Zhao Li's heart stirred, and he said in a low voice:
"This might be a Ruin."
Ye Yunsheng nodded. Given her current status and position, she naturally knew some secrets.
She asked:
"How do you want to handle it? Open it and leave directly, or explore it first?"
Zhao Li's heart moved, but he looked at Zhao Yannian, then at Ye Yunsheng, and gently shook his head:
"Let's leave first."
If he were alone, he would definitely explore it. But with others beside him, he wasn't willing to take risks.
Seeing Zhao Li's expression, Ye Yunsheng knew exactly what he was thinking. She winked at him and smiled:
"If you want to explore, let's explore together. Don't worry, I won't hold back the Great Sect Master Zhao."
Zhao Li was stunned for a moment before he realized that Ye Yunsheng's strength was only stronger than his, not weaker. Even the anomaly in this Space was discovered by her first.
He nodded, chuckled, and said straightforwardly:
"Then let's go!"
With that, he waved his sleeve, placing Zhao Yannian into his Pocket Dimension. Then he pulled Ye Yunsheng along and walked upstream along the river.
His vast Soul Power poured out, instantly sweeping over tens of thousands of miles, but found nothing.
This place was like a primeval forest, with no people, no Magical Beasts, only a rushing river and countless mountains.
Half an hour later, Zhao Li and Ye Yunsheng reached the end of the river. It was a tall mountain, with a waterfall hanging from the peak, seemingly endless, flowing into the river below the mountain.
On the mountaintop stood a Strange Stone. It seemed to have life, slowly absorbing the surrounding Dou Qi.
A strange feeling arose in Zhao Li's heart. He seemed to have seen this scene somewhere before.
"Zhao Li, have you been here before?"
While Zhao Li was thinking, Ye Yunsheng asked curiously.
Zhao Li shook his head:
"No, why do you suddenly ask?"
Ye Yunsheng was puzzled:
"Then why is the Flower-Fruit Mountain you wrote about so similar to this place?"
Upon hearing this, a flash of lightning seemed to strike Zhao Li's mind. He suddenly understood why it felt familiar.
Wasn't this scene exactly how the Monkey King looked when he first emerged?
Thinking of this, Zhao Li's eyes flickered, and his Soul Power reached out towards the giant stone on the mountaintop.
This was the Dou Qi Continent, not the Journey to the West World. Zhao Li naturally didn't think a monkey would be born from that stone, but it was the only thing Zhao Li had sensed in the past half hour that could possibly be alive. Zhao Li naturally wouldn't miss the chance to investigate.
The moment Zhao Li's Soul Power touched the Strange Stone, he heard the sound of crashing waves, the cries of apes and roars of tigers, and the calls of birds.
He opened his eyes. It was still the same mountain, still the same giant stone, but there were groups of monkeys in the mountains. They were hunting fierce tigers in groups.
Zhao Li's eyes narrowed. He subconsciously looked at Ye Yunsheng. No one!
Zhao Li's heart panicked, then he calmed down. This was an Illusion!
Although he realized it was an Illusion, the place was still the same as before.
Zhao Li became interested:
"Oh? Interesting. I'd like to see what tricks you can pull."
Generally, Illusions would break on their own as long as the host became suspicious. Clearly, this place was very unusual.
Boom—
As his thought arose, there was a loud bang. The Strange Stone exploded, and a monkey covered in golden fur leaped out. With a somersault, it landed in the mountains. It ran wild and free, golden light lingering in its eyes.
Zhao Li frowned. This was exactly the scene he had thought of before investigating, and now it was truly presented before his eyes.
Illusions are based on the thoughts of living beings, so Zhao Li wasn't surprised.
What he truly cared about was how to leave this place.
This feeling of clearly knowing he was dreaming but not knowing how to wake up made Zhao Li feel somewhat powerless.
After pondering for a while, Zhao Li's heart stirred:
"If you're really capable, conjure up an Old Lord for me."
Thinking this, he subconsciously controlled his thoughts.
The world spun, and everything in front of Zhao Li seemed to be accelerated, like watching a movie, with scenes changing rapidly.
Suddenly, in front of Zhao Li, an old man wearing Eight Trigrams robes appeared, sitting cross-legged before an Eight Trigrams Furnace. He held a green fan, shaped like a Plantain Leaf, fanning it gently.
He was paying attention to the situation in the furnace while Giving a Sermon to the Attendant Boy in front of him. What he was preaching was the Path of Equipment Refining.
This was Zhao Li's attempt. He wanted to verify whether the things in this Illusion were completely based on his imagination or if there was some basis for them.
The Old Lord didn't say much, just offering guidance at key moments. Zhao Li listened, constantly deducing.
"It seems feasible."
Suddenly, Zhao Li's eyes lit up, and a wave of excitement surged in his heart. If this worked, wouldn't it be like a cheat falling from the sky?
"Zhao Li, why are you so happy?"
A clear and natural voice reached him. Zhao Li's heart skipped a beat, and he abruptly looked at the Old Lord. His gaze, at some point, had fallen upon him.
Zhao Li was horrified, and a tempest raged in his heart. He, who had been a mere observer, had unexpectedly fallen into the Illusion without warning.
His first reaction was to calm his mind and imagine other things.
Suddenly, his perspective gradually rose, and the scene before him changed rapidly like a movie shot.
"Whoosh—"
Zhao Li felt a lingering fear and let out a long sigh of relief, slowly relaxing.
Soon, the flow of the scene returned to normal. By this time, it had reached the Havoc in Heaven, but the Monkey King was invincible, and his Golden-Hooped Rod had pierced Tathagata's palm.
Even though this was a fantasy in Zhao Li's mind, he still watched with fascination.
"Zhao Li, thanks a lot! Your Grandpa Sun is now the Jade Emperor, and I'll make you the Great Sage Equal to Heaven."
The Monkey King leaped from Tathagata's hand, rapidly grew larger, landed beside Zhao Li, and put his arm around his shoulder, as if it were the most natural thing in the world...
This time, Zhao Li didn't immediately notice anything unusual.
...
"Zhao Li, Zhao Li, wake up!"
Ye Yunsheng's face was full of anxiety. Half an hour had passed since she noticed Zhao Li's abnormality and his aura grew weaker and weaker. She kept calling out to him, but he wouldn't wake up.
Just like before, Zhao Li remained unresponsive.
She looked at the Strange Stone on the mountaintop, her gaze deepening slightly. Her jade-like hand slowly extended, forming a palm, and she struck the Strange Stone.
At this moment, her demeanor had completely changed; she no longer looked like the little girl from before.
...
In the Illusion, Zhao Li sat in the Heavenly Palace. Suddenly, a woman of unparalleled beauty appeared in the distance.
He felt a sense of familiarity with the woman but couldn't remember where he had seen her, and a strange irritation arose in his heart.
Immediately, while he was still confused, she struck him with a palm.
Her palm strike seemed capable of shattering the Heavenly Palace, yet Zhao Li felt not a single bit of worry.
Boom—
The Heavenly Palace trembled, the halls collapsed, and then the entire Heavenly Court plummeted.
But Zhao Li found himself completely unharmed. His vision kept rising. When it surpassed a certain critical point, he woke up.
He was Zhao Li from the Dou Qi Continent, not the Qi Tian title bestowed by the Monkey King in the Illusion, nor the Jade Emperor who had been passed the throne after the Monkey King got bored of being the Jade Emperor for a few days.
He looked at Ye Yunsheng, unconsciously letting out a sigh of relief, and then returned to his True Form.
Zhao Li opened his eyes, a lingering fear washing over him. He had thought he was clear-headed, discovering he could control the Illusion and trying out various wild ideas in his mind, but without realizing it, he had fallen into a trap.
What he thought was being awake was actually already deep in slumber.
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