Chapter 449 False Is False

A glint of sly satisfaction flashed through Foxmei’s eyes as she watched Chen Fei’s reaction—clearly pleased with herself.

She had absolute confidence in her enchantment arts. As long as the target was male, her allure was inescapable.

With a delicate motion, she traced her finger along her chest, releasing a faint red glow from her body. Any male who came in contact with this glow would inevitably fall under her control.

Recalling the promise made by Lord Nine Demons, her grin widened. These two were clearly human—and human flesh was her favorite! The thought alone caused a mist to rise in her eyes, her expression turning pitiful and delicate, evoking an instinctive desire to hold her, protect her… or even ravish her.

What Foxmei didn’t see was the ice-cold look in Chen Fei’s eyes.

“The audacity… courting death.” His heart surged with fury—but a moment later, he noticed something odd.

As Foxmei limped into the courtyard, Mingyuan, who had just been quietly chanting before the Immovable King’s statue, turned around.

In that very instant, Chen Fei clearly sensed Mingyuan’s energy ripple violently.

“Thousand Faces Illusion?” Chen Fei immediately understood. The face he saw on Foxmei was that of Su Ran, while Mingyuan was likely seeing Ling Yue—the woman etched into his very soul. Only she could cause such an intense emotional disruption.

Foxmei, unaware of the subtle details unfolding around her, continued to play the damsel-in-distress and headed straight toward Mingyuan.

Though she preferred Chen Fei’s appearance, Mingyuan looked easier to manipulate. As long as she found a crack in his defenses, everything would fall into place.

Feeling confident, Foxmei approached.

Seeing the dazed, sorrowful look in Mingyuan’s eyes only fueled her smugness.

“Just another monk who can’t resist temptation…” she thought scornfully. The deeper Mingyuan’s trance, the more assured she became of success.

With light steps, she reached his side.

“Master… this injury…” she murmured.

As she spoke, she tugged at her pants, revealing a snowy white leg, the gash on it horrifying—down to the bone, with twitching flesh still bleeding.

“Master, could you… take a look for me?” she cooed sweetly, stretching her leg closer to him.

Mingyuan slowly closed his eyes.

Foxmei’s smile deepened.

“Closing your eyes won’t save you… naive.”

A soft pink mist began to drift from her body.

“Master, what’s wrong?” she asked, placing a hand gently over her chest and turning pitiful eyes toward Chen Fei in the distance.

Chen Fei simply stared at her with cold pity.

This place was a unique spiritual domain, and Foxmei’s charm spell was already full of flaws here. However, its real danger lay in the way it conjured the target’s innermost desire—the person buried deepest in their heart.

That’s why it was so hard to defend against.

Just imagine—amidst a perilous battlefield, the one you longed for most suddenly appeared… who wouldn’t falter?

Chen Fei saw Su Ran. Mingyuan saw Ling Yue.

And that… was the problem.

Chen Fei had no intention of intervening. Foxmei had walked herself right into death. No need to get his hands dirty.

Sure enough, Foxmei suddenly noticed the frost in Chen Fei’s gaze—and shivered instinctively.

“Tch! Pretty face, ugly soul! When I’ve got this monk under control, you’ll be the first I kill!” she thought angrily. Still, her body trembled slightly under the weight of Chen Fei’s gaze, and she instinctively leaned into Mingyuan’s chest for comfort.

She tilted her head upward, eyes full of innocence.

“Master, I’m so scared! Your companion looks so fierce!”

But Mingyuan had entirely returned to himself—the sorrow in his eyes gone, replaced by burning fury.

He couldn’t accept that his beloved Ling Yue had been defiled like this, her image used as a vessel for seduction.

Foxmei still hadn’t noticed the danger and kept acting out her little drama.

“Master, you seem like a kind-hearted person… and out here in the wild, I have nowhere else to go—”

“Enough!” Mingyuan’s voice thundered like divine wrath, ringing in her ears like a heavenly bolt of lightning!

Foxmei’s eyes flew wide with confusion and fear.

Mingyuan’s gaze was fierce and deadly. Then, in a burst of golden light, he blasted her away.

Her body bounced across the courtyard like a ragdoll, finally slamming into a seemingly brittle wall, where she slumped to a stop.

Mingyuan rose to his feet like an angry Vajra, golden light radiating from his clasped hands. A powerful aura surged from him—calm, but awe-inspiring.

From the moment he entered this place, Mingyuan had come with killing intent. His usual kindness and gentle ways were meaningless here.

Foxmei had made a grave mistake.

She had chosen to wear Ling Yue’s face—the very devil of Mingyuan’s heart, the inner demon that had haunted him all these years. As long as that demon remained, Mingyuan could never advance to the next realm.

In truth, he never seemed eager to rid himself of it. That was why he remained stuck at the Human Dao Realm, despite being a greater genius than even Duochanzi.

After the tragedy at Mutuo, he wasted years moping inside the Tianshu Academy.

Now, however, he had one purpose—revenge, and to fulfill Ling Yue’s final wish.

No one would stop him.

No one could stop him.

“Demon spawn!” Mingyuan’s voice crackled with fury. The Immovable King statue behind him began to glow, and even the walls of the temple trembled slightly.

Foxmei looked up in confusion—but golden light struck her before she could react.

The illusion shattered, and her true form was revealed—a snowy white fox with golden markings around its fur, elegant and otherworldly.

Her golden eyes still held a glimmer of innocence, as though begging for mercy.

But the golden light had sealed her body and silenced her voice.

She trembled on the ground, unable to speak or move.

Mingyuan’s voice was calm and resolute:

“The fruit of evil shall be destroyed. Burn!”

Flames of divine gold surged forth and engulfed her.

Foxmei let out a soul-piercing scream. As her life was scorched away, she finally cried out:

“No! Master! Don’t kill me! I can live forever as the one in your heart—your perfect illusion!”

Mingyuan’s eyes dropped slightly at those words.

Chen Fei shook his head.

“Still doesn’t know how she died… Even now, she dares say something so provoking?”

Had someone made that offer in the past, Mingyuan might’ve succumbed—risking corruption and eternal stagnation.

That, too, was why he had confined himself within the Tianshu Academy all these years.

But now?

Now, he had only one thought—

Revenge.