High in the air, that gray, mirror-like object remained still and motionless, yet within its surface, vibrant streaks of five hues shimmered and flickered, with some scenes drifting and shifting in a hazy, indistinct manner. Upon close inspection, these images appeared as if reflections in still water or lotus blossoms in a pond—blurry and fundamentally unclear. Above the magical aura, the gold-devouring insects continued to devour one another as though completely indifferent. Over this prolonged period, the entire swarm had dwindled down to only several hundred insects, now transformed into scenes of the candidate kings relentlessly slaughtering the others. Though the ordinary gold-devouring insects fought fiercely, they clearly lacked the strength to resist the rising candidates, and were swiftly consumed. Soon, the candidate kings themselves began to bear heavy wounds. Thus, time passed steadily. After an unknown length of time, all the ordinary gold-devouring insects in the sky had finally been entirely absorbed, leaving only the wounded, candidate kings. At the very instant the last ordinary gold-devouring insect was completely consumed, the candidate kings leapt apart in unison, then paused briefly before fixing their fierce gaze upon their fellow candidates nearby. As the unwelcoming hum resumed, they swiftly flapped their wings and launched themselves once more, now engaging in fierce, two-on-two combat. This battle was clearly more intense than the previous one, with occasional fragments of wings and limbs falling from the sky in the piercing, urgent cries. Some of the candidates even emitted streams of golden light from their mouths or underwent sudden, fluctuating transformations in body form, tirelessly summoning their powers to devour their opponents completely. However, the disparities in strength among the candidates were not significant, and it would clearly take a long time—through a prolonged series of clashes—to determine a clear victor. At the same time, in another part of the village, Han Li was gently pushed into a room adorned with large red ribbons, surrounded by a group of men and women from the village who were smiling warmly. After a series of cheerful remarks such as "long life with a healthy child" and "live to be old together," the villagers exchanged mysterious smiles, then quietly withdrew, swiftly closing the freshly constructed door that still carried a faint scent of wood. The other seemed to be a woman of exceptional dexterity and a most fertile nature; otherwise, her parents would not have immediately taken such a liking to her, and would not have spared a large pig and three young sheep as dowry to secure her match, taking back her birth chart. In just under a month, they had arranged a wedding celebration—a rare event in the village—successfully bringing her into the household. "Though, I can't quite recall her given name now—was it Qingmei, Chunwan, or Xiao Ling?" Han Li suddenly felt a sense of mental fuzziness. Though he had clearly remembered her name just moments before, it now seemed blurred. All three names felt familiar, yet each seemed slightly off, as though they were close but not quite exact. But none of that mattered now. The petite woman before him had become his wife, and soon would raise two or three children—perhaps even more—just as his elder sister had done. Then, like his parents, he would watch these children grow up, one by one establish their own families. Han Li stood by the bedside, his expression somewhat dazed, yet strangely puzzled. How had it come to this? Instead of focusing solely on the long-held dreams he had always cherished, as the villagers had previously teased him to do, his mind now filled with such a chaotic array of thoughts. Subconsciously, he exhaled a deep breath, and finally gathered a bit of courage. With a slight movement, he reached out and grasped the red veil in his hands. The slender figure beneath the veil trembled slightly and subtly shifted her waist, as though equally uneasy. Han Li found his mouth slightly dry, but with determination, he lifted his fingers and pulled the veil down with a little慌, almost in a hurry. A face neither particularly pale nor overly fair, yet graceful in its own right, appeared before Han Li with a touch of bashfulness. Han Li smiled stupidly, deeply satisfied, and casually dropped the headpiece he was holding. As he reached to softly speak to the woman before him, a sudden coolness surged within him—then a sense of icy freshness rose from his dantian, swiftly spiraling upward through his head, where it burst with a loud "boom," releasing a surge of memories long sealed away. Though his smile remained on his face, his expression instantly froze into a rigid, unchanging stillness. The woman before him seemed slightly puzzled, rising from the bed with a gentle bow to韩立, and softly addressing him as, "My lord." 韩立's eyes flickered several times, as though regaining his composure, yet he said nothing. Instead, his smile gradually faded, and he gazed at the woman with a strangely different expression, studying her from head to foot several times before finally speaking in a calm tone: "Your transformation is quite good—yet the illusion remains an illusion. To deceive me completely and keep me forever in a state of illusion is not so easily achieved." As soon as he finished speaking, he shook his sleeve, and a strange, piercing blue light surged forth, circling the woman before cutting her cleanly in two. The remains of her body rolled over and fell to the bedside, gushing with thick streams of blood, filling the space around with a heavy, pervasive scent of crimson. 韩立 remained expressionless, glancing at the lifeless woman on the floor, then added with a cold smile: "You still won't give up. You wish to rely on this mere illusion to pass me off as if nothing has happened?" "You're not giving me enough credit!" As he spoke, he flicked one finger. Instantly, a thunderclap roared, and a golden arc of electricity shot forth from his fingertip, streaking toward the lifeless female corpse on the ground. With a loud "boom," the body of the woman rose into the air as black vapor. Yet, Han Li had already anticipated this move and swiftly pressed a series of hand seals. The golden arc suddenly bent and struck the black vapor with perfect accuracy. A piercing, agonizing cry rang out. The black vapor instantly shattered in part, and then a firm, resolute male voice echoed: "Han, don't get too confident yet. Even if I don't succeed this time, as long as you remain within my heart ordeal, I'll find ways to make you experience the lives of ten or a hundred generations of ordinary people—eventually exposing the weaknesses in your inner resolve. Then, I'll be able to effortlessly replace you." "I have already perfected the Art of Spiritual Cultivation, my spiritual awareness strong enough to rival that of a Senior Stage cultivator, and my inner state has reached the level of complete harmony between soul and spirit. Even if you are my heart-mage, how could you possibly shake my inner composure at all?" Han Li stared intently at the dark energy, yet chuckled carelessly, appearing utterly unconcerned. "Indeed? You are so confident! Don't forget that, in a certain sense, I am you, and you are me. You possess memories and emotions—so do I, and I know them intimately. What moments have left the deepest impression on you? What experiences do you cherish most? How could such things remain hidden from me? Though you may now be as solid as stone, I doubt that after countless lifetimes, you can still remain flawless. As long as there's one moment when you fail to regain consciousness, hahahaha..." The man within the dark energy burst out laughing loudly. Upon hearing these words, Han Li's expression slightly darkened, but before he could respond, a flash of dark energy surged from afar, exploding violently, and a strange energy wave instantly swept across the entire realm. The surrounding scenery instantly shattered like glass, fragment by fragment, and then, with a flash of milky light followed by a brief blur, Han Li appeared once more in another world. If absolutely necessary, even seven or eight thousand taels of silver would be acceptable—that would count as passing the test!" The young girl blinked her dark, earnest eyes, asking with a firm, confident demeanor. Hearing this familiar response, Han Li tried to smile bitterly, but immediately a mysterious force surged from his body, sweeping him away, leaving his consciousness momentarily disoriented and blank. All that remained in his mind were the memories of his journey into the Mo Mansion—the moment he left home, joined the "Qi Xuan Sect," took up the position of disciple under Mo Doctor, and bid farewell to Li Feiyu and others. These events now seemed vivid and fresh, as though they had just occurred yesterday. Under these circumstances, Han Li responded instinctively and without hesitation: "Seven or eight thousand taels? How could I possibly have that? I'll settle the matter with my sister later!" The girl's eyes flickered several times, and a look of gentle pity spread across her face. Han Li was immediately struck with a headache upon seeing this scene... The world outside the space remained unchanged, with his physical body and Yuan婴 still seated in place, motionless. Yet the surrounding magical qi grew increasingly dense, and more powerful monsters—clearly stronger than before—began appearing frequently near Han Li's physical form, constantly attempting to attack. Although these monsters too were repeatedly repelled by golden arcs of energy projected from Han Li's body during the thunderous roar, an ever-growing number of them would periodically emerge and fade within the magical qi, making their attempts more frequent and closer together, as though determined and insatiable in their pursuit of Han Li's physical form.