4392 You Fool!

Duan Ling Tian looked around, and soon enough, he saw another 'him' appear. He was certain it was not his doppelganger due to their lack of connection.

The other him fought fiercely with the huge demons that came out of the sea almost as soon as they appeared.

Duan Ling Tian felt like he was watching a show on television when he watched the fight that was getting further and further away.

"Wood Spirit has begun to invade the Crimson Demon's Divine Tree of Life. With our help, it's using the Crimson Demon's Tree of Life to confuse the Crimson Demon… Wood Spirit is doing this because it's worried that the Crimson Demon is monitoring you which will hinder our plan…" the World Cleansing Divine Water promptly explained.

With this, Duan Ling Tian found out that this was also part of Wood Spirit's plan, and everything in front of him was conjured by Wood Spirit.

"Those big demons…"

Duan Ling Tian was still slightly puzzled when he thought about the huge demons' strength. If everything was an illusion, where did they go?

"The tests and challenges in the secret realm are all controlled by the Crimson Demon. To be precise, they're controlled by the Crimson Demon using his Divine Tree of Life. Under normal circumstances, even if the Divine Tree of Life is in a deep slumber, the Crimson Demon would still be able to use it to control everything in the secret realm. Needless to say, the Divine Tree of Life is even more adept at controlling things here compared to its owner, the Crimson Demon. Wood Spirit briefly controlled the tree and used it to send the demons back into the sea. If the Crimson Demon is watching, he'd see the illusion Wood Spirit conjured through his Divine Tree of Life…"

Then, the Word Cleansing Divine Water's voice turned serious as she continued to say, "Now, let's hurry up and get down to business. Follow my instructions and channel your energy into Wood Spirit so he'll have better control of the Crimson Demon's Divine Tree of Life and help you escape from the Crimson Demon's Little World. Hopefully, it'll be able to help you escape pursuit as well before the Crimson Demon realizes what happened…"

Duan Ling Tian's heart began to pound when he heard the World Cleansing Divine Water's words. Once the Crimson Demon was alerted, the Crimson Demon would definitely hunt him down. It was of great importance that he was able to escape the Crimson Demon's pursuit after leaving the Crimson Demon's Little World as well.

"Alright, let's start!"

Duan Ling Tian put away his distracting thoughts and followed the World Cleansing Divine Water's instructions and channeled his energy to his Divine Tree of Life in his Little World. He could feel his Divine Tree of Life releasing energy into the secret realm, but the energy disappeared quickly. It was as though the secret realm was a bottomless pit that could not be filled with the Divine Tree of Life's energy.

…

The World Cleansing Divine Water and Duan Ling Tian were only speculating that the Crimson Demon was keeping an eye on him. They were unaware that as soon he entered the secret realm, the Crimson Demon had been watching him. It only took a few glances at the others once in a while. He, who was in the Crimson Demon Ridge, could see everything in the secret realm through the Divine Tree of Life in his Little World.

"Hmm?"

After watching Duan Ling Tian for a long time, the Crimson Demon felt that something was amiss.

"Logically, with Duan Ling Tian's strength, it shouldn't take him so long to pass the first test. What is he doing?"

The Crimson Demon watched as Duan Ling Tian fought on even ground with the group of huge demons. They were so evenly matched that it was difficult to tell who would emerge victorious. However, he quickly noticed that Duan Ling Tian was not going all out.

'Is he trying to use the demons to discover something? Perhaps, he's not sure that he's going in the right direction? Or perhaps, he's trying to confirm if there are any other clues to gain from fighting these demons?'

The Crimson Demon nodded to himself when he thought about it, feeling at ease. He felt that his speculations made sense.

After a moment, the Crimson Demon shifted his attention to the other prodigies.

…

At this moment, not counting Duan Ling Tian, about a dozen prodigies, including Sun Zhi Yao and Shangguan Jun, had also entered the secret realm.

Similar to Duan Ling Tian, they found themselves hovering in the sky above the sea as soon as they entered.

Most of them had yet to find the clue, and only a few people managed to find something and began to make their way to their destination.

Among the few who found something, two of them went in the wrong direction. The duo was among those who had greeted Duan Ling Tian earlier at the entrance of the secret realm.

One of them barely passed the first test after going the wrong way. He was seriously injured after killing a huge number of demons. As such, during the second test, he was further injured before he was killed.

"This isn't fair!" the prodigy roared mournfully before he died, becoming the food in the belly of the demons.

After he died, the other prodigy followed suit.

…

The Crimson Demon watched everything indifferently.

"This is how it should be… This time, I'll be able to choose the most suitable body for me. I hope Duan Ling Tian won't let me down!"

Until now, the Crimson Demon still favored Duan Ling Tian the most. For this reason, he paid special attention to Duan Ling Tian. If it were not for the requirements imposed by the ancestors of his clan, he would have directly chosen Duan Ling Tian to possess.

After some time had passed, the sense that something was amiss grew stronger in the Crimson Demon.

The other few surviving prodigies were already halfway to the heart of the secret realm and had passed half of the tests, but strangely, Duan Ling Tian was still fighting on even ground with the big demons from the first test.

"What's going on? This isn't possible. What the hell is trying to do?"

The Crimson Demon grew suspicious, and unlike before, he began to scrutinize Duan Ling Tian's every movement. In just a short moment, he discovered the problem.

"It's an illusion?!"

The Crimson Demon's expression changed drastically as he bellowed, "You fool!"

…

The Crimson Demon's voice was so thunderous that everyone in the Crimson Demon Ridge, including his personal demon guards; Centurions; and Decurions, heard his voice. Their expressions changed immediately as they shuddered in fear. They could not help but wonder who the Crimson Demon was scolding. At the same time, they felt sorry for the person, knowing that the person was going to meet his demise soon.

It was their first time seeing the Crimson Demon so angry after they became his puppet.

…

Swoosh!

A figure flew up in the Crimson Demon Ridge and shot out like a streak of light. Based on the tear in the void, it was clear how fast the figure was moving.

Not long after, a voice burning with fury rang in the Crimson Demon's Little World.

"Who dares to take control of my Divine Tree of Life while it slumbers?! Damn it! Don't even think of escaping!"