Chapter 112: Advanced Illusions

Wu Tian and Xiao Hui were both drawn into the abyssal whirlpool. Despite Wu Tian’s desperate struggles, the immense pulling force rendered him immobile. At that moment, Wu Tian truly realized the overwhelming power of nature; before such colossal strength, he felt utterly insignificant.

After plunging into the abyssal marsh, Wu Tian quickly lost consciousness. Even in unconsciousness, his hand remained tightly clasping Xiao Hui’s. In his previous life, Wu Tian had stumbled into the Divine Dragon Continent in such a confused manner. In this life, he had hoped to achieve great things, yet now he was trapped in a bottomless swamp, unable to escape. He was filled with unwillingness—deep, profound unwillingness.

How much time passed, he could not tell, but suddenly Wu Tian regained consciousness, waking with a start.

Opening his eyes, he found himself in a dimly lit underground cavity, faintly illuminated by the glow of a protective barrier surrounding them. Wu Tian paid no heed to the barrier, his first concern being Xiao Hui.

“Xiao Hui!” he called, realizing he still held her hand. She lay beside him.

Wu Tian felt for her pulse and was relieved to find it steady and normal. He exhaled deeply.

“Xiao Hui…” he gently cupped her face and lightly shook her.

The unconscious girl furrowed her brow before suddenly opening her eyes. Upon seeing Wu Tian’s face, she came fully awake.

“Young master, where are we?” Xiao Hui rubbed her aching head and asked.

“I don’t know. We both fell into the abyssal marsh, but it seems it didn’t kill us. Instead, it spun us to some unknown place,” Wu Tian replied, shaking his head.

“It looks like we’re underground,” Xiao Hui glanced upward and noticed they were enveloped by a protective barrier.

“We must have entered the interior of some kind of barrier. I wonder what purpose this subterranean barrier serves,” Wu Tian mused, observing the faint glow around them.

“Young master, let’s look around. Niu Wuji and the others must be worried up above. We need to leave here quickly,” Xiao Hui stood and urged.

Wu Tian nodded and approached the barrier to investigate, but as soon as his palm touched it, a tremendous force repelled him.

“This barrier holds immense power. It cannot be forcibly broken,” Wu Tian frowned and stepped back.

“Young master, there’s a stone cave here that seems passable,” Xiao Hui pointed to an opening nearby.

“Be careful. Let me scout first,” Wu Tian said, stopping Xiao Hui. He entered the cave cautiously and found it safe, then allowed her to follow.

They walked deeper and deeper into the stone tunnel, the walls emitting a faint glow that prevented total darkness at the entrance. Yet, after about ten minutes, they had not reached the end, and Wu Tian began to feel something was amiss.

“Xiao Hui, do you feel like we’ve been here before?” Wu Tian pointed at the stone wall.

“Seems so, I feel like we’ve been walking a long time,” Xiao Hui replied, puzzled.

“Let’s mark our path,” Wu Tian said, carving a small symbol into the stone before continuing.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, they returned to the marked wall.

“This is the mark I just made. We’re definitely going in circles, but I was sure we were moving forward. How could we end up back here?” Wu Tian frowned.

“We must be trapped inside an illusion,” Xiao Hui looked around and said.

“But I can clearly feel the stone walls. Can an illusion be so real?”

“Young master, when I served you before, you ordered me to discard many books. I couldn’t bear to throw some away, so I secretly kept a few. One recorded illusions in detail. The more advanced the illusion, the more real it feels. We must be caught in a high-level illusion,” Xiao Hui explained, sticking her tongue out playfully.

Wu Tian stared, amazed at how much this girl knew. “So, we’re trapped in a high-level illusion. Do you know how to break free?”

“Actually, breaking illusions isn’t difficult. If someone outside, unaffected by the illusion, channels their true energy into us, disrupting our internal energy, the illusion will naturally dissipate. But sadly, there’s no one nearby,” she said.

“So, we’re doomed to be trapped here forever?” Wu Tian said helplessly.

“Young master, the books mention another method, but it’s very dangerous, and I’ve never tried it,” Xiao Hui said shyly.

“What method?” Wu Tian asked eagerly.

“Seal the body’s six senses and reverse the flow of internal true energy!”

Wu Tian was stunned. Sealing the six senses was not difficult, but reversing the flow of true energy was extremely challenging and could cause the dantian to rupture—at best, destroying one’s cultivation; at worst, death.

“Young master, I don’t know if this will work. It’s very risky. Maybe we should find another way,” Xiao Hui worried, not wanting Wu Tian to take such a chance.

“No, this is the way. I’ll break the illusion first, then help you out!” Wu Tian shook his head firmly. For ordinary martial artists, reversing true energy was perilous, but for Wu Tian, who had the system, it was manageable.

He sat down cross-legged and sealed all six senses at once—the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind senses. Instantly, he could perceive nothing outside himself. Then he halted all true energy in his body before forcing it to flow backward through his meridians.

With a loud boom, Wu Tian felt his consciousness violently pulled. He opened his eyes as the stone walls rapidly collapsed and the entire scene transformed. Soon, a new scene appeared before him—still a stone cave, but no longer the one from before.

“Cough cough… this hurts! Reversing true energy is no easy task. It feels like my body was torn apart, and I lost more than half my blood,” Wu Tian muttered painfully as he reactivated his senses. He swallowed an exquisite healing pill and a blood-nourishing elixir, finally feeling some relief.

Beside him, Xiao Hui still lay unconscious, clearly trapped in the illusion.

Wu Tian grasped her hand and channeled a surge of true energy into her. Instantly, her internal energy became chaotic, and her consciousness returned.

“Young master, you’re amazing!” Xiao Hui exclaimed excitedly upon waking.

“It’s you who’s amazing. Without you, I’d still be wandering in that illusionary cave,” Wu Tian smiled.

Xiao Hui smiled sweetly, then suddenly noticed a stone pedestal behind Wu Tian. Hovering above it was a piece of black armor.

“Young master, look over there,” Xiao Hui pointed behind him.

Wu Tian turned and, upon seeing the floating armor, his eyes widened in astonishment.