73: Chapter 73: Encountering a Resentful Illusion on the Fourth Level, the Three Are Trapped in a Mystery

Li Siwen and Xiao Xiner stood back-to-back, their sword lights weaving like fabric, struggling to fend off the torrential siege of nine puppet corpses at the Perfection of the Kaiyuan Realm.

Their Yuan Power and Internal Energy were depleting rapidly, while the black heart in the center pulsed ceaselessly, continuously replenishing the puppet corpses' strength, making the situation precarious.

"This won't do!" Li Siwen said in a deep voice.

He pushed his Dongxu Spirit Eye Technique to its limit, his gaze like lightning, sweeping swiftly across the battle Formation.

"Senior Sister, the third one on the left flank! Its energy connection with the other puppet corpses has a momentary lag; it's the weak point at the instant of Formation transition!"

"Understood!" Xiao Xiner did not hesitate, pouring her internal Yuan Power into her sword without reservation, and shouted clearly: "Moonlight Tilts the Heavens!"

The brilliant and bright Moonlight Sword Gang fell like a moon wheel from the Nine Heavens, striking with extreme precision at the puppet corpse Li Siwen pointed out!

Just as the puppet corpse was about to wave its claws to block, Li Siwen's fengwu sword arrived first despite being launched later.

The crimson Sword Qi did not attack forcefully, but instead transformed into several thin, silk-like red lines, skillfully entangling and interfering with its movements, creating an excellent opportunity for Xiao Xiner's ultimate strike!

Boom!!!

The Moonlight Sword Gang struck squarely on the chest of that puppet corpse!

Crack!

The terrifying force instantly tore through the bone armor on its body, shattering the Death Qi silk threads connecting it to the black heart!

The puppet corpse let out a silent wail, its body trembling violently, then it exploded with a bang, turning into sky-filling bone powder!

The Nine-Puppet Battle Formation instantly developed a clear gap! The energy flow suddenly became chaotic!

"Good!" Li Siwen gave a low shout, "The fifth one on the right flank! Its defensive coordination is half a beat slow!"

The two cooperated with increasing tacit understanding; Li Siwen used his Void-Piercing Spiritual Eye to precisely capture weaknesses and used exquisite sword skills to interfere and break defenses, while Xiao Xiner gathered her strongest attack to kill with one strike!

Like a master butcher carving an ox, the two seized every tiny flaw in the operation of the battle Formation and repeated the process.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

One by one, the puppet corpses at the Perfection of the Kaiyuan Realm were broken one by one under their exquisite cooperation, exploding into fragments.

Having lost the support of the battle Formation, the remaining puppet corpses, though still individually powerful, could no longer pose a threat under their joint efforts.

After just a moment, all nine puppet corpses were completely cleared.

The suspended black heart pulsed violently a few times, finally lost its luster, and shattered with a bang, turning into pure Origin of Death Qi.

Yue Li immediately stepped forward and absorbed all the dispersed Origin, her soul body flashing with light, her aura becoming a fraction more solid.

The battle ended, and both Li Siwen and Xiao Xiner were panting slightly, sweat on their temples.

The battle just now seemed smooth, but it actually required extremely high requirements for timing and control of Yuan Power, consuming a great deal of mental energy.

The two took Medicinal Pills and seized the time to regulate their breathing.

Xiao Xiner looked at the stairs leading to the fourth floor, a trace of worry flashing in her beautiful eyes: "The guardian puppet corpses on the third floor were already so difficult to deal with. If it weren't for you, Junior Sister, being able to precisely see through the weak points of their Formation, it would not have been easy for us to win. There are still six floors above... I fear each floor will be more dangerous than the last."

Her worry was not without reason; puppet corpses at the Perfection of the Kaiyuan Realm forming a battle Formation already had such power, so the strength of the guardians on higher floors could be imagined.

Li Siwen, however, appeared much calmer. He glanced at Yue Li, whose aura was becoming increasingly profound beside him, and said: "Senior Sister need not worry too much."

"The next three floors are mainly for you and me to practice and adapt to the environment here. From the fourth floor onwards, perhaps Yue Li should take the lead in attacking, and you and I can provide support and assistance from the side."

He paused, and the faint light of the Dongxu Spirit Eye Technique flashed and vanished in his eyes.

He thought to himself: This spirit eye technique gifted by Senior Sister Shang Ting is indeed wondrous; it can not only see through illusions and weaknesses but also perceive the flow of energy.

Using it to assist Yue Li and guide her attacks to vital points can allow her to achieve the greatest results with the least consumption. Only in this way can we go further.

Hearing this, Xiao Xiner looked at Yue Li, who stood quietly to the side, her soul body as solid as a living person and her aura unfathomable, and felt slightly relieved, nodding her head: "That would be best."

After resting, the three recovered to their Peak state, and without further hesitation, they stepped onto the bone stairs leading to the fourth floor.

The moment they stepped onto the floorboard of the fourth floor, the three felt the surrounding environment change suddenly!

The stronger puppet corpses or harsher Formations they had anticipated did not appear; instead, the scene before them became... unusually calm.

The Death Qi and resentment in the tower seemed to have disappeared, replaced by a warm, peaceful aura.

The surroundings were no longer white bone walls, but had turned into a picturesque cultivation valley within the Xuanjian Sect, with warm sunlight, the chirping of spiritual birds, and a breeze brushing against their faces, bringing bursts of the fresh scent of grass and trees.

"This is..." Xiao Xiner was slightly stunned, looking around vigilantly, "An illusion?"

However, the feeling was too real!

The temperature of the sunlight, the scent of the breeze, and even the faint human voices coming from afar... were all incomparably clear.

She subconsciously looked to her side, wanting to ask for Li Siwen's opinion.

But this look made her heart sink violently!

Beside her... there was no one!

Li Siwen was gone! Yue Li was also gone!

It was as if she had come here alone from the very beginning.

"Junior Sister Li? Miss Yue Li?" Xiao Xiner called out tentatively, her voice echoing in the empty valley, but she received no response.

She gripped her yuehua longsword, her cool face full of gravity, and walked forward cautiously.

Meanwhile, the moment Li Siwen stepped onto the fourth floor, he experienced a similar change.

He found that he was not in the Bone Tower, but had returned to... a library in modern society!

Bright fluorescent lights, neat bookshelves, the faint scent of paper and ink filling the air, and students buried in study all around.

Everything was so familiar, yet so remote as if separated by a lifetime.

He even saw the ancient book he was reading before his Transmigration...

"An illusion?" Li Siwen frowned, and the Dongxu Spirit Eye Technique operated instantly.

However, as far as his gaze could reach, the bookshelves, books, students... everything was incomparably real, the energy flow natural and harmonious, and he couldn't see the slightest flaw!

He could even feel the cold wind blowing from the air conditioner.

"Master? Master, where are you?"

Yue Li's anxious call seemed to come from a very distant place, ethereal and uncertain, and was instantly drowned out by the noise of the library.

Li Siwen's heart tightened, and he tried to respond to Yue Li through their mental connection, only to find that the connection had become extremely weak, as if isolated by layers of fog!

He turned his head abruptly to look around, where were the figures of Xiao Xiner and Yue Li?

Only he was left standing in a place that was familiar, yet made him feel incomparably strange.

And on the other side, Yue Li found herself standing in an endless, gray-fog-filled void.

There was no sky, no earth, only endless gray fog and deathly silence.

She could feel the auras of her Master and that Miss Xiao nearby, but it was as if they were separated by an invisible, insurmountable barrier.

She tried to explode her Soul Power to tear through this void, and beams of gray-white light shot out, but it was like a clay ox entering the sea, only able to disperse a little fog, unable to truly break through this space.

"Master..." A clearly visible panic and helplessness appeared for the first time on Yue Li's beautiful face; like a lost child, she turned around in place in vain, constantly trying to establish a mental connection.

The true terror of the fourth floor of the Bone Tower was not powerful physical guardians, but this — Resentment Illusion — that pointed directly to the heart, isolated the five senses, and was almost impossible to distinguish between reality and illusion!

It pulled the three into the scenes they were most familiar with or cared about most in their hearts, and completely separated them, leaving them in a state of isolation and helplessness.

True danger often begins with the loss of one's heart.