Chapter 71 Illusion Reveals the True Nature

Fury.

Yes, it was boundless fury.

Chen Mu suddenly raised his head. He neither dodged nor evaded, instead channeling all his Qi.

Ignoring how treacherous the surrounding environment was, he roared with even greater anger and impatience at the ever-changing world, or perhaps at the "old fellow" manipulating the illusion from behind the scenes.

"Enough! I said it before, this thing is useless against me!"

"Either you use your real skills to kill me, or you hurry up and come out to speak like a human being. Stop playing god and acting like a ghost here."

"I'll say this one last time: whatever demands or requests you have, tell me quickly. If I can do it, I'll do it now. If I can't, I'll do it later."

Chen Mu stood in place, letting the blade tips pierce his soles, flames scorch his skin, and the cold seep into his bones.

But he didn't care. Every word he spoke was crystal clear.

"Stop wasting my time with these trash illusions."

"I'm in a rush to save someone, did you hear me?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he stopped paying attention to the desperate situation around him, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes.

...

Inside the thatched cottage, the old man was stunned again, and this time, it lasted even longer.

In the water mirror, Chen Mu sat cross-legged amidst the mountain of blades and sea of fire, eyes closed and mind focused, acting as if he truly didn't care about anything.

The desperate environment churned and ravaged around him, yet it seemed to have nothing to do with him.

The old man's finger hung in mid-air for a long time before he finally sighed.

In that sigh, there was relief, helplessness, and a hint of admiration.

"Forget it."

He flicked his sleeves gently.

...

The great hall suddenly plunged into dead silence. The mountain of blades vanished, the sea of fire extinguished, and the cold wind ceased.

All the illusions faded away; the irritating heat, pain, and cold had disappeared.

Chen Mu opened his eyes and found himself still in a palace, though it was vastly different from the extremely luxurious immortal palace from before.

It was still exquisite, with carved Dragon and painted beams, but it had washed away the gaudiness, appearing ancient, simple, and majestic.

This was the true Heavenly Palace within this scroll.

It was merely an exquisite yet simple palace building.

The illusion had truly ended.

Chen Mu felt slightly relieved, but his vigilance remained. His gaze quickly swept across the surroundings, then stopped abruptly.

He saw Jiang Huoyu not far from his side.

Jiang Huoyu was also standing in the hall, but her eyes were tightly closed, and she had yet to wake up. Her face, however, was beaming with an extremely satisfied, almost obsessive smile.

A trace of drool was running down the corner of her mouth, about to drip.

She seemed truly lost in her own illusion, completely unaware of Chen Mu's reaction.

"Mmm... delicious! So delicious! I want that one too."

She mumbled with a smile, smacking her lips from time to time, as if savoring some peerless delicacy.

"This Dragon liver is so delicious, so chewy... and this jade dew is so sweet... this big immortal peach... so juicy..."

"Mine, it's all mine. Don't rush, let this Young Miss eat slowly."

Chen Mu: "..."

Seeing Jiang Huoyu in this state, Chen Mu realized instantly that this woman, like him, had also fallen into an illusion.

However, the content of her trial was completely different from his.

It was neither beauty nor torture, but food...

Thinking about how he had just been busy hacking and slashing in the illusion, raging impotently at the Void Realm, while this person was feasting away in the illusion with a look of happiness.

A deep sense of powerlessness welled up.

The veins on Chen Mu's forehead couldn't help but throb.

He walked a few steps to Jiang Huoyu, raised his hand, and mercilessly slapped her fair, smooth face a few times with a "slap, slap" sound.

The force was not light.

"Wake up, you're drooling."

Jiang Huoyu pushed him away groggily, her eyes still not opening.

"Mmm... don't move, I haven't finished eating yet."

Chen Mu was choked with anger and slapped her twice more with force. Only then did Jiang Huoyu shudder and snap back to reality.

She blinked her eyes, looked around, then looked at Chen Mu, her face full of confusion.

"Come back to your senses, you were in an illusion," Chen Mu said crossly.

Only then did Jiang Huoyu fully recover, looking at the real palace.

"How..."

"The illusion is broken, the trial is passed, this is the real place."

Chen Mu glanced at her, too lazy to explain.

Jiang Huoyu was stunned. Noticing the surrounding environment, a trace of lingering fear flashed across her face, which then turned into anger.

"Chen Mu, what are you doing!"

"I was eating happily! Do you know how rare those Heaven And Earth Treasure were? I've lived for so many years and have never eaten anything so good!"

Jiang Huoyu stomped her feet in anger, as if she had truly lost some great Opportunity.

"And those immortal men, each one so handsome and gentle, feeding me food. Do you know how rare such treatment is?"

Chen Mu didn't speak, only looking at her as if she were an idiot.

The look in his eyes clearly spelled out a few words: Are you sick in the head?

"That was an illusion," Chen Mu finally spoke, though his voice betrayed no emotion.

"So what if it was an illusion? I was eating well and having fun inside, and there were people serving me. What right do you have to pull me out?"

"Shut up." Chen Mu interrupted her, his voice cold.

"We are still inside the scroll; that was just a trial. If you want to keep dreaming, I can knock you unconscious and let you dream to your heart's content."

Jiang Huoyu was choked by Chen Mu's words and finally remembered the main business. She looked around and asked in a low voice.

"Then you said the illusion was broken just now, so we passed the trial? Where is the treasure?"

Her eyes began to light up.

Chen Mu was about to reply when suddenly Jiang Huoyu let out a short scream, dove behind Chen Mu, and pointed into the depths of the palace, "A ghost! There's a ghost over there!"

Chen Mu turned around abruptly, his long sword already unsheathed.

He saw an old figure slowly floating over from the depths of the palace.

The figure was semi-transparent, wearing an ancient robe, with white hair and beard.

"A ghost? Little girl, this old man is certainly not a ghost."

The old man heard this and let out a hoarse laugh, stopping three zhang away from Chen Mu as his figure gradually solidified.

Chen Mu did not feel any sinister Qi; on the contrary, there was an indescribable aura.

"If you're not a ghost, then what are you? Why are you transparent? And floating while walking?"

Jiang Huoyu poked half her head out from behind Chen Mu, asking questions incessantly like a barrage.

"This old man is the Painting Spirit." The old man stroked his beard and said calmly.

"Painting Spirit!" Jiang Huoyu's eyes lit up immediately, and she instantly threw her fear to the back of her mind.

She immediately pushed Chen Mu aside, rushed to the old man in a few strides, and put on a sweet smile.

Clearly, she was extremely knowledgeable about such things!

In the world of Cultivate, any Magic Treasure capable of nurturing a spirit is without exception a treasure that has undergone the baptism of time.

This meant that this scroll was not only extraordinary in itself, but it was also likely to carry a Dao Legacy or Seal some earth-shattering secret.

She bowed gracefully to the Painting Spirit.

"Greetings, Senior Painting Spirit. This Junior, Jiang Huoyu, hails from the Jiang Family of the North."

"My father once said that the Painting Spirit is a spirit of heaven and earth, knowledgeable about the past and present, and holds the power of the universe. To see you today, Senior, is truly a great honor of three lifetimes."

She paused and continued to flatter him, determined to extract something from the Painting Spirit.

"Since I was young, I have admired the sages and powerful figures, seeking the path of Dao diligently. Entering this painting today must be destiny."

"If Senior has any instructions, this Junior will do her utmost and dare not be the slightest bit negligent."

After she finished speaking, she peeked at Chen Mu, her eyes filled with smugness.

Look, this is what it means to be polite, this is what it means to know how to speak.

However, the Painting Spirit didn't even glance at her.

Those eyes bypassed her and looked straight at Chen Mu.