Thump-thump! Thump-thump!
Li Fan’s heart suddenly began beating wildly, completely beyond his control.
It was as if he was witnessing a vision of his own gruesome death moments from now.
Instinctively, Li Fan prepared to silently recite Return to Truth in his mind and return to the anchor point.
But in that split second, he faintly sensed something amiss and forcibly stopped himself.
The Xuanhuang Heart Refinement Sutra slowly ground down the fear welling up in his heart, transforming it into nourishment for his mind while buying him a precious sliver of calm to think.
Could Zhang Zhiliang have discovered something, prompting him to deliberately harm me this way?
No... He should have already advanced to Spirit Transformation by now. Dealing with a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator like me wouldn’t require such roundabout methods. He could just kill me directly.
Then... this bizarre situation must be the effect of the Intent Horse itself?
Just as this thought crossed his mind, Li Fan suddenly felt a wave of dizziness.
The hairs on his back stood up as if someone was watching him.
Startled, Li Fan immediately spun around.
There stood Zhang Zhiliang, staring at him with an eerie smile.
Li Fan’s body instinctively shot backward, spiritual power surging within him as he prepared to lash out with the Congyun Sword.
But in the blink of an eye, Zhang Zhiliang’s figure vanished.
Li Fan stared blankly for a moment before remembering he was inside the Tianxuan Mirror.
Even an existence like the Heavenly Physician would cause significant disturbances trying to force their way in. How could Zhang Zhiliang possibly enter so silently?
An illusion?
Li Fan turned back to look at the Intent Horse’s corpse on the ground and immediately noticed something abnormal.
His brow furrowed.
The posture of the Intent Horse’s corpse had changed without him realizing.
Is it dead or alive?
Li Fan couldn’t help but wonder.
Fear surged again, echoing persistently in his heart.
A chill ran through his body.
This Intent Horse is rather odd.
But I have Return to Truth. No matter how dangerous it is, it can’t take my life...
Thinking of this, Li Fan felt slightly reassured.
Strangely, as soon as he had this thought, the inexplicable fear in his heart suddenly receded like a tide.
Interesting...
Li Fan’s eyes flickered with thought.
Yet he remained in his half-human, half-horse form, clearly indicating that the situation was not resolved yet.
Seizing this moment of clarity, Li Fan’s thoughts raced as he considered countermeasures.
But before he could formulate any plan, the scene shifted once more.
The sound of an arrow cutting through the air suddenly rang out, followed by the dull thud of it piercing flesh.
Li Fan traced the sound and saw a flying arrow, appearing from nowhere, embedded in the Intent Horse corpse’s left arm.
Just as Li Fan thought to pull out the arrow to check if it was real, a sharp pain erupted.
Coincidentally, the pain came from his own left arm.
Li Fan scanned it with his divine sense, and his face darkened immediately.
Same location, same wound!
Even when Li Fan channeled his spiritual power, the wound refused to heal.
He purchased a wound-healing pill from the Tianxuan Mirror and swallowed it, yet it had no effect. The wound remained.
This...
Is it real or not?
Li Fan focused on the burning, stinging pain in his arm. Everything felt utterly real.
So everything that happens to the Intent Horse is reflected onto me?
What if...
Li Fan didn't allow the wild thoughts to continue, forcibly circulating the Heart Refinement Sutra to purge the distracting notions.
Ignoring the pain from his wounds, he continued pondering countermeasures.
Theoretically, Zhang Zhiliang has no reason to deceive me. This Intent Horse should indeed be a treasure capable of enhancing the soul.
Then can I infer that the reason those bizarre scenes felt so incredibly real is because the power bypassed my ordinary senses and acted directly upon my soul?
Transcending ordinary illusions, striking directly at the soul...
As Li Fan contemplated, a sharp sword suddenly materialized.
The cold gleam of the blade flashed, cleanly severing the Intent Horse's right index finger at the joint.
The excruciating pain made Li Fan gasp sharply.
Looking at his own right hand, sure enough, his index finger had vanished. Blood spurted without end.
Li Fan raised his maimed hand to his eyes, examining it closely.
Is this real... or fake?
Reason told Li Fan that everything happening to him was the effect of the Intent Horse’s power on his soul. All of it was illusory.
Yet the persistent burning pain made him doubt his own judgment.
If all this is illusory, then none of it matters. But what if my judgment is wrong, and these wounds are real?
If I sit back and allow these changes to continue, wouldn't that mean I'm waiting to die?
A sudden thought occurred to him.
To determine truth from falsehood, perhaps I should have someone else examine me.
With this in mind, Li Fan left the Tianxuan Mirror.
When he walked in front of other cultivators while sporting a horse's face, yet they didn't even spare him a glance, he finally confirmed that this was an illusion brought on by the Intent Horse.
But...
“Tsssk!” Li Fan touched his chest, where another deep wound had appeared.
During his brief excursion outside to verify his theory, eight wounds had now accumulated on his body.
They're appearing faster and getting more severe.
At this level, even knowing that these are illusions, the distinction between real and fake no longer matters.
Then, if things continue developing like this, will I actually die?
Before his transmigration, Li Fan had heard of a certain torture method.
A prisoner’s eyes would be covered, and a blade would be drawn across their arm.
Water droplets would then fall, imitating the sound of blood dripping, while whispered voices continuously described their blood loss.
In reality, the wound would have long since coagulated, making death by bleeding impossible. Yet some prisoners truly did die, convinced by relentless suggestion that they were bleeding to death.
When you believe you have died, you truly die.
Li Fan suspected the Intent Horse operated on similar principles.
Since the illusions were almost no different from reality, doing nothing and allowing the scene to progress meant that when the Intent Horse’s corpse received a fatal wound—say, its head exploding—Li Fan would likely be struck by the reflected damage as well. He would genuinely believe he had suffered that injury himself, and then die without understanding why.
This was the influence of self-perception on the body.
To evade this fate, the only way was...
Li Fan opened Return to Truth’s panel, looking intently at the charging progress.
As long as Return to Truth's automatic protection mechanism hasn't been triggered, no matter how real the sensations feel, there is no true danger to my life.
With this thought, Li Fan's heart grew steadier.
The dread within him gradually faded away.