Chapter 68 The Secret Realm in the Painting

[Infusion complete, unknown Seal item successfully cracked!]

"It worked!"

Chen Mu's heart surged with wild joy. Before he could take a closer look, the scroll in his hand suddenly erupted with white light, and an irresistible suction force emanated from the scroll.

The next second, the world spun around him.

It wasn't his body being dragged; rather, his entire Soul and consciousness were brutally ripped from his physical shell and sucked into the scroll.

He didn't know how much time had passed when Chen Mu felt something solid beneath his feet, a cold and hard sensation.

Chen Mu opened his eyes in a daze; the surrounding scenery had changed drastically.

Beneath his feet were moss-covered stone slabs, and not far away, a small stream gurgled past, with an old, twisted tree growing beside it.

A few simple thatched cottages stood in the valley, with faint mist drifting above their roofs.

Every blade of grass, every tree, every stone, every stream, and even the style of the cottages were identical to what was on the scroll.

"This... is this the Secret Realm of the scroll?"

Chen Mu was shocked. Before he could even begin to appreciate the wonders of this Secret Realm, an exasperated yet somewhat smug female voice rang out from not far beside him.

"Chen Mu!"

"You big liar!"

Chen Mu's heart skipped a beat, and he whipped his head around, following the voice.

He saw Jiang Huoyu not far behind him, hands on her hips, cheeks puffed out, glaring daggers at him. Her voice was slightly shrill with anger.

"It's a good thing this Young Miss is clever and kept hiding outside the door to spy on you, otherwise this treasure would have really been monopolized by a black-hearted ghost like you!"

Jiang Huoyu's pretty face was flushed red.

Chen Mu's guilt lasted only for a fleeting moment before being replaced by immense vigilance and regret.

He had been far too focused just now and, caught off guard, hadn't noticed that this woman, Jiang Huoyu, had been spying on him the whole time.

But right now, he was extremely weak, with only one year of Lifespan remaining, and his strength was greatly diminished.

Although Jiang Huoyu's origins were unknown, her skills were not weak. Being trapped here with her now, it was hard to say whether this would be a blessing or a curse.

"This... where is this place?"

As Chen Mu spoke, he put on an expression of shock and confusion, glancing around with furrowed brows.

"Just a moment ago, I only felt a flash of white light before being sucked in. Miss Jiang, do you know what place this is?"

He cleverly transformed himself from a swindler trying to monopolize the treasure into an accidental victim, simultaneously throwing the question back at Jiang Huoyu while taking the Opportunity to probe her knowledge of this world.

When Jiang Huoyu was asked this, she was momentarily stunned. Her accusations were stuck in her throat, and seeing his look of shock and suspicion, it seemed he was completely unfamiliar with the scene before them.

Could it be that he had just accidentally triggered the scroll, and it wasn't a premeditated plan?

She immediately stopped trying to hold him accountable and scanned this strange valley.

"This... I don't know either."

Although she said that, her eyes hid excitement and confusion.

"But looking at the situation, it's nine times out of ten the legendary 'Universe within a Painting.' I really didn't expect that broken scroll to hide such a huge secret. It seems we've struck gold this time."

Chen Mu sneered internally, but kept his expression vigilant and weak.

"Miss Jiang, you'd best not be happy too soon. A 'Universe within a Painting' could just as easily be a 'Prison within a Painting.'"

As if to verify his words, the scene before them suddenly began to change.

The clouds and mist that had been gently flowing in the mountains suddenly began to churn and gather without warning. In the blink of an eye, the two were surrounded by billowing mist.

"What's going on?"

Jiang Huoyu was startled, subconsciously moving closer to Chen Mu, scanning her surroundings vigilantly.

"Observe the changes quietly."

Chen Mu replied in a deep voice, forcing himself to calm down.

After about the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, the thick fog began to disperse to the sides, and a majestic cluster of palaces slowly emerged.

Glazed tiles for roofs, white jade for stairs, golden pillars coiled with Dragons, and Phoenixes adorning the eaves.

Each palace towered into the clouds with a magnificent Aura, and white cranes screeched toward the Nine Heavens, like a heavenly palace scene only found in myths and legends.

"Hea... Heavenly Palace?"

Jiang Huoyu exclaimed, her face instantly filled with extreme shock and wild joy.

"It really is a treasure! Chen Mu, we've stumbled upon a Heaven-Defying Immortal Opportunity!"

She could no longer hold back, and only the majestic immortal palace remained in her eyes.

With an Opportunity before them, how could she miss it?

"Quick! Let's go in!"

Jiang Huoyu's voice became shrill with excitement. She glanced back quickly at Chen Mu, and seeing him still dazed, she didn't care about anything else and ran toward the immortal palace first.

"Chen Mu, don't just stand there like a fool, hurry up and follow! An Immortal Opportunity waits for no one!"

Chen Mu's heartbeat also involuntarily quickened. The scene before him was truly too impactful, fitting perfectly with the world's fantasies about the Immortal Realm.

If all of this were real, then all the consumed Lifespan would seem absolutely worth it!

However, the more this was the case, the clearer the chill in his heart became.

The cat demon of Sangye Village was best at creating dreamscapes, and the Ghostly Creature at the Zhao residence could also switch between reality and illusion to toy with human hearts.

And would this mysterious scroll really just honestly hand over a heaven-reaching Immortal Opportunity?

Once the doubt arose, he began to scrutinize his surroundings critically.

The jade path beneath his feet was as smooth as a mirror, but it lacked the subtle variations that natural stone should have.

In the sky, cranes soared with graceful postures, but the frequency of their flapping wings was almost identical, just like a pre-set program.

Chen Mu's heart slowly sank.

This was not any heavenly palace or immortal fairyland at all.

This was just an illusion, grand enough to be mistaken for reality.

Its purpose was very likely to exploit people's greed and longing for Immortal Opportunity, luring them deep inside to walk right into a trap.

Jiang Huoyu's figure had already drifted away, heading straight for the palace gate. Chen Mu pondered for a moment, then followed anyway.

It wasn't because he was attracted by the treasure, but because Jiang Huoyu had rushed in alone, and her fate was uncertain.

Furthermore, he also needed to enter personally to understand the core of this illusion, figure out the reality, and find a way to break it.

A moment later, he walked to the end of the jade path and stood before the main gate of the magnificent heavenly palace.

The gate was ten zhang high and seemed to be carved from a single piece of white jade. The massive doors were only opened a crack, wide enough for only one person to pass through.

Jiang Huoyu was nowhere to be seen; she must have already entered.

Chen Mu paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and then stepped over the threshold.

The moment he entered the gate, the scenery changed abruptly.

It was not the grand halls or immortal officials and divine generals he had imagined.

A wave of swirling water vapor rushed toward him, accompanied by a faint fragrance.

In the center of the space was a huge pool, its walls inlaid with various gemstones, and steam rising from the water's surface.

In the pool, shadows flickered; there were actually dozens of women bathing.

These women were all peerless beauties of the mortal world, capable of toppling kingdoms.

Their faces were delicate and beautiful, their skin whiter than snow, appearing even more translucent and delicate within the swirling water vapor.

Their figures were exquisite and well-proportioned, with graceful curves, and their dark hair, like clouds, draped over their shoulders.

There was no holy coolness of an immortal palace here, but rather a decadent temptation full of vivid, alluring life.

Chen Mu's intrusion was like a pebble thrown into spring water.

A woman near the edge of the pool, who had been chatting, was the first to notice. Hearing the sound, she turned her head; there was no panic in her eyes, but instead, she revealed a pleasantly surprised and seductive smile.

Then, without hesitation, she stood up from the pool water.