NOVEL NEXT Chapter 118: Illusion
Chapter 118: Illusion
Xu Lian walked on, his black horse carrying him steadily forward.
From the roadside, an old woman with only half a body crawled out. She grinned eerily at Xu Lian and suddenly grabbed the leg of his horse.
Then, she began to climb up the horse’s leg…
Until she sat down behind Xu Lian.
Xu Lian’s heart was as calm as ice, unshaken even if the sky were to collapse… but in reality, every hair on his body stood on end, and he was utterly terrified.
The old woman occasionally leaned her head close to his ear, grinning eerily at him.
“…” Xu Lian ignored her, but inwardly he cursed, “What the hell are you laughing at?!”
From the side of the road, another half-bodied old woman crawled out, grabbed the horse’s leg, and climbed up.
Then another.
And another…
In the end, Xu Lian and the entire black horse were densely covered with half-body old women.
The sheer number of them made Xu Lian feel less uncomfortable, and he continued leisurely on his way.
The only thing that made his heart uneasy was that he couldn’t see the group ahead of him. This made him doubt himself-Was the group I stopped to eat dry rations with real?
“Brother Lian.”
Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice. The figure of Li Xiya appeared before him. Her autumn-like eyes were filled with tears, and she held a child in each hand, carried one on her back, and cradled another in her arms.
She cried, “Brother Lian, I’ve wronged you. The royal family of the Yin Dynasty, coveting the perfect bloodline within me, drugged me and forced me to be with several men. I’ve given birth to child after child. When will you come to the capital to find me? I want to have a child with you.”
Damn illusion… Xu Lian’s heart went cold. He ignored the weeping Li Xiya and continued riding forward on his black horse.
“Brother Lian, are you really so heartless that you can’t stop and look at me?”
Bloody tears streamed from Li Xiya’s autumn-like eyes.
Xu Lian slowly gripped the hilt of his sword and then slowly released it, forcing himself to remain calm.
He walked further and further away, leaving Li Xiya behind.
Ahead, at the roadside, flirtatious and teasing laughter emerged from the white mist.
A young man and a young woman slowly emerged from the mist – it was Fang Shaoze and Pei Zhaoxi.
When she saw Xu Lian, Pei Zhaoxi seemed to get nervous and hid back in the mist.
Fang Shaoze, however, gave Xu Lian a cold look, let out a cold laugh, and also retreated into the mist.
Soon after, the sound of joyful laughter echoed from within.
Xu Lian’s face turned green with rage. This illusion is truly vicious, hitting me where it hurts every time.
He kept his eyes straight ahead, riding his black horse in silence, swearing to himself that once he became powerful enough, he would destroy this Misty Ghost Mountain to vent his hatred!
Wang Cuiyun appeared ahead, her wrinkled face smiling as she said, “Brother Lian, let me tell you a secret. Actually, Xiya is not my daughter. You are my real son.”
I don’t believe a word of your nonsense, you old witch… Xu Lian rode past Wang Cuiyun without a second glance.
Ahead of him, he reached the end of the road.
The end was a bottomless abyss.
Beneath the abyss was an endless sea of blood.
There were broken bodies floating in the sea of blood.
Xu Lian’s expression remained stoic, his heart unshaken. Without hesitation, he urged his black horse forward, stepping directly into the bottomless abyss.
He had to admit that the illusions he had just endured had tempered his resolve, making him less susceptible to emotional disturbances.
“Splash!”
As the man and the horse plunged into the abyss and the sea of blood, Xu Lian’s vision blurred. The thick white mist dissipated, revealing Jiang Xianyu and the entire team ahead, resting and eating dry rations.
Seeing him emerge from the fog, the group couldn’t help but glance at him a few more times. Clearly, they hadn’t expected this young man to pass through Misty Ghost Mountain so effortlessly on his first long journey.
Could this still be an illusion? Xu Lian wondered. Once bitten, twice shy, he was now struggling to distinguish between illusion and reality.
Approaching the female cultivator he had spent the night with earlier, Xu Lian suddenly asked, “How many Spirit Stones?”
The female cultivator was momentarily stunned before realizing that he was testing whether this was an illusion. She decided to tease him, “Ten Spirit Stones.”
Xu Lian nodded, “Alright, let’s stick to that price from now on.”
The female cultivator wasn’t satisfied and immediately countered, “Thirty!”
The group burst out laughing.
Only then did the female cultivator realize that she had been tricked by Xu Lian. She glared at him, her face flushed red.
Xu Lian was now almost certain that this was real. Of course, he could only say “mostly” because based on the previous illusions, it seemed that they could read his thoughts – a terrifying prospect.
“Just because we’ve left Misty Ghost Mountain doesn’t mean we’re safe. There have been cases where mist demons have infiltrated the group. I’m going to take a headcount. Everyone stay where you are. Anyone who moves will be treated as a fog demon and killed on the spot.”
Jiang Xianyu, riding her tall horse, patrolled back and forth, her expression serious as she made the announcement.
Everyone understood the gravity of the situation and remained still, cooperating as she counted.
Jiang Xianyu started at the front of the group and counted to the end, where Xu Lian was. Her expression froze momentarily before she coldly said, “Our group has 144 people. Now there are 145. There’s one more.”
Everyone’s expression changed, and they began to look around warily at the people near them.
“Whoever infiltrated us, please leave on your own, and I’ll pretend nothing happened.”
Jiang Xianyu, who was obviously experienced in traveling this route, remained calm. She took out a list, “Do I have to call out every name one by one?”
Xu Lian suddenly realized why they had to register before traveling. This was crucial!
Without the roster, having an extra unknown entity among them… the consequences would be unimaginable.
“Here!”
“Over here!”
Shouts erupted from the middle of the group, causing a brief commotion.
A guard broke into a run, dashing into the thick white mist, and an eerie laughter echoed from within.
“One has left, and the group’s numbers are back to normal. But just to be sure, I’ll still go through the list and check each person one by one.”
Jiang Xianyu held the list in her hand and began calling out names, verifying each person’s information.
She verified the coachmen and guards under her command first, confirming no issues.
Then, she moved to the back of the group to verify the followers. Finding no problems there either, she gave the order to continue the journey.
While Jiang Xianyu was checking the followers, Xu Lian managed to remember a few names.
First, there were the two people whose cultivation had reached the Bright Force level. The plain-clothed old man was called Lao Yuntou – clearly a pseudonym. Xu Lian wondered why a pseudonym was allowed during registration. Did he have some kind of relationship with the middle-aged, plump woman?
The young man in the robe was called Zhou Xin, and he seemed to be from the Zhou family, a prominent clan in Pingyang County. Xu Lian wasn’t sure why he was here, but he always seemed to be hovering around Jiang Xianyu. Was he here to pursue her?
Aside from these two, another person who caught Xu Lian’s attention was the female cultivator he had spent the night with a few days ago. Her name was Xiao Xixi.
As for the others, Xu Lian didn’t bother remembering them. There were too many people, and even though his memory was good, it wasn’t worth the effort to remember everyone.
The journey continued with frequent stops.
Four days later, Jiang Xianyu warned, “We are about to enter the area of the Poison Dragon Pool. Many poisonous snakes will attack there. Those who have antidote pills can take them now. Those who don’t can purchase them from me for fifty spirit stones each.”
Everyone took out their antidote pills and consumed them in advance. They also drew their weapons and prepared for battle.
Xu Lian also took an antidote pill. Feeling that it wasn’t enough, he took another, and then another… His hand rested on the hilt of his sword. He would only draw it if absolutely necessary-his three-star sword, obtained through heavy spending, was too eye-catching.
Xiao Xixi watched him consume the antidote pills as if they were candy, her eyes wide. She couldn’t help but complain, “You’re so rich in Spirit Stones, yet you’re still bargaining with me. Stingy with others, but generous with yourself.”
Xu Lian ignored her. With one hand holding the reins and the other resting on the hilt of his sword, he silently moved forward.