Duan Chen slumped to the ground, and Wu Suowei offered a hand, but he showed no inclination to get up.
Wu Suowei looked at him. "In the illusion, weren't things perfect?"
"I don't know what your definition of perfect is, but mine is definitely not this. Duan Chen staggered to his feet. "In short, that's a nightmare I never want to recall."
"It seems humans have completely different concepts of beauty and nightmares," Wu Suowei concluded coldly, earning him a roll of Duan Chen's eyes.
He knew Wu Suowei was a god. It was truly difficult for a being of such a dimension to comprehend the love and hate of the three-dimensional world.
Duan Chen surveyed the layout of the third floor, which was entirely different from the bloody theme of the previous two.
There were only a few traces of blood here, along with a heart.
"Why does it feel different here?"
"Perhaps because this apostle is a woman, and she's neat?" Wu Suowei scanned their surroundings and pointed in one direction. "If we go up from there, we should reach our destination."
Looking at the dim passage, Duan Chen couldn't help but shiver. He then grabbed Wu Suowei, who was about to move forward, and said, "Shouldn't we wait a bit longer...?"
"Why?"
"I've fallen for that woman's illusions twice already. If we go up and I fall for it a third time, what then? We're here to destroy the Void Realm, not to wait here and die," Duan Chen voiced his concern. This woman's sorcery was the most detestable among all the lackeys of the evil gods he had ever encountered.
He never knew when he'd be ensnared or how to tell if he had been. It required willpower and intellect, or rather, Wu Suowei's cheat abilities, to determine.
He didn't want to fight such an unprepared battle again.
Wu Suowei patted his shoulder. "You need to understand that illusions also have levels. Those that are easily seen through are the lowest. The more advanced the illusion, the more it seeks to become a real world. The best and simplest way to do that is to construct the world using one's own memories."
"You mean, everything I've experienced is basically this Situ Ying's memory?" After asking, Duan Chen recalled his experiences, from the headless dance in the forty-fifty’s style to the near-perfect life. If his reasoning held true...
"This woman lived for a very long time and had a man she liked?" Duan Chen blurted out, "That's too cliché."
Wu Suowei shrugged and walked forward.
Duan Chen, who had been following closely behind him, suddenly stopped. "Wait, if Jing Hua's abilities are that strong, how do I know that you are real and not her...?"
Wu Suowei immediately turned and looked at him. "Do you want me to calculate how many times I've carried you on this journey? Based on today's rates and the average salary in Suzhou, how many years would you have to work to repay this debt?"
Duan Chen thought for a moment. "Let's just keep moving forward."
Duan Chen said no more and walked towards the stairs.
This time, things went unexpectedly smoothly.
At the end of the Dharma Conduit, a clean and orderly elevator was constantly in operation.
In such a place, surrounded by dismembered limbs and bloodstains, something so ordinary and tidy was practically an anomaly.
Duan Chen looked at the moving elevator, unsure of what awaited him above.
After a moment of hesitation, he stepped onto the elevator.
Wu Suowei followed Duan Chen.
As the elevator ascended, the liveliness of the department store suddenly appeared.
Duan Chen followed the elevator to the final floor. The moment he stepped onto the floor, a child ran into him, and he unexpectedly fell onto the tiles.
"Wah wah~ Woo woo~" The child's cries were like a siren. Soon, an auntie rushed over and quickly picked up the child.
"Don't cry, my brave baby." The wrinkled woman comforted the child, then glanced at Duan Chen. "How could you, an adult, not be more careful and bump into my child? You'll pay!"
With that, she took her child's hand, twisted her old back, and swaggered away.
Before Duan Chen could even retort, he pointed at the old woman's retreating back. "Is... is this also an illusion?"
Wu Suowei shrugged, indicating he knew nothing.
But this illusion was too real.
It was a department store from the 1930s. Women in qipaos and children in Western-style suits ran playfully throughout the building.
It looked incredibly happy and cheerful.
It was a vibrant scene within the mundane.
Duan Chen touched the wooden railing beside him, its texture warm and its color deep, the railings shining as brightly as gold.
"Sir, would you like me to show you around?" A uniformed sales assistant stood gently before Duan Chen.
"I can take care of him here."
"Certainly, Miss Situ."
Duan Chen watched the assistant leave, then looked at Situ Ying.
"This is my paradise." She was wearing a red long dress, her hair styled in a side part with large waves, looking incredibly alluring. Beside her was the same child, Situ Yingzhi.
Duan Chen looked at the child's bright eyes. "This isn't your real child, is it?"
"Who knows." Situ Ying stroked the child's head. "This is created based on my memories. It should be a child from my long years."
"Long years?"
Situ Ying walked ahead, looking at everything, her fingers trailing along the wooden railing, her eyes filled with longing.
"Being an apostle for an evil god brings other tangible benefits besides enjoying paradise."
"Longevity?"
"He chooses suitable benefits based on each person's needs." Situ Ying looked at the children playing merrily not far away. "And I happened to need longevity, so he granted it to me."
Duan Chen looked at the decor. "So, you're old enough to be my grandmother or great-grandmother?"
"Perhaps." Situ Ying pinched her son's cheek. "Alright, let's get back to business. The one behind you should know how to destroy the Dharma Conduit. Among all these beating hearts, there must be one that is your target."
"You... don't care?"
"An action destined to fail, why would I care?"
After speaking, Situ Ying vanished from Duan Chen's sight.
Duan Chen pointed to where she had disappeared and said to Wu Suowei, "This old hag wants us to find the eye of the Dharma Conduit among so many people?"
Wu Suowei shrugged again.
Who knew.