Hanging by a Thread

The magnificent palace before him pierced the clouds. On Earth, Luo Feng could see half the planet from space, yet he couldn't fully discern this towering divine hall—the Illusory Spirit Palace. Misty currents swirled around the Illusory Spirit Palace. The 101st floor hall was dim and blurry. Luo Feng strained his eyes, trying to make out Hong's situation inside, but it was all in vain. Not only Luo Feng, but also the numerous Chimei Clan women and the Illusory Spirit King's disciples around him all gazed at the hall, each eager to know… if Hong could overcome the Eighteen Love Desire Illusions. “Boom!” A tremor ran through the 101st floor hall, and its interior became clearly visible. Hong, standing in the center of the hall, looked up with a smile at the distant staircase, flew directly towards it, and then swiftly ascended to the 102nd floor hall. “He passed the First Love Desire Illusion,” Luo Feng breathed a silent sigh of relief. Whoosh! A stream of people surged up the stairs along the outer corridor, heading towards the 102nd floor hall. The Illusory Spirit King led the way, followed closely by Luo Feng, the black-winged man, and the other Illusory Spirit King's disciples. The numerous Chimei Clan women brought up the rear. … With the Second and Third Love Desire Illusions, the time Hong took to break through each illusion grew longer and longer. “What should I do?” Luo Feng watched anxiously as Hong ascended the stairs to the next level, to face the Fourth Love Desire Illusion. “This is an illusion set by the Illusory Spirit King, after all, and Big Brother is only Universe-level. He could easily stumble. If he truly fails, am I really just going to watch Big Brother go to some branch of the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance to commit suicide?” “But!” “I can’t convince Big Brother, and this is a wager between him and the Illusory Spirit King. Even Master wouldn't be able to interfere.” Luo Feng was extremely anxious. Unable to help, he could only watch everything unfold. Strength. This was the reason for strength! If he possessed the power of a Cosmic Nation Lord, he could completely suppress the Illusory Spirit King, and there would be no need for such trouble. As a mere genius, he was just a junior in front of the Illusory Spirit King, a junior who hadn't truly matured. … “Your Big Brother’s will is very strong; he actually managed to pass the Fifth Love Desire Illusion.” Outside the 105th floor hall, the Illusory Spirit King, clad in colorful robes, chuckled softly. “Senior Illusory Spirit King, please show mercy,” Luo Feng respectfully bowed and pleaded from the side. “You don’t need to beg me,” the Illusory Spirit King said, her captivating purple eyes glancing at Luo Feng. “I’m merely having him challenge the Eighteen Love Desire Illusions. The test is solely on the desire of ‘love desire.’ As long as he truly remains unaffected by its many deceptions and sees through its essence, then he has a chance to survive.” “Love desire?” Luo Feng frowned. “Humans!” The Illusory Spirit King chuckled softly, “Or rather… life! As long as there is life, there will inevitably be desire.” “Do you wish for longevity to become an eternal being? Do you wish to stand above all, controlling the lives of countless? Do you wish for a beautiful wife? Do you wish for your loved ones to live well? Do you wish to rise above others? Do you wish to become a true powerhouse?” The Illusory Spirit King smiled. “All of these are desires of various kinds.” “Desire!” “It is the source of life’s progress,” the Illusory Spirit King said with a smile. “Even the most ascetic person will have desires; it’s just that their pursuits differ from ordinary people, being more unique.” Luo Feng was startled. Desire? Indeed. Whether it's the pursuit of power, the path of cultivation, the pursuit of pleasure, or the desire for taste, in short, as long as one lives, there will inevitably be desire! Even wild beasts and fierce beasts all possess instinctive desires, such as mating, having more female companions, or eating more and better food… “Desire is endless,” the Illusory Spirit King murmured. “It has no inherent good or bad; life merely distinguishes between being controlled by desire and controlling desire.” “Love desire is a type of desire, and a very, very complex one. Even some incredibly powerful Undying Gods may not be able to see through it,” the Illusory Spirit King chuckled softly. “I set up these Eighteen Love Desire Illusions, exhausting all the flavors of love desire; even gods can fall into them.” “And he!” “Since he is deeply entangled in love, then love desire… for him, should be an extremely difficult trial,” the Illusory Spirit King said with a smile. “Only by passing through the Eighteen Love Desire Illusions will he be worthy of being with my disciple.” Luo Feng gasped, staring in shock at the peerlessly beautiful Illusory Spirit King before him. Desire? As someone frequently guided by Big Brother and Second Brother, and deeply enlightened in matters of mental cultivation, Luo Feng understood just how difficult ‘desire’ was to interpret. On Earth, there was an ancient saying, ‘Even a hero struggles to pass the beauty’s test.’ Even some great ancients, revered as sages, had various dreams and pursuits. For example, governing the nation and bringing peace to the world—these dreams and pursuits are essentially forms of desire. To transcend desire? Impossible! “No wonder the Illusory Spirit King, despite only having passed the 19th level of the Sky-Reaching Bridge, possesses such terrifying deterrent power, almost on par with Tian Yu King and my teacher Zhenyan King,” Luo Feng mused. “No wonder she can directly control two Sector Lord-level Undying God servants. Illusory Spirit King, Illusory Spirit King… truly terrifying.” “Big Brother!” “These eighteen illusions are all love desire illusions. Can you pass them?” Luo Feng gazed at the hazy hall before him, his heart filled with anxiety. Although he had faith in Big Brother, Luo Feng dared not underestimate the great and eternal beings in the cosmos. While Earth’s mental cultivation had its unique and proud aspects in the universe, those formidable beings who traversed the cosmos and lived for countless years, or those great existences who built vast Cosmic Nations and presided over them—who could claim that their mental states were weaker than Luo Feng, Lei Shen, or Hong? One must not underestimate these eternal beings! “Sanzi.” “Sanzi.” “How did your talk with Big Brother go?” An email appeared on Luo Feng’s arm-screen, from Second Brother Lei Shen. Of course, Lei Shen had been informed about Luo Feng and Hong going to meet the Illusory Spirit King. “Second Brother,” Luo Feng’s consciousness flashed with some words, and they automatically appeared on the screen, forming an email that was swiftly sent to Second Brother Lei Shen. “Eighteen Love Desire Illusions? Big Brother’s mental cultivation realm is extremely high; he will definitely pass them, I’m very confident,” Lei Shen’s reply read. “Second Brother, these are the Eighteen Love Desire Illusions personally set by the Illusory Spirit King. As a truly terrifying existence in the cosmos, who has lived countless times longer than Earth’s Huaxia culture, she absolutely cannot be underestimated,” Luo Feng replied. “Which illusion has Big Brother reached?” “The Ninth Illusion! Big Brother is taking longer and longer to break through the illusions now.” … Luo Feng quickly exchanged messages with Second Brother Lei Shen, while continuing to anxiously watch Big Brother challenge the Eighteen Love Desire Illusions. … Time passed. The Illusory Spirit King, her disciples, and her numerous female Chimei Clan members all felt the pressure. They followed the Illusory Spirit King, ascending floor by floor, observing Hong’s progress through the Eighteen Love Desire Illusions. Among the Eighteen Love Desire Illusions, the first was cleared the fastest; the further he went, the slower he became! The Tenth Love Desire Illusion… The Eleventh Love Desire Illusion… The Twelfth Love Desire Illusion… Hong broke through the illusions with increasing difficulty, yet each time, he remained steadfast. “This… Big Brother, Big Brother, you must succeed, you absolutely must succeed,” Luo Feng, who had been watching silently from outside each hall, prayed in his heart. “He actually made it to the Fourteenth Love Desire Illusion!” “Luo Feng’s Big Brother is quite impressive. Reaching the Fourteenth Love Desire Illusion shows that his will is incredibly strong.” “Truly incredible.” “Who would’ve thought.” The Chimei Clan women whispered to each other via telepathy. The Illusory Spirit King, initially calm, frowned after Hong successfully emerged from the Fourteenth Illusion. “I refuse to believe that a man so obsessed with love can pass through these Eighteen Love Desire Illusions,” the Illusory Spirit King said, her eyes like lightning, a faint murderous aura appearing on her face as she stared into the 105th floor hall. … In that quiet pavilion. The short-haired woman stood silently by the window, gazing towards the Illusory Spirit Palace. Within her line of sight, the Illusory Spirit Palace pierced directly into the clouds, shrouded in mist, its peak too high to be seen with the naked eye. “Your Highness Qing, Your Highness Qing, Hong has already passed the Fifteenth Love Desire Illusion!” “He succeeded, he really passed the Fifteenth Love Desire Illusion!” Two Chimei Clan maidens at the pavilion entrance exclaimed. The short-haired woman looked up silently, her eyes filled with anxiety and worry, and murmured, “Big Brother Hong, you must make it through, you absolutely must!” … “He must make it through,” Luo Feng stood at the entrance of the 117th floor hall, staring intently inside. The numerous Chimei Clan women gathered around the 117th floor of the Illusory Spirit Palace held their breath. Even the Illusory Spirit King’s expression had completely darkened, her eyes fixed on the hall. Everyone felt the pressure mounting… because the further he progressed, the more exaggerated the difficulty of these Love Desire Illusions became. After a long while! Boom! The hazy scene within the 117th floor hall shattered directly, revealing the slightly pale-faced, black-haired man, Hong. “Only one more floor!” Hong looked up. Without even glancing at the onlookers outside the hall, he directly ascended the internal staircase to the final floor—the 118th floor hall—to challenge the Eighteenth Love Desire Illusion. The crowd flowed like water, arriving at the entrance of the 118th floor hall. “He will succeed, he will definitely succeed,” Luo Feng stared unblinkingly into the 118th floor hall, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. In front of him, the Illusory Spirit King stared intently into the hall. She didn’t believe it! She refused to believe that the Eighteen Love Desire Illusions she had set for someone deeply in love could be broken. Someone so entangled in love was clearly influenced by love desire, but to break through all eighteen illusions? “Impossible!” The Illusory Spirit King’s eyes gleamed with cold light. Boom! The 118th floor hall violently shook, then quickly settled. A black-haired, black-clad man, smiling but looking somewhat disheveled, walked out, stepped over the threshold, and emerged from the hall. “Senior Illusory Spirit King, I have successfully passed the Eighteen Love Desire Illusions,” the black-haired, black-clad man respectfully stated.