Chapter 84: The Demonic Realm, Inner Demons

Donggong Qianxue struggled to keep herself calm. “I must break through this demonic realm in the shortest possible time.”
“But how am I supposed to break it?”
She pondered as she walked toward the demonic hall.
At that moment, those watching around the battle platform saw the thirty-six princes and princesses from the great holy nations of the Eastern Domain all standing motionless.
Clearly, each had been trapped in their own demonic realm.
The sound of a jade flute drifted continuously beside Dantai Wushuang, played by Nongyu.
To those surrounding the Profound Ice Battle Platform, the music was simply beautiful, and none fell into the demonic realm constructed by its melody.
“How exactly do I break through this demonic realm?”
Donggong Qianxue was deeply ensnared in the realm belonging to her, unable to extricate herself. She could no longer see Young Master Chen and his daughter, nor her own parents.
The other thirty-five princes and princesses had ceased to exist.
Everything around her vanished; only the ancient, ominous demonic hall remained before her eyes.
Before long, she stood at the hall’s grand entrance.
The realm conjured by the demonic melody was incredibly real. The hall before her had three floors, exactly as the real demonic hall, without the slightest flaw she could discern.
She kept reminding herself that it was all false, yet she could not find any crack in the realm.
“Clearly, the breakthrough lies within this demonic hall.”
Donggong Qianxue did not know whether the other princes and princesses faced the same demonic realm as hers. She took a deep breath and stepped inside.
Directly ahead hung a couplet.
On the left: Both real and illusory, this is the ultimate path.
On the right: The noble gentleman on the field, gentle and warm in the heart.
“Both real and illusory, this is the ultimate path.”
Her gaze lingered on the left, her brows furrowed in thought. “Both real and illusory—this is clearly describing this realm, half true, half false.
‘The ultimate path’? Does it mean that breaking this realm leads to the ultimate path?”
She smiled faintly and shook her head, murmuring, “Unfortunately, I have already stepped into the ultimate path with Young Master Chen’s help.”
Her full chest subtly rose, and a hint of pride appeared on her exquisitely beautiful face.
Then her gaze shifted to the right. “The noble gentleman on the field?”
She laughed softly. “That undoubtedly refers to Young Master Chen.”
Yet she felt a trace of confusion—how did this demonic realm know of Young Master Chen’s existence, and why did it make him appear in the couplet?

“Gentle and warm in the heart?”
She softly recited, and her delicate face flushed.
Clearly, it meant Young Master Chen had already entered her heart.
“This demonic realm is truly terrifying. How can it know that Young Master Chen has entered my heart?”
Her heart thudded wildly, a little flustered.
She looked around and found that, aside from the couplet, there was nothing else on the first floor.
“There seems to be no way to break this demonic realm here.”
Without delay, she headed straight to the second floor.
Her time was pressing; if she failed to break the realm within five minutes, she would be eliminated.
“Young Master Chen?”
No sooner had she reached the second floor than she froze. “Why are you here?”
Young Master Chen and his daughter stood there—he held Chen Die’er’s hand, watching Donggong Qianxue with a gentle smile.
Having just seen the couplet below, she now suddenly faced Young Master Chen, her heart in turmoil, her cheeks instantly flushed red.
“No, this is my hallucination; Young Master Chen and his daughter couldn’t possibly appear here.”
She took a deep breath, quickly regaining her composure.
“Princess, this demonic hall is indeed your hallucination,”
Young Master Chen smiled and shook his head, “but Die’er and I are real. We have entered your illusion to help you break through this realm.”
“What? You’re real, not my hallucination?”
Donggong Qianxue was stunned, her jaw nearly dropped.
She stepped forward and touched Chen Die’er’s face—it was tender and warm, unmistakably real, not an illusion.
Heaven! To be able to enter my hallucination—no wonder he’s a giant from the immortal world.
Terrifying!
“So, Young Master Chen, how does one break this demonic realm?”
She hurriedly asked, elated. With his help, she was sure breaking the realm would be effortless.
Young Master Chen looked around, frowning. “There doesn’t seem to be any secret to breaking the realm here. Let’s check the third floor.”
He took Chen Die’er’s hand and headed upstairs.
Donggong Qianxue followed anxiously.
At the center of the third floor stood an upright stone tablet, ancient and inscribed with many words.

Young Master Chen and Donggong Qianxue read the inscription:
All who participate in the Demonic Melody trial will fall into a demonic realm.
The demonic realm is, in truth, the participant’s own illusion; in other words, upon hearing the melody, the participant has already entered their own illusion.
However, the illusion is not random—it is the participant’s inner demon. Only those who defeat their inner demon are qualified for the next two trials.
What is the inner demon?
Whatever you care about most, that is your inner demon.
Kill your inner demon, and you will transcend yourself!
“Kill the inner demon?”
Young Master Chen was slightly taken aback and sighed. “This demonic realm is indeed sinister. According to this, how can anyone simply kill their inner demon? For example, if I care most about money, then money is my inner demon. To ask me to give it up—are you mad? You might as well kill me.”
“Princess, what is your inner demon?”
He turned to Donggong Qianxue, but was stunned.
She was pale, her body trembling.
“Princess, what’s wrong?” Young Master Chen asked in surprise.
Chen Die’er’s lively eyes blinked as she gazed at Donggong Qianxue.
“I…”
Donggong Qianxue was bitter to the extreme.
Her inner demon had already appeared in that couplet: to enter the heart is to become the inner demon!
She was being asked to kill Young Master Chen?
“I cannot kill my inner demon. To ask me to kill it is no different from asking me to die.”
She shook her head in pain.
Suddenly, she understood why Young Master Chen had entered her demonic realm—he had come to be killed.
Only by slaying him could she break the realm.
But how could she possibly kill Young Master Chen?
Never mind that he was a saintly figure—were he just an ordinary man, once he had entered her heart, how could she kill him?
Young Master Chen smiled helplessly. “Princess, this is no joke. You have at most five minutes.
Three have passed; you have two minutes left.”