Xie Zhaolin felt her sea of consciousness ripple, and the world in front of her blurred for a heartbeat. Countless shards of chaotic illusions surged toward her like a rising tide.
There was the bustling splendor of the Hehuan Sect in her past life, the earnest expectations of her Master Hua Qiluo, the smug and icy smile of Yu Xiaotang, and all kinds of wild, eerie visions…
But right as those illusions were about to solidify, the core of her Primordial Soul deep within her sea of consciousness burst into brilliant light.
At the same time, Zi Ying, who had been resting quietly inside her spirit beast pouch, seemed to stir awake from the familiar spiritual fluctuation. It let out a soft rustling sound as a thin, almost invisible ripple of violet light spread from its body.
That ripple swept across her sea of consciousness. The illusions that had just begun to take shape instantly flickered, thinned, and vanished completely without leaving a trace.
That strange aura was even pulled in slightly, almost as if Zi Ying treated it like a snack and absorbed part of it.
Her vision cleared. She regained full awareness in an instant and couldn't help thinking that if her Primordial Soul hadn't been unique and if Zi Ying hadn't been with her, she might've fallen for it.
She immediately looked toward Elder Chou. The woman's eyes were shut tight, her expression shifting between bliss and agony. Her brows were twisted into a hard knot, her spiritual power surging in chaotic waves. She looked completely lost in an illusion, even her protective glow flickering like a dying flame.
Was she really trapped, or… was she acting again?
Xie Zhaolin only glanced at her from the corner of her eye. She stayed alert from head to toe.
This woman's acting skills were terrifying, and her heart was impossible to read. She'd never trust her that easily.
But right now, she didn't have the time to check.
Because the huge stone face on the rock wall had already locked its eerie green ghost fire eyes on the only person still awake.
A wave of even more violent will crashed toward her.
Then the surrounding rock walls split open. Countless dark red roots burst forth again, surging toward her from every direction like a writhing tide.
Her quick recovery had clearly infuriated the stone face.
"Playing dead? Then sleep forever." Xie Zhaolin sneered inwardly. Whether Elder Chou was faking it or not, she could only rely on herself now.
Facing the incoming storm of roots, her gaze sharpened. Instead of retreating, she charged forward.
"Jingxiao!" Her voice dropped cold and steady.
The ribbon trembled. Purple darkness flashed as thin streaks of violet lightning burst out wildly.
A crackling roar filled the cavern.
The Jingxiao Ribbon transformed into a raging dragon woven of lightning, surging straight into the mass of roots. The icy yinsha qi within it collided with fierce thunder, generating terrifying destructive force.
Wherever it swept through, roots turned to smoking ash. The lightning's brilliance visibly suppressed the green ghost fire in the stone eyes.
But there were too many roots. And that stone face opened its giant mouth, unleashing a powerful pull that tried to swallow her whole, her spiritual power included.
Right as she pushed the Jingxiao Ribbon to its limit, fighting both the devouring suction and the engulfing roots…
A sharp beam of multicolored light slashed in from behind her, splitting an incoming root that had been aiming right for the back of her heart.
Elder Chou.
At some point she had opened her eyes. Fear and exhaustion from the illusion still lingered in them, but her focus was razor sharp again.
The formation plate above her head lit up. Her fingers flew through hand seals, sending streaks of colorful light cutting down the surrounding roots.
Xie Zhaolin was genuinely surprised. She hadn't expected Elder Chou to recover so fast, and even less expected her to jump in instead of pretending nothing happened, or worse, using this chance to strike her.
What was this woman plotting?
But this wasn't the time to dig into motives. She turned sharply, sending the Jingxiao Ribbon through a twisting arc, dodging the direct suction and stabbing straight for the ghost fire burning in the stone face's right eye.
Elder Chou reacted instantly. The formation plate hummed louder and expanded into a massive crescent moon that sliced toward the left eye.
They moved on instinct, one on each side, striking in perfect sync.
The stone face hadn't expected the two of them to break free from its illusion so quickly, let alone counterattack with such force. It let out a furious, shocked roar, the ghost fire in its eyes flaring as it tried to gather strength to defend.
Too late.
A deafening crash exploded through the cavern.
The Jingxiao Ribbon pierced into the right eye's ghost fire, unleashing a violent surge of lightning and yinsha qi. Elder Chou's crescent slammed into the left eye at that exact moment.
The two powerful impacts collided inside the stone face's eye sockets. The thing shrieked with a soul tearing howl. Cracks raced across its massive features, and the ghost fire dimmed rapidly.
Then it shattered with a thunderous boom.
Stone fragments and deathly energy burst out in a storm before fading away.
With the collapse of the stone face, the binding force within the cavern vanished. All the dark red roots froze, shriveled, and dissolved into ash.
The whole cavern returned to silence. Only the Yuehua gemstone at the top continued to shine softly.
By the water, the tiny tree bearing the Yuehua Soul Infant Fruit slowly faded like mist, along with its three tempting fruits.
An illusion.
Or rather, part of the trap.
Xie Zhaolin and Elder Chou exchanged a look, both seeing the same lingering shock and unease in each other's eyes.
This trap had been built far too well, blending truth and illusion so seamlessly that without both of them using their hidden trump cards and working together at the critical moment, they would've died here.
"Go, we shouldn't stay." She made the decision instantly. Behind where the stone face had been, a pitch black tunnel had appeared, a faint breeze drifting out from it.
Elder Chou nodded and didn't hesitate.
Both shot into the newly formed tunnel.
The path behind it was narrow but far smoother than the one before, without obstacles to slow them. They sped up and rushed through, staying wary of any new danger.
Surprisingly, none came.
And the tunnel wasn't long. In less than half a cup of tea, light appeared ahead.
Real sunlight.
When they burst out the other side, they both halted in shock.
They were no longer underground. They were standing inside a dense ancient forest.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves. The air smelled of earth and greenery. It was the outer edge of the forest where they'd first entered the Tianxu Mystic Realm.
They… came out just like that? From that strange and deadly cavern system, they escaped so easily?
The two of them stood in the clearing, staring at each other, unable to believe it.
It had all ended too fast and too abruptly. Was that stone face only guarding this exit? Or had they triggered some kind of teleportation mechanism by accident?
Either way, they were out of danger for now. Both retracted their spiritual pressure and scanned the surroundings. After confirming nothing else lurked around, they finally relaxed a little.
And with the crisis gone, the air between them grew delicate once more.