211: Chapter 211 Cloud Weaving Shadow

Outside the Immortal Cave, with a thought, Ye Tian suppressed his cultivation to the fourth level of the True Martial Realm.

Hiding his cultivation and acting with caution was his consistent style.

At that moment, Ye Tian heard a series of hurried footsteps as a Deacon Disciple of the Sect arrived with a mission scroll.

"Senior Brother Ye Tian, this is a mission issued by the Council of Elders."

The Deacon Disciple said respectfully, "Recently, strange events have occurred in several Mortal towns under the Sect's jurisdiction. Many people have fallen into a deep sleep and cannot be awakened, as if trapped in a nightmare."

"The Outer Sect Disciples' investigation yielded no results, so Inner Sect Disciples have been dispatched to uncover the truth."

Ye Tian unfurled the scroll, his eyes scanning the mission details.

What drew his attention most was a line of small text at the end: "This matter may involve the activities of 'Shadow'; proceed with absolute caution."

"'Shadow'?"

Ye Tian's heart stirred.

He immediately thought of the "Shadow Calamity Tower."

Was there a connection between the two?

"I'll take it."

Ye Tian put away the scroll.

Regardless of whether it was related to the Shadow Calamity Tower, this mission was worth a look.

More importantly, he had a vague feeling that this might be related to the Illusory Sea Heart Sutra.

People falling into dreams and being unable to wake up—this kind of method was not something an ordinary Cultivator should possess.

A few days later, Ye Tian arrived at the mission site.

It was Qinghe Town, located on the edge of the Liuli Xuan Sect's territory.

The town was deathly silent, the streets completely deserted.

The town mayor was a white-haired old man who burst into tears the moment he saw Ye Tian.

"Exalted Immortal, you've finally arrived!"

"Over a hundred people in town are in a deep sleep, and no matter how we call them, they don't respond."

"The Doctors we brought in can't find any cause for the illness!"

Ye Tian examined several of the sleeping townspeople.

Their complexions were ruddy and their breathing was steady, looking as if they were merely in a deep sleep, but their Divine Soul fluctuations were exceptionally weak.

He tried to infuse a sliver of True Yuan, but there was no reaction.

Even more bizarrely, he felt an aura from them that made his Divine Sense tremble slightly.

"Dream Power..."

Ye Tian's heart grew solemn.

This was no ordinary nightmare, but rather a Cultivator proficient in the Dao of the Mind acting from the shadows!

That night, Ye Tian sat in meditation atop the town's highest pavilion, slowly spreading his Divine Sense to envelop the entire town while silently circulating the Illusory Sea Heart Sutra, carefully sensing for those dream fluctuations.

Just after the hour of the rat, a ripple lightly brushed against Ye Tian's Divine Sense.

"As expected, it's here!"

Ye Tian's figure vanished from the pavilion instantly, heading toward the source of the fluctuation.

He sped toward a deserted ancient mansion outside the town.

The mansion was dilapidated, shrouded in a thick night mist.

In the center of the courtyard, a woman dressed in a Gradient Flowing Cloud Dress stood with her back to him, her figure graceful and elegant.

She didn't hide her aura; instead, she possessed a transcendent calmness, as if she had long anticipated Ye Tian's arrival.

"You've finally come."

The woman slowly turned around; her face was stunningly beautiful, more so than any woman he had ever seen!

However, she gave Ye Tian a demonic and dreamlike impression.

Her eyes held a trace of a searching smile. "Ye Tian of the Liuli Xuan Sect... I didn't expect that the first one to find this place would be a little fellow in the True Martial Realm."

Her gaze swept over Ye Tian, seemingly seeing through his cultivation, yet she did not expose him.

Ye Tian's heart was shaken, but he remained outwardly composed. "Who are you? Is the townspeople's slumber related to you?"

"You can call me Yun Zhiying."

The woman chuckled, fiddling with the jade hairpin that was her dream-weaving pen. "Those Mortals? They are merely test subjects for verifying some minor tricks. As for you..."

Her gaze suddenly sharpened. "You have something I want."

As soon as she finished speaking, Yun Zhiying lightly tapped with her jade hairpin.

Ye Tian felt the scene before him distort as the surroundings shifted. In an instant, he was no longer in the deserted mansion but within a Mental Space filled with gray mist where directions were impossible to discern!

"An illusion?"

Ye Tian was alert, immediately guarding his mind and activating the chaos bead to protect his Spiritual Terrace.

He realized this wasn't a standard illusion, but Dream Power acting directly upon the mind!

"Oh? You can actually withstand it?"

Yun Zhiying's voice drifted in from all directions, tinged with a hint of surprise. "It seems you are more interesting than I thought."

"Let me see what secrets are hidden within your mental world..."

The gray mist churned, gradually coalescing into various forms.

Scenes of Ye Tian's arduous training in the Ye family as a child, his father's blurred back, his battles against Gao Ling and others in the Secret Realm, and even fragments of words left by Master Xuan Gui's remnant soul...

These deep-seated memory fragments were being triggered by her eerie power, assaulting his mind.

Ye Tian gave a muffled groan, circulating the Illusory Sea Heart Sutra with all his might. Ripples emanated from him as he stabilized his mind and forcibly suppressed those triggered stray thoughts.

"Break!"

He condensed his Divine Sense power into his fingers and struck out with a God-Shocking Sting toward the gray mist!

"Swoosh!"

The Mental Space shook violently as a rift was torn in the gray mist, and a faint groan from Yun Zhiying could be heard.

The surrounding illusions momentarily blurred.

"As expected... it is the power of the Illusory Sea Heart Sutra!"

Yun Zhiying's voice rang out again. "This Legacy has indeed fallen into your hands!"

Ye Tian narrowed his eyes; her goal was indeed the Illusory Sea Heart Sutra!

"This item is destined for me. Little brother, hand it over obediently, and perhaps I can spare you some suffering."

Yun Zhiying's figure flickered within the gray mist, her jade hairpin tapping lightly to generate even more illusions that surged toward Ye Tian.

"In your dreams!"

Ye Tian gritted his teeth, his mind becoming a vortex that continuously swallowed the surrounding illusory attacks.

The two engaged in a perilous clash of Divine Sense within this Mental Space.

Relying on the chaos bead and the Illusory Sea Heart Sutra, Ye Tian barely held his ground, but Yun Zhiying's mastery of dreams was clearly far superior to his. The pressure mounted, and his Divine Sense was being consumed at an alarming rate.

"Tsk tsk, your Foundation is solid, and your comprehension of the sutra has begun to take shape. Unfortunately, your cultivation is too weak..."

Yun Zhiying's voice was mocking.

Suddenly, all the illusions retracted, condensing into a massive translucent hand that lunged toward the core of Ye Tian's mind!

Ye Tian felt his Divine Soul tremble; if struck, he would be reduced to an idiot if not killed outright!

In a life-or-death moment, Ye Tian decisively gathered his remaining Divine Sense power, transforming it into an Illusory Mental Sword to meet that nightmare hand!

"Slash!"

"Boom!"

Ye Tian's head buzzed, his consciousness instantly blurring as his body was thrown back, breaking free from the Mental Space.

"Puff!"

In the real world, within the ancient mansion's courtyard, Ye Tian snapped his eyes open. His face was pale, and he couldn't help but cough up a mouthful of blood.

That direct collision had severely injured his Divine Sense.

Across from him, Yun Zhiying's figure also swayed slightly, a faint flush passing over her beautiful face. The look of astonishment in her eyes as she gazed at Ye Tian deepened.

She hadn't expected a little fellow at the fourth level of the True Martial Realm like Ye Tian to possess such powerful Divine Sense.

"Interesting..."

The interest in Yun Zhiying's eyes grew even more intense. "Little fellow, you continue to surprise me."

"This was just a greeting. I'll leave the Illusory Sea Heart Sutra in your care for now."

"We... will meet again."

As her voice faded, her figure slowly blurred and eventually vanished, leaving only a lingering hint of fragrance.

Ye Tian struggled to remain standing, breathing heavily, his heart filled with lingering dread.

This Yun Zhiying's strength was unfathomable, certainly far beyond the True Martial Realm, and her command over Dream Power was extraordinary.

Furthermore, she didn't seem to have exerted her full strength; otherwise, things would have been catastrophic tonight.

"Shadow Calamity Tower... Yun Zhiying..."

Ye Tian muttered the two names. He knew he had been targeted by an incredibly formidable organization.

After swallowing several healing Medicinal Pills and regulating his breath for a moment, Ye Tian discovered that with Yun Zhiying's departure, the eerie Dream Power in Qinghe Town had begun to dissipate.

The breathing of the sleeping townspeople became steady and strong; they were likely about to wake up.

The mission was, in a sense, barely completed.

But Ye Tian knew that the real trouble had only just begun.