101: The battle for the top four: Encountering the Master of Illusion (Part 2)

A bitter battle! A thorough, bitter battle!

The team from Yuncheng No. 1 High School seemed to have fallen into an invisible spider web, and every step forward was exceptionally difficult.

The laughter, whispers, and illusions of the succubi were pervasive, constantly stirring up the deepest desires, fears, and weaknesses within everyone.

Zhao Hao's Red Dragon had completely fallen into a frenzy, madly spitting Dragon Breath at the air. Its flapping dragon wings sheared off several surrounding stone pillars. Its Divine Power was being rapidly consumed, yet it hadn't even touched a single succubus.

He himself was also affected; his face was flushed, his eyes alternated between confusion and rage, and it was clear that his mental defenses were on the verge of collapse.

"Zhao Hao! Hold onto your focus!" Lei Huang roared, trying to use his thundering voice to wake him, but with little effect.

His own Thunder Giant army was no better off; under the endless barrage of phantom attacks, their formation was scattered, their attacks missed frequently, and they were fighting shadows, feeling incredibly stifled.

Yan Li's situation was slightly better; the Phoenix flames had a certain purifying effect against mental pollution, but she needed to maintain the protective flames at all times, which greatly reduced her offensive and support capabilities, leaving her to take hits passively.

Su Yueyao became the pillar of support. She retracted her Moonlight Power, concentrating it around herself, Lin Zhou, and the core Hundred Schools Kin, forming a relatively stable [Moonlight Protection Area].

The cold moonlight effectively dispersed the approaching illusions and mental erosion, but the range was limited and could not cover Zhao Hao and Lei Huang in the front.

"Lin Zhou, this can't go on! Their illusions are too bizarre, and the range is too large; my Moonlight Power cannot completely neutralize them!" Su Yueyao's tone carried a hint of urgency; maintaining the Moonlight Protection was also consuming a great deal of her energy.

Lin Zhou's expression was grave; he had been observing and perceiving.

His [Pure and Inactive Realm] could indeed effectively suppress emotion-driven illusions, but Thousand Illusions' illusion system was not just about emotions; it also included sensory deception, mental suggestion, environmental distortion, and multiple other layers. Furthermore, the range was extremely vast, spread across the massive Thousand Needle Stone Forest.

Forcibly expanding the Domain might instantly clear an area, but the opponent could completely avoid its edge and continue casting spells outside the Domain's range, and his Divine Power was insufficient to support long-term, large-scale maintenance of the Domain.

He had to find the key to breaking the situation!

His gaze was sharp as a knife, piercing through layers of mist and illusions, locking onto those elusive succubi, especially the [Succubus Demonic Technique Masters] in the rear who were chanting and guiding large-scale illusions, as well as the [Succubus Queen] with the most powerful aura.

"The core of illusion lies in 'Bewitching Heart'. And the key to breaking illusions lies in 'Enlightened Mind and Seeing True Nature'!" A flash of inspiration crossed Lin Zhou's mind. "The Confucian 'Vast Righteous Qi' can nurture my righteous energy, making me immune to ghosts and gods; but to actively break through delusions, perhaps I need more extreme 'focus' and 'insight'!"

He thought of the light orbs in the Temple of Civilization that represented the School of Names and the School of Diplomacy!

The School of Names was skilled in debate, capable of analyzing Concepts and confusing black and white; perhaps it could also reverse-engineer the false essence of illusions?

The School of Diplomacy was insightful about human hearts and could discern the situation; perhaps it could see through the reality behind the illusions?

No, that wasn't enough! He needed a more direct, more domineering power to tear through these layers of obstacles!

His consciousness sank into the Temple of Civilization, sweeping past one light orb after another, and finally, it rested on a light orb that radiated a sharp, straight, and piercing Concept that could see through all falsehoods—the School of Military!

But it was not the murderous aura of the School of Military, but the spirit within the School of Military's philosophy—that "Swift as the Wind, Fierce as Fire", the pursuit of absolute victory, and the breaking of all obstacles... the will of the School of Military!

Combined with his understanding of the Dao of "Eye Contact" and his own Mental Energy...

A brand new, embryonic skill specifically targeting illusions quickly took shape in his mind!

"I need time to prepare, and an opportunity!" Lin Zhou quickly said to Su Yueyao. "Classmate Su, please expand the Moonlight Protection range as much as possible and buy me ten seconds! Lei Huang, Yan Li, move toward me, tighten the defense! Zhao Hao... I hope he can hold on!"

Su Yueyao did not hesitate at all, biting her lip gently. The Moonlight Godhead within her vibrated slightly, and more surging Moonlight Power poured out like spilled mercury, forcibly expanding the protection range by one-third, covering Lei Huang and Yan Li, who were struggling in the front!

Feeling the pressure lighten, Lei Huang and Yan Li immediately directed their Kin to move toward Lin Zhou. Although there was still interference from illusions, within the core area of the Moonlight Power, the impact was minimized.

"Oh? Want to concentrate your strength for defense? Futile!" Thousand Illusions' voice carried mockery. The mist rolled, and more succubus figures emerged. [Mental Confusion], [Intermediate Illusion], and [Whispers of Desire] surged toward the Moonlight Protection Area like a tide, causing the bright moonlight shield to fluctuate violently. Su Yueyao's face turned pale at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Hold on!" Lin Zhou closed his eyes and sank all his focus into his Sea of Consciousness. The Fire of Civilization burned in an unprecedented way, resonating strongly with the School of Military light orb! An incomparably sharp mental intent capable of piercing everything began to condense!

This was not a Domain-type area, but rather, all power was condensed into a single point, transforming into an invisible... Spear of Breaking Delusions!

Skill Construction: Eye of Breaking Delusions (Fusion skill of School of Military Will & principles of civilization - Embryonic form)

Effect: Concentrates the highly condensed School of Military Will and the insight of the Fire of Civilization into the eyes, significantly increasing the ability to see through falsehoods and point directly to the essence for a short period. Can forcibly tear through Intermediate and low-level illusions, cause strong interference to high-level illusions, and has a certain chance to reverse-track the caster's mental coordinates.

Cost: A huge amount of Mental Energy and some Divine Power; cannot be used continuously in a short time.

Ten seconds felt incredibly long!

Su Yueyao's Moonlight Protection shield was already covered in cracks and was tottering.

Lei Huang and Yan Li outputted Divine Power with all their might, assisting in stabilizing the defense line.

Zhao Hao let out an unwilling roar outside. His Red Dragon finally exhausted its Divine Power, let out a mournful cry, and turned into light spots, being forcibly recalled to his Divine Domain. He himself, due to the mental backlash, let out a muffled groan and knelt on one knee, losing his combat capability!

Just at the moment when the Moonlight Protection was about to shatter—

Lin Zhou suddenly opened his eyes!

In his eyes, there was no longer the usual steadiness and depth, but a burst of golden light that felt almost tangible! The light was not blinding, but it carried an indescribable penetrating power, as if it could look directly into the Soul and pierce through all mist and illusions!

[Eye of Breaking Delusions], activate!

Wherever his gaze fell, the colorful mist seemed to be dispersed by an invisible force, becoming thin and transparent! Those enchantingly twisting succubus phantoms shattered and dissipated like bubbles under the golden gaze! The stone forest restored its original cold, hard texture!

The true bodies of the succubi hidden deep in the mist had nowhere to hide at this moment! Especially the Succubus Queen who was guiding the [True Illusion Realm], as well as the Succubus Demonic Technique Masters beside her who served as illusion nodes; their mental fluctuations were as clearly visible as lighthouses in the night in the vision of the [Eye of Breaking Delusions]!

"Found you!" Lin Zhou's voice was cold, carrying the decisiveness of the School of Military to win with a single strike!

He did not hesitate at all. Almost the moment he locked onto the targets, the instructions he had prepared for a long time were issued like thunder:

"Elwin! Sword of Righteousness, target the stone pillar to the front left, Succubus Demonic Technique Master cluster!"

"Bronzebeard! Explosive crossbow bolts, full coverage, I have shared the coordinates!"

"Snik! Law Judgment, lock onto the Succubus Queen!"

The Hundred Schools Kin, who had long been ready, erupted with amazing Execution at this moment!

Elwin condensed all his literary Qi, transforming it into a golden giant Sword of Righteousness that was ten zhang long. It tore through the air and slashed with pinpoint accuracy toward the direction indicated by Lin Zhou! There, the five Succubus Demonic Technique Masters who were casting spells together revealed terrified figures. They tried to dodge, but the Sword of Righteousness came with locking and evil-breaking effects. As the sword light flashed, the five Demonic Technique Masters, along with the illusion nodes they had set up, were instantly purified and annihilated!

"Boom boom boom boom!"

The Tiangong Dwarves' ballista array let out an angry roar. Countless crossbow bolts engraved with explosive runes, as if they had grown eyes, crossed the complex stone forest and landed precisely on the coordinate points shared by Lin Zhou! That was exactly where the other Succubus Demonic Technique Masters and low-level succubi were hiding! Violent explosions rang out one after another, accompanied by the shrill screams of the succubi. The power of the illusions seemed to have its source cut off, instantly decaying by more than half!

And Snik raised the Book of Law high. The cold power of Order crossed space and descended directly onto the Succubus Queen who was trying to hide! [Judgment] skill activated! Based on her crime of "spreading chaos and falsehoods," the rule-based power of punishment wrapped around her like shackles, not only causing her huge damage but also forcibly interrupting her guidance of the [True Illusion Realm], making her let out a painful shriek!

The illusion array carefully laid out by the Dream Academy instantly collapsed under the insight of Lin Zhou's [Eye of Breaking Delusions] and the precise strikes of the Hundred Schools Kin!

The mist dissipated rapidly, and the illusions disappeared completely. The Thousand Needle Stone Forest returned to its original appearance, leaving only the succubus Kin who had exposed their true forms and were panicked, as well as Thousand Illusions whose face suddenly became extremely gloomy!

The situation was instantly reversed!