Chapter 128 Slaying the Fox and Breaking the Formation

Chen Mu paused slightly, not daring to act rashly.

He knew the fox demon's words were not false; the way of illusions was most treacherous. Once caught in one, it was extremely difficult for outsiders to offer rescue.

Qi Huan was already injured and his spirit was vulnerable; the illusion he was currently trapped in must be formed by the obsessions in his heart.

"Hehehe... Chief Chen, Hero Chen, why don't you also enter the illusion again and keep your friend company?"

The voice of the Woman in Pink rang out. Although she was already heavily injured, she had managed to stand up, forming a triangular formation with the woman in green and the woman in white, surrounding Chen Mu.

The three women exchanged a glance, simultaneously bit their tongues, and spat out a mouthful of essence blood.

The essence blood transformed into three demonic lotuses in the air. The lotuses spun, emitting a demonic fragrance, while the women simultaneously chanted scriptures. Their voices overlapped, turning into strange sound waves that surged toward Chen Mu in layers.

This time, they did not scatter their attacks but concentrated all their Demonic Technique power into the illusion, swearing to drag Chen Mu into it once more.

Pink mist churned, and illusions sprouted everywhere.

The scenery before Chen Mu's eyes twisted again. He seemed to see countless demonic creatures pouncing from all directions, saw Qi Huan struggling bitterly in the illusion, saw Xu Changze sneering in the distance, and saw Jiang Huoyu, Liu Ziming, Jiang Xiong...

Face after face flashed before his eyes, real and fake, impossible to distinguish.

But this time, Chen Mu merely curled his lips into a cold smile.

"Using the same old trick, hoping I'll fall into the trap again?"

The Soul-Loss Art circulated throughout his body, having already formed an indestructible barrier. Those illusions and seductive sounds dissolved the instant they touched the barrier.

The three fox demons' illusions could not invade his Divine Soul at all.

"How can this be..."

The Woman in Pink's eyes widened, her face full of horror.

The soul-bewitching formation that the three sisters had joined forces to cast could trap even a Martial Artist in the Heart-Awakening Realm for a moment; how could it have no effect on Chen Mu?

How could they know that the Soul-Loss Art was a secret technique specifically for attacking the Divine Soul? Cultivated to Perfection, the wall of Soul Power could no longer be shaken by ordinary illusions.

Chen Mu had also experienced trials like the Flying Bear Dream Entry and the Universe in a Painting, and since he knew this was an illusion, it was even less likely for him to fall for it.

"It's my turn."

Chen Mu spoke coldly, fully activating the Divine Void Step beneath his feet. His figure vanished instantly, and when he reappeared, he was already behind the woman in white.

The woman in white was greatly alarmed; it was too late to turn around. The soul-slaying blade flashed with black light, piercing through her back and out her chest.

"Ugh..."

The woman in white looked down at the blade tip protruding from her chest, her eyes filled with disbelief. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but only fresh blood gushed out.

The blade vibrated, and the woman in white collapsed softly to the ground, transforming into a snow-white fox, already devoid of breath.

[Slayed Three-Tailed Snow Fox, plundered Martial Dao Lifespan: 227 years.]

The System notification sounded in your mind.

Chen Mu felt steady in his heart and did not stop his actions. The soul-slaying blade struck again, a flash of black light aiming straight for the throat of the woman in green.

The woman shrieked, waving her hands as mist churned in an attempt to block, but in the face of absolute speed and power, these illusionary methods appeared somewhat powerless.

The blade tip pierced through the mist, stabbing straight into her throat.

The woman in green widened her eyes, her hands hanging down powerlessly, swaying back and forth before finally collapsing softly.

[Slayed Three-Tailed Charm Fox, plundered Martial Dao Lifespan: 221 years.]

Chen Mu sheathed his blade and looked at the Woman in Pink, who had already collapsed, heavily injured. The woman had now returned to her fox form—a bright Red Fox, lying on the verge of death against the wall, with a charred palm print on her chest that was shocking to behold.

Seeing Chen Mu walking over slowly, it revealed a look of supplication in its eyes and actually spoke in human language.

"Don't... don't kill me, I'll tell you where Xu Changze is..."

Before the words had even faded, a flash of cunning cruelty suddenly crossed its eyes. It violently spat out a mouthful of pink mist mixed with essence blood.

This mist was completely different from before; the moment it appeared, it emitted a pungent, sweet, and fishy odor that instantly spread. Wherever it touched, the wooden furniture actually emitted a sizzling sound.

Poisonous mist!

Chen Mu's pupils shrank, and he instinctively activated the Divine Void Step, his figure rapidly retreating several feet while his Protective Aura formed an invisible wall of Qi in front of him.

In the blink of an eye, the Red Fox, enduring intense pain, violently kicked off the ground with all four limbs, transforming into a streak of crimson light.

It did not pounce at Chen Mu, nor did it rush toward the door or window, but instead slammed straight into the side wall.

The wall appeared solid, but the moment the Red Fox hit it, ripples appeared. The Red Fox's figure submerged into it without any hindrance and disappeared.

"An escape technique?"

Chen Mu furrowed his brows, stepped forward, and reached out to touch the wall. It was solid and cold, made of real blue bricks, with no signs of any mechanisms or secret passages.

It seemed that the Red Fox had used some kind of advanced Earth Escape or wall-passing Demonic Technique, incomparable to ordinary mechanisms.

He did not immediately pursue, but stopped his steps instead.

For one, this escape technique was strange, and in his haste, it was difficult to lock onto its direction and distance of escape.

Secondly, Qi Huan was still by his side, his condition unstable.

He turned his head to look at Qi Huan, only to see him still deeply trapped in the illusion, his facial expressions changing uncertainly, his body twitching slightly, and cold sweat streaming down.

"The obsession is too deep..."

Chen Mu recalled the fox demon's words and understood. Qi Huan must have a very heavy obsession in his heart, which was currently being amplified by the illusion. If he couldn't see through it himself, forceful intervention would indeed be dangerous.

But he couldn't just leave him be.

Chen Mu pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered an item in his bosom. He reached into his robes and took out that ancient demon seal.

The demon seal was in his hand, slightly hot, with black light faintly circulating.

Chen Mu didn't know if this thing could break the illusion, but the ancient Yao Race Luck contained within the demon seal might be able to counter the fox demon's seductive power.

He'd just have to try it as a last resort.

He placed one hand on top of Qi Huan's head and held the demon seal with the other, attempting to channel a trace of the demon seal's aura into Qi Huan's body.

At first, there was no reaction, but after a few breaths, Qi Huan's body violently shook, the painful expression on his face suddenly intensified, and he opened his mouth to spit out a mouthful of black blood.

"Chief Qi!"

Just as Chen Mu was about to withdraw his hand, he saw Qi Huan slowly open his eyes. Although they were still bloodshot, his consciousness was already clear.

"Chen... Chen Mu."

Qi Huan's voice was hoarse as he panted heavily.

He did not say what he had seen, and Chen Mu did not ask.

Some things did not need to be said, and could not be said.

Chen Mu did not ask either; he simply helped him up and said in a deep voice.

"The illusion is broken; two fox demons are dead, and one has escaped."

"Xu Changze is not here, and the official seal was not found."

Upon hearing this, Qi Huan's expression became even uglier. He suppressed his injuries and looked around, seeing only broken porcelain, shattered wood, and the corpses of the fox demons all over the floor.

Looking again at the empty secret compartment, how could he not understand?

This was simply a trap.

"As expected, one cannot harbor wishful thinking. That old dog Xu Changze... his scheming is truly deep."

Although they had prepared in advance for walking into a trap, having gone through all this trouble only to gain nothing was still somewhat disappointing.

Chen Mu, however, couldn't be bothered to dwell on gains and losses.

"This place is not suitable for a long stay. Let's go!"

Chen Mu made a prompt decision and quickly retreated with Qi Huan.

The two leaped out of the courtyard and sped away under the cover of night.

However, not long after they left, on the top floor of a three-story pavilion in the distance, two figures stood by the railing, having taken in everything that had just happened.