was going on. Holding back their laughter, they stared at Deck with strange expressions. Not only them but all other factions felt the same way. Only the Mi Jiao Clan members had darkened faces, lost in thought—probably already filled with hatred toward Rod.
“Deck, what are you doing? Come back quickly!” Seeing Deck’s increasingly monstrous expression, an elderly man from the Mi Jiao Clan finally stepped forward and shouted loudly. His hunched body unleashed tremendous strength, and his voice echoed everywhere, shrill as thunder, forcing many to cover their ears.
“Elder!” At that shout, Deck seemed to realize something. His expression twisted in struggle as he turned to look at the old man and spoke in a voice filled with sorrow and anger.
“The heart demons have invaded my body. Be careful—I might go mad!” Those few words sent chills down Deck’s spine. He had almost lost control. If he really went mad, the consequences would be unimaginable—perhaps he would die here with his meridians severed.
“Thank you, Elder!” Realizing the severity, Deck, drenched in cold sweat, spoke in a deep voice.

“Since we’re out now, forget what happened inside. Let’s see the final result!” With a sigh, he looked at Dirk with a complex expression. The old man, known as the Grand Elder, didn’t know what to say. Dirk was the child he had raised himself; it was easy to imagine how desperate he must be after being driven to such a state by some unbearable ordeal.

“But Elder, I… it should be me who went in. That Rod, he… he actually…”

“Enough. A true man accepts defeat. Those who can’t accept it aren’t worthy of becoming strong!” Waving his hand to stop Dirk from continuing, the old man turned and walked toward the Mi Jiao tribe’s crowd, inwardly hoping that this lesson would help Dirk grow into the person he envisioned—a pillar for the next generation of the Mi Jiao tribe. If that happened, then this failure wouldn’t be regrettable!

Time passed, and those outside watched the pyramid closely, waiting to see who would be eliminated next. Out of the ten people who entered the second round, no matter how strong they were, only six would make it to the third round. Six was already the limit; in fact, the highest number of people to reach the third round in a thousand years had been five. Reaching five was already a miracle, so six surely meant these people were the strongest group in a thousand years! At least four more would be eliminated—who they would be was something everyone was eager to find out.

…

Stepping through the rainbow-colored door, Rod felt dizzy and soon found himself in a strange place. Everything around was empty, like a vast hall with no one in sight. He quickly turned around—where were Sognar and Lucy? They were gone, just like Zi Yang and the others. What was going on?

“Welcome to the Second Layer of the Netherworld— the Hall of Heart Demons. Noble warrior, please prepare to undergo the tests of this hall!” As Rod was puzzled, a voice suddenly appeared out of nowhere—soft, melodious, filled with warmth and charm, easily luring people into distraction.

Realizing the danger, Rod broke into cold sweat. Truly terrifying—just a voice could make his mind wander. The test must have begun already. He had almost lost control. Thankfully…

Patting his chest, Rod was relieved. He quickly drew back his combat energy and mental strength, ready to deal with any unexpected situation.

He slowly moved forward. This seemingly small area seemed endless, giving the impression that he was just moving in place. Finally, Rod sensed something was wrong. This was the Hall of Inner Demons—as the name suggested, it must be the inner demons at work. Desperate to move forward, Rod’s inner demons seized this weakness and attacked him, preventing him from progressing. Realizing this, Rod smiled bitterly. The design of this place was truly mysterious; it could achieve such things—undoubtedly extraordinary. He stopped and closed his eyes in deep thought, trying to calm himself down. At that moment, Rod felt that even if he didn’t move, the surroundings continued to rush past like a carousel, as if he were sitting in a vehicle! Exhaling a puff of air, he silently recited the key phrases of the “Meditation” technique. Soon, its effects became apparent, bringing him peace. The scenery around him changed and came to a halt—real and tangible. “Brother Rod, you really made it in! Lucy has been waiting for you for so long. We thought you might not be able to get in!” Before Rod could observe his surroundings, a familiar voice came through. Soon after, Lucy rushed toward him, her face bearing a gentle smile, pure and innocent. “Rod, you made it in? Well, time flies!” Then, Sognar also appeared in Rod’s sight, walking slowly with his signature sinister smile on his lips. “Yeah, I’m here. Hehe, you must have waited long, right?” Rod replied with a slight smile. “It’s okay. It’s good that you’re here. Let’s hurry up. There are only six spots for the third level, and two people have already entered. There are four spots left—we can’t fall behind!” Sognar said behind him, frowning and speaking in a serious tone, putting pressure on them. Soon, Lucy reached Rod’s side, and Sognar did the same. They gathered together again. Looking around, they saw a large door right ahead—probably the path to the third level! “Let’s go, hurry over! Once we pass that door, we’ll move from the second level to the third!” Lucy said excitedly, taking Rod’s hand. But at that exact moment, something unexpected happened. Lucy and Sognar suddenly lunged at Rod. Sognar had a weapon in his hand, and Lucy conjured a spell in her hand, ready to throw it at him. Both of them wore strange, bloodthirsty, and ferocious smiles. “Ah…” “You… Rod… you…”

Sooner or later, everything came to a halt. The two of them froze mid-motion in mid-air as time seemed to stand still. Looking down, Rod’s Xuanyuan had already pierced Sognar’s chest, blood flowing steadily, staining everything red. On the other hand, Rod’s left hand was placed precisely on Lucy’s throat, his gaze utterly cold.

“Rod… you… why…” Sognar’s eyes gradually dimmed as he stared at Rod, filled with disbelief and shock.

“Brother Rod, why… why would you do this? I’m Lucy! He’s Brother Sognar! Does Brother Sognar know? What are you doing? Why kill Brother Sognar? And now you want to kill me too?” Lucy asked in a pitiful voice, looking utterly distressed—so pitiful that anyone would feel sympathy.

“Sognar? Lucy? Heh, so you really are them?” With a cold laugh, Rod asked, his gaze still icy.

“Yes, who else could we be? Brother Rod, why… why would you do this? Please let me go! Save Brother Sognar quickly!” Lucy cried desperately.

“Stop pretending. Sognar isn’t him, and you’re not Lucy! The Palace of Inner Demons is truly extraordinary—reveal your true forms!” With a forceful motion, Rod snapped his fingers. A sharp sound was heard as Lucy’s throat was cut, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth as she collapsed.

“Brother… why…!” Before dying, Lucy still murmured in defiance.

“Stop pretending. You’ve revealed three flaws, you know? First, Lucy wouldn’t lack confidence in me, nor would Sognar. They wouldn’t say something like worrying that I can’t get in! Second, Sognar wouldn’t call me by name—he’s not that kind of person. You didn’t notice those two flaws, did you? And of course, there’s a third flaw!” Rod said calmly, looking at the two lifeless bodies.

“What is it?” At that moment, the two who had seemingly lost all life suddenly came back to life, staring at Rod with interest.

“The truth revealed? The third flaw is your tone of voice. You’ll never be able to master that. You don’t understand human emotions, so you’ll never be able to imitate it!” With a cold smile, Rod spoke slowly.

There’s a very subtle feeling between people—a feeling that’s indescribable. From the first moment he saw these two, Rod hadn’t sensed that kind of relationship, which only strengthened his conviction.

“As expected of the most promising tester. Congratulations, you have passed the trial. Ahead is the gate leading to the third level; once you cross it, you will enter the third level’s challenge! Good luck!” After conveying all this, the two figures suddenly disappeared into thin air, followed by a faint and melodious voice. “Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you—time is really running out. Two people have already entered the third level!” Finally, a lingering voice remained in the void.