Chapter 1734: Not Believing

Xiao Wencheng’s face changed dramatically. He lightly patted the Haoyuan Golden Mirror and said, “Focus on the shore of Inverted Lake, and zoom in!”

The Haoyuan Golden Mirror automatically adjusted its angle several times, but it was no use.

The image in the mirror showed that everything inside the lighthouse barrier was blurred. Everyone could only vaguely perceive something moving, but outside the barrier, everything remained clearly visible in high definition.

“The lighthouse’s light is blocking the Haoyuan Golden Mirror’s view,” Xiao Wencheng immediately realized something was wrong. He no longer cared about conserving energy. He turned to the sandbox, lightly tapped the shore of Inverted Lake twice, and then forcefully pulled his fingertip upwards!

He had already performed this technique twice before. He Lingchuan knew he was altering the terrain, intending to raise mountains from the shore of Inverted Lake.

Although it consumed a vast amount of energy, performing it one or two more times shouldn’t have been an issue.

However, when Xiao Wencheng pulled, the stretches of pebble beach along Inverted Lake did indeed rise from the ground — except for the lighthouse barrier!

The mirror showed that the barrier remained completely still, not moving an inch, looking conspicuously out of place with the surrounding terrain.

Xiao Wencheng released his hand and slammed the table heavily. “Damn it! Miao Zhantian’s barrier is isolating the Immortal Venerable’s power!”

This summary was spot-on. The lighthouse barrier built by Bai Ziqi had essentially completely cut off the Illusory Sect’s privileges in this small realm.

Whether it was divine power blessings, terrain alteration, or battlefield surveillance, none of it could be used!

Xiao Wencheng casually picked up a Pixiu jade carving from the table and threw it into the Haoyuan Golden Mirror. “Go!”

The Pixiu paperweight, no bigger than a palm, came to life as soon as it entered the Haoyuan Golden Mirror, shaking its head and wagging its tail, looking utterly lifelike!

However, Xiao Wencheng had aimed it at the lighthouse barrier shown in the mirror. This Pixiu did not land at the intended spot; instead, it was bounced away by the barrier’s light shield, landing in the jungle two or three miles away.

“Teleportation has also failed,” Dong Rui secretly gave a thumbs-up. “Miao Zhantian’s move to turn the tables is absolutely brilliant!”

Not even the Celestial Palace’s Cloud Envoys could forge such an artifact. The “lighthouse” must have originated from Miao Zhantian. Before entering the illusion of an ancient true immortal, one would naturally prepare. Given that this goddess’s most famous ability was “Truth Discernment,” it was no surprise that she had foresightedly crafted artifacts specifically targeting illusory realms.

Anything from Miao Zhantian was guaranteed to be of high quality. All the characteristics of this lighthouse barrier were almost entirely designed to counter illusory realms.

He Lingchuan didn’t know that Miao Zhantian and Qianhuan had fought a great battle in ancient times; otherwise, he could have inferred more.

Miao Zhantian’s move had significantly weakened the Illusory Sect’s advantage on the battlefield, already leveling the playing field. If combined with the Celestial Capital’s Grand Array’s spirit-absorbing capability, the scales of victory would likely tip towards the Celestial Palace team as time passed.

Xiao Wencheng’s expression was grim. “We must find a way to destroy this lighthouse.”

“If such a useful item can be produced with ample materials, Miao Zhantian wouldn’t have made only one,” He Lingchuan reminded him. “Perhaps Bai Ziqi intends not only to gain a foothold with the lighthouse but also to use it to gradually erode your territory!”

Inside the lighthouse barrier, the Illusory Sect had no advantage whatsoever, and the Immortal Venerable’s Haoyuan Golden Mirror was powerless against it.

Elder Liu’s expression shifted slightly, then he snorted, “Alarmist talk. It also depends on whether they have the ability!”

Xiao Wencheng stated gravely, “This is a cancerous growth. Inverted Sea absolutely cannot tolerate them!”

“If I were Bai Ziqi, the most crucial thing right now would be to proceed steadily, connecting the lighthouse barriers into a single expanse, rather than rushing to attack Stone Dragon Peak!” He Lingchuan said earnestly. “If the Immortal Venerable doesn’t intervene and Miao Zhantian doesn’t enter the fray, the most significant factor determining the outcome of this war will be ‘resources’!”

“The more spiritual energy he claims, the greater your cumulative consumption will be, creating a situation where their strength rises as yours declines.” From this, it was also evident that the Celestial Palace was highly experienced in excavating immortal caves and had thoroughly prepared various contingency plans.

He Lingchuan had been observing the sandbox terrain for a long time. At this moment, he reached out and gestured on the sandbox: “Here, here, and here are excellent locations for placing lighthouses. They have steep slopes, making them easy to defend and difficult to attack, and they can also mutually support each other, making it convenient for the Celestial Palace to build lighthouses all the way from the lakeshore to the base of Stone Dragon Peak. If we alter the terrain in advance, we can most likely hinder them from connecting the barriers.”

He had no authority, so no matter how he pointed or gestured, the sandbox terrain remained unmoved.

Dong Rui assisted, saying, “Those who strike first gain the upper hand; those who strike second are passive.”

Xiao Wencheng looked at the locations he pointed to, then glanced at the Haoyuan Golden Mirror, pondering in silence.

He Lingchuan’s words were debatable. It was hard to say how many lighthouses the Celestial Palace team could produce—and even if they did, would they place them at the locations He Lingchuan had chosen?

Every terrain alteration consumed immense energy, so he had to be cautious.

He then looked at the elders behind him; some frowned, others shook their heads at him.

Although He Lingchuan was a guest from Spirit Mountain, firstly, his background was unknown, and secondly, he was too young—his lifespan was not even a fraction of theirs.

It was like asking whether adults in their forties or fifties would believe the nonsensical ramblings of a seven or eight-year-old child.

The Soul-Snatching Mirror in its master’s arms sneered, “Squandering spiritual energy carelessly in the early stages, are you in a tight spot now? You don’t even know to keep some reserves when doing things!”

It was a mirror that had seen much and could infer a lot from subtle clues.

He Lingchuan’s heart stirred upon hearing this, and he turned to look at the Haoyuan Golden Mirror.

Something was wrong.

Qianhuan had used the Inverted Heaven’s Net Array to absorb spiritual energy from Flashgold Plain for over 150 years. Even if her own consumption was immense, she should still have a large reserve. Not to mention, the spiritual energy concentration at Stone Dragon Peak was several times higher than at the base of the mountain, so the Illusory Sect’s stock of profound crystals should be considerable and impossible to deplete in a short time.

In such a critical moment, would Xiao Wencheng really be too cautious and stingy to alter the terrain?

That didn’t seem right.

He Lingchuan had previously thought that the main constraint on the Haoyuan Golden Mirror’s usage count and frequency was energy consumption. Now, looking at the three turquoise stones on top of the mirror, did they merely represent spiritual energy reserves?

Every time Xiao Wencheng moved mountains or filled seas, he would glance at the Haoyuan Golden Mirror.

What hint could the mirror give him?

So, what exactly was preventing these immortals from freely unleashing powerful divine abilities?

Xiao Wencheng wasn’t in the mood to guess what He Lingchuan was thinking. He turned to Elder Liu and instructed, “Have Junior Brother Fu lead two hundred men to support the shore of Inverted Lake.”

The lighthouse barrier obscured the Haoyuan Golden Mirror’s view, so no one knew how the battle inside the barrier was progressing. To be safe, Xiao Wencheng dispatched another immortal.

But by sending reinforcements this way, he was ignoring He Lingchuan’s suggestion.

Dong Rui winked at He Lingchuan, implying that his good intentions were unappreciated.

He Lingchuan ignored him, stroking his chin in thought.

He had warned the Illusory Sect once and offered advice once, but they hadn’t listened. That was fine; it was understandable. He had neither the qualifications nor the age, so why should they listen to him?