"For this, I mercilessly slaughtered a million mortals, using the power of their divine souls as kindling, and collected thousands of cultivator souls to construct the illusion, and even split a part of my own soul to serve as the core. Only then did I barely manage to build this All Living Beings' Dream," Senior Shura said continuingly, without waiting for Yuan Ming to speak, lamenting the difficulty of his endeavor.

However, Yuan Ming felt his hair stand on end as he listened, his heart pounding with fear despite having witnessed so much bloodshed after stepping onto the Immortal Path.

"Do not think of my methods as cruel. The path of immortal and mortal is distinct, and all beings suffer. In fact, those cultivators I killed initially harbored some resentment, but when they realized that the All Living Beings' Dream could fulfill all their desires, they began to worship me as a deity, thanking me more than once for integrating them into this formation. Moreover, without my intervention, after three thousand years, they would have been nothing but a handful of dust, whereas, in the All Living Beings' Dream, they are still alive to this day. If you wish, I can even bring a few here for you to hear how they feel," Senior Shura said nonchalantly, raising his hand as if about to summon someone.

"Senior, there's no need, I understand your methods are formidable, and maybe they are genuinely willing, but I must ask you, even if these cultivators' dreams are beautiful, when the divine souls of a million mortals are exhausted, would you also use them as kindling? Besides, with you in control here, their life and death are merely at your whim. Is such longevity, such a life, truly delightful? Truly free?" Yuan Ming asked.

"The questions you asked, some have asked me years ago, but after enjoying hundreds of years of beautiful dreams, he no longer harbored any other thoughts. You are a prodigy, young and yet having fortuitous encounters and stepping into Core Formation, aiming for a longer, grander path. But for most people, their lifespan – reaching Foundation Establishment or even just Qi Refinement – is their limit, spending most of their lives in arduous cultivation, with no time for pleasures. Thousands of years of beautiful dreams and hundreds of years of illusionary feasts, which is real, which is illusion, what does it matter, as long as one is content and merry while alive," Senior Shura said, shaking his head.

Yuan Ming fell silent, finding himself unable to find words to counter Senior Shura, and realized that for those trapped inside the All Living Beings' Dream, abruptly bringing them back to reality may actually be more cruel. He sighed deeply, choosing not to speak further.

"Actually, for you guys, the trial I set up, failing it might have been better than succeeding."

"After all, succeeding would only mean obtaining the Magic Treasure Skills I have accumulated, continuing to struggle in the cruel mundane world, but failing, on the other hand, would allow you to enjoy peace within the All Living Beings' Dream."

"Especially you, with so many Nascent Soul cultivators out there wanting you dead, going out might not be as safe as staying here," Senior Shura cajoled persuasively, his words laden with seduction.

"Thank you for your kind thoughts, Senior, but the situation I'm facing is not precisely one of inevitable death, and moreover, if I cannot control my own destiny, being immersed in a false dream is, to me, nothing but a gilded death," Yuan Ming said resolutely, shaking his head.

"Real or fake, like an illusion or a dream, life is but a dream; how much is it worth for joy? How can you be so sure that the current 'you' isn't dreaming? Why be so obstinate about whether it's reality or a falsehood?" Senior Shura remarked regretfully.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you: if you think the All Living Beings' Dream is so wonderful, then why isn't your main soul living in it? Instead, you continue to seek adventurous opportunities to go overseas?" Yuan Ming shifted the conversation, interrogating in return.

Senior Shura stared at Yuan Ming, then suddenly pointed at him and burst into laughter,

"Not bad, not bad! Why don't I want to join myself? Ha ha ha, maybe I've been in the dream for too long, thinking about deceiving others, but I ended up deceiving myself."

"We cultivators, if we do not aspire to compete with the heavens, how are we different from mortals? What's false will ultimately be false and can never become real, just like this tea, its aroma, its richness, cannot enter my nose or mouth, is nothing but self-deception."

Having said that, Senior Shura swept his sleeve, and the tea on the table instantly disappeared.

At that moment, Yuan Ming suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said, "Senior Shura, I wonder if the trials for the others have ended and if they have all passed?"

Senior Shura glanced at him, smirked teasingly, "Are you worried about your sweetheart? Both of you share the same concern, truly envy-worthy!"

Yuan Ming gave an awkward laugh, suddenly understanding the implication in Senior Shura's words, and quickly inquired, "Does that mean, Senior, that she has already met with you?"

Senior Shura nodded and pointed toward a painting scroll beside them.

Everything in the painting scroll was continuously changing. Yuan Ming focused, and saw Xi Ying, dressed in black, sitting cross-legged in a secret room, incessantly absorbing the Black Mist from the Soul Suppressing Kettle in front of her, apparently cultivating.

"Speaking of which, she was even quicker than you; she used just one opportunity to solve the trial I set, which made me curious enough to meet her myself. But after talking for mere moments, she began asking about you and, upon learning you were still safe, she even offered to give up her reward and asked me to promise her that should your trial fail, not to trap you in the All Living Beings' Dream but to send you out of the Cave Mansion," Senior Shura recounted slowly.

Upon hearing this, warmth flooded Yuan Ming's heart, and he immediately responded, "Senior Shura, since I have successfully passed the trial, her words should not count. Please reinstate her reward, and if that breaks the rules, you can cancel mine instead."

"Ah, why do all you young ones think I'm some kind of villain? It's just a trivial matter, so why should it cost you your rewards?" the Shura Master seemed somewhat displeased as he tapped on the table.

Yuan Ming coughed awkwardly, not daring to voice his real thoughts.

The Shura Master didn't seem too concerned about it and seeing that Yuan Ming had no response, he continued.

"Alright, let's end the idle chatter here. As one of the only two people who has made me appear in person, I allow you to proactively choose the type of reward you need, be it Magic Treasures or Cultivation Techniques. If you have no specific desires, then I'll choose something suitable for you myself."

"I'll defer to Senior's decision," Yuan Ming said immediately without a second thought.

The Shura Master seemed to have anticipated his response. With a flick of his finger, a streak of light instantly flew into Yuan Ming's body.

Immediately after, Yuan Ming realized that a new secret technique called "Soul Splitting and Soul Merging Technique" had appeared in his mind.

"I see you practice both the Magic Soul and dual cultivation. Thus, this secret technique is most suitable for you. It is known that during the Nascent Soul formation, one must merge their Divine Soul with the Golden Core to progress. However, for a Soul Cultivator, all Divine Skills reside within the Divine Soul, and following the normal method would undoubtedly result in a loss of all abilities, rendering one weaker than a Core Formation cultivator," explained the Shura Master.

Yuan Ming was taken aback as he had only recently entered the Core Formation Stage and knew little about the Nascent Soul process. He had not realized there were such intricacies involved.

"So this 'Soul Splitting and Soul Merging Technique' can resolve this issue?" Yuan Ming asked while checking the secret technique.

"This 'Soul Splitting and Soul Merging Technique' allows one's Divine Soul to split into two, with one part merging into the Golden Core. This way, one can preserve their Soul Cultivator's cultivation and also proceed with forming the Nascent Soul without impacting oneself," said the Shura Master.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming recalled Xi Cangqiong's Soul Splitting Secret Technique, which was quite similar to this 'Soul Splitting and Soul Merging Technique'; however, the split souls from the former had their own consciousness and could potentially pose a risk as they grew stronger.

The split soul from the 'Soul Splitting and Soul Merging Technique' was different; it had no hidden dangers and shared a united will with the main soul, essential for condensing the Nascent Soul.

"That being said, the 'Soul Splitting and Soul Merging Technique' is extremely dangerous to perform. Unlike typical soul splitting methods, it requires a complete replication of the main soul's Seven Emotions and Six Desires, making it a hundred times more dangerous than the usual Soul Splitting Secret Techniques. Before I acquired this technique, many had become fools from its practice. You must be extremely cautious before cultivating it; it's not to be used lightly unless absolutely necessary," the Shura Master warned.

Yuan Ming's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, yet he felt a bit of secret joy. He had already generated his own split soul through a serendipitous coincidence and was quite experienced in this regard.

Furthermore, each time he split his soul, the desired power's hot flow inside the Stealing Heaven Tripod would automatically repair it, making his cultivation of this technique far safer than others.

However, Yuan Ming still put on a reluctant face and said, "Senior Luo, since this technique is so perilous, doesn't it seem inappropriate to offer it as a reward? My pursuit of the Soul Cultivation Path is just a hobby, and I don't necessarily intend to go too far on this path. Please consider replacing it with something else."

"Ah, to tell you the truth, while I do have many techniques and treasures here, given your strength in both the Magic Soul and dual cultivation during the Core Formation Stage, you probably wouldn't be interested in them. Yet, the Nascent Soul Stage items would be useless to you if you can't break through to the Nascent Soul Stage. After considering everything, this really is the most suitable for you," the Shura Master said somewhat helplessly.

Seeing Yuan Ming still looked dissatisfied, he quickly added, "Of course, since I have offered it, I won't let you suffer a loss. The Black Key you obtained earlier is crucial to the operation of my Cave Mansion. Securing it is akin to gaining the entire mansion, sadly you couldn't keep it due to your lesser strength. Therefore, I will bestow upon you a Spirit Talisman, which can substitute for the Black Key, enable you to gain partial control of the Cave Mansion, and give you an advantage when competing for Spiritual Treasures."

With those words, he flicked his finger again, and a beam of Blood Light entered Yuan Ming's forehead, soon transforming into a mark resembling an erect pupil before blinking twice and vanishing.

"Spiritual Treasures? May I ask, Senior, what exactly are Spiritual Treasures?" Yuan Ming, delighted about his additional gains, still harbored some doubts about this "Spiritual Treasure" and decided to inquire further.

"A 'Spiritual Treasure' is a treasure only cultivable by those above the Returning to Void Stage. Compared to Magic Treasures, it awakens spiritual intelligence to a certain extent, hence the designation 'Spiritual Treasure.' Naturally, its power is vastly different from ordinary Magic Treasures," explained the Shura Master.

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