Chapter 1824: Thousand Illusions Revealed

"Who said you couldn't see it?" he declared first, then reached out and swept his hand across the mirror's surface.

The Haoyuan Golden Mirror, quiet for a long time, suddenly displayed an image again.

"Huh? Huh?" Could the Haoyuan Golden Mirror also track images from beyond the two illusion realms? Everyone was overjoyed, while Mother Zhu found it utterly baffling.

Everyone's gaze converged. After just two glances, they were all astonished:

"Are these Qianhuan and Miaozhantian?"

"If the Haoyuan Golden Mirror is tracking them and showing this, then it's almost certainly them," He Lingchuan said, also staring intently. "They've been fighting for several hours, and so many people have died on both sides, yet this is the first time we've seen their true forms!"

There was no need to elaborate on Qianhuan, who had always used its manifestations against opponents. Miaozhantian, on the other hand, was using the body of True Monarch Zangxi, appearing to everyone as a seemingly virtuous middle-aged man.

These were not their true appearances.

However, within the Haoyuan Golden Mirror, two peculiar-looking creatures appeared, definitely not human.

So these were Miaozhantian and Qianhuan?

Neither of them was in human form!

Dong Rui said, somewhat incredulously, "Hey, hey, where exactly are they? It doesn't look like either of our two worlds, upper or lower!"

Wanqifang pointed skyward. "Are they above the sky? There was lightning, thunder, and frequent anomalies there earlier."

He Lingchuan gazed at the image in the mirror and shook his head. "It's not that simple."

He asked the others, "Do you know why Miaozhantian went to such great lengths to lure all of Qianhuan's manifestations to Yaozi Lake and then trap them with a barrier?"

Of course, everyone shook their heads.

He Lingchuan slowly explained, "Someone told me that Qianhuan's strength lies in blending reality with illusions and powerful manifestations. But their greatest strength is also their greatest weakness: having too many and too powerful manifestations!"

No one understood what he meant.

Wanqifang tentatively asked, "Are you saying that Miaozhantian used the barrier to trap True Person Qianhuan's external manifestations, preventing them from returning to rescue their true self?"

He Lingchuan smiled. "You could say that."

The passage between the two realms was exceptionally tough and offered immense resistance. Miaozhantian exerted all its might just to push open the obstruction ahead.

Even it found it incredibly difficult, like being stuck in a mire, moving forward step by painstaking step.

Despite True Monarch Zangxi's own radiant golden light, Miaozhantian could actually only perceive utter darkness before it.

Fortunately, before long, a faint light appeared ahead.

It surged towards that point of light.

When something snagged it, it forcefully strained forward.

It was out!

Finally, light enveloped it.

Miaozhantian didn't even close its eyes. Taking two quick steps, it found itself emerging from a cave onto a desolate white sand beach.

Outside, the sun shone brightly, fine sand lay at its feet, wild grass grew in the rock crevices, and a few small crabs unhurriedly scuttled into rock pools ahead, even raising their claws in defiance as it passed.

Every breath carried the distinct salty tang of the seaside.

Had it returned to Silver Pearl Island?

Miaozhantian sneered, "Stop with the theatrics. Do you think I'd fall for that? Qianhuan, if you're here, stop hiding and don't try to stall! Time isn't synchronized between these two places."

Looking at this scene, did Qianhuan want it to think its divine power had failed and the Silver Pearl Fruit had sent it back to the Upper Realm?

That idea would be too foolish.

A voice came from the far end of the beach: "Have you forgotten where this is?"

A slender figure emerged from the water reeds. Its body was serpentine, but it had four legs; its head was draconic, but with broad cheeks and a short snout, a large and prominent nose, and its horns were not branched but slender and pointed like an antelope's, curving gracefully in a spiral.

Its body was covered in fine scales, and its color was grayish-white tinged with green.

A dragon? A jiao?

No, neither quite fit, Miaozhantian immediately dismissed the idea.

At the same time, it noticed that on the monster's back, just above the prominent rib area, was a pair of grayish-white shells.

These shells were the size of millstones; if placed on a table and illuminated, everyone would consider them large. But on the back of this dragon-like monster, they appeared miniature, like a pair of underdeveloped small wings.

What's more, it could even flap them a couple of times, revealing inner shell walls that were vibrantly colored, as if containing an entire starry galaxy, a striking contrast to the grayish-white outer shell.

"This is Qianhuan's true form?" Miaozhantian couldn't believe it. "Jiaotu? Your true body is actually a Jiaotu?"

Having said that, it laughed at itself first. "Since when did Jiaotu have four legs?"

Even in ancient times, when spiritual energy was abundant and life thrived, a creature like the "Jiaotu" was extremely rare. It was known as a "shell dragon," though the dragon race never acknowledged this distant relative. Miaozhantian only knew the basics: they were born resembling four-legged lizards, and only after drifting in the sea for ten years would they grow their shells and simultaneously degenerate their hind limbs, transitioning from wanderers to ambush predators.

As a Jiaotu grew larger, it became less willing to move, instead finding ways to attract prey to itself.

It seemed plausible that a Jiaotu might, by some coincidence, evolve into a mirage demon, capable of creating illusions and mirages.

"Have you forgotten where this is?" Qianhuan's voice was exceptionally deep. "Three thousand years ago, I defeated you on this very Puyu Island. Three thousand years later, history will repeat itself, but this time, there will be no Mitian to save you!"

Three thousand years ago? Miaozhantian's expression subtly changed; it remembered.

Qianhuan had painstakingly crafted the scene to resemble the battlefield from three thousand years ago, thinking it would intimidate Miaozhantian? Hah, naive!

As they spoke, the two parties were already engaged in battle.

The statue of Miaozhantian in the Pantheon of the Heavenly Palace was solemn and benevolent, radiating compassion amidst the swirling incense smoke. Yet, at this moment, Miaozhantian, though still in human form, stood two zhang tall, with bluish-black skin, eyes like bronze bells, hair like red snakes, and a protruding jawbone. While its face somewhat resembled human aesthetics, the third eye on its forehead disrupted its harmony.

This was the eye of the Great Demon Mulian, refined by Miaozhantian and embedded in its own forehead.

Clad in battle armor and wielding twin blades, it fought against the Jiaotu.

Gazing at the scene in the mirror, Wanqiliang murmured, "These two's martial arts are actually that good?"

"Warriors who survived the ancient war between immortals and demons are never mediocre," He Lingchuan said, also watching intently, fearing he might miss any detail. What he was truly wondering was, how much more formidable would Mitian be if he joined the battle compared to Miaozhantian?

If Miaozhantian's martial arts were so astonishing, what about Mitian, who was truly called the "God of War"?

Luo Xie, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up, "Since they possess such immense divine powers, why, why are they fighting hand-to-hand?"

Earlier, when Miaozhantian used True Monarch Zangxi's body and Qianhuan unleashed three great manifestations, they fought fiercely in this world, with spells and divine powers flying everywhere, leaving him, a mere mortal, spellbound.

But on the beach shown by the Haoyuan Golden Mirror, why were these two powerful beings engaged in such close-quarters combat?

He Lingchuan glanced at him. "This young man is quite perceptive. Without professional military training, how could he identify this blind spot so quickly?"