An Illusionist—true to their name—relied on baffling, unpredictable illusions as one of their core skills. Among the orthodox classes, only a Scout's Insight could see through them.
A Stargazer of the same rank could also pierce the illusions given a little time, but Fire Masters and Earth Monsters, entirely inept in mental domains, found it nearly impossible to detect an illusion without outside interference.
Had he fallen into an illusion and been ambushed, a Fire Master's crisis intuition would have warned Jiang Ju, allowing him to break through the trickery.
Yet Greed Divine General and his allies clearly understood Fire Masters well, never mounting a sneak attack.
Clang!
Two broad sabers cleaved down upon the Nine Dragons Glazed Cover simultaneously. The rainbow-glazed barrier quivered like a soap bubble, rippling with frantic flashes of yellow light.
Yet it held firm, not shattering right away.
Seeing this, Jiang Ju condensed a searing spear in his palm. The flames at the tip focused to a single point, bursting with blinding brilliance.
He drew his arm back, preparing to hurl the spear, when suddenly his throat began to itch. An agonizing ache seized his heart, and his lungs burned like a furnace.
Stumbling, the spear in Jiang Ju's hand dispersed. He yanked open his collar to look—the skin across his chest had turned a bruised, purplish black.
He had been poisoned with gu poison.
Without him realizing, Snake Woman's venomous miasma had concealed itself within the dense mist, silently seeping into his body.
"Huang Taiji, I'm poisoned!" Jiang Ju roared back, his voice hoarse.
"Same here!"
Huang Taiji's somewhat raspy voice came from the mist behind him.
Jiang Ju drew a deep breath and roused the fire spirit power within him, activating his Rager skill. Scorching heat flooded his internal organs, burning away the poison physically.
The symptoms eased at once, but right on their heels came a woman's piercing, high-pitched shriek.
Jiang Ju swayed, the boiling flames across his body abruptly snuffing out. Clasping his forehead in agony, bloodshot veins spiderwebbed through his eyes, and blood gushed from his nostrils.
Huang Taiji, Xiao Yuan, and Commandery Princess Yinyao were struck by a splitting headache at the same instant, as though steel spikes had been driven into their skulls, or as if the blood vessels in their brains had burst all at once.
A Mental Strike.
Jiang Ju's eyes nearly split with rage. Forcing down the headache, he hurtled like a cannonball into the depths of the mist, spotting the two Mist Lords attacking the Nine Dragons Glazed Cover.
Without hesitation, he made his fingerless gauntlet flare with blinding firelight, once again unleashing that terrifying sea of flames that had grievously wounded Yi Chuanmei's trio earlier.
Amidst the scorching fire, Greed Divine General, Bai Ren Zhan, and the earthen coffin warped and distorted, transforming into Yi Chuanmei, her brows steeped in coquettish charm as she giggled:
"What a big fire! You're burning me to death~"
Jiang Ju froze. He then saw Yi Chuanmei lightly wave a hand, and the towering sea of flames snuffed out in an instant.
A second later, the scene before him dissolved. He saw the dense mist again and heard the thudding clangs of blades hacking at the Nine Dragons Glazed Cover.
A broad palm was resting on his shoulder. It was Huang Taiji.
"You were pulled into a dream," Huang Taiji said in a deep voice. As he spoke, he raised a hand, and a stone shield condensed in his palm.
A chaotic clatter rang out as a volley of poison needles clanged against the shield's surface.
Snake Woman's insidious ambush had been deflected with ease.
The orthodox faction had two Level 6s and two Level 5s on their side; while they were conscious, it was difficult for Yi Chuanmei to drag everyone into a dream simultaneously.
She had therefore chosen Jiang Ju, whose offense was the fiercest.
"That wretched bitch..." Jiang Ju ground his teeth.
Right then, a sharp crack sounded in the distance. Under the relentless assault of the two Mist Lords, the Nine Dragons Glazed Cover finally gave way.
Their hearts sank.
Crack! Greed Divine General smashed the earthen coffin lid with the spine of his saber. Looking down, his gaze was first drawn to the magnificent robe, jade belt, and boots, greed blazing in his eyes.
Only then did he inspect the charred, humanoid figure, confirming that Yuanshi Tianzun was indeed dead.
"So this is the set Yi Chuanmei mentioned? It's mine. Haha, it's mine..."
Greed Divine General licked his lips excitedly and reached for the belt.
Among the three pieces of gear, the belt appeared to be of the finest quality.
The moment his fingers brushed the belt, however, he felt their dexterity plummet. His skin tightened, and his entire palm shriveled rapidly, shedding all moisture.
Startled, Greed Divine General tried to pull his hand back, only to hear the chime of a bell not far away.
As if answering the bell, a vortex of air at Yuanshi Tianzun's waist swelled, locking onto his palm with tremendous suction. His forearm then began to shrivel, losing its moisture, and the skin of his upper arm began to draw tight...
In the distance, Xiao Yuan stood before a ritual altar draped in a long red cloth. On the altar lay candles, a straw doll, yellow paper talismans, red cords, and other paraphernalia.
Holding a brass bell, she shook it in a rapid, urgent rhythm.
While Jiang Ju drew their attention, she had finally completed her preparations and unleashed a Spirit Medium's signature technique!
Fortune Diminishment!
She slashed away Greed Divine General's good fortune, magnifying the disasters he would encounter.
Suddenly, the bell in Xiao Yuan's hand shattered with a loud pop. She spun her head to look into the distance. Though separated by thick fog, her spiritual perception as a Spirit Medium allowed her to "see" Snake Woman.
The enemy had set up an altar just like her, using the arts of a Spirit Medium to counter another Spirit Medium.
Greed Divine General seized the opportunity to wrench his hand free.
Right at that moment, stone plates condensed from the base of the coffin and spread swiftly upward, re-covering the broken lid.
Huang Taiji had made his move. Though an Earth Monster's ponderous nature kept him from arriving instantly, his Child of the Earth Pulse skill allowed him to channel abilities remotely through the subterranean ley lines.
Seeing this, Xiao Yuan picked up the straw doll inscribed with the name "Yuanshi Tianzun" without hesitation. Smearing a pinch of black ash onto the doll, she bit the tip of her tongue and sprayed a mist of blood over it.
Setting it back on the table, she seized a small bowl and slammed it down over the doll.
Her hands formed rapid mudras as incantations poured from her lips.
A faint red light surfaced over the distant stone armor, strengthening it as though blessed with reinforced resilience.
Fortune Blessing!
Greed Divine General clicked his tongue. Seeing Jiang Ju charging in, he abandoned the thought of prying the coffin open. Shoving his blood saber under the coffin base, he heaved with all his might.
The earthen coffin flipped into the air.
Greed Divine General hoisted the stone coffin onto his shoulder and took a step back.
The dense mist instantly enveloped his body, while Bai Ren Zhan stepped forward, slashing his blade toward Jiang Ju.
"Get lost!"
Jiang Ju ducked beneath the strike, sprang forward, and drove an uppercut straight toward Bai Ren Zhan's belly.
Yet his strike hit nothing but air. The heavily tattooed brute dissolved into mist.
A Mist Lord could transform into fog within the mist, evading physical attacks and teleporting anywhere within its range at will.
The drawback was that ten seconds had to pass between uses before the skill could be triggered again.
Furthermore, they could not carry heavy objects or companions through the teleportation.
Toot, toot, toot...
That brief delay had cost Jiang Ju Greed Divine General's trail. No matter how hard he blew his whistle, he could not find him.
Just then, heavy thuds of footsteps sounded. Armored in stone, Huang Taiji charged into the mist like a rampaging rhinoceros.
Shortly after, the sounds of clashing blades and cleaving axes echoed from that direction.
Through the earth's feedback, Huang Taiji had located Greed Divine General in the mist.
Toot, toot, toot...
Jiang Ju reacted immediately. Blowing his whistle to part the fog, he darted over.
Before long, he spotted Huang Taiji locked in fierce combat—or rather, enduring a beating—against both Greed Divine General and Bai Ren Zhan. Facing the blades of two Mist Lords, the stone armor on his body cracked repeatedly, only to reform time and again.
Bewitching Demons excelled at breaking armor; at the same level, not even a Mountain God was truly indestructible. But with his feet planted on the earth, a Mountain God possessed an inexhaustible reservoir of spiritual energy and an unfathomable depth of endurance.
As soon as one layer of defense shattered, another would grow back.
Whoosh!
Flames erupted from Jiang Ju's palm, condensing into a great saber that swept horizontally toward Greed Divine General's waist as the general hauled the coffin on his shoulder.
Huang Taiji unleashed his gravity once more, pinning down the Soldier Master sect divine general.
Greed Divine General held the coffin high with four illusory arms and planted his blood saber firmly. With a deafening boom, the flame saber shattered, and the scorching fire left his body momentarily stiff.
Bang!
Jiang Ju took advantage of the opening to plant a heavy kick on the bottom of the stone coffin, sending it tumbling away into the distance.
At the same time, Huang Taiji used his own body as a weapon, executing a ferocious Iron Mountain shoulder charge that sent Bai Ren Zhan flying.
Young Master Huang and Young Master Fire gave chase to the stone coffin at once.
Another piercing shriek rang out.
Hidden within the mist, Yi Chuanmei had unleashed her Mental Strike.
With both men's brains reeling as though struck by lightning, Snake Woman slithered her serpentine lower half forward, agile as a dragon, and caught the coffin first, holding it high.
"I've got it! Cover me—"
Before her words could finish, Yi Chuanmei's voice rang through the mist:
"That's an illusion!"
Snake Woman froze. Looking closely, her hands were empty—where was the coffin?
Glancing around, she saw a headless yin corpse sprinting off with the coffin not far away, her head tied to her waist with her hair knotted into the belt. The mouth clamped around a small megaphone, barking commands:
"Huang Taiji, hurry and take the coffin! I cannot protect it for long..."
Furious, Snake Woman whipped her waist to give chase at high speed, spitting poison darts as she advanced.
Yet the yin corpse showed no fear at all, letting the poison darts strike her body. Even Huang Taiji and Jiang Ju would have suffered terribly from them, yet she remained utterly unaffected.
Right then, the mist ahead of Commandery Princess Yinyao churned, coalescing into Greed Divine General with his wild white hair.
Without a second thought, she hoisted the stone coffin upright. With a loud bang, stone chips flew as the blade sweeping toward her crashed into the coffin.
Greed Divine General pulled back his saber while advancing a step.
A series of heavy impacts sounded. After barely exchanging a few blows, Commandery Princess Yinyao was sent flying like a broken kite. Her sternum and ribs were crushed by his fists, worsening the state of a body already severely damaged.
Having repelled his foe, Greed Divine General moved to seize the stone coffin, only to see it lift off and wobble skyward.
No one had noticed that a streak of deep red rouge had been smeared onto the coffin.
Whir, whir...
A noise like helicopter blades rang out. Xiao Yuan swept through the air, hoisting the heavy stone coffin as she ascended steadily toward Divine Sword Manor.
Xiao Yuan shouted down:
"Huang Taiji, go to Divine Sword Manor to receive the stone coffin! I can withstand the Mental Strikes. Keep watch for illusions on my behalf—wake me immediately if I fall into one..."
A shrill whistle cut through the air from the ground, cutting Xiao Yuan off mid-sentence.
A sling bullet pierced her chest, bursting into a gory spray of blood.
Like a bird with a broken wing, she teetered precariously in the sky, nearly plummeting several times. Yet she miraculously endured, straining to keep the stone coffin aloft as though it were more precious than her very life.
Within the mist, Bai Ren Zhan stood with a slingshot, his stance wide as he pulled the band taut, releasing another pellet.
Thud!
This time, the shot tore through Xiao Yuan's abdomen.
She could hold on no longer. The stone coffin slipped from her grasp and plummeted straight down.
Struggling to flap her delicate wings, she glided down toward the distant woods.
Bai Ren Zhan had no intention of letting her go. Drawing the rubber band taut once more, his vitality condensed into a pellet.
Boom!
The earth beneath him suddenly split, opening a massive fissure to swallow him.
Bai Ren Zhan abandoned his lock and leaped clear.
Clad in stone armor, Huang Taiji charged over in fury, brandishing his narrow-bladed saber in a wild assault to deny him the chance to draw his slingshot again.
On the other side, neither Yi Chuanmei nor Snake Woman moved to help Bai Ren Zhan or assist Greed Divine General in seizing the stone coffin. The former merely raised her hand with a smile. "That's about enough."
She clenched her fist tightly.
Greed Divine General chased down the falling coffin, on the verge of grasping it.
Bang!
A flash of fire flared, and Jiang Ju hurtled like a cannonball, slamming heavily into the stone coffin and sending it flying away.
Immediately after, he threw himself at Greed Divine General with arms flung wide, his eyes bloodshot as he bellowed:
"Die, you bastard!!"
Mid-air, his skin lit up with a brilliant magma-red glow, and a dazzling flame insignia appeared between his brows.
The next instant, a blinding sun emerged and rapidly expanded, annihilating everything in its path, even the dust.
A few seconds later, an earth-shattering thunderclap roared across heaven and earth. The ground trembled and mountains swayed as a mushroom cloud roiled upward. A savage shockwave rolled up the mountain slope, tearing countless leaves into the sky.
Halfway up the mountain, Divine Sword Manor felt as if struck by an earthquake; many dilapidated buildings collapsed one after another.
The thick mist blanketing this mountainside was completely obliterated in the horrific explosion.
To an observer from afar, the sight was identical to the detonation of a missile.
Jiang Ju had self-detonated.
The terrible blast raged for over ten seconds. Since it was an eruption of pure fire spirit power, the dense smoke cleared quickly, revealing a massive crater over a hundred meters wide at the heart of the explosion.
Atop the roof of the Sword Pavilion,
Cai Longshen, dressed in the garb of the Yuanhai Escort Agency, looked down at the battle at the foot of the mountain from afar.
With the dense mist blasted away, he could finally see the situation clearly.
"Jiang Ju, that useless fool—he didn't kill a single enemy." Cai Longshen frowned.
He had handsome features, though his skin bore a sickly pallor. When he scowled, his demeanor turned even gloomier.
"Looks like this can't be won." He rubbed the bronze band in his palm.
The bronze ring was shaped like an archer's thumb ring, carved with openwork patterns.
It was a teleportation ring, a Saint-grade consumable.
Teleportation items belonging to the Void class were usually consumables; almost none could be reused.
A teleportation ring allowed its bearer to forcefully withdraw from a Spirit Realm dungeon at the cost of losing a level.
Furthermore, once used, no teleportation item could ever be used again inside a dungeon—much like patching a bug, the Spirit Realm would prevent any walker who retreated to reality from escaping through the same method a second time.
Very few knew of this, for teleportation items were vital strategic reserves of the Merchant Guild, akin to the Life Source Fluid produced by the Musician clans—no, even more precious.
His grandfather had leveraged massive connections, favors, and costs to purchase five teleportation rings from the high echelons of the Merchant Guild, bestowing one upon him.
Upon arriving at Divine Sword Manor and realizing the orthodox faction was facing overwhelming odds, Cai Longshen had already contemplated abandoning the dungeon. Yi Chuanmei's arrival in particular had filled him with dread.
The subsequent betrayal of the bee woman and Huang Taiji's arrival had granted him a glimmer of hope, but only a glimmer; Cai Longshen's instinct told him they could not win.
He didn't know why; it was pure intuition.
Thus, he chose to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, expecting Huang Taiji and Jiang Ju's capabilities to at least take down one of the enemy Level 6s, after which he could step out to clean up the mess and reap the spoils.
Who would have guessed Jiang Ju would blow himself up, leaving Huang Taiji alone and helpless?
Defeat was certain!
Inside the giant crater, Jiang Ju lay battered and mangled, his chest faintly rising and falling as he clung to life.
Both of his arms were blown off at the shoulders, and everything below his waist was shredded. Large coils of intestines spilled from his body, staining the charred soil beneath him.
The flame emblem between his brows blazed brightly, flowing with magma-like radiance that washed over his mangled form again and again, preserving his final thread of vitality.
This was the lifesaving fire talisman left to him by his demigod father—and his only trump card. His father, who believed that "the strong emerge from mountains of corpses and seas of blood," had never been inclined to grant his children many lifelines.
Consequently, though Jiang Ju had many siblings, most were ordinary people, and among the few who became Spirit Realm walkers, almost none survived.
By his generation, only he and his sister Jiang Jingwei remained.
At the edge of the crater, a charred and cracked stone wall had shielded Xiao Yuan and Commandery Princess Yinyao from the explosion's shockwave.
Huang Taiji leaned against the wall, breathing lightly.
Farther out on the scorched ground, Yi Chuanmei, wrapped in her feather cloak, chuckled:
"Brainless. Fire Masters are truly brainless."
"Brainless indeed." From the flaming slope, Greed Divine General walked over at an unhurried pace, blade in hand. He did not bear a single injury; even his clothes were completely intact.
The Divine General who had pursued the stone coffin earlier was nothing more than an illusion created by Yi Chuanmei.
A Fire Master's recklessness and hot temper were gaping vulnerabilities before an Illusionist skilled in emotional manipulation.
From the moment the battle began until Jiang Ju detonated himself, Yi Chuanmei had been subtly stoking Young Master Fire's emotions, feeding his impatience and rage. Then, as the orthodox faction fell into a disadvantage and Jiang Ju was left stranded, she went with the flow, nudging him toward despair and mutual destruction.
A little influence here, a little brewing there, until finally, Jiang Ju's emotions erupted completely.
"Damn it..."
Hearing the voices outside the crater, Jiang Ju coughed up a mouthful of bloody foam. He opened his inventory, pulled out a vial of Life Source Fluid, clamped it in his teeth, and bit the syringe open with a sharp crack, gulping down the fluid.
Then he swallowed the remaining half.
His complexion slowly improved, and he cursed under his breath:
"Why didn't that blast kill them... Huang Taiji, protect me... Once I recover, I'm going to slaughter every last one of them..."
Even on the brink of death, he still clamored to kill.
Snake Woman flicked her tongue and looked down at Jiang Ju in the crater, smiling sweetly:
"Cool your temper, Young Master Fire. You never had a chance from the start.
"Think about why Cai Longshen never made a move. His mind is filled entirely with saving his own skin right now; Yi Chuanmei planted a psychological suggestion in him long ago. If you ask me, Illusionists are the best—they see right through everyone's mental weaknesses."
Yi Chuanmei curled her lips.
"Influencing Cai Longshen's emotions wasn't easy. It was thanks to your Fortune Blessing that I succeeded on the first attempt."
After the bee woman's betrayal, they had abandoned their plan of waiting idly. They had initially intended to join forces and tear down the Sword Pavilion before Huang Taiji reached Divine Sword Manor.
Yet with her telepathy, Yi Chuanmei had sensed Cai Longshen's lack of fear and his reluctance to fight. She had immediately changed her approach, devising a far more thorough and meticulous plan.
Divide and conquer the enemy!
Setting up an altar to curse the bee woman to death was merely one part of that plan.
Yi Chuanmei had secretly amplified the selfishness, coldness, and pessimism in Cai Longshen's character, deepening his aversion to battle. Normally, doing so in such a short window would have been difficult, as subtle manipulation required time.
Yet Snake Woman's Fortune Blessing had eliminated that obstacle.
And so came this battle at the foot of the mountain.
Sure enough, the moment Cai Longshen saw the orthodox faction fall into a disadvantage, he chose to watch from the sidelines.
Bai Ren Zhan sneered coldly:
"A Mountain God and a Fire Master, without even a Scout—what makes you think you can play tactics against us?
"Oh, right, I forgot. Your Scout was already butchered by the Divine General."
Huang Taiji let out a sigh. Composed as he was, a profound sense of powerlessness welled within him.
"You pack of dogs! If you've got the guts, fight me one-on-one! Not a single one of you can fight—you're all garbage!" Jiang Ju cursed breathlessly.
His shouts were soon drowned out by churning scorched earth.
The burnt earth piled up layer upon layer, forming a small mound that buried Jiang Ju inside.
Huang Taiji leaped down into the crater and stood before the mound, vigilant and ready.
Greed Divine General tore a strip from his hem, tied back his white hair, and glanced at Huang Taiji with a laugh:
"A dying struggle... Let's go. Time to complete the main quest and resurrect Murong Long."
Huang Taiji was thick-skinned and tough; killing him would take time. It was better to leave him to the boss.
Huang Taiji found Xiao Yuan in the distant woods. She had suffered fatal wounds, but had not died immediately. Her body, recently bathed in Life Source Fluid, remained resilient enough to repair thirty to forty percent of the damage on its own.
Even so, the injury remained lethal.
"Do you have any healing items?" he asked.
Xiao Yuan shook her head slightly.
Huang Taiji thought for a moment, then gave his own healing item to her. "This should hold you over for a while."
He turned silently and began walking toward Divine Sword Manor above.
"Do you have any other ideas?" Xiao Yuan asked, a sliver of hope in her voice.
Huang Taiji shook his head slightly. "None. But we still have to fight. As long as we aren't dead, we keep fighting. We have no way out."
The hope in Xiao Yuan's eyes died. She lowered her head in silence for a few seconds, then clutched her chest and staggered after him.
The two emerged from the dense woods onto the smoking ground and met up with Commandery Princess Yinyao, who had rushed over to regroup.
"We still have a chance," the princess said, sounding more optimistic than the two of them. "If we extract the water-attribute yin entity from Yuanshi Tianzun's body, he will likely awaken. He has many trump cards. He is our only hope."
For instance, summoning his master.
Or the Myriad Realms Firm exchange ticket he had once bragged to her about.
At this moment, Yuanshi Tianzun—the lowest in level—had become their final lifeline.
Huang Taiji nodded solemnly.
The head dangling at Commandery Princess Yinyao's waist thought for a moment and added:
"If waking him fails, I will flee this place and find materials to repair my body. I am a yin corpse; I am not bound by the Spirit Realm."
She looked toward Xiao Yuan.
"You may choose to flee as well. Once the evil faction completes the quest, you can leave the Spirit Realm."
Xiao Yuan offered no reply, only trudging forward in silence.
Shouldering the coffin along the weed-choked stone path on the main thoroughfare of Divine Sword Manor, Greed Divine General felt a strange stirring from within.
He set the stone coffin down immediately and focused his senses for a moment, but the movement inside vanished.
"Should we smash the stone coffin open?" Bai Ren Zhan asked.
The stone coffin Huang Taiji had fashioned was both a formidable defense and a seal.
Recalling the terrifying power within Yuanshi Tianzun, Greed Divine General shook his head slightly:
"No rush. Let's head to the mausoleum first and see what happens."
The four continued forward. Passing the Sword Pavilion, Greed Divine General tilted his head up and made a throat-slitting gesture toward Cai Longshen atop the building.
The escorts from the Lieyan Escort Agency had already been wiped out by Cai Longshen.
Facing the taunt, Cai Longshen's face turned livid, though he soon sneered:
"Greed Divine General, what are you so proud of? If Yuanshi Tianzun, Jiang Ju, and Huang Taiji die in this dungeon, headquarters will never swallow that insult. Just wait for the elders' endless pursuit."
Greed Divine General turned to Yi Chuanmei, astonished. "Where does this coward get the nerve? Did you sense anything?"
Yi Chuanmei smiled.
"Telepathy isn't clairvoyance—how would I know? Pay him no mind. He's just a weak, cowardly piece of trash."
Her words proved far more venomous than Greed Divine General's taunt.
A rage bent on mutual destruction surged from the depths of Cai Longshen's heart. Sensing something amiss, he suppressed the emotion at once, forcing himself to calm down as he snorted:
"Yi Chuanmei, you want to manipulate my emotions and drive me to irrationality? Petty parlor tricks."
Yi Chuanmei giggled softly, her feather cloak rustling. "A true Illusionist merely goes with the flow, riding the momentum and catering to a person's nature. Cai Longshen, how can you be sure you haven't been guided by me?"
Cai Longshen's face changed. He immediately summoned the blades within the Sword Pavilion, dense as a school of fish, swirling to surround and protect him.
Greed Divine General and the others paid him no more heed, walking away along the main path.
Before long, the four passed beyond the buildings, following a secluded trail through a grove of trees until they arrived at a mausoleum.
They finally halted before the grandest tomb at the very center. A tall stone stele stood there, carved with the name "Murong Fu" and a record of his life's deeds.
And at that moment, the vibrations within the stone coffin intensified, giving off rhythmic knocking sounds.
Chapter 481