e-booksonline Chapter 144 Illusory Lock Cloud
Chapter 144 Illusory Lock Cloud
The sky was filled with churning clouds like waves, and eleven figures broke through the air and arrived.
The leader, dressed in blue, was none other than Xia Linxian, the chief disciple of the Dao Academy.
Beside him, in a jade robe and wielding a long sword, stood Li Jingyun.
Following closely behind were the other eight members of the Taoist academy and Cheng Hao of the Zhenwu Sect.
The eleven people gathered and headed straight for the Dark Fragrance Pavilion deep in the sea of clouds.
"If we go another hundred miles, we will reach the location locked by the Heavenly Compass."
Xia Linxian lightly held the Heavenly Secrets Disc with her fingertips. The Purple Star pattern on the disc flickered slightly, but it already showed some disorder.
"The Dark Fragrance Pavilion is protected by a forbidden array. Please remember, do not believe anything you see or hear," Xia Linxian warned.
Li Jingyun nodded slightly: "We will advance using the Five Elements Formation. Do not stray from your companions."
As soon as they finished speaking, the eleven people stepped into the vast sea of clouds, and the scenery around them suddenly changed.
The once clearly discernible outline of the Dark Fragrance Pavilion was instantly swallowed up by the white mist.
The clouds beneath their feet transformed into jagged rocks, and behind them, a sheer cliff rose from nowhere, blocking out even the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, making it stagnant and difficult to draw in.
Something's not right!
Lin Yan paused, the bronze compass at his waist spinning wildly, and the array runes rapidly calculating at his fingertips, his expression changing drastically.
"We clearly flew forward more than seventy miles, but according to the calculations, we are still standing in the same spot, without moving an inch!"
Chu Tianyi frowned deeply. The Dream Dao Heart Sutra passed down by his master, Xuanji, activated spontaneously. He felt that the surrounding world was floating and rootless, as if he had fallen into a mirror: "This is not a natural sea of clouds, but the Thousand Illusions Maze!"
"This is an extremely powerful illusion array in the art of array formations. It uses heaven and earth as its framework and the human heart as its guide. We have already entered the array without even realizing it!"
Everyone instantly went on alert, their spiritual energy surging.
Su Qingyuan gently raised her jade hand, and spiritual energy transformed into a clear light to protect her body.
Ye Wei's fingertips rested on the hilt of the short sword, and the corners of her plain white robe fluttered even without wind.
The talismans inside Liu Yiyi's flower and bird brocade pouch glowed with a subtle spiritual light, ready to be used at any moment.
Qin Wan closed the landscape fan in her hand, and the spiritual energy around her gradually manifested the phantom image of mountains.
Mo Yuan's eyes were cold as he held the Ink Eyebrow and activated a magic incantation.
Chenghao held the Blazing Dragon Spear, its tip emitting golden light, and the phantom of the Xuanwu Dharma Body, hundreds of feet tall, faintly appeared.
Everyone instinctively protected Xia Yufei in the center, because Xia Yufei had the lowest cultivation level on this trip.
"A mere illusion array dares to block our path!"
Li Jingyun snorted coldly, drew his Dragon Roar Sword, and the cyan sword light cleaved straight through the white mist in front of him. The sword's momentum was fierce, like the Milky Way pouring down.
But when the sword light fell into the fog, it was like a mud ox entering the sea, without even making a sound. The white fog remained thick and did not dissipate at all.
"Ordinary techniques are useless!" Lin Yan exclaimed urgently. "The Thousand Illusions Array is a blend of reality and illusion; physical attacks will be assimilated by the illusion, rendering all attacks ineffective!"
Everyone's hearts sank.
Just then, a faint yet mournful cry suddenly rang out from within the white mist.
"Senior Brother Li! Senior Brother Chu! Save me!"
That voice was extremely familiar; it was Lu Ming!
Everyone shuddered, their eyes all turning to the fog.
Amidst the billowing white mist, a disheveled figure staggered out, covered in blood and with tattered clothes—it was Lu Ming, the very person they were trying to rescue!
He was pierced by black chains, his body covered in burns, and he was on the verge of death.
"Junior Brother Lu!"
Liu Yiyi, Xia Yufei, and the others gasped in shock, panicking and instinctively rushing forward.
"Halt!" Chu Tian suddenly stepped in front of us to block our way. "This is an illusion! This is a formation that manipulates our thoughts, creating a false image!"
But before he could finish speaking, another figure appeared on the other side of the white mist.
It was the academy's headmaster, his body stained with blood, his spiritual energy dissipated, lying in a pool of blood, his breath weak: "Jingyun, Linxian, your master cannot protect the academy anymore..."
Immediately afterwards, the third and fourth illusory figures appeared one after another!
There were fallen sages of the Daoist academy, infamous demons from the Central Continent, and even rare and exotic beasts that had never been seen in the world, all seemingly intent on suppressing everyone!
All evils arise from illusions, and all thoughts arise in abundance!
The most terrifying aspect of the Thousand Illusions Array is that it strikes directly at the most vulnerable part of people's hearts, conjuring up the things they care about and fear the most, disturbing their minds and destroying their Dao heart!
Xia Linxian's eyes sharpened, and the Heavenly Secrets Disc erupted with dazzling golden light, the Purple Star Pattern stabilizing the surrounding heavenly secrets: "Illusions attack the mind, all are illusions! Guard your mind and remain unmoved, only then can you avoid being trapped!"
Li Jingyun's gentle Daoist voice resonated in everyone's ears: "With a steadfast Daoist heart, one is impervious to all illusions! Junior Brother Lu's whereabouts are unknown, and the Abbot is vaguely present in Qingzhou—all of this is false!"
However, the power of the illusion grew increasingly violent. Within the white mist, countless illusory assassins materialized out of thin air, their blades gleaming with poison and their sword shadows concealing malevolence, densely packed together, and began to surround and kill the ten people!
These assassins are not illusions, but rather the manifestations of malevolent energy drawn from the heavens and earth by a formation. Touching them will cause injury, and getting involved with them will bring danger!
"Protect Lin Yan and Chu Tianyi!" Xia Linxian shouted in a deep voice, "These two are experts in array formations; only they can find the array's core!"
Chenghao charged out first, his Blazing Dragon Spear sweeping out, the golden flames at the tip of the spear burning away the illusion.
Cheng Hao's hundred-zhang-tall Xuanwu Dharma Body suddenly manifested, like a divine general descending to earth, standing in front of the crowd: "Break!"
Mo Yuan, Ye Wei, and Qin Wan charged out side by side, unleashing sword techniques, talismans, and Taoist magic, engaging in a fierce battle with the illusory assassins.
Su Qingyuan and Liu Yiyi used their spiritual energy to protect themselves and assist in their defense.
Xia Yufei brandished her longsword, activating the Inviting the Moon Sword Technique, and in an instant, a strange phenomenon of moonlight appeared.
Li Jingyun roamed the flanks, ready to provide support at any time.
Lin Yan sat cross-legged, a bronze compass hovering above his head, using the Heavenly Evolution Technique to fully deduce the array's core.
Chu Tian closed his eyes tightly, and his dream-path divine sense probed into the illusion, separating reality from illusion.
The Thousand Illusions Array is intricately linked, its core shifting with the player's mind, changing in an instant.
Lin Yan's forehead was covered in cold sweat: "No! There are eighty-one key points in the formation, and they are constantly shifting; it's impossible to lock onto them!"
Chu Tianyi frowned, his consciousness repeatedly clashing within the illusion.
"Illusion and reality intertwine; I can distinguish between truth and falsehood, but I cannot break through the barrier of illusion!"
The number of illusory assassins increased, and the phantom of the ancient demon roared as it slammed down on the Xuanwu Dharma Body. The legendary ferocious beast's giant claw crashed down, and its power actually contained some of the true essence!
Cheng Hao let out a muffled groan, and his Xuanwu Dharma Body swayed slightly, causing even the Blazing Sun Dragon Spear to tremble slightly.
The more they fought, the more alarmed they became.
They initially thought it was just an ordinary maze, but they never expected it to be so dangerous.
It is unbreakable in attack, difficult to defend indefinitely, and its heart is easily deceived.
The white fog grew thicker, and the illusion became more and more real.
Lu Ming's wails, the sect leader's sighs, and the demon's roars intertwined, constantly assaulting everyone's minds.
The light from Xia Linxian's Heavenly Secrets Disc gradually dimmed, Li Jingyun's breath hitched slightly, and Cheng Hao's Xuanwu Dharma Body's light faded.
The ten people were already trapped in the illusionary array, unable to move an inch.
Moreover, assassins from the Dark Fragrance Pavilion constantly lurk within the illusionary formations, delivering fatal blows amidst the shifting illusions.
Although everyone possessed profound cultivation, they were unable to inflict effective damage in the interplay of illusion and reality. Often, as soon as an attack was launched, the assassins would immediately disappear into the illusion, making it impossible to strike them.