Chapter 1779: Is It Real or Illusion?

The Mirage Immortal then said to He Lingchuan, "Good, very good. You have rendered great service and deserve a hefty reward. We will discuss this further once today's matters are resolved."

He Lingchuan knew that Thousand Illusion mentioning "further discussion" indicated his lingering concern about the power behind He Lingchuan.

Xiao Wencheng pointed to the sand table and said, "Immortal Venerable, the Heavenly Palace forces have already entered the second lighthouse's barrier and are heading north towards Stone Dragon Peak."

This sand table displayed everything happening on Silver Pearl Island's surface, including the Heavenly Palace forces.

His greatest fear had come true:

The Heavenly Palace had abandoned the lighthouse strategy altogether, opting for a swift decisive battle. He Xiao was right; Grand Serenity Heaven had lost patience.

As Thousand Illusion walked towards the sand table, Dong Rui gestured to He Lingchuan, asking, "This isn't Thousand Illusion's true form, is it?"

He Lingchuan shook his head. This was merely an external Dharma manifestation of Thousand Illusion, capable of changing its appearance.

The best tool for observing enemy movements was the Vast Origin Golden Mirror, but this treasure had already been given to He Xiao in the name of the Illusion Sect. Thousand Illusion possessed countless divine abilities himself and wouldn't be petty enough to immediately demand it back.

Gathering his wide sleeves, he gently swept two fingers over the sand table. Beneath his hand, a colorless, transparent dome appeared, encompassing the entire sand table.

Following this, the mountains, rivers, figures, villages, towns, docks, vehicles, and boats — everything within the sand table — gained color.

What was originally made of sand now looked like real objects, devoid of any grainy texture. Even figures barely larger than a fly's head had expressions on their faces and wrinkles on their clothes.

Inside the dome, atop the sand table, was a miniature Silver Pearl Island, almost a scaled-down replica. Even the sky above the miniature island began to show clouds.

In the flick of a finger, True Man Thousand Illusion transformed the original sand table, not only making it tangible but also expanding its functions.

From the sand table, it was clear that the Heavenly Palace forces had bypassed Yu Village and were continuing their northward advance. Of course, Mount Companion Lighthouse and Yu Village were gone, leaving behind only a nearly circular, massive crater, as if someone had scooped out a huge chunk with a spoon, flattening peaks and carving valleys.

This was the trace left by Elder Xu's soul implosion. Elder Liu, who had remained silent, looked at it with profound sadness. Thousands of years of camaraderie among fellow disciples were now severed by eternal separation.

"Grand Serenity Heaven's physical form is severely damaged. Xu Lixing truly lived up to his reputation as a pillar of my Illusion Sect, courageous and unyielding." Thousand Illusion's words sent cold sweat down Xiao Wencheng's back. "But your actions were foolish! Despite being warned, you still clung to hope and acted recklessly!"

Xiao Wencheng knew Thousand Illusion was referring to his decision to order his fellow disciples to charge the Mount Companion Lighthouse. He bowed his head in acknowledgment, "This disciple is incompetent and caused the demise of many fellow disciples. Please, Immortal Venerable, punish me!"

Thousand Illusion remained silent, glancing at He Lingchuan again. He was fully aware of everything that had transpired within the Wenhui Pavilion. At that time, He Lingchuan had offered two suggestions and provided corresponding warnings, truly doing his utmost and leaving no fault to be found.

However, Thousand Illusion would not overlook why the elders insisted on attacking Mount Companion Lighthouse.

Language is an art; finding no fault does not mean there was no misleading. As a mirage demon, Thousand Illusion was naturally a master of deception.

Was the argument between this young man and Elder Xu Four intentional or unintentional?

He often used sign language when conversing with his companions, precisely to prevent Thousand Illusion and Xiao Wencheng from eavesdropping. Therefore, what was expressed through sign language was their true thoughts, right?

He didn't elaborate, merely looking towards the sand table.

Xiao Wencheng composed himself and whispered, "Grand Serenity Heaven retreated back to the Heavenly Palace forces instead of heading directly for Stone Dragon Peak, likely to recuperate from injuries and also to observe Immortal Venerable's reaction." On the sand table, the Heavenly Palace forces were advancing towards the Stone Dragon mountain range, and Grand Serenity Heaven and its physical form had vanished again. Elder Xu's desperate final stand had, after all, bought the Illusion Sect some time.

"The fact that it used a spatiotemporal rift this time is somewhat peculiar." Thousand Illusion knew perfectly well the capabilities of its disciples. While Grand Serenity Heaven could defeat them by using a true immortal's physical form, theoretically, it was nearly impossible to kill them all at the same time.

Yet Grand Serenity Heaven had managed it.

He Lingchuan immediately asked, "Does that mean Grand Serenity Heaven's divine descent this time was almost at full power, with no loss of strength?"

"That remains to be seen." Thousand Illusion's face was grim. Had Grand Serenity Heaven not had something to rely on, it wouldn't have dared enter this Inverted Sea. "The silver shuttle that swallowed Mount Companion contained a trace of indistinct Primordial Chaos energy, or perhaps Chaos power, which enabled it to tear through the void and devour my disciples!"

Xiao Wencheng's expression changed. "Chaos power? That touches upon the very origin of the Great Thousand Worlds!"

No wonder his fellow disciples couldn't escape. Not to mention human power, even immortal power would be of little use against it.

He Lingchuan was puzzled. "After being swallowed by the void, where did the elders go?"

The shuttle Grand Serenity Heaven produced contained the Chaos power of the Great Thousand Worlds? He immediately recalled the red shadow inside the Great Square Cauldron, which was also referred to as Chaos.

No wonder the Vast Origin Golden Mirror, one of the ancient supreme treasures, couldn't defeat it. He also wondered what the Great Square Cauldron intended to use this Vast Origin Golden Mirror for.

"They might have been crushed to oblivion by the void on the spot, or they might have fallen into temporal-spatial turbulence," Xiao Wencheng whispered. "Whether alive or dead, we will likely never see them again. From now on, they are separated from us by life and death."

He Lingchuan had doubts. "I heard that some elders of the Illusion Sect once entered Kidney Lake and never returned?"

"They were merely trapped during my secluded cultivation."

"They shouldn't show themselves now, lest the Heavenly Palace discovers them," Xiao Wencheng said. "Grand Serenity Heaven believes Immortal Venerable is still in secluded cultivation, which is an advantage we can exploit." Thousand Illusion hummed in agreement and told Xiao Wencheng, "Activate all Mystic Crystal reserves. After today, we won't have any use for them."

"Yes," Xiao Wencheng replied, then stepped out of the pavilion and vanished from the spot in two strides. This was a major undertaking, and he needed to make a trip to Immortal Light Cavern himself.

After Wu Shidao's betrayal of the sect and the theft of Mystic Crystals, the procedure for withdrawing Mystic Crystals from Immortal Light Cavern became exceptionally strict.

The sect leader's personal presence, of course, ensured a smooth process.

He walked all the way to the lowest level of Immortal Light Cavern and personally handed the instructions to the Scale Demon.

This time, the Scale Demon did not take out the Mystic Crystals for him. Instead, it activated a mechanism on the lowest level, revealing a pitch-black, gaping hole at least three zhang in diameter.

It was unknown where this hole led; it was perfectly silent, without even a hint of a cold draft.

From the treasury, thousands of weights leaped out, each carrying a box of Mystic Crystals, which they then unceremoniously dumped into the large hole.

This was no small opening like a bottomless bag; the Scale Demon poured tens of thousands of catties into it in an instant.

Yet this massive hole remained bottomless. Despite tens of thousands of Mystic Crystals being poured in, not even a splash could be heard.

It too was a bottomless pit.

Meanwhile, back in Wenhui Pavilion, True Man Thousand Illusion turned and took two steps. A gust of wind blew, and his form seemed to waver.

Was this old man about to dissipate? He Lingchuan immediately spoke up, "Immortal Venerable, please wait. I have something to ask!"

He had extended a helping hand during the crisis of the Inverted Sea, and the entire Illusion Sect owed him this debt of gratitude. Now that he wanted to ask a few questions, True Man Thousand Illusion couldn't possibly be so petty as to refuse to speak. So, Thousand Illusion halted, his form's changes ceased, and he tilted his head slightly.

This indicated he was waiting for He Lingchuan's questions, so He Lingchuan didn't waste time:

"What is it like to be integrated with the Inverted Sea? Can you consciously perceive everything happening within the immortal abode?" He immediately shifted into an inquisitive mode. After all, opportunities to question a true immortal were rare, even in ancient times.

True Man Thousand Illusion was clearly aware of He Lingchuan's previous conversations with Xiao Wencheng and the elders of the Illusion Sect.

Thousand Illusion hadn't even asked about the battle situation between the Illusion Sect and the Heavenly Palace, surely having a more complete grasp of it than anyone else.

"To become one with Chaos is profound and mysterious," Thousand Illusion paused, then slowly turned around. "Without consciousness or thought, yet omniscient and omnipotent."

These words were rather abstruse. Dong Rui listened, furrowing his brows in deep thought, while He Lingchuan secretly muttered, "So that's how it is."

Thousand Illusion meant that when he merged with this small world, he *was* the world and the world *was* him. He had no self-awareness or cognitive ability, yet he knew everything and could even lend his abilities to his disciples.

He Lingchuan also recalled the massive figure in the Great Square Cauldron's red sea.

That colossal monster, devouring everything in its path, was Chaos. And Thousand Illusion claimed he had transformed into the Chaos of the Inverted Sea's small world?

So, from what did Chaos itself manifest?

Dong Rui also leaned in, seeking an answer. "Immortal Venerable, is this world beneath our feet real or an illusion?"

The Illusion Sect had previously been able to alter terrain and unleash great divine abilities through the Vast Origin Golden Mirror, clearly utilizing the power of the Illusion Realm. Yet, there were mines underground, and spiritual herbs could grow in the soil, which felt very real.

Thousand Illusion, however, did not answer directly. "Does it matter whether it's real or illusory?" Dong Rui honestly shook his head. "I don't understand."

Perhaps out of gratitude for their role in resolving the Illusion Sect's crisis, or for some other reason, Thousand Illusion displayed rare patience with them.

He casually pointed to the lotus flower on the altar. "This flower is real, isn't it?" Dong Rui nodded. Thousand Illusion then conjured a mirror and placed it beside the vase, pointing at the lotus in the mirror. "The flower in the mirror is an illusion, isn't it?"

Dong Rui nodded again. "Come here."

Dong Rui obeyed, standing in front of the mirror, so there was also a Dong Rui in the reflection.

Thousand Illusion reached out and swept his hand across the mirror's surface. The "Dong Rui" inside the mirror moved, looking left and right as if unaware of his real self outside the mirror, but then noticed the lotus flower before him.

He lowered his head and glanced at it, then casually picked up a lotus flower, brought it to his nose, sniffed it, and showed an expression of "how fragrant."

"To the 'you' in the mirror, is this lotus flower real?" "Yes. But... the 'me' in the mirror isn't real."

"Are you sure?" Thousand Illusion said faintly. "How do you know?"

Dong Rui didn't know whether to laugh or cry: Since his true self was standing right here, the one in the mirror was naturally an illusion.

Thousand Illusion continued, "You see the boundary between real and illusion as this mirror, right?" "...Yes." Outside the mirror was real, inside the mirror was illusion.

"What if this mirror vanished then?" Thousand Illusion snapped his fingers. The mirror immediately dispersed, and everything within it naturally disappeared. "Is the flower on the altar real or fake?"

Dong Rui reached out and picked up a lotus flower. A few drops of clear water still clung to its stem. The texture of the petals was not smooth but had a slightly coarse, cloth-like feel, unique to lotus petals. "It's real," he said.

"Is that so?" Thousand Illusion pointed to the side. "Look there again."