Chapter 1793: The Contest Has Long Since Begun

He even bent down and picked up a handful of soil, spreading it in his palm to examine it carefully.

Soil was just soil. It contained the nutrients plants needed and was mixed with grass roots, bird droppings, and insect eggs.

Miaozhantian, however, stared intently for a few moments before exclaiming, "Good, good, so that's how it is!"

Only Bai Ziqin could discern the hidden anger beneath his calm tone.

Miaozhantian dropped the soil and approached Bai Ziqin, whispering, "Use fewer divine powers and more wings. Fly low through the forest and make sure to find the whereabouts of the Illusion Sect."

Bai Ziqin nodded in agreement and walked to the edge of the sand table.

Miaozhantian didn't explicitly state everything, but Bai Ziqin understood the unsaid implications:

This world was very peculiar. The Illusion Sect was protected, and divine arts might not be able to locate them. At this moment, the simplest and most direct method was the most effective, which meant close-range visual reconnaissance.

Furthermore, Miaozhantian had indirectly admitted that some of his divine arts—such as the Eye of Truth—were partially ineffective.

"This isn't the real world either," Miaozhantian stated with certainty. "Qianhuan has most likely emerged from seclusion!"

Bai Ziqin wasn't surprised; this aligned with his own judgment. Nevertheless, his heart sank. "Have we entered a second illusionary realm?"

Miaozhantian nodded. "Qianhuan is even more unrestrained here. The underlying rules he has established can reject my lighthouses, just as saline-alkali soil cannot grow most of your human crops."

His lighthouses also needed something to anchor to in order to grow. Air couldn't support them, nor could seawater.

Although Bai Shiqi pressed it into the soil, the conditions for its growth couldn't be met, so the lighthouse couldn't develop.

In the previous illusionary realm, Miaozhantian's lighthouses had caused the Illusion Sect immense trouble, even altering the war's momentum. In this world, however, Miaozhantian's divine arts were fundamentally rejected.

Therefore, Miaozhantian believed that Qianhuan had awakened.

His contest of powers with Qianhuan had begun in the previous illusionary realm, but these changes, so specifically targeted at him, were undeniably deliberate.

He didn't even need to see Qianhuan in person to deduce that he had inadvertently fallen into Qianhuan's trap.

Bai Ziqin suddenly realized, "Even the Illusion Sect elders firmly believed that Kidney Lake led directly to the real world. That's how they managed to deceive us!"

He was also giving Miaozhantian a way to save face. Had the situation not taken such a sudden downturn, how could the proud deity have admitted his mistake?

"They were also kept in the dark by Qianhuan." For the first time, Miaozhantian's tone carried a hint of resentment. "That old schemer truly trusts no one!"

Only if everyone in the Illusion Sect deeply believed it would Miaozhantian and Bai Ziqin be led to believe it themselves.

Moreover, this trap had existed for a long time and was not necessarily prepared specifically for the Heaven Palace arrivals, which was why it was so highly deceptive.

Although Bai Ziqin was reluctant to admit it, it seemed Qianhuan had gained the upper hand from the start in this round, and Miaozhantian had misjudged the situation.

For a contest between True Immortals and Righteous Deities, this was an extremely serious error.

At this moment, when Miaozhantian needed him most, Bai Ziqin cleared his mind and pointed at the sand table, saying, "Assuming the topography of Silver Pearl Island is the same in both worlds—which it should be—the Illusion Sect is least likely to go to Inverted Lake; the south is the land's end. The possibility of them going west is also low, as that's a mining area full of rubble. Their most probable destinations are the two small towns in the northwest, or the large city to the north. With the help of local spirits there, it would be easier for them to turn and deal with us."

Immediately, he dispatched demon scouts in those two directions.

Miaozhantian's requirement was for winged creatures, which didn't only mean birds. Among the Heaven Palace forces was also an insect demon whose humanoid body was a living hive. With a single command from the main insect, thousands upon tens of thousands of flying insects would swarm out.

This time, Bai Ziqin dispatched it as well.

These tens of thousands of insects conducted a carpet search across mountains and fields, much faster than humans, or even bird demons. They could also maintain direct psychic connection with their main body. If they encountered enemies and didn't return, the main insect could deduce the enemy's movements based on their last known location.

"Find the Illusion Sect," he thought, "and we can follow the trail to Qianhuan!"

Since the Illusion Sect had arrived in this world, they would have to seek out their Grand Ancestor.

Another group of scouts reported: "The enemy is less than 150 zhang from us!"

After consulting Miaozhantian, Bai Ziqin made a decision: "Since the lighthouse cannot be established, let's head north."

The entire army turned around and advanced northward.

To the north were several villages and towns, as well as the most populous city on Silver Pearl Island.

Soon, the enemy appeared in the Heaven Palace forces' sight. Indeed, each of them wore striking armor and ferocious masks.

The masks depicted ferocious beasts, malevolent ghosts, or yakshas, primarily designed to be terrifying.

Although wearing masks obscured part of their vision, their visual impact was striking. Ordinary citizens, once masked, transformed into fierce specters.

These unfamiliar enemies advanced in orderly formations, charging and launching fierce assaults the moment they spotted them.

Just as the scouts had reported, the soldiers' armor was layered over coarse cloth garments, revealing they were originally ordinary villagers from nearby towns. Yet, after the farmers' dying wail, they had suddenly donned armor and weapons, emerging to harass the Heaven Palace forces.

They charged forward relentlessly, one after another, devoid of the timidity and fear of ordinary villagers.

What was worse, their strength surpassed that of the previous farmers!

Even though the Heaven Palace forces were battle-hardened elites, dealing with them was quite strenuous. Bai Shi and the others even felt that these foes were no less formidable than the yakshas and malevolent ghosts they had encountered by Inverted Lake!

"They only differ from yakshas in appearance!" Bai Shiqi warned everyone. "Essentially, they are all water shells shaped by Qianhuan!"

Just then, five zhang directly above Bai Ziqin and the grey parrot, a massive, solitary eye projection suddenly manifested.

Miaozhantian once again revealed the Eye of Truth, but without using a lighthouse. Instead, it was entirely sustained by its own divine power.

The golden light from the solitary eye enveloped the entire Heaven Palace force, radiating a sun-like warmth. It also rendered the deceased charging into the light curtain unable to hide, instantly revealing their true forms.

As soon as they came into contact with the golden light, their bodies instantly became transparent, and then their water shells disintegrated with a splashing sound. The dead souls hidden within them flew wildly like headless flies, gradually dissolving into nothingness.

This was how it should be. Otherwise, it would be too uneconomical for living beings to trade their lives for these dead souls.

The power of the divine art was beyond doubt; the previously intense combat rhythm greatly eased. Only then did Bai Shi shake his numb right wrist and spit on the ground, "Pah, to be emancipated by the Divine Lord, they got off easy!"

These dead souls had originally been trapped in the illusionary realm; now, being dissolved by the golden light, was a swift liberation for them.

The surrounding undead continuously emerged, charging fearlessly towards the light shield, only to be disintegrated one by one.

Enduring the relentless tide of the undead, Bai Ziqin ordered the entire army to speed up and continue northward.

The Eye of Truth moved with them, glowing incessantly. But Bai Ziqin understood that to maintain this light shield, Miaozhantian was expending a vast amount of divine power every moment!

Why had they worked so hard to build towers in the previous illusionary realm? Because lighthouses were a clever method; they could use profound crystals for energy replenishment, allowing them to long endure the laws of the Inverted Sea. But since this world prevented their construction, Miaozhantian could only directly burn his own divine power to sustain the Eye of Truth.

In this unknown world, he couldn't abandon his retinue.

Qianhuan hadn't appeared in person, but was using this method to wear down his opponent's strength.

The contest between the True Immortal and the Righteous Deity had begun.

Bai Shiqi stayed close, protecting Bai Ziqin, parrying two incoming spears. He then asked, "My Lord Commander, what should we do if True Immortal Qianhuan refuses to show himself?"

"Then we must force him to appear and attack," Bai Ziqin said solemnly. "He still has a weakness: the Illusion Sect forces."

That was why Miaozhantian and he were both eager to find the Illusion Sect.

He Lingchuan wrung out the corner of his clothing. The mist-shrouded jungle was simply too damp; after nearly half an hour of walking, his clothes were even wetter instead of drying.

At the edge of the forest lay another small town.

This town also existed in the illusionary realm, and He Lingchuan had passed through it before. Its name was Tree Heart Town, named for an old tree at the town entrance that had seemingly come back to life. Its trunk had been hollowed out into a large hole, wide enough for two adults to walk through side by side, yet its crown remained lush and green.

The town wasn't large, with just one dusty main road. Seven or eight shops sold food, clothes, shoes, and general goods. However, apart from the steamed bun shop, business was slow, and the shopkeepers, having risen too early, were all dozing inside their stores. As the Illusion Sect forces passed through the town, a peddler by the roadside was shaking a rattle drum. His bamboo basket held over a dozen pieces of malt candy and a few grass crickets.

The sound of the rattle drum immediately attracted two children. The adults behind them had no choice but to follow, hesitating whether to spend money.

As the Illusion Sect forces passed through the town, seeing this ordinary scene after a series of fierce battles, many disciples felt as though they had stepped into another world and sighed.

They were from Silver Pearl Island. Their relatives and friends were still in the illusionary realm, on the other side of the lake. The Illusion Sect had warned them that the Heaven Palace only targeted cultivators. As long as they crossed the lake, the Heaven Palace would surely follow, and would not slaughter their kin.

Just then, two shrill horn blasts erupted from an unknown location.

Dong Rui and the others had kept their nerves taut, but hearing it suddenly, they couldn't help but jump in fright.

The sound... how should one describe it? It was ten times sharper than sawing wood or scraping glass, piercing directly from the eardrums into the back of the skull, leaving listeners with swollen heads and tingling scalps.

Just then, a leopard demon walking ahead, hearing the sound, had all its fur stand on end.

"That's a wail of ghosts!" Dong Rui patted his head, trying to shake off the dizziness. "Good heavens, who said wolf howls could compare to a ghost's wail? They're miles apart!"

Even Lingguang and Guiyuan covered their ears with both hands, chattering in distress.

It was unbearable!

The Soul-Capturing Mirror in He Lingchuan's arms let out a cry, "This is a variation of a soul-summoning tune, not meant for the living! Hey, look at these townspeople!"

Actually, He Lingchuan didn't need its special reminder; he had also noticed that as soon as the horn sounded, the civilians all started walking towards the town entrance.

Every single person emerged, regardless of what they had been doing before—whether selling goods, walking, steaming buns, or even lying in bed enjoying a lie-in. They suddenly dropped everything they were doing and strode purposefully forward.