Chapter 656: Heavy Losses

The Illusion Descends.

Among the four protectors of the Mother Ancestor Sect, the green-eyed man was instantly and utterly ensnared. His soul was completely drawn into the illusion, where he began a new life.

He had love, a clan, a purpose—even a new name: *Blade Nine*. He forgot everything about his true self.

This was the true downfall under the *Illusion*.

Like mortals lost in dreams, unaware of their own identities, his soul was blinded by the illusion. Everything was under control—even life and death!

…

The gray-robed female protector was relatively strong in mental cultivation. Though drawn into the illusion, her soul remained unclouded, maintaining the barest clarity. She knew she was a protector of the Mother Ancestor Sect, trapped in this illusion by Dongbo Xueying of the cultivator universe.

*”This is an illusion.”*

*”Break it!”*

*”Break!”*

She could still sense her physical body, commanding countless green vines to shield herself. She could feel her flesh and the vines—yet the true world around her remained unseen. Her soul could not escape the illusion.

…

The moment the Venomous Candle Protector fell into the illusion, his formidable soul roared:

*”BREAK!”*

An invisible energy surged from his body, tearing at the illusion. With his indomitable will and the mysterious force surrounding him, the illusion shattered like brittle glass.

…

The most effortless escape belonged to the elder wrapped in purple robes, revealing only his cold, wise eyes. In an instant, his soul and willpower obliterated the illusion.

*”Venomous Candle, save the other two!”* the purple-robed elder transmitted urgently.

*”Understood.”* The now-aware Venomous Candle Protector exhaled a torrent of flames, transforming into fiery serpents that slithered in all directions—far faster than his own flight speed—racing toward the gray-robed woman and the green-eyed man.

*”To wield such a powerful illusion… Dongbo Xueying has hidden his depths well,”* the purple-robed elder muttered anxiously.

…

Though Dongbo Xueying knew the Mother Ancestor Sect’s members were generally weaker in mental cultivation, the illusion’s effectiveness still delighted him.

*”One is conscious but trapped. The other is utterly lost in delusion.”* Suppressing his exhilaration, he noted that while the female protector struggled, she still controlled her vines, making her difficult to kill. But the green-eyed man was different—his soul was completely subdued, defenseless.

*”Come here.”*

Dongbo Xueying stepped through the Void World, teleporting beside the green-eyed man. His hand phased into the material realm, seizing the man effortlessly.

*”Stored.”*

With ease, he sealed the green-eyed man into his spatial treasure. Lost in the illusion, the man offered no resistance, as if in deep slumber.

*”One down.”* Dongbo Xueying was thrilled—this alone was a monumental victory.

*”Now for the other.”*

Maintaining the illusion to keep the green-eyed man trapped, he teleported beside the gray-robed woman. A chain materialized in his right hand, lashing out to bind her and drag her into the Void World.

But her body was cocooned in countless vines—so tightly that not a single gap remained. Even her insides were shielded by the writhing foliage. The moment the chain wrapped around her, the vines ensnared it with terrifying force.

Dongbo Xueying pulled—but the chain wouldn’t budge. Instead, it was nearly yanked from his grasp. He swiftly shrank the chain, freeing it and withdrawing it into the Void World.

*”Her vines are stronger than I am,”* he mused. *”No surprise—even my Blood Serpent Spear couldn’t pierce them.”*

**BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!**

The resilient vines were forcibly torn apart as a blazing figure charged forth—a fire avatar of the Venomous Candle Protector. With overwhelming strength, it ripped through the foliage.

Though the female protector was still trapped in the illusion, her vines attacked indiscriminately. Yet the Venomous Candle Protector’s power dwarfed Dongbo Xueying’s. Even an avatar was unstoppable.

Flames engulfed the gray-robed woman.

Dongbo Xueying glanced back—the purple-robed elder had already regrouped with Venomous Candle and was promptly stored away.

*”Hmph.”*

With the gray-robed woman now shielded by flames and beyond his illusion’s reach, the sealed world held only two:

The furious Venomous Candle Protector.

And Dongbo Xueying, hidden in the Void World.

*”Dongbo Xueying!”* Venomous Candle’s voice boomed, his towering form radiating an oppressive aura. *”Release the Serpent Protector, and I’ll spare your life.”*

*”Hahaha!”* Dongbo Xueying’s laughter echoed through the void. *”Still so arrogant? If you can kill me, try. But can you even find me?”*

Venomous Candle seethed, scanning the sealed world—yet Dongbo Xueying was nowhere to be found.

*”Name your terms for the Serpent Protector’s release,”* he growled, suppressing his rage.

As a top-tier figure in the Mother Ancestor Sect, being helpless against Dongbo Xueying was humiliating. But he had to recover the Serpent Protector at all costs.

Since infiltrating the cultivator universe, they had operated with extreme caution. Many Sovereigns had never even encountered them. Only in the lower three realms of the Six Paths Heavenly Wheel did they hold absolute dominance, allowing them to act openly.

Before today, only two protectors had been lost.

Yet now, this insignificant Dongbo Xueying had slain the Venomous Ying Protector—and now captured the Serpent Protector alive.

They had underestimated him.

Initial intelligence labeled him a mere Four Heavens God. Dispatching Venomous Ying should have been enough. But carelessness led to disaster.

And now, even with four protectors acting together—they had fallen into his trap.

Dongbo Xueying was one of the rare few in the entire cultivator universe to master an *illusion-based* path. Figures like White Monarch, Annihilation Emperor, Water Demon King, and Sorcerer Wugui—though mighty—had no expertise in illusions. Even supreme overlords like the Island Lord of Spacetime and the Master of Ten Thousand Palaces had never walked such a path.

Among the limited number of Sovereigns, those skilled in illusions could be counted on one hand.

And Dongbo Xueying’s *Void World Path* was among them.

Illusions were large-scale techniques—capable of ensnaring all four protectors at once. Though three resisted, the green-eyed Serpent Protector had vanished entirely, captured alive.

This battle…

Was lost to sheer arrogance. Their greatest mistake was underestimating Dongbo Xueying—a seemingly unremarkable Sovereign who, by exploiting their weaknesses and their complacency, had dealt them a devastating blow.

*”He’s cunning,”* Venomous Candle thought bitterly. *”Everything was premeditated. When he fought Venomous Ying, he never used illusions or this vanishing trick.”*

His gaze swept the sealed world, finding no trace of Dongbo Xueying.

*”He’s not in the material realm—but another world. That slow flight earlier? All a ruse. He hid his true power too well.”*