Chapter 32: Where the Heart Leads, The Path of Coexistence

After Mo Xuan’s injuries began to heal, a sense of melancholy stirred within his heart. He had originally intended to arrange a memorial tablet for the Seventh Elder, but all he could find were fragments of the man's clothing. Mo Xuan had initially hoped that compromise could resolve his troubles; he had already demonstrated sufficient strength and did not wish to escalate the conflict further. Yet, what he received in return were repeated betrayals and chaos, and his adversaries only struck with greater recklessness.

Standing before the Seventh Elder’s spirit tablet, Mo Xuan felt profound grief. He knew that although this Elder Zixiao had often maintained an indifferent attitude, his heart had always been with Mo Xuan. Even during his lowest points, the elder had provided him shelter and assigned people to look after him. Now that he was gone, Mo Xuan was filled with bitter indignation. A true fire of rage welled up within him—first it was Elder Yuan, now the Seventh Elder; would the entire Mo family be next?

He decided he would no longer run. Even if it meant a final, desperate battle, he would not hold back. The first step was to find Zhao Hu and get to the bottom of this. He could not believe that a sworn brother who had stood by his side during his most difficult times would turn against him.

Tracing the clues, he found Zhao Hu waiting for him. They were in a place where they used to play together as children—a bamboo grove beside a clear, narrow stream.

"Why?" Mo Xuan asked, unable to grasp what could drive him to such ends.

"No reason. Everyone has their own ambitions. What I want, the Mo family cannot provide. That is all," Zhao Hu replied nonchalantly.

"Why didn't you hide from me?" Mo Xuan knew he had been lured here intentionally.

"The matter started because of me; I must bear the consequences," Zhao Hu said.

"Spare me the lies," Mo Xuan retorted, refusing to believe him.

"The world is a place where the strong prey upon the weak. It is a joke that you still believe in such things as sentiment! You are powerful now; if I die by your hand, I have no regrets."

Zhao Hu turned, assuming the posture of a warrior. He brandished a long blade, pointing it at Mo Xuan as the aura of the eighth level of the Spirit Seal Realm radiated from him. At his age, this level of cultivation was quite formidable in Luochuan City. Mo Xuan felt a pang of pity, but some things simply could not be let go.

"Even if you wanted to leave, you could have told me. You know I wouldn't have refused you. Yet you chose this path—do you have no sense of shame?" Mo Xuan was truly furious. His kin were leaving him one by one, and even if some affection remained, he could not forgive this. Had he left uprightly, Mo Xuan would not have held a grudge, but he had chosen to scheme in the shadows.

Fuming with rage, Mo Xuan severed Zhao Hu’s enchanted weapon with a single strike and pierced his chest.

"I am still no match for you," Zhao Hu whispered before he fell. "One day, you will realize this is the essence of the world, and you will make the same decision."

"I never will!" Mo Xuan denied it resolutely.

Nevertheless, as Zhao Hu had once been a dear friend, Mo Xuan buried his remains there, giving him a final resting place.

After this event, Mo Xuan realized deeply that he must return to the Mo family. There were still people there who cared for him, and he could not abandon them. He now had a plan for what to do next. Who knew who might be next to leave? He had to protect those who still cared. Currently, the only thing he could rely on was the Heart of Coexistence. He might have failed before, but he wanted to try again.

He intended to go into secluded cultivation. He had to capture the Heart of Coexistence, even if it were only a fragment. This return to the Mo family was not for the sake of his status as the Young Master, but to find the truth. Whether he remained the Young Master or not, he was still a part of the Mo family, and for his father’s sake, he would do everything in his power.

***

Naturally, his plan to claim the Heart of Coexistence was hidden deep within his heart, mentioned to no one.

Within the Soul Illusion Space!

Mo Xuan returned to the seal of power hidden within his body, dominated by the Heart of Coexistence. Looking out at the endless desert, the occasional sandstorms, and the three suns in the sky, he recalled his first arrival here—the helplessness, the weakness, the struggle to take even a single step. Only a few months had passed, and now, relying on the power of the Time Space, he could come and go as he pleased. In the past, he would not have dared to imagine such a thing.

The more he explored, the more questions arose. He could not understand how two such powerful forces could coexist within him.

"Sigh, let's stick to the task at hand," he muttered, shaking his head. To find the answers, he first needed to be strong enough.

He had initially planned to head straight for the Heart of Coexistence, but he suspected this space itself held the key. He decided to traverse it again to see if he could gain new insights. As he walked, the illusion felt incredibly real. If one were not well-versed in these arts, one would surely be trapped, unable to escape. This was the power of the illusion.

Mo Xuan knew clearly that this was the first stage of illusion—the Void World—where one’s consciousness was drawn into a near-real mental plane. This stage had many gradients, ranging from simply luring the mind into an illusion to creating complex spaces or even imprisoning the spirit. This space belonged to the highest level of the first stage: spirit imprisonment. Once triggered, unless one's strength surpassed the creator's, escape was impossible.

His own "Absolute Zero Domain" was a second-stage illusion—the Intertwining of Reality and Illusion—where real attacks were mixed into the phantom world, targeting more than just the spirit; it could inflict physical damage.

The Heart of Coexistence formed an illusion known as the "Three-Heart Illusion." Yet, even with his knowledge, Mo Xuan could not see through its layout, let alone replicate it. He felt there was more to it.

"I can do it!" Mo Xuan was not one to give up. He knew the Three-Heart Illusion was the gateway to the Heart of Coexistence.

He observed every detail, even climbing to high ground to analyze the grand layout. Yet, no matter how many times he perceived it, it remained an illusion. He was frustrated that even from his higher vantage point, he could only identify it as a mere illusion.

Walking to the very edge, he struck an invisible wall. "Ouch!"

Why did it hurt? Mo Xuan’s thoughts were disrupted by the sudden impact, but it sparked a new line of reasoning.

"Unless… the level of this space is higher than my own." A candle of hope ignited in his heart.

He smiled. He should have realized it sooner; the Heart of Coexistence was so powerful, how could it be merely the first stage? The illusion before him was essentially a manifestation of consciousness. He was only a soul here, and souls could not touch physical matter. In other words, if this space were real, he could not touch it in his soul state. If it were placed in reality, it would be a world approaching the physical.

With this realization, he attempted to unlock this higher level. He sensed that the art of illusion had even greater depths. Following this train of thought, he began to project all his soul power from the three suns—the heart of the illusion—into the space.

Slowly, the mysteries began to unravel. As he analyzed the space through the concept of "approaching reality," the true face of the Three-Heart Illusion revealed itself.

"That is!"

Mo Xuan saw an inscription within the illusion: "The Three-Heart Illusion, guided by the Constant Heart, transmutes the energy of Heaven and Earth into the illusion, creating a forest of mysterious phantoms that approach eternity."

He didn't fully grasp it at first, but he understood the essence: the Three-Heart Illusion utilized the power of Heaven and Earth, condensing it into the illusion to turn the false into the real.

A simple illusion could only shock the spirit, but if it incorporated the power of Heaven and Earth, it would be truly devastating. Who could anticipate that an illusion would become a physical reality as time passed and natural energy merged with it? It was a lethal domain. Without reaching the Heaven-Three Realm, entering it was almost a death sentence.

He was naturally overjoyed. He had discovered an entirely new field.

As he reached this enlightenment, the illusion dissolved, replaced by his own Time Space. The Heart of Coexistence had unexpectedly merged with his Time Space, standing in its own separate region.

"Could it have been in this space all along?" Mo Xuan wondered, astonished. They had been two independent spaces within his soul, yet now they were one.

Then, something even more unexpected happened. The Heart of Coexistence began to split. The central fireball and the surrounding purple liquid, which had once been one, began to separate.