Chapter 522: Mirage God's Illusion Realm

After an unknown period, Zhang Xuan finally stopped, leaping to his feet.

As expected of a Celestial Master Teacher, he truly was extraordinary. Similar to the last time, although his cultivation level hadn't increased and he remained at the pinnacle of the Longevity Realm, his understanding of cultivation and combat techniques had deepened significantly.

His combat power had more than doubled.

Previously, he could hold his own against a mid-stage Reaching Mortality 2-dan cultivator without falling into a disadvantage. Now, even without external aid, he was no weaker than a late-stage Primordial Spirit Realm cultivator.

His state of mind also underwent a drastic change, soaring from 12.1 all the way to 14.1—an increase of a full 2.0 points.

While this leap wasn't as terrifying as that brought by the Heaven's Path Grimoire, it would be impossible to achieve through mere cultivation without decades of arduous effort.

In other words, becoming a Celestial Master Teacher saved him at least several decades of cultivation time in terms of his state of mind!

It was astonishing!

Furthermore, his Eye of Insight and Master-Teacher's Calligraphy had both improved. The former could now easily see through individuals two minor cultivation levels higher than himself.

Currently, he could effortlessly discern the details of even a mid-stage Primordial Spirit Realm expert.

As for Master-Teacher's Calligraphy, with a mere thought, his words flowed eloquently, making them even more convincing and difficult to refuse.

Previously, he needed to expend soul energy and employ various persuasive techniques to mislead Song Chao. Now, with Master-Teacher's Calligraphy in effect, people would involuntarily believe him and be unable to refute his words.

More importantly, having gained the recognition of the heavens and earth, his understanding of a master teacher deepened, and his state of mind progressed further into the realm of clarity.

It was truly worthy of being the heaven-and-earth recognition that everyone coveted; for a master teacher, its impact was akin to a complete rebirth.

“My master teacher abilities have progressed, and while my cultivation hasn’t broken through, it’s not far off!”

Being a Celestial Master Teacher provided him with a clearer understanding of cultivation. Although he was still at the pinnacle of the Longevity Realm, breaking through now seemed incredibly easy.

After all, he had studied hundreds of Primordial Spirit Realm cultivation manuals. Even if he hadn't formed a perfectly complete Heaven's Path cultivation technique, he had still gained direction for his cultivation. As long as he had enough spirit stones, breaking through wouldn't be complicated.

“Now, let’s examine this room again!”

After assessing the changes within himself, Zhang Xuan looked up and scanned the surroundings once more.

“It’s not a formation, nor is it a mechanism!”

With his state of mind flowing smoothly, his perception had drastically changed. What he couldn't identify earlier was now perfectly clear with a single glance.

“Grandmaster Zhang, have you discovered something?”

Everyone looked at him.

They had never seen a Celestial Master Teacher before, but for him to be a legend in the Master Teacher Pavilion, he surely wasn't simple.

“It’s a Soul Oracle’s method for confusing souls. In other words, everything we see here is fake; it’s an illusion!” Zhang Xuan said, frowning.

“If it’s an illusion, then why did that puppet just disappear?” Luo Zhu asked, unconvinced.

An illusion could at most make people hallucinate; it wouldn’t transport things away!

The puppet vanished as soon as it left the passage, clearly having been teleported away by a powerful formation.

“Soul Oracles confuse sentient beings, making us 'see' the same scenery, which naturally leads us to believe it’s real. However… puppets are different. They have no soul, no thoughts, and cannot be confused. Therefore, it didn’t disappear; it simply entered reality and couldn't enter the illusion, so we naturally couldn't see it!”

Zhang Xuan explained.

Soul Oracles beguile living beings with souls, making them unable to distinguish reality from illusion. Puppets, however, cannot be beguiled. When they walk into reality, they naturally become invisible to those caught in the illusion.

“If that’s true… could it be the Soul Oracle’s… Divine Mirage Sea?”

Realizing something, Luo Zhu’s face suddenly turned pale, and he nearly collapsed in fright.

“Divine Mirage Sea?”

Everyone looked bewildered, and even Pavilion Master Sai, known for his extensive knowledge, was at a loss.

“The Divine Mirage Sea is a unique technique of Soul Oracles. They use soul energy to create an incredibly realistic scene, making people involuntarily walk into it, much like a desert mirage. Once entered, your soul detaches from your body, falling under their control, with no way to escape…”

Luo Zhu trembled as he explained.

“Soul detachment?”

Everyone was startled.

The reason humans could contend with Soul Oracles was due to the presence of their physical bodies. Once separated, wouldn't they be completely at the mercy of the Soul Oracle, like fish on a chopping block?

“Exactly. If we had gone in just now, our souls would have left our bodies. Even if we didn't die… we'd be as good as dead!”

Luo Zhu was drenched in cold sweat.

The others also turned pale.

Thankfully, they noticed the strangeness and didn't rush in directly. If they had, with their souls detached, they wouldn't even know how they died.

As expected of Soul Oracles, they were truly terrifying. Even their methods of killing were impossible to guard against.

“But… to be able to cast the Divine Mirage Sea means the practitioner has reached at least six stars. Could this possibly be the tomb of a… six-star Soul Oracle?” Luo Zhu wondered.

The Divine Mirage Sea couldn't be cast by just any Soul Oracle; only those who reached six stars could accomplish it.

Soul Oracles, like Master Teachers and other top nine-path professions, demanded extremely high levels of power. One couldn't achieve such feats without reaching the required cultivation level… This meant the owner of this tomb was very likely a six-star Soul Oracle!

At that level, if alive, they would undoubtedly stand at the pinnacle of the Reaching Mortality realm!

Even after death, they were not opponents these people could contend with!

“I think it’s best we leave immediately!” Pavilion Master Sai’s eyebrows twitched.

Although he also wanted to see the Soul Oracle’s tomb and discover its treasures, if the tomb owner had reached six stars in their lifetime, he absolutely wouldn't dare to disturb it.

“Indeed, we shouldn’t meddle with an expert of this caliber…”

Jin Conghai also clenched his fists and spoke urgently.

The higher one’s cultivation, the more one understood reverence.

The greater one’s knowledge, the more one comprehended ignorance.

To deal with a six-star Soul Oracle, even one who had been dead for countless years, was certainly beyond what a few of them could accomplish.

“Leave? That’s a good idea…”

Zhang Xuan looked up and gave a wry smile. “However, I’m afraid it’s too late now…”

“Hehehe!”

Before his words even finished, everyone felt a sudden chill, and an eerie, sinister laugh echoed.

“I never thought my Divine Mirage Sea would be seen through so easily. Not bad, it seems some suitable bodies have arrived!”

The voice was eerie and piercing, as if resonating deep within their souls, sending shivers down their spines.

With a rustle, the flowers and white clouds vanished from before their eyes, replaced by a vast, empty hall.

Within the hall, a single sarcophagus rested quietly. It was forty to fifty meters away, making its exact size unclear, but from its appearance alone, it was significantly larger and much more imposing than the four in the first hall.

“Resurrection? You intend to possess us?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes narrowed.

His clear state of mind was fully engaged, free from negative emotions like tension or fear.

“Having slept for so many years, of course, I must possess someone when they enter. Otherwise, how can I recover?” the voice chuckled.

As he listened, Zhang Xuan’s Eye of Insight flickered, continuously searching the surroundings.

No matter how strong this entity was, it had been dead for an unknown number of years. The fact that it preferred to use illusions to confuse them rather than showing itself indicated that it wasn't as terrifying as they might imagine.

As long as he could find its hiding place, there might be a turning point.

However, after a full scan, he reluctantly realized he couldn't discern anything.

“Don’t bother wasting your effort. If I don’t wish to appear, who among you, with your paltry strength, could possibly find me?” The voice seemed to have discerned his intention and spoke again.

Zhang Xuan fell silent.

The voice was transmitted directly into their minds via the soul; if the other party didn’t want to reveal itself, it was indeed difficult to locate.

He turned to glance at Jin Conghai and Pavilion Master Sai, seeing them involuntarily shake their heads.

It seemed these two had the same idea as him, attempting to find the source of the voice, but also found themselves unable to succeed.

“Grandmaster Zhang, I’ll try to hold him off. You take the Young Master and the others and seize the opportunity to leave!”

As he was pondering what to do, Jin Conghai’s voice transmission reached his ear.

He looked up and saw Jin Conghai’s eyes filled with determination, revealing a resolve to die.

“You have a plan?” Zhang Xuan transmitted back.

“No, but I have several poisons that can affect the soul. They might have some effect!” Jin Conghai’s gaze was solemn.

Potent poisons could not only kill the physical body but also destroy the soul.

Just like the congenital fetal poison on Zhang Xuan, which was planted during his mother’s pregnancy and passed down with his life, preventing him from living past thirty. It was even more terrifying than soul obliteration.

“You want to poison me? You’ll have to find me first!”

As the two were discussing, the voice sounded again.

“You can hear voice transmissions?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes widened.

They had just used voice transmission, a method where only the two conversing parties could know the content. Even Pavilion Master Sai, standing beside them, was unaware, yet this entity had heard everything clearly and knew they planned to poison him…

This was simply too powerful!

“I can communicate with you through your souls. Forget voice transmissions; I know exactly what you’re thinking!”

With a cold snort, the voice continued, “Enough, stop with your pointless struggles. Although this passage has no mechanisms or dangers, it can be opened and closed. While you were confused by the Divine Mirage Sea, I already closed it. Even if you wanted to leave, it’s too late!”

Hearing this, everyone simultaneously looked back, and their faces instantly turned pale.

Indeed, just as the entity had said, the passage behind them was blocked by a rock, with no trace of an opening, as if the passage had never existed.

“I’ll try!”

His face ashen, Jin Conghai turned and punched the rock.

Boom!

There was a violent tremor, but the rock seemed to be protected by something massive. Even with his Reaching Mortality 4-dan strength, he couldn’t budge it, let alone break it open.

“I’ll try too!”

Pavilion Master Sai stepped forward as well, summoning his long blade and slashing several times. The result was the same as Jin Conghai’s: no effect whatsoever.

“This is a Dragon-Slaying Lock set up by a six-star Heavenly Craftsman. Unless one reaches Reaching Mortality 9-dan, it’s impossible to break it with sheer force. Otherwise, you can only obediently die here… or be possessed by me…”

The voice chuckled grimly.

“Dragon-Slaying Lock?”

Everyone’s faces turned grim.

Trapped here, unable to move forward and too afraid to retreat, were they… truly just waiting for death?