Hallucinations, Hot Lotus Spirits, and My Ego on Fire
The forest burned quieter now.
Ahead, a narrow path twisted between smoking vines and glowing crimson thorns. A faint shimmer of light pulsed at the end, like a heartbeat buried deep underground.
The Infernal Bloom Nest.
Yao Xinyi halted.
"This part of the realm distorts perception. Illusions. Emotion triggers. Hallucinations."
Zhao Feng yawned. "Sounds like a bad date."
"Be careful," she warned. "Whatever's in your heart, the realm will twist it."
I nodded. "Right. Keep emotions low. Don't fall for tricks."
Qing'er looked at me. "That includes beautiful fire spirits."
"Look," I said, "Vel'ara was—"
Lan Ruo: "—trouble."
Zhao Feng: "—hot."
Me: "...All true."
We stepped inside the shimmer.
Heat changed. Air warped. Gravity tilted.
Instantly, the world around me shifted.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
Host has entered Illusion Zone: [Lotus Heart Trial]
Mental Resistance Activated
Suppressed Memories Triggered…
Warning: Reality unstable for 2 minutes
I blinked—
—and found myself back in that burning sky battlefield.
Bodies everywhere.
Rin knelt before me again. Only this time… there was someone beside her.
Yao Xinyi. In black armor. Eyes gold like fire. She was the one who had stabbed Rin.
"I told you she was a weakness," illusion-Xinyi whispered.
"I loved her!" I shouted.
"Then you were weak."
A dragon's roar shook the air.
I turned—and saw myself again. Past me. But not the calm, silver-eyed me I'd glimpsed before.
This one was burning. Unhinged. Laughing.
"I'll burn the heavens before I break again!"
The illusion cracked—
—and I was back.
Gasping. Kneeling. Sweating.
"Li Xian?" Qing'er rushed to my side.
"I'm fine," I lied.
Yao Xinyi stared at me oddly.
"You saw something."
"What did you see?"
She didn't answer.
Zhao Feng casually poked a glowing thorn with his spear. "I saw my dad telling me to get a real job. Even illusions are boring."
Ahead, a large clearing opened.
In the center floated a massive blood-red lotus, its petals twitching like it was breathing.
A humanoid figure stood before it—half-plant, half-woman, all creepy.
Her hair was vines. Her eyes glowed orange. And her voice sounded like honey left too long in the sun.
"Welcome... cultivators. I am the Guardian of Bloom. Are you here to steal, to worship... or to burn?"
I stepped forward.
"To claim. Politely, if possible."
She laughed. A sound like petals and screams.
"Then you must pass the test: Resist the Bloom. Enter the lotus... and keep your desire intact."
"Define... desire?" Zhao Feng asked.
The guardian smirked.
"Whatever burns deepest in your spirit. For some... it's power. For others... pleasure."
I knew I was screwed.
We approached the lotus.
It opened.
A soft red glow wrapped around each of us—and pulled us in, one by one.
[SYSTEM – Desire Trial Initiated]
Host Entering: Lotus of Longing
Main Weakness Detected: Legacy Burden × Carnal Curiosity
Trial Goal: Resist manifestation. Or enjoy it. But don't die.
Suddenly, I stood in a golden chamber.
Vel'ara lounged in a spiritual hot spring.
Yao Xinyi was combing her hair beside it. Lan Ruo was reading scrolls with glasses and no pants.
Even Qing'er was smiling—gently, sweetly, lips parting as she said:
"We're all yours, Xian."
I blinked.
"No. No, no, no—this is clearly a trap."
Vel'ara: "Then fall into it, dragon."
Meanwhile, in another bloom chamber...
Zhao Feng sat on a throne.
Dozens of elders bowed.
"You were right all along," they chanted. "Sarcasm was the true path."
He blinked once.
"Okay. This is definitely fake."
Then he leaned back and smiled.
"But I'm enjoying it."
Back in the main realm—
The guardian watched.
"These ones are... interesting."
Behind her, the real Blooming Flame Lotus shivered.
A shadow crept toward it—a robed assassin, face hidden, blade drawn.
Not part of the trial.
Someone... hunting us while we were distracted.
To be continued…
Author's Note
🔥 Illusions, past lives, temptation, and a real assassin about to cause mayhem!
Next chapter:
MC breaks the illusion in a weird (and hilarious) way
Zhao Feng might "die" from secondhand cringe
Yao Xinyi almost blushes
And the assassin reveals a clue about the Dragonborn purge