Entering the Illusion

It wasn't entirely unfamiliar. Xu Yuan was still inside the rear chamber of the Hall of Dharma Transmission, except that a silk folding screen embroidered with mountain ranges and immortal palaces now stood before him. Filled with doubt, he looked around. The shattered vaulted ceiling had completely restored itself, and every trace left by the passage of time across the bricks and tiles had vanished. The white-jade paved floor gleamed with a warm, gentle luster, veiled in wisps of curling mist. Phoenixes carved from sandalwood poised to take flight along the upturned eaves, while relief windows carved of teal tiles were set into the palace's inner jade-brick walls. Xu Yuan's heart tightened at the sight. Connecting these changes to the red-clad woman's true form—the Meishen cherry tree—he quickly realized that he had likely fallen into some kind of illusion. Information on illusions recorded in ancient texts flashed through his mind. Formations, pills, cultivation arts, medicinal herbs, intent-souls, and many other things could induce hallucinations. Some acted upon the senses, some upon the physical body, and others could directly affect a person's intent-soul. From low-grade concoctions like the Dream Severance Powder favored by profligate youths in the markets, to advanced traps like the Soul-Confusing Corridor of Cherry Leech Lake, or even Su the Succubus's physique talent that previously made people uncontrollably infatuated with her. The types of illusions were extraordinarily diverse, each producing entirely different effects. This knowledge put Xu Yuan on his guard. Some illusions could pull a person in like a dream, entirely unaware of their entrapment. They would sink ever deeper into it until their physical body died. Since he retained conscious awareness, this should be a "true self" illusion. However, that did not mean it was safe. Illusions created by certain evil arts were even capable of "killing in dreams." If one died within the illusion, the physical body and intent-soul might remain untouched, but the consciousness would already have dispersed. In short, the death felt so real that you believed yourself to be dead. After a brief silence, Xu Yuan tentatively inspected his internal condition. And then... He discovered that his Innate Dao Body was gone. In its place was an exceedingly strange physique. The human body had one hundred and twenty-seven meridians. His current body only had one hundred and three unblocked, but thirty-six of them were extraordinarily broad and resilient—more than twice as wide as those of the Innate Dao Body he had nearly died to obtain. This had to be some sort of special physique as well. Yet compared to the change in physique, Xu Yuan soon noticed that the gaseous Source Qi within him had condensed into a liquid state, surging ceaselessly like ocean tides! At least third rank. After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan sucked in a sharp breath of cold air. As someone who had lived through the information explosion era, the changes in cultivation art, realm, and physique made Xu Yuan immediately realize what he might be dealing with. He... seemed to have become a figure from ten thousand years ago within this illusion. Pondering for a moment, Xu Yuan tried to use the Source Qi in this body to circulate the Blood Yuan Heart Calamity Art, but the moment the Source Qi stirred, he promptly stopped. Whether for cultivation, combat, or healing, the Blood Yuan Heart Calamity Art required all the meridians in the human body. With only one hundred and three unblocked in this body, forcing its circulation would only lead to qi deviation. After some thought, Xu Yuan guided the Source Qi again. In a flash, a small crimson mirror appeared before him. The Blood Mirror from the Blood Yuan Heart Calamity Art. This spell did not require the obstructed meridians, allowing him to cast it directly. Furthermore, at his current realm, the mirror appeared almost solid. Xu Yuan looked at himself in the mirror, his eyes revealing a trace of contemplation. His appearance remained unchanged, except that the faintly visible cherry blossom mark on his brow had now solidified into a distinct imprint. Before detonating herself, the red-clad woman had clearly regained her sanity. That final smile of relief and her "thank you" carried obvious goodwill toward him. Perhaps that goodwill was because of the bottle of Huadiao wine, or perhaps because he had the Meishen cherry tree cut down, helping free her from madness. If so, was this illusion an opportunity she had gifted him? Xu Yuan thought for a moment and shook his head. If it were merely an opportunity, why had she followed up her "thank you" with an "I'm sorry"? He still had to remain cautious. Having made up his mind, Xu Yuan walked from the rear chamber toward the main hall of the Hall of Dharma Transmission. His steps were light, yet they carried far in the vast, desolate hall. Rounding a corner, Xu Yuan suddenly heard faint, fragmented murmurs. "Calm the heart." "Focus the mind." "Steady the breath." "..." Xu Yuan was speechless. Pondering briefly, Xu Yuan muffled his footsteps, looped around the partition, and appeared in a corner of the main hall. The main hall of the Vault Palace's Hall of Dharma Transmission was as magnificent as ever. Hundreds of prayer mats rested on the white-jade floor, and currently, a young girl sat cross-legged on one of them with her eyes closed. Clad in a red dress, her small face was flushed red, and she seemed to be sitting in meditation with closed eyes, regulating her breathing. Who could that exquisite, peerless visage belong to if not Tianyan? After watching for a few breaths, Xu Yuan noticed something amiss. Tianyan could still circulate the Heaven-Deducing Art? Xu Yuan's brow knitted tighter. He had indeed seen Tianyan swept up by the cherry blossoms earlier; she should have been dragged into the illusion as well. However, this illusion clearly targeted the intent-soul. Did this mean the Meishen cherry tree's illusion could link multiple people's intent-souls? Or was the Tianyan before him merely an NPC within the illusion? After a slight hesitation, Xu Yuan tentatively extended his intent-soul. The Luanyin Formation in the Hall of Dharma Transmission was not active, allowing his immense intent-soul to smoothly reach Tianyan's perimeter. Yet Tianyan seemed unable to sense his intent-soul, continuing to mutter true words as she regulated her breathing. As his intent-soul perceived her, Xu Yuan noticed an issue. Tianyan seemed to have weakened. The aura leaking from her was at most around the fourth-rank Body Integration realm, though he could not be certain whether she was putting on an act. Just as the thought crossed his mind, Tianyan seemed to sense something and raised her eyes toward him. In the colossal hall, the two locked eyes across the distance in silence, the atmosphere turning somewhat awkward. Xu Yuan stayed silent for a second, then spun around and bolted. "..." Her small face flushed, struggling to suppress something, Tianyan called out, "D-Don't run!" Xu Yuan ignored her and sped straight toward the rear hall. Seeing this, Tianyan pinched a hand seal, casting the two true words "Speed" and "Haste" upon herself before giving chase. One chasing, one fleeing, Xu Yuan rapidly retreated toward the back hall. "Halt!" A murmur came from behind him. Xu Yuan instantly felt an invisible pressure surge around him, attempting to freeze him in place. The sensation was novel, but the binding force did not appear absolute. Even without circulating his cultivation art, he could break free using full physical strength! In a flash of inspiration, a thought surfaced in Xu Yuan's mind. In this illusion, was Tianyan's strength really inferior to his? "..." With that thought, Xu Yuan stopped in his tracks, his senses heightened to the utmost alert. He had relied entirely on pure physical conditioning during his sprint earlier. Though Tianyan's cultivation was lower than his, the boost from the Heaven Character True Words kept her right on his heels. Within moments, the girl flashed before him. Her delicate cheeks flushed with an unusual crimson, she looked at Xu Yuan, who seemed frozen in place, and parted her red lips: "You—" Before she could finish, Xu Yuan struck. Circulating the techniques he could use, a burst of crimson flames instantly flared around him. Empowered by the surging Source Qi within him, the once-modest crimson flame spiraled in dense layers around his right arm the moment it was unleashed, and he drove a fist straight toward Tianyan's flat chest! The scorching heat of the incoming blood-red flames rushed at her in an instant! Tianyan's brow furrowed slightly, but her golden eyes showed no panic whatsoever. She swiftly formed a hand seal: "Flash!" The true word resounded. Xu Yuan's vision blurred. Tianyan shifted a foot to the right as if teleporting, evading his fist by a hair's breadth. However, the clinging blood flames immediately scorched her sleeve pitch-black. Simultaneously, having flashed to Xu Yuan's flank, Tianyan directed a "Rupture" true word straight into his undefended ribs. Boom! A dull detonation echoed through the colossal hall. The jade floor fractured in an instant. Xu Yuan crossed his arms to guard his flank, blood flames coiling into an immediate shield, yet he was still blasted back over a dozen zhang before arresting his momentum. Seeing this, Tianyan backed away with a frown, while Xu Yuan broke into a grin. Due to the gap in cultivation, even with the positional advantage, her counterattack had merely numbed his arms. In the outside world, she was an exalted second-rank Origin Realm powerhouse, while he was merely a seventh-rank nobody. Yet within this illusion, he was a third-rank Grandmaster, while she was merely at fourth-rank Body Integration. The roles had reversed. Although his physique prevented him from running his full cultivation technique, killing Tianyan shouldn't be difficult relying purely on the individual arts from the Blood Yuan Heart Calamity Art. With that thought, Xu Yuan focused his mind. A Blood Marrow Drill condensed in his palm. It was with this exact move that he had severely wounded the story's protagonist before, though unleashing it once had left him near total exhaustion back then. Now, with his cultivation having skyrocketed, he condensed a Blood Marrow Drill several times larger than before in a single breath. Its crimson striations were distinctly visible, radiating a heart-palpitating blood-red glow. Seeing this, Tianyan, who had retreated to the edge of the hall, narrowed her pupils and suddenly spoke: "I-If you want to be trapped to death here, then keep attacking!" Her voice carried a threat, yet beneath the words, she seemed to be desperately repressing some form of agitation. "..." Xu Yuan frowned, then stopped rushing to attack and smiled. "Trapped to death? Neither Ran Qingmo nor Old Man Luo was dragged into this illusion." Illusions could be unraveled from within, but one could also be awakened by external force. Even if Ran Qingmo and Old Man Luo were powerless against this illusion, they could take his body back to the Imperial Capital and have his father find a way. Looked at this way, perhaps Tianyan truly did have a way to break through the illusion, but the benefit of killing her here was clearly far greater than cooperating with her. Tianyan gave a soft snort: "If the Meishen cherry tree's illusion were so easily resolved, it wouldn't be called the Meishen cherry tree." Hearing this, Xu Yuan halted the condensation of the Blood Marrow Drill. He recalled what Old Man Luo had said to him right before entering this illusion. The Qionghua Sect was destroyed by the Meishen cherry tree. With that realization, Xu Yuan flicked his hand, and the spiraling Blood Marrow Drill shot toward Tianyan like lightning. Its thunderous speed left virtually no time to react! At the sight, Tianyan's eyes widened, her magnificent golden pupils contracting as she barely managed to spit out a single word: "Shield!" Over a dozen layers of brilliant golden light barriers instantly materialized before the girl. The next moment, the Blood Marrow Drill slammed into them. The instant drill met golden barriers, blood-red and golden currents of qi erupted violently! In merely a single breath, the Blood Marrow Drill bore straight through all dozen-plus barriers and pierced clean through the girl's delicate body without hindrance! Having done this, the spiral bone-like Blood Marrow Drill looped in the air and returned to Xu Yuan's palm. The corner of Xu Yuan's mouth curled slightly. With a gentle squeeze, the Blood Marrow Drill dissolved into nothingness. "Xu Changtian..." Tianyan clutched her shoulder, her small face flushed crimson as she glared at Xu Yuan. "W-What is the meaning of this?" She had thought she was going to die just now, only for the blood-red spiral spike to merely punch through her shoulder. Blood gushed from the wound. Glancing at her, Xu Yuan strolled over and said with a smile, "Just collecting a bit of interest. Now, let's talk about cooperation." "..." Tianyan bit her lip, remaining silent. In the cavernous hall, the soft clatter of boots against the floor echoed faintly. Xu Yuan reached her side and said in a mild tone, "Don't be mad. You're the one responsible for all this." Saying so, he narrowed his slender eyes, looking down at the golden-eyed girl as he enunciated each word: "I don't recall ever provoking your Overseeing Heaven Pavilion. If you hadn't tailed me for no reason, I would have taken what I came for and left by now. "Tianyan, "trapped in this illusion, I think I have far more right to be angry than you do." "..." Tianyan stared into Xu Yuan's eyes with her golden gaze for a few breaths before looking away, drawing a deep breath: "I understand..." The expression on Xu Yuan's face instantly relaxed. He patted her injured shoulder and chuckled. "That's more like it. We're grasshoppers tied to the same rope now; finding a way out together is the only sensible path." Her delicate body shuddered from the pain. Glaring at Xu Yuan, her voice trembled in a fiercely adorable threat: "Xu Changtian, y-you just wait—" Xu Yuan raised a hand to cut her off: "Save the threats. Once we're out, I'm heading straight back to the Chancellor's Manor. If your Overseeing Heaven Pavilion can fight your way in, you're welcome to try anytime." With that, Xu Yuan paused, a look of sudden realization dawning on him before he smiled brightly: "Ah, my apologies. "I almost forgot your Overseeing Heaven Pavilion has been reduced to stray dogs cowering in the dark, too terrified to even show your faces." "..." Holding back the urge to plant a fist into this bastard's face, Tianyan took a deep breath: "I need to tend to my wounds first." Seeing this, Xu Yuan reined in his smile. Glancing sideways at Tianyan's flushed face, he asked with slight wariness, "Why is your face so red? Did you get dosed with an aphrodisiac?" Hearing that, Tianyan's fists clenched instantly, and she gritted her teeth: "I-Isn't this because of the Meishen flower you fed me?" "Huh?" Xu Yuan let out a questioning murmur, then realization struck, and he asked: "The Meishen flower still affects you in this illusion?" Tianyan sat down on the floor, her silky long hair cascading across the jade tiles as she closed her eyes: "The Meishen flower targets the intent-soul; naturally it takes effect." "Wait, doesn't the Meishen flower lack any aphrodisiac properties? Were you affected by that woman's Dao Domain of Heavenly Desire? I recall her domain seemed to target the intent-soul as well." "..." Tianyan ignored him. "By the way, if you can't hold out, remember to let me know in advance." "..." After two seconds of silence, Tianyan opened her eyes once more, her gaze brimming with shame and fury: "Xu Changtian, w-would you shut up?!"