100: The battle for the top four: Encountering the Master of Illusion (Part 1)

The crisis in the real world hung like the Sword of Damocles, but the pace of the quarter-finals would not stop because of it. Shortly after Lin Zhou purified the Death Passage and the weather in his Divine Domain took on a new look, the assembly horn for the Star Domain High School League quarter-finals sounded on time.

In the virtual battlefield, the magnificent Central Arena stood.

Unlike the wild environments of the previous group stages and elimination rounds, the stage for the quarter-finals was a massive circular arena suspended in the starry sky. It was surrounded by countless twinkling stars and spectator consciousness bodies as dense as the stars themselves. The atmosphere was solemn and enthusiastic; everyone who could step foot here was a true elite of this year's league.

The five members of Yuncheng No. 1 High School (Lin Zhou, Zhao Hao, Lei Huang, Yan Li, and Su Yueyao) appeared in the designated preparation area. After a short period of rest and resource assimilation, everyone's condition had been adjusted to its peak.

With the enhancement of the Dragon Blood Potion, Zhao Hao's Red Dragon kin had grown a size larger on average, their scales shimmering with a metallic luster and their Dragon Might becoming even more potent. The electric arcs around Lei Huang's Thunder Giants were more solid, with faint thunder patterns emerging. The tail feathers of Yan Li's Phoenix were more gorgeous, and the flame temperature seemed higher. Although Zhou Feng had been eliminated, his intelligence and analytical skills continued to support the team (via off-field connection). Su Yueyao's Moon Elves appeared increasingly ethereal and transcendent, their Moonlight Power restrained and pure.

As for Lin Zhou, he was undoubtedly the one who had changed the most. Just by standing there, he gave off a profound feeling of being one with his surroundings. After merging with the dragon vein fragment, his Divine Fire Foundation was incredibly solid, his Divine Power was abundant, and his mental perception had become more acute. Although his Rank hadn't soared, the gap in his underlying Foundation was obvious to any discerning eye.

“Is this the stage for the quarter-finals? It's quite grand!” Zhao Hao excitedly looked around, rubbing his hands together.

Lei Huang's eyes were sharp: “Those who can make it here are not weak. Our next opponent will likely be even more troublesome than Dome Academy.”

Yan Li and Su Yueyao appeared much calmer, silently adjusting their own states.

Soon, the matchup list for the quarter-finals appeared on the light screen in the center of the arena:

[Upper Bracket: Cangqiong Academy vs. Radiant Sun Temple; Yuncheng No. 1 High School vs. Huanmeng Academy]

[Lower Bracket: ...]

“Huanmeng Academy?” Zhao Hao rubbed his chin. “Sounds like they play with illusions?”

Lin Zhou's gaze narrowed slightly: “Huanmeng Academy, fourth place in the last league, is known for their eerie and unpredictable mental illusions and Succubus kin. Their captain, ‘Thousand Illusions,’ is a recognized Great Master of illusions and is extremely difficult to deal with.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the light gate in the opposite preparation area lit up, and five figures appeared. The leader was a young man wearing loose, iridescent robes, with a face so handsome it was almost demonic and eyes that seemed perpetually shrouded in mist—this was Thousand Illusions. The four team members behind him also mostly had an ethereal aura, carrying an alluring charm.

Thousand Illusions' gaze swept over the Cloud City Team and finally landed on Lin Zhou. A meaningful smile curled at the corner of his mouth, and his voice, carrying a strange magnetism, transmitted directly into the ears of the five: “Oh? It seems we've drawn an interesting opponent. The owner of the dragon vein fragment... I hope your will is as resilient as your luck.”

Before his words even faded, an invisible mental wave—thin as spider silk yet resilient—had already spread over silently, attempting to penetrate the five's mental defenses!

A preemptive strike! This Thousand Illusions had actually launched a tentative mental invasion before the match had even officially begun!

“Humph!” Lei Huang snorted coldly, lightning flashing around his body. His violent thunderous will shattered the mental spider silk.

Zhao Hao's brow furrowed as the domineering Dragon Might in his Red Dragon Bloodline was triggered automatically, incinerating the invading Mental Energy into nothingness.

Phoenix flames rose from Yan Li's body, her pure flame power purifying the mental interference.

Su Yueyao was the most composed. Her Moonlight Power flowed like liquid silver, forming an invisible barrier around her. All mental waves that touched the moonlight were like mud entering the sea, silently neutralized.

As for Lin Zhou, he didn't even make any obvious movement in the face of that invisible mental invasion. When the mental spider silk approached within three feet of him, it was as if it hit an invisible bronze wall, naturally repelled and dissolved by a will that was upright and peaceful yet as vast as the sea. That was a powerful mental barrier that merged the weight of the dragon vein with the clarity of the principles of civilization!

A flash of surprise crossed Thousand Illusions' eyes, and his smile grew even wider: “Interesting... you really didn't disappoint me.”

In this tentative exchange, both sides gained a preliminary understanding of each other. The members of Yuncheng No. 1 High School felt a chill in their hearts; Thousand Illusions' use of Mental Energy was truly masterful and impossible to guard against.

[Quarter-finals, Yuncheng No. 1 High School vs. Huanmeng Academy, Team Battle Mode, Map: Thousand Needle Stone Forest! 10-second countdown to preparation!]

The image on the light screen switched, revealing a complex terrain of jagged rocks and countless massive stone pillars, hundreds of meters high and of various shapes, standing like a forest. Clouds and mist swirled between the stone pillars, obstructing vision—a perfect battlefield for illusions and sneak attacks.

“Thousand Needle Stone Forest! This is trouble; this terrain is too suited for them!” Zhao Hao's face darkened.

“Everyone, guard your minds and do not scatter! Lin Zhou, can your Domain cover such complex terrain?” Lei Huang quickly asked.

Lin Zhou sensed for a moment and said in a heavy voice: “The range is fine, but the effect will be diminished by the stone forest's obstruction, and the consumption will be greater. I need to find the right timing.”

Su Yueyao spoke coldly: “My moonlight can see through falsehoods, but the range is limited. I need to concentrate on protecting key targets.”

The ten-second countdown passed in a flash.

With a flash of light, both teams were dropped into opposite ends of the Thousand Needle Stone Forest map.

The battle began!

“According to the plan, advance in formation! Zhao Hao, aerial reconnaissance, watch out for traps!” As the overt tactical commander, Lei Huang immediately issued orders.

The formation of Yuncheng No. 1 High School quickly unfolded: Lei Huang's Thunder Giants served as the vanguard, maintaining a lightning field to disperse approaching mist; Zhao Hao's Red Dragons circled above the stone forest to provide vision; Yan Li's Phoenixes assisted on the flanks, their flames illuminating dark corners; Su Yueyao's Moon Elves and Lin Zhou's Hundred Schools Kin were located in the center of the formation, providing support, healing, and control.

The team carefully threaded through the massive stone pillars, their minds highly tense.

However, Huanmeng Academy's attack came faster and more strangely than imagined!

There was no frontal charge by a Succubus army as expected; the attack first came from... within and the environment!

“Hmm?” Zhao Hao, who was circling in the air, suddenly felt his vision blur. The top of an ordinary stone pillar below suddenly turned into Su Yueyao's figure, smiling faintly at him and beckoning him to come down. That smile was incredibly beautiful, carrying an indescribable attraction.

“Classmate Su?” Zhao Hao was stunned and subconsciously wanted to lower his altitude. But he was an elite who had been through major competitions after all; the alertness in his Dragon Clan Bloodline made him fiercely bite the tip of his tongue. As sharp pain hit, the illusion instantly shattered. He was still in the air; where was Su Yueyao? There was only cold rock.

“That was close!” Zhao Hao broke into a cold sweat.

Almost at the same time, Lei Huang, at the front, saw Star Meteor's figure suddenly appear in the fog ahead, looking at him coldly with five Star Titans ready to strike beside him!

“Star Meteor?! Why is he here?!” Lei Huang's pupils shrank, and he almost ordered the Thunder Giants to attack. But he immediately noticed something was wrong; Star Meteor's gaze seemed to lack its previous sharpness and had a hint of emptiness. “It's an illusion!” He forcibly suppressed his urge to attack and guided the lightning to explode around him. The electric light dispersed the mist, and the illusion vanished.

Yan Li saw countless aggrieved souls wailing as they pounced from the stone pillars with a bone-chilling coldness. This was the slight shadow of the undead in the depths of her heart being magnified.

Su Yueyao's Moonlight Power circulated automatically to protect herself. The illusions she saw were the faintest, but she could also feel the surrounding environment constantly twisting and deforming, trying to mislead her perception.

Even Lin Zhou was affected. What he saw were not specific figures, but the surrounding stone pillars seemed to come alive, turning into phantoms of ancient sages pointing at him, seemingly questioning him about the future path of the Hundred Schools, trying to shake his Dao Heart. However, his Dao Heart was firm, and the Fire of Civilization flickered slightly, incinerating this mental interference. The scene before him returned to its original state.

Urgent warnings sounded in the team channel:

“Be careful! It's environmental illusions and mental suggestions! They can magnify our inner thoughts and fears!”

“My Dragon Might can resist a part of it, but it's very mentally taxing!”

“My thunder can also break small-range illusions, but it won't last!”

This was just the beginning!

As the team went deeper, the mist between the stone forest became denser and began to turn multicolored, emitting a blurred halo. A sweet, cloying, and evocative fragrance began to permeate the air.

Immediately following that, a burst of faint, soul-stirring moans and charming laughter came from the mist in all directions.

The mist surged, and graceful and moving figures appeared indistinctly. They had devilish figures and faces that could charm all living beings. Behind them were exquisite bat wings, and they had heart-shaped tails on their rumps. They were the core kin of Huanmeng Academy—Succubi!

Enemy Core Kin: Succubus

Low-tier Succubus (LV28-LV31): Large in number, balanced attributes, very high Mental and Charm attributes (both reaching 38+). Skills: [Charming Gaze], [Minor Phantom], [Whisper of Desire]. Traits: [Mental Pollution], [Flight], [Damage Reduction (Physical)].

Succubus Demonic Technician (LV30-LV33): Numbering about a hundred. Attribute bias: Intelligence 40, Mental 45, Charm 42. Skills: [Intermediate Illusion], [Mental Confusion], [Agony Lash]. Traits: [Mental Pollution], [Flight], [Spell Augmentation].

Succubus Queen's Guard (LV32-LV35): Numbering about fifty. Comprehensive attributes; Strength, Agility, Mental, and Charm all exceed 35. Skills: [Advanced Charm], [Illusion Clone], [Soul Siphon]. Traits: [Mental Pollution], [Flight], [Combat Technique], [Queen Resonance].

Hero Unit: Succubus Queen (LV38) - Possesses skills [Queen's Charm (Large-scale forced attraction and mind control)], [True Illusion (Weaving a near-real illusion Domain)], [Song of Despair (Area mental shock and attribute reduction)].

These Succubi did not charge directly into melee combat. Instead, they utilized the terrain of the stone forest and the mist, moving like ghosts and constantly unleashing various mental attacks that were impossible to guard against!

Zhao Hao's Red Dragons bore the brunt of it. Several Succubus Demonic Technicians simultaneously cast [Mental Confusion] on him. Countless "provocative" ghost dragons suddenly appeared before this hot-tempered Red Dragon. It roared and spat dragon breath, but most of it hit empty space, and it even almost accidentally damaged the nearby stone pillars. The dragon breath consumption was huge, but the effect was minimal.

Lei Huang's Thunder Giants were constantly confused by [Minor Phantom]. Their attacks often missed, and the formation began to show signs of chaos.

Yan Li's Phoenixes were interfered with by [Whisper of Desire]. Their flames became unstable, making it difficult to provide effective support.

Even Su Yueyao needed to expend more Moonlight Power to maintain the sobriety of herself and nearby teammates.

Lin Zhou's Hundred Schools Kin relied on [Vast Righteous Qi] and Law and order to have a strong resistance to mental attacks. The Literary Heart Elves' [Wenxin Intelligence] and the Law Fishmen's [Iron Law Dragon Scales] played their roles. However, under the omnipresent and layered waves of illusions, they could only barely protect themselves and found it difficult to counterattack effectively. The Tiangong Dwarves' Ballistae were even more unable to lock onto those elusive Succubus true bodies.

The entire Yuncheng No. 1 High School team seemed to have fallen into a quagmire! They had power but nowhere to use it. Their spirits were constantly suffering from erosion and torture, and their Divine Power was rapidly being consumed in resisting the illusions!

“Hahaha! Sink! Sink into the endless illusions and desires!” Thousand Illusions' magical laughter echoed in the stone forest. He hadn't even shown his face, yet relying solely on the Succubus kin and environmental illusions, he had almost pushed Yuncheng No. 1 High School to a desperate situation!

Zhao Hao's eyes were bloodshot and his breathing was heavy, clearly struggling to resist. Lei Huang's face was ashen, and the range of his thunder Domain was constantly shrinking. Fine beads of sweat broke out on Yan Li's forehead.

The Cloud City Team had fallen into an unprecedentedly bitter battle!