Conquering That Great Demon Lord [Xian Ni Fan Fiction] - Chapter 20: Illusion

Chapter 20: Illusion

In this mist, an intangible force seemed to guide her forward. Her heavy footsteps left no ripples upon the water’s surface.

The pull drawing her onward felt intensely familiar. Just as she nearly discerned the faces of the silver-haired couple whose locks intertwined in the wind, their conversation reached her ears.

“My lifespan approaches its end. Though it pains me beyond measure to leave you alone in this world, such is our karma.” As the woman spoke, her delicate hand caressed the man’s handsome features, yet the wrist he gripped so desperately began dissolving like mist between his fingers.

Helplessly watching her physical form and Nascent Soul dissipate, he wept like a lost child.

Through the thick fog and swirling pink petals, Li Muwan glimpsed the fading countenance of the woman. Though her voice sounded aged and weathered, her profile bore striking resemblance to Li Muwan herself.

And the man holding her – he was the very Fiend who had taken her killing in the Sea of Demonic Cultivation two centuries ago.

Startled, Li Muwan frantically scanned her surroundings, finding herself trapped in an insurmountable mirror image. She strained to see more clearly.

Just as her own body and Nascent Soul began fading, a notification came from the Soul Pearl at her brow.

[Soul Pearl: Congratulations, Master. The Fiend has been successfully conquered.]

Li Muwan stood frozen. The Fiend’s love had reached its zenith at this moment, yet overwhelming grief and rage thundered through him – facing eternal separation at the peak of his devotion.

Black smoke billowed around the Fiend, enveloping Li Muwan in what felt like an endless dark tower.

The Fiend vanished, but his earth-shaking voice echoed through the gathering mists:

“All whom I love, all who love me – none shall meet good ends.”

“Damnable Heaven, mocking me, trampling me.”

His roars pierced the skies. “Today, I shall battle this very Heaven!”

“Ma Liang?” she called, trying to reach the Fiend, but the illusion remained deaf to her voice.

Disheveled and maddened, he relentlessly cast Magical Arts toward the heavenly figure formed in the clouds.

“Wan’er, since Heaven shows no mercy, I shall make it your burial companion. Your physical form and Nascent Soul have scattered, but countless Mystical Powers exist in this world. I shall devote my life to reaching the pinnacle of Cultivation, if only to restore your reflection.” His mournful weeping mingled with the desperate cries of countless Cultivators’ souls and living beings, all swallowed in the cataclysm unleashed by the Fiend.

The black mist gradually stained crimson with blood, resembling the eighteenth layer of hell, constantly devouring Cultivators’ cultivation levels and spiritual energy.

Li Muwan stood powerless amid the devastation. The Fiend, scarred by Heavenly Tribulation, moved like a walking corpse, dripping with gore, leaving devastation in his wake.

“This is the Fiend?” Li Muwan watched the karmic illusion in dismay. The successfully conquered Fiend had ultimately become the scourge of all living beings.

With her lifespan ending and Nascent Soul dispersing, what use was reclaiming her Soul of Life?

Howling, mad laughter echoed through the valley as mountains crumbled and rocks tumbled. The Fiend cradled a wisp of soul essence.

Li Muwan screamed into the blood-red mist: “Ma Liang!”

A powerful consciousness surged from her brow.

[Soul Pearl: This is an illusion. Wake up!]

Li Muwan chased after him recklessly, but the Fiend couldn’t see her existence. His mad ramblings continued incessantly. As the frenzied Ma Liang passed right through her body, Li Muwan’s reaching hands and embrace froze mid-air, grasping nothing but emptiness.

[Li Muwan: Soul Pearl, it shouldn’t be like this. If I retrieve my Soul of Life, I won’t die. The Fiend wouldn’t be a fiend, and countless lives wouldn’t perish because of this, right?]

[Soul Pearl: This is an illusion, not reality.]

[Li Muwan: An illusion? Why would such an illusion appear?]

“Li Muwan? Li Muwan? Li Muwan?” A familiar voice seemed to call from beyond the illusion.

“Ma Liang?” The Fiend and dark mist in the illusion vanished. Li Muwan found herself standing on a sky mirror as countless mirror surfaces rapidly closed in from all directions. Her hand seals and Magical Arts proved useless – the illusion seemed to block all spells.

When the mirrors came within inches, they halted before her eyes. The person in the mirror was staring back at her.

“Conquer the Fiend, retrieve your Soul of Life, and what you see before you won’t happen,” spoke her reflection in the mirror.

Li Muwan pounded on the mirror surface: “Are you me?”

“I am you. Only by conquering the Fiend and retrieving your Soul of Life can you gain endless lifespan and prevent the Fiend from slaughtering living beings.”

Large beads of sweat dripped from Li Muwan’s forehead. She was utterly confused, woven through with frustration and helplessness. “Conquer the Fiend… but the Fiend doesn’t recognize me…”

“He doesn’t recognize me…”

“Li Muwan? Li Muwan?” That voice called again.

Li Muwan painfully lowered her head, leaning against the mirror as she slowly collapsed onto the water surface. The reflection in the water showed only herself, without the mirror person.

She lifted her head to confirm – the mirror before her eyes existed, but it cast no reflection in the water.

“Is this… an illusion?” Li Muwan shook her head, struggling to regain rationality.

“Retrieve your Soul of Life, conquer the Fiend.”

“Before your lifespan runs out, successfully conquer the Fiend and retrieve your Soul of Life.”

“Use any means necessary to conquer the Fiend…”

“…”

These mind-corrupting voices continuously drilled into her mind. Covering her ears proved futile. Struggling, she roared at the mirror, “Enough!”

“Li Muwan? Li Muwan?” That voice overwhelmed the mirror’s sounds. Through the blur, her gradually clearing vision revealed a figure whose expression resembled the Fiend from the illusion.

But the face was different.

Li Muwan gradually regained consciousness. The energy generated in the illusion was so immense that upon returning to reality, she couldn’t immediately withstand the Spiritual Power fluctuations. She spat out a mouthful of blood, her eyes clouded by mist, her voice weary.

“Wang Lin?”

Seeing her finally awake, Wang Lin concealed his anxious expression, his voice changing. “Ancestor Master, are you alright?”

“What did Ancestor Master see in the illusion?”

Li Muwan turned back dazedly. Behind her was already the second level of the Cold Pond, with nothing else remaining.

The illusion was caused by inner demons. Her face pale, Li Muwan sat cross-legged in meditation. “Wang Lin, I need to meditate here to recover my Spiritual Power. Guard me.”

Wang Lin set aside his worries and sighed softly behind Li Muwan’s back where she couldn’t see.

This illusion – if not for his Divine Sense being above his Cultivation level, he might have fallen into the illusion just like Li Muwan, unable to extricate himself.

After three days of meditation, Li Muwan recovered her Cultivation level. The second level of the Cold Pond was dominated by ice and snow, with nothing but frozen ice as far as the eye could see.

“Fantasy arises from the heart, yet you remained unaffected?” Li Muwan felt puzzled how could Wang Lin, still at the Foundation Establishment Stage, resist the lure of illusions with his Divine Sense?

“I once practiced an ancient mind-cleansing technique, which barely kept me from succumbing,” Wang Lin replied with feigned solemnity.

From within the Dragon Tendon, Xu Liguo lounged with crossed legs and quipped rudely, “Bullshit! You were nearly lost in there.”

“Then your mental fortitude surpasses mine,” Li Muwan resumed her former smile a rare sight even in Cloud Heaven Sect. Each time, he could gaze at it endlessly while ensuring she detected no trace of affection.

“When will you teach me this ancient mind-cleansing technique?” Her words carried hidden meaning. As she turned, a smirk touched her lips, wondering if his calm indifference toward her was also due to that technique.

“You jest, Grandmaster.” Wang Lin cupped his hands and regained his stern composure.

The two proceeded deeper into the second layer of the frosty pool.

Wang Lin led on his Flying Sword, probing ahead with Divine Sense, yet fragmented scenes surfaced in his mind. In the illusion, he had returned to the Sea of Demonic Cultivation. At Core Formation Stage, he pursued Fighting Evil Sect’s Yang Wei, only to be crushed by Xie Donglai’s Dragon Fight Grand Formation. At the brink of death, it was Li Muwan who took the fatal blow for him.

Holding the severely injured figure in his arms, his heart seethed with unresolved fury. Subconsciously, the one who sacrificed herself for him two centuries ago had never truly left nor faded from his heart he had merely preserved her through different means, a sentiment he allowed no one to glimpse.

As Spiritual Power stirred in the second layer’s secret realm, ice instantly condensed into thick mist. Wang Lin instinctively activated his cultivation method the Yellow Springs Ascending Aperture Technique rapidly absorbed the frigid energy.

Noticing Wang Lin’s anomaly, Li Muwan observed vast Spiritual Power surging around him. The intense cold even forced her back several steps. Wang Lin, noting her reaction, struggled to calm and retract the dissipating energy.

“The Blood Lotus Heart’s habitat approaches. This place benefits your cultivation. After I gather the herbs, we might attempt your Core Formation breakthrough here.” Li Muwan’s gaze held unwavering resolve. Without waiting for Wang Lin’s response, she soared forward on her sword.

The expansive secret realm brimmed with Spirit Herbs growing within ice countless Immortal Herbs Wang Lin had never seen before.

At the highest icy peak, a blood-red lotus stood resilient within a crevice of translucent froststone. Utterly crimson without blemish, even its roots and leaves blazed like fresh blood. A faint radiant glow pulsed around the Blood Lotus Heart.

“If my memory serves, this should be it.” Li Muwan landed and sheathed her sword, taking two steps forward to survey the realm’s scenery.

Wang Lin followed closely. “These Spirit Herbs all grow within froststone the stone sustains their vitality. But what fuels the froststone itself?”

With light footsteps, Li Muwan explained softly, “According to ancient texts, these froststones are creations of Restrictions. Our current location is entirely Restriction-generated. The Blood Lotus grows at the core of this Restriction Formation.”

As her words faded, the surroundings blurred abruptly. Thunderous roars echoed as countless Ancient Runes materialized across the froststones.

This Restriction had grown more potent than what she witnessed a century ago perhaps accumulated over ages, its power intensifying with concentrated cold energy.

The runes shimmered with golden radiance, as if they were within a golden hall. Each of these runes contained immense Spiritual Power.

Wang Lin was dazed; his Divine Sense had failed to detect them earlier. It seemed the Restrictions here could not only block Divine Sense but might also repel Ancient God Restrictions.

Unless absolutely necessary, he would not lightly employ Restrictions.

Suddenly, a fluctuation in the Formation alerted both of them. The surrounding air abruptly grew oppressive.

In an instant, hundreds of Ice Needles shot out from the Restrictions in all directions, swiftly descending upon the two.

Li Muwan frowned slightly, a spirit sword materializing in her hand. With swift reflexes, she swung it forcefully, a sword aura slicing through the cold air to collide directly with the Restrictions ahead.

The Ice Needles were repelled onto the cold stones, and the Restrictions quickly reactivated, unleashing an even stronger counterattack. The intense force sent both of them stumbling back several zhang as the attacks continuously shifted.

Wang Lin condensed a Barrier for defense, steadying himself. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. “This Ancient Restriction is truly exquisite.”

“This Formation is complex far from a simple offensive or defensive force. We need to find its weakness and break it together,” Li Muwan said, immediately deploying a hundred formations to reinforce their defenses.

To Wang Lin, even as one who had comprehended Restrictions on the forbidden mountain, executing so many defensive and offensive Restrictions simultaneously in such a short time was impossible.

It was evident that Li Muwan’s mastery of Formations had advanced remarkably over the years, truly admirable. Yet, with such formidable talent, why did her Cultivation level remain only at the mid Core Formation stage?

He shook off these irrelevant thoughts in an instant.

Their gazes met in the air, and without a word, they each cast their Magical Arts.

Li Muwan waved her hand, chanting incantations as she condensed a brilliant halo. The sword aura from her long sword transformed into fine threads of light, weaving into intricate runic arrays. She attempted to launch an attack outside the defensive formations, aiming to breach the cold stone Restrictions’ defenses.

Meanwhile, Wang Lin mobilized the true energy within his body. Originally, he had intended to disrupt the Restriction’s structure by leveraging the Spiritual Power flow in the Formation, thereby reducing its potency.

This method proved ineffective. The Restrictions on the cold stones were like an invisible cage, continuously channeling Spiritual Power depleted energy constantly cycled back and replenished, causing each successive attack to grow stronger.

For the two of them, breaking through the Restriction attacks within the second layer posed immense pressure.

And Li Muwan, maintaining the defensive Barrier, was undoubtedly depleting her Spiritual Power relentlessly, risking collapse.

At that moment, the Spirit herbs in the Stone Chamber, affected by the Formation, were also continuously supplying energy to the cold stones. Li Muwan seemed to hear a low rumble emanating from the deepest part of the Formation.

That was !

The place where the Blood Lotus grew!

A massive energy fluctuation instantly swept over them like a tidal wave. The frenzied force compelled both to retreat further.

Out of the corner of his eye, Wang Lin saw a crimson light pillar coalesce at the center of the Restrictions, targeting the very heart of the defensive Barrier Li Muwan had erected.

Li Muwan also sensed this power, her face paling abruptly. With no time to evade, she watched as the scorching energy surged toward her.

She took a deep breath, once again forming hand seals to reinforce her defense while creating room to avoid the attack.

A sword aura shot skyward, intercepting the assault.

She looked up and saw Wang Lin’s Flying Sword blocking a powerful attack, though it couldn’t fully withstand the dispersed force. The massive shockwave sent both of them stumbling back several meters, scattering the assaults from both sides.

The two seized a moment to catch their breath.

Wang Lin had expended a considerable amount of Spiritual Power in the process.

“Wang Lin,” Li Muwan called out anxiously.

“It’s nothing,” Wang Lin replied. After unleashing his attack, he had sustained heavy internal injuries. Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he quickly consumed an Elixir to replenish his Spiritual Power.

Li Muwan remained maintaining the Formation. “We must locate the Formation’s core to break it.”

Wang Lin swallowed several Elixirs in succession, barely recovering a portion of his Cultivation level.

During earlier probes, he had attempted to strike one of the golden runes on the stone wall with a burst of Spiritual Power. Gradually, the speed and force of the Restriction’s attacks noticeably decreased.

As he had anticipated, these seemingly scattered runes formed interconnected patterns and lines that served as the weak point of the Restriction. Destroying all the runes would break the Formation.

Without another word, Wang Lin used his Divine Sense to simultaneously control dozens of Flying Swords. The swords transformed into a Ten Thousand Swords Formation, each blade formed from Spiritual Power and imbued with powerful Divine Sense, charging toward the runes.

“These runes are the Formation’s core be careful, Wang Lin!” Li Muwan manipulated the defensive Magic Array, but as Wang Lin executed his final sword technique, his Spiritual Power was completely depleted. At that moment, Ice Needles from the Restriction pierced through a weak point in the Formation’s defense, shooting straight toward Wang Lin.

In that critical instant, Li Muwan had no time to muster Spiritual Power to block the attack. As the Ice Needle was about to strike Wang Lin’s heart, she summoned her last ounce of strength to deflect it. With her remaining Spiritual Power, she propelled herself in front of Wang Lin at the last moment.

The Ice Needle pierced her shoulder. Her already frail body could not withstand the powerful impact. Li Muwan lost her ability to maintain the Formation, her Spiritual Power dissipated, and she collapsed. As she fell, Wang Lin caught her from behind.

Li Muwan felt a force lift her by the waist, warmth spreading through her wrist, and a familiar breath near her forehead, accompanied by the sound of rapid panting.

Their eyes met again, and a flashback of their shared destiny surfaced. Back in the Sea of Demonic Cultivation, she had risked her life to protect him. Little did she expect that two hundred years later, under similar circumstances, she would shield him once more.

Unbeknownst to her, even if it were ten thousand times, she would never hesitate to stand in front of him.