The smile on the face of the white-robed man gradually faded, replaced by a chilling and eerie frost. He stared intently at Xiao Yan, and although he did not speak, the space around him trembled violently, like ripples in water.
“An illusion?” The others, such as Xuner, were startled by Xiao Yan’s words. They seemed to suddenly understand: “You mean we are still in an illusion?”
“I am real,” Zi Yan quickly interjected. Her senses told her that she was absolutely real, and there was no such thing as an illusion!
“We are all real,” Xiao Yan’s gaze also fixed on the white-robed man, and he said softly, “But we have indeed fallen into an illusion. This is the most terrifying part of the Dream Demon Heavenly Fog. If we continue to follow the arrangements of the Purifying Lotus Demon Fire, we will only be increasingly entrapped until we become its fire slaves completely. Even if we experience a great battle here and kill it, in reality, we will still remain in the illusion.”
“Do you mean that the fire slaves we encountered, including Xiao Chen, are all illusory?” Gu Nanhai frowned, then suddenly looked at Xiao Chen, who remained silent beside him.
“Truth within lies, lies within truth—that is the terror of the Purifying Lotus Demon Fire. Ancestor Xiao Chen is not an illusion; he is real,” Xiao Yan shook his head, looking at Xiao Chen and said softly, “It’s just that most of his mind is controlled by the Purifying Lotus Demon Fire.”
Xuner and the others exchanged glances, then cautiously surveyed their surroundings, but no matter how they investigated, they could not detect any signs of the illusion.
“In the past, the Purifying Lotus Demon Saint was known as the peak expert closest to the level of Emperor. However, he was ultimately devoured by the Purifying Lotus Demon Fire, leading to his downfall. After his fall, the Purifying Lotus Demon Fire inherited his legacy, and the Dream Demon Heavenly Fog is the famous technique of the Demon Saint. When this Lord Demon Saint used this technique, he could make a city with millions of people live in an illusion for hundreds of years. The power of such an illusion is beyond the imagination of ordinary people.”
Xiao Yan sighed lightly, his voice filled with some astonishment. This kind of illusion was terrifying to even think about, and the Purifying Lotus Demon Saint truly lived up to the title of ‘Demon Saint.’
“The previous Purifying Lotus Demon Fire did not have this ability,” Gu Nanhai said in a solemn voice. No one had encountered such a tricky situation in the past when the Demon Fire appeared.
“A thousand years can change many things, and it has given the Purifying Lotus Demon Fire time to gradually learn all the Demon Saint’s techniques. In a way, he can be considered another ‘Purifying Lotus Demon Saint.'”
Xiao Yan’s gaze remained fixed on the white-robed man, whose expression grew increasingly cold.
“Why do you understand the Dream Demon Heavenly Fog so well?” the white-robed man on the throne finally spoke, his voice eerily slow.
Xiao Yan smiled, inconspicuously touching his forehead, but did not answer the question. He could suddenly see through the illusion and sense the strangeness of the place, naturally because of the light ball in his mind. If not for its guidance, even he would have suffered a setback today. Before the strange light ball reminded him, he had never thought that, after leaving the Dream Demon Heavenly Fog, they were still in an illusion.
“It seems that during these thousand years, you have been creating this illusion. Of course, if everything went as planned, you would have emerged victorious. I doubt anyone else would have noticed the subtleties here.”
Xiao Yan smiled, a sense of relief filling his heart. The place created by the Purifying Lotus Demon Fire over a thousand years was not easily broken through. Without the strange light ball from the ancient map, those who entered the Demon Fire Space, even the Soul Temple’s people, would have been annihilated.
“But alas…” The white-robed man stared at Xiao Yan coldly, a stream of milky-white flame slowly spreading from his body. Instantly, a destructive high temperature began to envelop the space.
Seeing the white-robed man’s imposing manner, Xuner and the others’ faces changed slightly, and they gathered together, alertness in their eyes.
“Since it is an illusion, how do we break it? This guy feels very real to us,” the Pharmacist Elder said in a low voice. Now he gradually believed Xiao Yan’s words, but the flames around the white-robed figure in front of them told them that if they died here, they would still die for real.
“No matter how realistic, an illusion is still an illusion. As long as you firmly believe he is extremely strong, he will be unbeatable. Here, his strength depends on our thoughts,” Xiao Yan said in a low voice.
“Seeking death!” When Xiao Yan’s words fell, the face of the white-robed man underwent a drastic change. With a roar, he moved, appearing above Xiao Yan and the others. He clenched his hand, transforming the milky-white flames into a massive flame lance, and swung his arm, tearing through the air with a destructive force, aiming directly at Xiao Yan and the others.
Under this destructive power, everyone’s faces turned pale.
“Do not use your Dou Qi to defend. In your hearts, regard him as a useless dog, or else, we will all die!” Seeing this, Xiao Yan roared like thunder.
The thunderous roar jolted everyone, and regardless of the humorous comparison, they quickly suppressed their fear, gathering their Dou Qi and trusting Xiao Yan’s words.
“Bang!” The enormous flame lance descended from the sky, striking them with destructive force, but just as they braced for injury, the lance suddenly vanished!
“Scoundrel.” The face of the white-robed man in the sky showed a fierce anger. His body even became somewhat illusory at this moment. He didn’t expect Xiao Yan to find a way to weaken his power so quickly.
“Dream Demon Illusion, break.” Xiao Yan’s face became grave. He flicked two fingers, and a drop of vital blood shot out, quickly forming a peculiar blood symbol in the air.
“Breaking the Nightmare Seal? How do you know it?” Seeing the blood symbol, the white-robed man’s face darkened.
“Bang!” Ignoring him, Xiao Yan flicked his finger, and the blood symbol shot forward, sticking to the void in front of them. The space immediately fluctuated violently, and finally, under the amazed eyes of Xiao Yan and the others, it exploded!
As the space exploded, Xiao Yan and the others felt a sudden dizziness in their minds and quickly opened their eyes.
When they opened their eyes, they saw a sea of magma, with occasional streams of milky-white flames spouting out. The milky-white magma extended to the horizon, as if this entire space was a sea of magma.
Above the sea of magma, some extremely large rocks floated. Xiao Yan and the others were standing on these rocks. Behind them, a huge silver halo slowly rotated…
“Out?” Seeing the unfamiliar landscape, Xuner and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
“Is this still an illusion?” The Pharmacist Elder looked around, somewhat frightened. The previous events had made them wary, and no one would have thought that all their efforts had been in vain.
“The Purifying Lotus Demon Fire doesn’t have that capability.” Xiao Yan smiled, relieved to have left the damned illusion. It felt as if his soul was lighter, and the Dream Demon Heavenly Fog truly lived up to being the Purifying Lotus Demon Saint’s hallmark technique; it was too terrifying.
“Roar!” Just as Xiao Yan let out a sigh of relief, Xiao Chen, who was beside him, suddenly let out another low growl, his face contorted with struggle. In a hoarse and urgent voice, he said, “The Purifying Lotus Demon Fire is controlling me again!”
Seeing this, Xiao Yan’s face changed slightly. Though Xiao Chen was considered a fire slave of the Purifying Lotus Demon Fire, he possessed the strength to resist the control. If they could free him from the Demon Fire’s control, he would be an invaluable ally. Xiao Yan lacked such a peak-level expert capable of holding the line.
However, it was one thing to think about it and another to do it. Having experienced the terror of the Purifying Lotus Demon Fire, Xiao Yan knew it wouldn’t be easy. But as he was at a loss, the strange light ball in his mind sent out a faint fluctuation again.
“This is…” Receiving the fluctuation, Xiao Yan was slightly stunned. Sensing it, his face showed surprise. He quickly pointed his finger at Xiao Chen’s forehead, and his soul power surged, rapidly drawing an invisible rune on Xiao Chen’s forehead. As the rune formed, the struggle on Xiao Chen’s face gradually faded.
“This can only temporarily sever the control of the Purifying Lotus Demon Fire. To completely eradicate it, we must first defeat the Purifying Lotus Demon Fire.”
Seeing Xiao Chen return to normal, Xiao Yan withdrew his finger and said softly.
“Swish, swish.” Just as Xiao Yan finished speaking, figures suddenly appeared from the floating rocks around them. They hovered in the sky, panting heavily, their faces filled with fear.
“It seems breaking the illusion caused a chain reaction, bringing these guys out as well…” Seeing those people, the Pharmacist Elder observed.
“It’s good they came out. We need their help to subdue the Purifying Lotus Demon Fire,” Xiao Yan smiled slightly, his gaze directed towards the nearby sea of magma. There, a magma column about a hundred feet tall slowly rose from the sea and paused at the same height as the others, before a man in a white robe appeared in everyone’s sight.
Looking at this real figure, Xiao Yan and the others’ faces became solemn. This was the true Purifying Lotus Demon Fire…
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage