Yu Ziqing stepped forward and waited quietly.

When Lou Huai began to show signs of madness, he gently tapped Lou Huai's forehead with the Immortal Grass Old Stump in his hand.

Lou Huai's expression froze, and upon seeing Yu Ziqing, he immediately started crying with a look of grievance.

"Big brother, I'm on the right path, so why does everyone insist on harping on my heritage from the Devils?

Just because I'm born from the Devils, does it mean I deserve to die no matter what I do?"

"It's alright. I say you're on the right path, so you are. Whoever dares to say otherwise, I'll beat them up."

Yu Ziqing rarely saw Lou Huai looking so vulnerable, so he patted him on the shoulder and offered a few comforting words.

Once Lou Huai collected himself, Yu Ziqing walked toward the one who seemed trapped in Freedom Heaven.

This guy had a defiant look, with eyes full of disdain.

"I am the Heavenly Demon, and you dare to use such tortures on me? You're truly behind the times.

Heavenly Devil King, let's see if you have the guts to bring in a great hungry ghost, go ahead, I dare you!

Pah, loser."

Yu Ziqing and Lou Huai looked at Freedom Heaven with interest.

This guy screamed the loudest, yet remained stubbornly unyielding.

Previously, they hadn't noticed how tough Freedom Heaven was.

Judging by his words, he was captured by the Heavenly Devil King and was being tortured in various ways.

True, Freedom Heaven had been personally subdued by him, and the Heavenly Devil King's painful methods were indeed outdated.

Yu Ziqing extended the Old Stump, tapping it on Freedom Heaven's forehead.

As the scene around Freedom Heaven changed, he seemed not yet recovered, with his neck still stiffened.

"Heh, you're doomed! You dare to take on the appearance of my master; my master is extraordinarily powerful.

He will surely sense it right away, little bastard. Kill me now if you dare, otherwise, I'll watch how you die.

What's the use of torturing me for ten thousand years? Over these years, my master has changed drastically.

You think you can scare me by mimicking my master's younger self?"

Yu Ziqing grabbed Freedom Heaven, lifting him up, seeing that he still believed he hadn't returned to reality, slapped him twice hard.

"Awake now?"

"Awake your ass, I've faced worse. You think a couple of slaps will scare me? Come on, bring more strength."

Yu Ziqing sighed, while Lou Huai, watching from the side, couldn't stop laughing.

"Heavenly Demon, seriously? Can't even tell reality from illusion, hahahaha..."

After a few more slaps, Freedom Heaven hesitated, glanced around, then looked at Yu Ziqing and Lou Huai.

Slowly returning fully to himself, he recalled what he was doing and felt so embarrassed he wished he could dig into the Abyss with his foot.

As a Heavenly Demon, to have failed to distinguish between reality and illusion after being tricked... It was truly embarrassing.

"Master, I just couldn't react for a moment; I was trapped in an Illusion Realm, caught by the Heavenly Devil King, tortured for ten thousand years. He tried everything, I just couldn't react for a moment!"

"Let's continue on," Yu Ziqing didn't mock Freedom Heaven, just turned around and continued on their journey.

Lou Huai, however, had no such reservations, pointing to himself.

"I woke up before you did."

Freedom Heaven pouted, transforming into a wisp of black smoke, slipping into Yu Ziqing's boot.

Not long after, Yu Ziqing saw a person sitting cross-legged on the Wilderness, already turned into a mummy.

His power had dissipated entirely, but the Magic Robe's might still lingered, remaining intact.

In front of him lay a golden book, with several lines written on it.

"To those who come later, remember well: coveting the Immortal Herbs leads to no good end.

If you can see this, you still have a chance to turn back.

Go back, it's not the Immortal Herbs, it's a deathtrap."

Yu Ziqing didn't know who this person was, guessing he was from the group that entered decades ago.

At the end of his lifespan, he coveted the Immortal Herbs, aiming for a desperate last stand.

It's a pity, truly. In the end, he died without even catching a glimpse of the Immortal Herbs.

As they continued forward, they encountered more and more skeletons.

There were those of humans, of the Demon Clan, and of Devils, seemingly from a very long time ago.

Recent ones, from within the last few decades, were rare indeed.

As for those relatively fresher corpses, more than half were unknown even to Yu Ziqing.

They were those sensed only as people by the hungry ghosts without revealing who they were.

The number of the Demon Clan was more than expected.

It was a pity; of all things, why covet the Immortal Herbs?

Always plotting to devour the Immortal Herbs, are they mad?

Where did these erroneous messages come from, and why do so many still believe in them unwaveringly?

Juice had said the Undying Mandala's temper wasn't good, and indeed, it wasn't at all false.

Even things placed just along the only path had lured countless strong beings to their deaths.

By looking at the span of those bones, they must be at least tens of thousands of years old.

Why did the Undying Mandala leave this place back then?

Surely not just for fishing, right?

That would mean it wasn't just bad-tempered, but was actively causing trouble.

In hindsight, my own Juice seems better, a model of erudition and focus, a proper young lady who never stirs up trouble.

Yu Ziqing gathered the bones he encountered along the way, temporarily storing them to deal with later.

Beyond this desolate Wilderness, a large river served as a distinct boundary line.

On the other side of the river, blood-red flowers bloomed, eerie and strange, like countless pale yet bluish-green hands gently waving, dancing with the wind.

In a blink, everything returned to normal.

"Undying Mandala, I am the master of the Immortal Grass Old Stump.