Chapter 160: Fatal Illusion

Chapter 160: Fatal Illusion

The temperature here was astonishingly as low as -80°C.

Chu Chuan was displeased with the tree's distribution.

"I've been the one carrying everything. Why should you get seven layers? It all should be mine!"

He replied dominantly, but as soon as he finished speaking, the tree's vines began to coil towards him.

Muzhilin did not want either the man or the tree to quarrel over the loot at this moment. He quickly tightened his grip on the twitching vines and then looked at Chu Chuan, diverting his attention by suggesting,

"Let's quickly check out the palace. If we're late, all the good stuff will be gone."

Upon hearing this, Chu Chuan realized that there was something more pressing at hand. The matter of dividing the spoils could be temporarily put aside – after all, once it was in his pocket, the treasure wouldn't escape.

He nodded.

"Then let's hurry up."

Saying this, he glanced at Xie Shuyan, Shiqi, and Mu Shiqi before swiftly looping his arms around Muzhilin's waist and lifting him off the ground. With a gust of wind beneath their feet, they sped toward the palace.

Muzhilin was startled by the sudden action, instinctively hugging Chu Chuan tighter. Ever since Chu Chuan had advanced to the Eighth Rank, he had heard him mention that he was practicing flight techniques. However, he hadn't expected to experience it so soon – it was thrilling!

Would he be able to do this too in the future?

Seeing Chu Chuan and Muzhilin take off, Muxue's body rapidly expanded. Chu Yi, understanding the situation, immediately climbed aboard. The man and beast followed closely behind Chu Chuan as they flew away.

Left behind were Mu Shiqi and Xie Shuyan. They exchanged a glance and, resigned to their fate, began running after them.

They had originally thought they would have to rely on their legs to reach the palace. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind swept over them. Both felt their waists lifted by the wind, and in the next moment, they found themselves soaring through the air.

"!" As a wind-type ability user, Mu Shiqi knew that it was Chu Chuan's wind spiritual energy aiding their flight. Gazing down at the towering forest below, she felt a mix of fear and exhilaration from being in control.

It turns out that wind-based abilities can be utilized in such a manner. She must jot down the fluctuations of this elemental spirit energy so she could learn to fly someday too!

Xie Shuyan, on the other hand, sighed as he gazed at Chu Chuan and Muzhilin in the lead, once again acknowledging the disparity between them.

There was a fleeting moment when his feet dangled in mid-air that he regretted severing his mental connection with Fang Yi. If not, perhaps his ability would have advanced more swiftly.

But then, he shook his head.

Fang Yi's mental power had already recovered, making him useless to Fang Yi now. So why should he assume that he could still benefit from the mark without removing it?

His ability itself had relied on others during its initial awakening. He didn't wish to experience that feeling of being restrained and controlled again.

Relying on oneself was the most reliable approach.

Discrepancies bred motivation. He should be more grateful than anyone else because he had goals like Little Chuan and Zhilin to strive for.

Yet, there were moments when he felt wistful, wondering when he could catch up to their pace. As the older brother, he was far from adequate.

...

After Wen Li and Ye Zhusheng left, leaning on the Snow Wolves, they quickly reunited with a few Beast Taming Sect disciples they were acquainted with. "Senior Sister Wen! Senior Sister Ye!"

Wen Li looked at them and approached to pat their backs. "You guys made it in too!"

Scratching his head, the cultivator chuckled. Back then, they had been waiting outside the Assembly Hall, never expecting that they would all enter together.

How fortunate they were.

The jade badges didn't seem to have a limit on the number of people; instead, as long as one held the badge, everyone within a certain range could enter.

They must have been incredibly lucky.

Suddenly, Ye Zhusheng thought of something and asked, "Before we entered, I heard the sect's bell tolling. Did something happen?"

Upon hearing this, the cultivator's expression turned grave, and he lowered his voice. "Yes, something big happened! The sect was robbed! The spirit treasures in the warehouse are gone! The elders are furious!"

Wen Li and Ye Zhusheng were both astonished upon hearing this. Had their sect been robbed? But then, as if they had read each other's minds, they exchanged a glance without saying a word.

This was too coincidental.

Could it be Young Master Chu?

"Wen Senior Sister, Ye Senior Sister, you wouldn't believe it – not only has the sect's warehouse been emptied, but even the elders' private stashes have been plundered. Everything is gone!"

"Exactly! That thief is the epitome of scum, digging into our holy ground! Absolutely despicable!"

"The elders have vowed to catch that thief and punish him severely! He must still be inside, and the elders won't let him get away!"

Wen Li and Ye Zhusheng exchanged silent looks.

Apart from the Grand Elder, no one else would let that "thief" off the hook. If the thief were to encounter anyone from the Beast Taming Sect, he would likely be killed for his treasures before any punishment could be carried out.

"Forget about them. Let's hurry to the hall," Wen Li changed the subject.

The group nodded in agreement.

Though infuriated by the theft of their sect's belongings, they were not directly affected by the loss. Hence, after their initial anger subsided, they did not share the elders' profound distress.

...

Perched upon the horizon, the palace appeared resplendent in gold and grandiose from afar. Anyone would assume it held valuable treasures within. However, despite its apparent proximity, the journey to the palace proved exhausting for all who attempted it.

The adage "a mountain looks close but is actually far" rang true as cultivators and metahumans pressed forward, yet found themselves no closer to the palace.

For Chu Chuan and Muzhilin, they flew for over half an hour without any perceivable progress towards the palace. It seemed to resemble a mirage in the desert.

Similarly perplexed, other cultivators and metahumans flying alongside them wondered how, despite their efforts, the palace remained so distant.

"Muzhilin, let me down," Muzhilin said, sensing something amiss. He tapped Chu Chuan on the shoulder, requesting to be put down. Though puzzled, Chu Chuan still halted in mid-air.

Those still striving forward around them cast puzzled glances as they witnessed the halt, but some assumed they had simply grown weary from flying.

"A person flying in the sky actually stopped. Seems like flying consumes a lot of spiritual energy."

"Let alone flying, I'm almost exhausted from running. Why is this palace so far away?"

"He looks quite young. Wonder what cultivation level he's at. If I had time, I'd really like to learn about that flight technique."

"It's good that they've stopped. That way, we can claim more of the spiritual treasures inside the palace."

"You're right. Let's hurry up!"

...

The cultivators and ability users heading for the palace didn't slow down because Chu Chuan and Muzhilin had paused; instead, they pushed themselves even harder towards their destination.

Some among them sensed something amiss, but amid such fierce competition, they lacked the energy to dwell on it.

"Second Brother, what's going on?" Chu Yi, riding on Muxue's back, followed closely behind and landed when he saw Chu Chuan stop.

Chu Chuan ignored him, focusing instead on Muzhilin. When they first entered, Muzhilin had mentioned feeling dizzy. Chu Chuan assumed the man was unwell.

"Brother Lin?"

Muzhilin placed a finger to his lips in a hushing gesture, then turned his gaze to the palace standing not far away. He caused the ancient tree to reveal its true form, anchoring itself into the ground and using its roots to probe the surroundings.

His physique made him highly sensitive to the aura around him, especially the various elemental energies of nature. Normally, he could sense the balance of these elements, but at this moment, despite being surrounded by birdsong and flowers, he sensed no such equilibrium.

This feeling of imbalance was akin to a motion-sick person trapped in a hot car, causing great discomfort.

After the ancient tree investigated, it declared, "Rainforest, I sense a chill. We must decipher this illusion quickly, or you'll be in grave danger!"

"Cold?" Chu Yi was puzzled. "I don't feel cold at all; if anything, I'm quite warm."

Having arrived late, Xie Shuyan, upon hearing the tree's words, pondered for a moment before suggesting, "Could we have fallen into an illusion?"

Chu Chuan contemplated for half a second, then spread out his spiritual energy. Soon, he sensed something. His eyes flashed as he focused his energy, gathering spirit qi in his palm and striking upward with a sudden, fierce blow.

A thunderous "Boom!" echoed, and the blue sky and white clouds seemed to shatter like a screen.

Amidst the astonishment of the crowd, a snowflake drifted out from the fissure, followed by a piercing cold that seeped in, instantly frosting the surrounding trees with a layer of white.

Everyone was stunned.

"What's going on?"

"I have no idea!"

"Did the sky just crack?! Could it be that this spatial rift is unstable, and we're about to be torn apart? I should've never come in!"

As the crowd panicked, the crack in the sky extended down to the ground.

"Senior Sister! It's that group of people!"

Wuma Shengci's pupils constricted as he saw Chu Chuan striking the sky from midair – it was the man who could match the Sect Leader in strength.

Upon hearing this, Situ Lanlin immediately looked in the direction he pointed. Upon recognizing Chu Chuan and Muzhilin, she intended to retreat with her companion. After all, they were only two against the group, and they would surely meet their demise if they encountered them.

Yet in the next instant, she witnessed Chu Chuan pull out a magical artifact and hurl it skyward. With an even more violent explosion, the rift in the sky expanded outward like a spiderweb.

Situ Lanlin's pupils dilated.

That was... a magical artifact from their sect!

How could Chu Chuan have it?!

A possibility flashed through Situ Lanlin's mind, igniting fury in her eyes.

"He stole from the sect!"

Upon hearing Situ Lanlin's accusation, Wuma Shengci's expression froze for a moment.

The cultivators and ability users nearby, initially confused about which sect and what theft she was referring to, quickly recognized the two individuals and grasped the situation.

The Beast Taming Sect had been robbed? !

Before they could express their astonishment, the world they were in began to crumble around them.

In the blink of an eye, everything before their eyes shattered, leaving only a blinding white light that forced them to squint.

Chu Chuan shielded Muzhilin, whispering into his ear, "Brother Lin, close your eyes."

Muzhilin, trusting Chu Chuan without suspicion, closed his eyes. Almost instantaneously, he shuddered violently, feeling a chill that seemed to envelop him, one he couldn't shake off.

He sensed that Chu Chuan, who had been holding him from behind, seemed to have vanished. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself lying in a pile of snow!

Chu Chuan also felt the person in his arms disappear. He immediately opened his eyes, ignoring the thin clothes on his body as he swiftly scanned his surroundings. Only when he saw Muzhilin in his field of vision did the bloodshot tinge in his eyes gradually fade.

Muzhilin touched his clothes and realized they were the ones he had just changed into.

What happened? Could it all have been an illusion? If so, it was alarmingly realistic!

Feeling the cold, Chu Chuan promptly took out a coat to drape over Muzhilin, then quickly changed into warmer clothing himself.

After the initial shock, Muzhilin regained his composure and began to rouse Mu Shiqi and the others one by one.

Muxue was the quickest to awaken. The moment its eyes opened, it realized it had just experienced an illusion. Before it could shake off the snow on its body, it looked at the unconscious Chu Yi and circled around him, howling anxiously.

"Woof! Woof!"

Muxue could sense that Chu Yi's life force was precariously faint. If he didn't awaken soon, he would breathe his last! It wouldn't matter if this person died, but the contract would backlash upon her, leaving her severely injured.

No way! Absolutely not!

Chu Chuan, having changed into fresh clothes, lifted his gaze to survey the unfamiliar snowy expanse. Besides them, there lay numerous cultivators and metahumans alike.

Many, like them, were stirring slowly from their slumber, while others showed no sign of breath, forever beyond waking.

Chu Chuan retrieved an Arctic temperature gauge from his spatial dimension, and upon checking, the temperature here astonishingly reached -80℃.

He was uncertain if the time in the illusion correlated with the time here. At such frigid temperatures, those with insufficient cultivation might perish within a couple of hours.

"Muzhilin! Come quickly and take a look! They're completely rigid! I can't wake them up!"

Muzhilin's anxious voice echoed, and Chu Chuan hurried over. He found Xie Shuyan and the other two with pale complexions. Their bodies were as cold as ice when he touched them, but fortunately, they still breathed. Swiftly, he cast a fire spell, causing several flames to hover around Xie Shuyan, Mu Shiqi, and Chu Yi.

"Don't panic. They're still breathing; they won't die," Chu Chuan reassured, holding Muzhilin's hand.

Exposed to the scorching heat, the three of them quickly regained consciousness. However, due to their inadequate cultivation to withstand the cold, they were all frozen to varying degrees, rendering their limbs stiff even upon waking up.

Chu Chuan retrieved the RV and, together with Muxue, helped the trio into it. Muzhilin adjusted the air conditioning to a warmer temperature and then headed to the small kitchen to boil some water for them to drink.

After escaping the frigid environment, the three individuals' conditions improved slightly.

"Should I pour some hot water and let them soak in it?" Chu Chuan suggested.

Muzhilin shook his head. "No need. Their injuries aren't severe. I'll heal them." With that, he used his healing spirit energy to treat the swollen areas on their bodies.

Among the three, Chu Yi seemed to be in better shape, perhaps because Muxue had frequently taken him out for training before.

In contrast, both Xie Shuyan and Mu Shiqi had not only red, swollen skin but also blisters. More alarmingly, the parts of their bodies exposed to the cold had turned black and purple, indicating third-degree frostbite. Fortunately, the two had awakened their abilities, which had strengthened their bodies. Otherwise, their skin might have necrotized, causing loss of sensation and necessitating amputation.

"Sis, look outside!" Mu Shiqi suddenly shouted, staring at the scene outside the car window.

All of them looked in unison.

Many people in the snowy region had already awoken, but instead of expressing relief from their near-death experience, their faces were grave, with each person warily observing those around them.

An eerie tension hung in the air around each person.

Amidst this, some began to strip the lifeless cultivators of their belongings, appropriating their resources for themselves. Even more audaciously, there were those who targeted the still-breathing individuals who had yet to regain consciousness.

A silent slaughter unfolded beyond the windows, and Mu Shiqi, Xie Shuyan, and Chu Yi watched in horror, realizing how narrowly they had escaped a similar fate.