Illusion

“You?” Immortal King Yuxiao froze momentarily. The very next instant, without batting an eye, the Immortal King abruptly activated the immortal-artifact-grade palace. However... Yaoguang had visited this palace more than once. With his attainment in forging Grand Dao divine artifacts, he had long since deciphered the operational mechanisms of this mere immortal-grade palace. The moment the palace was activated, the phantom of the Grand Dao Pagoda manifested and silently merged into it. In an instant, the powers of the Grand Dao of the Soul, the Grand Dao of the Mind, the Grand Dao of Illusion, the Grand Dao of Creation, and the Grand Dao of the Void were fully mobilized— They were even channeled through Immortal King Yuxiao's very own immortal artifact. All at once, Immortal King Yuxiao felt an unprecedented surge of power, as if his condition had never been better. Yet, with a formidable enemy right before him, he did not dwell on why his immortal artifact was performing so exceptionally well. His entire focus was fixed squarely on Yaoguang. “It seems you deliberately approached me all these years just to ferret out my trump cards. Revealing yourself now—do you think you can actually take me down? Let me tell you, you are far too naive! No matter who you are or which conglomerate stands behind you, trying to make a move against me will yield only one outcome: utter futility!” The Grand Dao roared! The Immortal King instantly drew upon an unprecedented magnitude of the Grand Dao of the Void, condensing it into a Great Void Art. His mastery over the technique was so profound that it even surpassed Yaoguang's! However, though a slight disparity existed, the gap was so minuscule as to be negligible. Without hesitation, Yaoguang unleashed the Great Void Art as well! The Grand Dao of the Void collided against the Grand Dao of the Void in an instant. Although Immortal Venerables of a certain cultivation level would delve into composite immortal arts, Immortal King Yuxiao had only reincarnated two thousand years ago. Compounded by the limited power the lower realm could accommodate, he had opted for a pure, unadulterated Great Void Art. Yet even as a standalone Great Void Art, its potency was brought out to its absolute pinnacle. Not only was the destructive force of every single strike precisely calibrated to the utmost limit the lower realm could contain, but his casting speed and execution were also honed to perfection. Coupled with Yaoguang's own comprehension of the Grand Dao of the Void being marginally inferior to Immortal King Yuxiao's, Yaoguang was actually suppressed on the spot. Of course, it was merely suppression. With such a narrow margin between them, truly deciding a victor through this degree of dominance would require at least three to five years of bitter combat. Immortal King Yuxiao, however, betrayed not the slightest trace of impatience. The moment he sensed that Yaoguang's realm was a hair inferior to his own, victory was already within his grasp. As a Level 18 immortal spirit, his computational power was boundless. By wielding this prowess, with every clash and collision, he could pinpoint his own advantages and discern Yaoguang's shortcomings. Through repeated collisions, his own edge would continually snowball, while he would relentlessly seize upon Yaoguang's weaknesses and strike them with pinpoint focus. With this computational dominance, a life-and-death struggle that theoretically required three to five years would undoubtedly be decided within days. “Is that all? Power of this level cannot destroy the Yongsheng Sect. Go ahead and bring out whatever else you have. Otherwise, I advise you to ascend as early as possible.” Immortal King Yuxiao's eyes shone with unwavering confidence. Yaoguang said nothing, but a space-time immortal artifact manifested behind him. Under the amplification of this space-time immortal artifact, the efficiency with which he cast the Great Void Art surged dramatically. Though his subtlety, precision, and trickery still could not rival Immortal King Yuxiao's, the speed boost granted by the space-time immortal artifact instantly turned the tide. By this point, the power he unleashed had already surpassed the standard of an ordinary Dao Sovereign. With such a high-frequency barrage of immortal arts... Had other Dao Sovereigns been assisting him, breaching the formations of the Yongsheng Sect would indeed no longer be impossible. “So this is your true strength? Still, this alone is not enough to defeat me!” As Immortal King Yuxiao spoke, his tone shifted slightly. “If you wish to make a name for yourself in the lower realm, I can offer you another chance to pledge allegiance. However, you must account for your origins in full.” Yaoguang did not answer; instead, he summoned yet another immortal artifact. This was a soul immortal artifact. The soul ripples emanating from it disrupted Immortal King Yuxiao's mind and consciousness, hampering the execution of his immortal arts. Nevertheless, he was ultimately an Immortal King, and his Level 18 clearance endowed him with astonishing spiritual resilience. He swiftly suppressed the interference. Even so, the situation before him... ...was steadily tilting against his favor. “A trivial parlor trick—how dare you flaunt it before a master!” Immortal King Yuxiao sneered. His execution of the Great Void Art remained as seamless as flowing water, seemingly still confident in his triumph. Yet deep down, he resolved to ascend immediately the moment the tides truly turned. Although his foundation in the lower realm was vital—even dictating whether he could seize the initiative in the Lord of Yuanxi's forthcoming maneuvers—such an initiative was not worth mentioning compared to the risk of falling. His account had already been wiped once before. It was only thanks to his minor breakthroughs in the Dao of Karma, the submission of those gains, and the support of close friends—at the cost of piling up staggering debts—that he had barely managed to drag his clearance back to Level 18. If he perished here again... Rebuilding his clearance to Level 18 would take tens of thousands, perhaps even over a hundred thousand years. By then, he would inevitably miss the Lord of Yuanxi's massive exploitation of the lower-realm universe. Therefore, decisiveness was paramount. “Is the Torrent of Time alone not enough?” Yaoguang's expression grew solemn. “In that case... take another strike: the Enigma of Time!” Instantly, the Grand Dao of Time was visibly stirred. Concentric ripples of space-time emanated around Immortal King Yuxiao, and under their influence, the surrounding void seemed to fall into chaos for a fleeting moment. It was as though the boundary between reality and illusion had been quietly blurred along with the flow of time. Yet Immortal King Yuxiao failed to notice this subtle shift. The moment Yaoguang had produced the time immortal artifact, the Level 18 clearance holder had already suspected something. Seeing him unleash a time Dao art turned those suspicions into stark reality. “A void Dao art?! A time Dao art?!” Uncontrollable ecstasy erupted in Immortal King Yuxiao's eyes. “You actually command both a void immortal art and a time Dao art?! I can tell that this Dao art was not invoked through an immortal artifact, but truly cast by you—you possess two Grand Daos simultaneously?!” He recalled their earlier conversation, where Yaoguang had roundaboutly inquired about the battle between the Time Dao Ancestor and the Void Dao Ancestor. Yaoguang had even asked how an inheritance would manifest if someone obtained the legacy of the two Dao Ancestors... Those clearly purposeful inquiries, verified against the immortal arts and Dao arts displayed before him now, laid a blindingly clear truth bare before him. “You obtained the inheritances of both the Void Dao Ancestor and the Time Dao Ancestor?! No, you even bear the power of an immortal spirit?! You even intercepted a fraction of the Lord of Yuanxi's power?! Or could it be that you, as an immortal spirit, obtained the legacy of the Ancient Immortal Realm's two great Dao Ancestors?!” Immortal King Yuxiao shouted aloud, surging with uncontainable joy. The inheritances of the Time Dao Ancestor and the Void Dao Ancestor! Back then, in order to determine whether there was anything amiss when the two Dao Ancestors stormed the Hunyuan Realm, and whether they had left anything behind, the Lord of Yuanxi had dispatched immortal spirits into the star sector where the Void Dao Ancestor fell more than once. Even after turning up empty-handed, he had repeatedly sent further expeditions. This alone demonstrated the immense importance the Lord of Yuanxi attached to the matter. If he could bring these inheritances before the Lord of Yuanxi, on the merit of such a contribution... Level 20 might be a stretch, ...but Level 19 clearance would be well within his grasp! With Level 19 clearance, even if he had yet to cultivate into an Immortal King or even an Immortal Venerable, he could immediately enter the board of directors upon returning to the Creation Group. In the future, he could even vie for the chairman seat beneath Xuanqing. No! That was not all! Level 20 clearance was not out of the question either! Once combined, the Time Dao Ancestor and the Void Dao Ancestor possessed power capable of threatening an Overlord! Moreover... If he could masquerade as the inheritor of the Time Dao Ancestor and the Void Dao Ancestor, win the trust of the native cultivators, breach the Gate of Fate and the Gate of Karma, and deliver the final blow to the Ancient Immortal Realm, ascending to Level 20 clearance on par with the Nine Great Overlords would no longer be a distant dream. At this thought, Immortal King Yuxiao's gaze burned with unprecedented fervor. “Hahaha! Good! Excellent! The heavens are aiding me! You are truly the heir of the Time Dao Ancestor and the Void Dao Ancestor! Today, even if we fight all the way into the Immortal Realm, I shall settle life and death with you! Still, you had best not ascend to the Immortal Realm. Otherwise, with the great Supreme Wisdom Lord of Yuanxi's absolute control over the Immortal Realm, all I need to do is report you, and no matter where you flee across heaven and earth, only death awaits you!” Yaoguang said nothing. His expression grew exceptionally solemn as void immortal arts and time Dao arts rained down one after another. As for Immortal King Yuxiao... He cast all danger aside, resolving to battle Yaoguang to the bitter end. Wealth and glory favored the bold! With an opportunity to attain Level 19 or even Level 20 clearance dangling right before him, so long as it was not an absolute dead end, he would give it his all even if only a sliver of hope remained. Furthermore, he still had trump cards he had yet to reveal. Until the final moment, he was by no means guaranteed to lose. …… The fierce battle between Yaoguang and Immortal King Yuxiao raged with unprecedented intensity. Yet at an imperceptible moment, the world around them had transformed. In the vast starry expanse, within the palace belonging to Immortal King Yuxiao. The Immortal King sat upon his throne at some unknown point, his head lowered, eyes closed. Meanwhile, Yaoguang controlled the Grand Dao Pagoda. The powers of the Grand Daos of the Soul, the Mind, Illusion, Creation, and the Void circulated endlessly within the pagoda, blending into one with the immortal-artifact palace to weave a dreamscape so profound that even an Immortal King had become trapped within. Composite immortal art: A Thousand Years of Dreams! At this moment, Yaoguang maintained the existence of this composite immortal art through the Grand Dao Pagoda. Simultaneously, within the Immortal King's divine sense perception, he and Yaoguang had already fought to the point of utter exhaustion. Though not a single drop of blood was shed in the real world, the confrontation across the spiritual, mental, and soulful planes was not in the least inferior to physical slaughter in its lethality. Fortunately... The most perilous moment had passed. Evidently, Yaoguang, who had prepared for an entire century, had secured ultimate victory in this battle.