CHAPTER 995: CHAPTER 991: THE SECOND LAYER OF ILLUSION

"Besides the landscape before us possibly being an illusion, the entire city could be an illusion as well, including the people we’ve just seen..." Ye Fan used his Spiritual Sense to perceive the changes around him but couldn’t detect any flaws, "If Wu Ying is nearby, it’s as if he’s the creator, toying with us."

Wu Ding angrily shouted, "Old man Wu Ying, show yourself!"

Suddenly a voice seemed to come from afar, deep and elderly, "Do you really think you can see through the illusions I’ve constructed? If you have the skill, then break it, otherwise, I won’t see you!"

Tantai Wanrong nervously looked around and said, "Where’s the voice coming from, why does it feel...like this person is right next to us?"

Wu Ding and Elder Wu, who have the highest cultivation, brandished their swords, ready for any danger, but in front was merely an empty thatched cottage with no sign of Wu Ying. Although Wu Ying might not be right there, he could be everywhere.

Li Zhaojun and Min Shang, with lower cultivation, closed their eyes and couldn’t sense any Spiritual Energy nearby.

Ye Fan also closed his eyes, intending to use the copper mirror inside him to observe the surroundings.

Initially, the copper mirror had no response, but soon, a yellow light from the mirror pointed in a direction, and Ye Fan stepped toward it, the palace growing even grander.

Ye Fan gathered all his strength and struck out in the direction illuminated by the yellow light, utilizing his Middle Nascent Soul stage cultivation along with the Pure Yang Spiritual Energy within him. After striking, the surroundings suddenly seemed to change, like a flickering image, but it settled quickly.

"Cough cough, Ye boy, you’re quite impressive to find the pulse point of the Eight Trigrams Array, but alas...your cultivation is ultimately limited, unable to break it...perhaps it was just luck." Wu Ying’s voice came again, laced with provocation.

Wu Ding angrily struck the direction where Ye Fan had just sent the Spiritual Energy; her power was greater, but alas, the scenery didn’t even move.

Ye Fan said, "Senior sister, there’s no need to waste effort. Wu Ying has altered the Eight Trigrams Array, the direction is different."

While speaking, Ye Fan could sense the direction the yellow light from the copper mirror was pointing constantly changing, nearly every second was different. Apart from the 360-degree direction, there was also above and below, altogether tens of thousands of directions to find the pulse point. Trying to guess blindly would mean Wu Ding and Elder Wu would exhaust their Spiritual Energy without finding the pulse point.

"Zhao Jun, Shang, come help me," Ye Fan suddenly said.

Li Zhaojun and Min Shang exchanged glances, understanding what Ye Fan meant.

Previously, when Ye Fan fought Fa Ying, with their Pure Yin Spiritual Energy, Ye Fan’s Pure Yang Spiritual Energy could produce terrifying destructive effects. Alone, Ye Fan couldn’t open the pulse points of the illusion, but with Li Zhaojun and Min Shang, he could try.

Li Zhaojun and Min Shang moved behind Ye Fan, beginning to inject Pure Yin Spiritual Energy into him from left and right while Ye Fan was gathering his own Pure Yang Spiritual Energy.

Ye Fan focused all his attention on feeling the direction pointed by the yellow light from the copper mirror within him, needing to capture a point where the yellow light was strongest, moving his steps forward or backward.

The air around was very still, about half an hour later, Ye Fan suddenly struck out with a palm, this time combining the Pure Yang and Pure Yin Spiritual Energy, the energy like a beam, shooting out in a direction.

"Whew..."

The sound of the wind around suddenly changed, like a piece of paper being torn by Ye Fan, the images around blurred for an instant, then tore apart, revealing Zhangzhou City’s true face.

Turns out Zhangzhou City wasn’t a city, but situated on a vast scorched earth, surrounded by boundless squares, the original sunlight blinding, instantly turned dim. The scenery changed back to its original state in the howling cold wind.

"Junior brother, you’re quite skilled, you actually broke Wu Ying’s illusion!" Wu Ding said happily, gazing into the distance, where a hunched figure stood, exposed by Ye Fan’s breaking of Wu Ying’s illusion.

"What happened? Weren’t we in a city?" Tantai Wanrong couldn’t seem to comprehend the sudden transformation from flourishing to desolate.

Ye Fan explained, "Aunt Rong, it was like a virtual image, we were initially in an environment that didn’t really exist, even the people we saw were not real, false."

"Is this possible?" Tantai Wanrong felt the depth of those who cultivate immortality was unfathomable.

Ye Fan walked forward, step by step towards Wu Ying, greeting him, "Elder Wu Ying, it’s been a while."

"Ha ha, Ye boy, rare indeed, I’ve established Zhangzhou City for several hundred years. Many ordinary humans moved here, believing this was a real city, even marrying and having children here, experiencing the cycle of life and death... ultimately, you’ve shattered their dream!" Wu Ying coughed twice and said.

Ye Fan began looking into the distance, indeed some ordinary humans were not illusions, they really existed, some were doing business, others accompanying their families at home. Suddenly they found themselves in a desolate place, their wives, children, houses, fields, even the city didn’t exist. They were frantically searching for what should belong to them.

"It’s not my fault," Ye Fan said, "the elder wove a dream, making them believe it was real, but everything they touch was an illusion!"

"Hahaha... When has life not been an illusion? Even you, are you not in an illusion created by the creator? I simply provided them a more perfect illusion within the creator’s illusion, fundamentally, you’re no different from them!"

Wu Ying’s words left Ye Fan momentarily silent.

Even Ye Fan couldn’t deny Wu Ying’s words because he too was an ant before the creator, and his path to immortality was to change his status as an ant, to become the master of the world.

"No, I’m different from them." Ye Fan said firmly, his words resonating with conviction, "I realize I possess genuine emotions, regardless of whether they’re creations of the creator, what I invest is my heart. Not rejoicing at external gains, nor grieving over personal loss."

Saying this, Ye Fan took Li Zhaojun’s hand, the hand he cherished most.

"Ha ha ha, can you really ignore everything around you?" Wu Ying laughed, "Then would you come with me into the second illusion and feel your own transformation?"

"What? A second illusion?" Ye Fan had barely finished speaking when he suddenly realized the bodies of Li Zhaojun, Min Shang, Tantai Wanrong, Wu Ding, and Elder Wu suddenly became transparent, finally disappearing, leaving him standing in a place neither a city nor scorched earth, but seemingly in a room, only Wu Ying still existed beside him.