The interior of the cave was far more complex and winding than it appeared from the outside. The glow of the glowstone could only illuminate an area a few zhang ahead, while deeper inside was an impenetrable, thick darkness, like the maw of a giant beast waiting to devour any intruder. The air was damp and cold, carrying a strong earthy smell and that lingering, obscure aura. The rock underfoot was slippery, forcing everyone to slow their pace and cautiously explore inward.
The passage was not straight, but curved downward, sometimes narrow enough to require squeezing sideways, and sometimes suddenly opening up into a small grotto, but aside from jagged strange rocks and dripping water, there was nothing else. The faint spiritual energy fluctuation acted like a guiding beacon, consistently leading them deeper.
However, as they went deeper, everyone gradually sensed something amiss.
At first, it was only an inexplicable restlessness in their hearts, as if something were lightly plucking at their heartstrings. Then, fragments of deeply buried memories began to surface uncontrollably. Shi Jian's footsteps grew somewhat heavy, his breathing rough, as if he were seeing some scene that angered him; Liu Yun's hand gripping her sword tightened further, her gaze sharp as she scanned the darkness, as if guarding against intangible foes; even the steadiest Mu Qingfeng slightly furrowed his brow, seeming to resist something.
Xiao Qi also felt this intangible force. A chill rose from the depths of his heart, and the light before his eyes began to twist and waver. The shadows on the cave walls seemed to come alive, clawing menacingly. His ears seemed to hear a shrill wind, mingled with vague cries and the sharp clang of weapons clashing...
It was an illusion array!
He instantly understood. The obscure aura at the cave entrance was not merely ancient, but contained a power that could confuse the mind!
'Guard your minds! It's an illusion array!' Mu Qingfeng's deep shout rang out like a bell, exploding in everyone's ears, trying to wake the sinking companions.
But this illusion array seemed extremely cunning—it did not directly create terrifying scenes, but precisely excavated and amplified the deepest fears and obsessions in each person's heart.
For Xiao Qi, that was the night of the fall of Xu Lan Mountain Manor!
The scene before him abruptly transformed! No longer the gloomy cave, but a sky‑piercing blaze! The familiar pavilions and towers burned and crumbled in the fierce flames, the air thick with the pungent smell of blood and scorched material. Heart‑wrenching screams, arrogant, savage laughter, and his parents' last urgent cry... Countless images he had forcibly suppressed deep in his memory surged like a bursting flood, fiercely battering his mind!
He saw his father Xu Zhan covered in blood, holding a broken sword, desperately fighting amidst demonic cultivators, finally pierced through the chest by a black shadow... He saw his mother stuffing him into the arms of a loyal servant, tears welling, then resolutely turning and rushing into the sea of flames... He saw himself hiding in the grass, trembling, watching helplessly as his home turned to ashes, that feeling of helplessness, fear, and heart‑rending agony instantly overwhelmed him!
'No... Father! Mother!' Xiao Qi's eyes turned blood‑red, his breathing ragged, the spiritual energy within his body stirred uncontrollably, almost breaking free. He wanted to charge into that inferno, wanted to do something, but found himself bound by intangible chains, unable to move, only able to watch the tragedy repeat itself. Immense sorrow and rage nearly tore his soul apart.
Just as his mind was about to completely lose its grip and sink into this endless nightmare, the jade pendant hanging on his chest suddenly transmitted a distinct scorching sensation!
Not scalding, but a warm, gentle stream brimming with vitality. Then, a cool, pure aura flowed out from the jade pendant, like sweet spring water pouring into a parched heart, swiftly spreading through his limbs and bones, cleansing the negative emotions and illusory power invading his mind.
The towering flames before his eyes, the shrill screams, the fading figures of his parents began to swiftly fade, blur, twist, and finally with a 'crack', shattered like a mirror!
The illusion dissipated, and the gloomy scene of the cave reappeared before him. But he could still hear Shi Jian's rough panting and suppressed growls beside him, see Liu Yun's tense body and sharp yet somewhat vacant gaze, and even the senior brother, though still standing, had fine beads of sweat on his forehead.
They were still trapped within the illusion array!
Xiao Qi's heart grew cold. This illusion array was so formidable that even the senior brother and third senior sister couldn't break free immediately! Had it not been for the jade pendant protecting his mind at the critical moment, he would have been utterly lost.
He could wait no longer! He must wake everyone quickly!
Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm the turmoil stirred by the illusion, relying on the lingering coolness and tranquility from the jade pendant, and cried out clearly: 'Senior Brother, Senior Sister! All before you is falsehood! Hold fast to your spirit platforms, do not be seized by inner demons! Follow me!'
His voice was not particularly loud, but in the silence of the cave and the sinking minds of his companions, it struck like thunder, carrying a strange, soothing power.
Mu Qingfeng reacted first, biting the tip of his tongue hard. The sharp pain jolted his spirit, clarity returning to his eyes. He uttered a low cry: 'Break!' Sword aura burst from his body, forcibly dispersing the remaining power of the illusion.
Liu Yun and Shi Jian were also roused by Xiao Qi's cry, each circulating their cultivation techniques to suppress the distracting thoughts and fears in their hearts, their gazes gradually regaining focus.
'Xiao Qi, you...' Liu Yun looked at Xiao Qi with some surprise; she hadn't expected the first to break free from the illusion array to be him.
Xiao Qi had no time to explain, pointing toward a seemingly ordinary turn in the passage ahead: 'The node of the illusion array seems to be there. Let's concentrate our power and break it at a single point!'
Now everyone trusted him, and they immediately followed his guidance, gathering spiritual energy and blasting toward that corner!
'Boom!'
Spiritual energy flared, and the seemingly solid rock wall at that spot rippled like water, emitting a faint cracking sound. The oppressive feeling weighing on everyone's hearts and those stirring fragments of illusion receded like a tide.
The illusion array was broken!
The cave returned to its previous silence and gloom, but that heart‑gripping obscure aura also seemed to thin slightly.
Everyone was left with lingering fear. Shi Jian wiped his cold sweat, muttering: 'Such a formidable illusion array! I nearly fell for it!'
Liu Yun looked at Xiao Qi, her gaze complex, containing both inquiry and a hint of hard‑to‑detect approval: 'You, kid, do have some tricks up your sleeve.'
Mu Qingfeng looked deeply at Xiao Qi, asking no further questions, simply saying in a grave tone: 'This place is not safe. We must proceed, and be even more careful.'
Xiao Qi nodded, quietly breathing a sigh of relief, and gripped the jade pendant on his chest. Once again, it had helped him through a crisis.
The four regrouped their spirits and, with an even more cautious mindset, continued exploring deeper into the cave toward the source of the spiritual energy fluctuation. After the trial of the illusion array, the trust and tacit understanding within the team seemed to have deepened another level.