NOVEL NEXT Chapter 428: A Trial Of Illusions
The air was thicker in this chamber, as if weighed down with invisible pressure.
Each of the three forward paths seemed identical, but something unseen lingered in the stone. Spiritual energy pooled faintly, like ripples in a hidden pond.
Fatty Kui groaned. "Great. More choices. I'm telling you, these tomb builders were sadists. Why not leave a big sign saying, 'Treasures this way, death that way'?"
"No one would go to such trouble just to hand out their legacy," Xuan Qing said curtly. "Every wrong path is a test. Every danger is a measure. Whoever this alchemist was, he intended only the most careful... or the luckiest, to reach the end."
That was when Han Yu finally stepped forward. He reached into his robes, and with a small whistle, a shadow darted out.
Chitterfang.
The small rat perched on his shoulder, whiskers twitching, beady eyes shining in the dim light.
It sniffed the air, then scurried down Han Yu's arm and onto the ground. For a moment, it froze, its nose twitching rapidly, then began to scamper in small circles around the center of the hall.
Han Yu crouched, murmuring softly. "All right, o' wise one. You've gotten us out of trouble before. Now let's see which of these paths doesn't want us dead immediately."
The others looked on, some with skepticism, some with curiosity.
She Ming, the Green Ranked talented disciple who had been silent until now, tilted her head. "You're trusting a rat to decide our path?"
Han Yu grinned faintly. "This isn't an ordinary rat. Chitterfang has sharper senses than most spirit beasts twice its size. It can smell qi flows, sense hidden arrays, and pick up on danger before our eyes can. He's saved me more times than I can count."
Senior Brother Duan nodded slightly, remembering their earlier explorations. "Don't underestimate it. If not for the rat, we would have walked straight into poison vents and been corpses by now."
Reluctantly, even Xuan Qing gave a small nod. "Very well. Let the creature choose."
The group held their breath as Chitterfang moved again, scampering toward the first corridor on the left. It paused halfway, sniffed, and let out a sharp squeak before darting back, its tail flicking frantically.
'Danger.'
It circled again, moving toward the far right corridor. This time it hesitated longer, its nose twitching rapidly. Then, with a frightened squeal, it bolted back even faster than before, leaping straight onto Han Yu's shoulder as if the very stones ahead radiated malice.
Everyone frowned.
"Both bad?" Wu Shuan asked grimly.
Han Yu gently stroked the rat's back to calm it. Chitterfang shivered but then, slowly, it turned toward the middle corridor. Its beady eyes stared into the darkness ahead. Then, to their surprise, it hopped down once more and began to cautiously walk toward it.
Not quickly. Not boldly. But step by careful step, as if acknowledging danger yet deeming it… manageable.
Han Yu exhaled softly. "The middle, then. Not safe, but survivable."
The others exchanged looks.
Xuan Qing finally nodded. "If even the beast says so, then so be it. But keep your weapons ready. If the first chamber was that deadly, what awaits us down this path will not be merciful."
Han Yu smiled faintly, though his eyes were sharp. 'Good work, Chitterfang. At least one of these roads leads forward. And if the Mist Eye Sect truly has secret routes… they might emerge on this very path.'
With their decision made, the group tightened its formation and stepped into the middle corridor, the shadows swallowing them once more.
The moment they stepped into the middle corridor, a prickling sensation ran down Han Yu's spine.
The walls themselves seemed to ripple like water, faint motes of light swimming through the air as if stars had been scattered into the gloom. The passage was strangely silent at first, but the quiet was the kind that screamed danger... the kind that sharpened instincts and set every nerve alight.
The corridor widened into a cavernous chamber, and instantly the world shifted.
A blur passed Han Yu's eyes, and when his vision settled, he was no longer walking shoulder to shoulder with his companions. The others had vanished.
Instead, the chamber around him bent and warped into a forest of twisting black trees, their branches writhing as though alive. A chilling wind blew through, carrying whispers that slithered straight into his ears... mocking, jeering, calling his name.
"Han Yu…"
His hand instinctively went to his halberd.
He spun, only to find a beast lunging from the shadows; a wolf with molten eyes and jaws stretched far too wide. Han Yu parried, steel clashing against snapping fangs. The creature's weight was real, its claws slicing sparks off his guard. But the moment he countered with a killing thrust, the beast disintegrated into mist.
'An illusion.'
Or so he thought.
A sharp sting burned across his side. He glanced down—blood welled from a shallow cut.
'Not just an illusion, then.'
Something real had struck him in that moment of confusion.
Han Yu's face hardened. 'This place isn't a simple illusion hall. It's layered... illusions hiding truths, truths wrapped in falsehoods. If I can't tell them apart, I'll bleed to death before ever reaching the heart of the complex.'
SCREEEEEE
A scream pierced the air.
Female—high-pitched, desperate. He recognized the voice: She Ming.
Somewhere in this labyrinth, she was fighting for her life. Another cry followed, deeper this time, full of pain. It had to be Senior Brother Duan.
Han Yu clenched his jaw, sweeping his halberd around him. The forest warped again.
The black trees bent backward unnaturally, their branches snapping and reshaping into grotesque humanoid forms. Dozens of puppet-like figures stumbled out, faces painted blank, joints cracking with each jerky movement. Their wooden arms ended in blades.
WHOOSH
The first swung.
Han Yu blocked, but another slashed at his back. He twisted, barely avoiding a deep gash, only for a third to jab at his thigh.
CLANGGG