Liaozhai: Immortality Begins with Becoming Yan Chixia's Apprentice

Chapter 80 Illusionary Demon Array

The token emitted an eerie black light, and the entire Taoist temple began to shake violently.

On the ground, countless black runes lit up, surrounding Zhou Ning.

"This is... an array." Zhou Ning's heart skipped a beat.

Xuan Lingzi grinned maliciously: "This is the 'Illusion Demon Formation' that my senior brother passed down to me. Once you enter this formation, your consciousness will be trapped in an endless illusion, from which you will never be able to escape."

His figure gradually faded and disappeared into the black light.

Zhou Ning wanted to give chase, but found that his body was no longer able to move.

The black runes beneath his feet, like countless venomous snakes, coiled around his legs, pinning him firmly to the ground.

The world before my eyes began to distort and deform.

The Taoist temple disappeared, the pine forest disappeared, the moonlight disappeared.

Instead, there was a gray, desolate wasteland.

The wilderness was barren, and the sky was covered with dark clouds, obscuring the sun and moon.

A suffocating atmosphere filled the air, making it hard to breathe.

"Is this Master Xuanming's Illusionary Mind Formation? It's exactly the same."

Zhou Ning took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

He closed his eyes and circulated his "Innate Qi," attempting to break through the illusion with his true essence.

But after circulating his true essence throughout his body, there was no reaction.

It was as if his cultivation had completely failed in this illusion.

"it's useless."

Xuan Lingzi's voice came from all directions.

"The Illusionary Mind Array directly affects your divine sense. No matter how high your cultivation level is, you can't use it here. The only way to break the array is through your Dao heart."

Zhou Ning opened his eyes and gripped the Qingfeng sword tightly.

"If you can break it once, the second time will naturally be much easier."

As soon as he finished speaking, countless figures appeared in the wilderness.

Those figures were still the familiar faces to him, because they were among the few people he cared about these days.

Yan Chixia, Xin Shisi Niang, Liu Niang, Zhu Erdan, Lu Pan...

Not one is missing.

Then, the same voice came as always.

"Zhou Ning, you have betrayed your sect and deserve to die."

Yan Chixia's voice was as cold as iron.

"Young Master Zhou, why did you want to harm me?" Xin Shisi Niang cried, tears streaming down her face.

"Zhou Ning, you will die a horrible death!" Judge Lu shouted sternly.

Zhou Ning knew these were all illusions, but their voices, expressions, and tones were incredibly real, as if they were truly standing in front of him.

"Xuan Lingzi, didn't Daoist Xuanming tell you that this formation has no effect on me?"

He gritted his teeth, forcing himself not to believe it.

But the illusions became more and more real, and more and more terrifying.

"It's the same old trick, exactly the same as Master Xuanming's Illusionary Mind Formation. They really are in cahoots."

He opened his eyes and looked at the phantoms rushing towards him, neither dodging nor resisting.

"You are all false. The faith I believe in is true."

The illusions stopped completely when they were only a step away from him.

Then it dissipated.

The wilderness returned to silence.

"I didn't expect to pass the first hurdle so quickly, this is interesting."

Xuan Lingzi's voice rang out again.

"However, this is just the beginning. The most terrifying part of this formation is revealing what a person's deepest fears are."

In the wilderness, new illusions appeared.

This time, it was something Zhou Ning feared most deep down.

failure.

As expected, it was the same terrifying trial.

He saw himself fail again in his cultivation, then suffer a qi deviation, and die.

Immediately afterwards, Baihe Village was massacred, the Black Mountain Demon besieged Lanruo Temple, and Shisi Niang died from a sword wound while trying to save him...

Every scene tore at his heart.

Even if they are fake, each one represents the thing Zhou Ning is most worried about happening right now.

"Have you had enough fun? If you don't have any other tricks up your sleeve, I'm going to make my move."

The illusion vanished as soon as the words were spoken.

Xuan Lingzi stared blankly, his face blank with shock, even his voice carrying a hint of surprise.

"There are such people with such a firm belief in the Dao."

Zhou Ning did not answer. Instead, he gripped the Qingfeng Sword tightly and walked step by step toward the direction from which Xuan Lingzi's voice came from the void.

"But it's still no use, you can't find me." Xuan Lingzi sneered.

Zhou Ning ignored him and continued walking forward.

The wilderness stretched endlessly, and he walked for a very long time, as if he would never reach the end.

But Zhou Ning did not stop.

He knew that even the largest illusion had its limits.

As long as he doesn't give up, he'll eventually be able to get out of this mess.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, a mountain appeared in the wilderness ahead.

That's Qingyun Mountain.

The outline of Lanruo Temple can be faintly seen from the mountaintop.

Zhou Ning quickened his pace and headed up the mountain.

When he reached the mountain gate, he saw Yan Chixia standing at the entrance of the main hall, with his hands behind his back.

"You're back."

Yan Chixia's voice was flat, exactly the same as usual.

Zhou Ning stopped and looked at him.

Are you real or fake?

Yan Chixia did not answer, but just looked at him.

Zhou Ning was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

"Whether you're telling the truth or not, I'm going in."

He stepped into the main hall.

Inside the hall, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

Yan Chixia sat at the head of the table and gestured for him to sit down.

"You must have had a long and arduous journey," Yan Chixia said.

Zhou Ning shook his head: "It's not hard work."

"Do you know why you were able to escape the illusion?" Yan Chixia asked.

Zhou Ning thought for a moment and said, "Because my Dao heart is more steadfast than the illusion."

Yan Chixia nodded: "With a firm Dao heart, one is impervious to all evil. The fact that you understand this principle means you have truly entered the path."

He stood up, walked to Zhou Ning, reached out and placed his hand on Zhou Ning's head.

"Remember this feeling. In the future, no matter what happens, never forget it."

A warm power flowed from Yan Chixia's palm into Zhou Ning's body.

Zhou Ning felt a jolt throughout his body, and the scene before him began to distort and deform.

Qingyun Mountain disappeared, Lanruo Temple disappeared, and Yan Chixia disappeared.

He opened his eyes and found himself standing in the backyard of a dilapidated Taoist temple.

Beneath his feet, the black runes had dimmed and lost their power.

Xuan Lingzi slumped down by the well, looking listless, as if all his energy had been drained away.

"You actually broke my senior brother's Illusionary Demon Formation?"

Zhou Ning walked up to him and looked down at him.

"Tell me, what do you people do? Is Master Xuanming your senior brother?"

Xuan Lingzi smiled bitterly and said, "That's right, he and I are in different places, each doing our own job."

Zhou Ning frowned slightly: "How do we ensure everyone fulfills their duties?"

Xuan Lingzi smiled bitterly but remained silent, his expression revealing helplessness.

Zhou Ning could tell from his expression that he wouldn't get anything out of him.

The next morning, Zhou Ning handed Xuan Lingzi over to the government officials in Qingshan Town.

The authorities detained him and are awaiting trial.

Zhou Ning left the county government office and returned to the inn.

That night, he did not sleep, but sat cross-legged on the bed, closing his eyes and regulating his breathing.

His experience in the illusion strengthened his resolve to pursue the Dao.

He understood that no matter what he encountered, as long as he stayed true to himself, nothing could defeat him.

The next morning, Zhou Ning left Qingshan Town and returned to Lanruo Temple.

Walking along the mountain path, the morning light shines through the pine forest, bathing everything in a warm golden hue.

Zhou Ning took a deep breath and quickened his pace.

"Master, your disciple has returned."