The smell of blood filled the air, carrying a peculiar damp and musty odor.
Mu Cengxiao gripped the God-Slaying Sword by his side and looked at Tian Fangfang, who was smiling at him while holding a broken branch.
“Hey, Junior Brother’s method really worked. Tickling indeed woke you up.” Tian Fangfang clapped his hands and asked Mu Cengxiao, “Junior Brother Mu, are you alright?”
Mu Chengxiao was stunned for a moment but quickly understood. He only asked the two in front of him, “An illusion?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Tian Fangfang stood up, patted the dirt off his knees, and looked into the distance of the passage: “The three of us all fell for it. Fortunately, Junior Brother woke up and tickled me awake, or else who knows how long we would have been stuck.”
Earlier, the two of them found Mu Cengxiao deep in the illusion and tickled his feet with a dead branch for quite a while before finally waking him up.
“This illusion is really powerful. Even Seventh Uncle and Senior Sister Meng couldn’t see through it. The enemy must be very strong.” Men Dong’s small face was tense: “The Qiankun Bag can’t be opened, and there’s a loss of spiritual energy. It’s most likely the work of the illusion’s creator. This matter… is not simple.”
Although Men Dong was young, he had accompanied Zhao Mayi and Gu Baiying for years, searching for spirit treasures to repair spiritual vein flaws. He had traveled far and seen much of the world. Ordinary monsters, even if they wanted to create an illusion, could hardly create such a grand spectacle. It’s one thing to enchant a city, but when even the top talents of the Taiyan Sect couldn’t detect anything wrong, it showed that the opponent was more troublesome than usual.
“When soldiers come, we block them; when water comes, we use earth to cover it. We have so many people here, are we really afraid of a single monster?” Tian Fangfang was optimistic: “Besides, if he was really that powerful, why sneak around creating illusions to harm people? Since he doesn’t dare to confront us openly, he’s probably just bluffing. Right, Junior Brother Mu?”
After a brief consideration, Mu Cengxiao nodded and said, “Senior Brother Tian is right. Moreover, the most urgent task now is to find our senior uncle and senior sister.”
Hearing this, Men Dong and Tian Fangfang had a moment of strange expressions on their faces.
Mu Cengxiao asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Well…” Tian Fangfang hesitated for a moment, “Junior Brother, actually…” He stepped aside, gesturing for Mu Cengxiao to look behind him. There, against the stone wall of the cave, lay Meng Ying, dressed in a white gown like mist in a secluded valley, collapsed on the ground.
Meng Ying wasn’t far from Mu Cengxiao, and Tian Fangfang had noticed her before tickling Mu Cengxiao.
Mu Cengxiao was stunned. “Senior Sister Meng?” He took two steps forward, saw that it was indeed Meng Ying, and turned to ask Tian Fangfang and Men Dong, “Why didn’t you wake her up?”
Tian Fangfang and Men Dong exchanged a glance and tacitly took a small step back. Tian Fangfang tossed the branch he had used to tickle Mu Cengxiao in his direction and cleared his throat, “Junior Brother, I’m just a rough guy. If I hurt Senior Sister Meng by mistake, it would be a disaster. It’s better if you do it.”
Mu Cengxiao looked at Men Dong.
Men Dong shook his head repeatedly, “I can’t do it either. I don’t know how.” What a joke! Meng Ying was Yue Qin’s direct disciple. If Yue Qin, that old stickler, found out he had taken off Meng Ying’s shoes and tickled her feet, he would definitely be punished.
Moreover, even if Uncle Yue Qin didn’t find out, who could bring themselves to do it when facing Senior Sister Meng’s icy demeanor? Meng Ying usually kept her emotions hidden, but if she was displeased, she might just cut him down. Men Dong was merely a young disciple of Daoist Yueguang. Despite having the “Immortal Spirit Aperture,” his cultivation was average. Meng Ying, on the other hand, was the future leader of the Taiyan Sect. Even if his master wanted to protect him, it would be to no avail.
The more Men Dong thought about it, the more he felt determined not to take on this hot potato. He sincerely said to Mu Cengxiao, “Senior Brother, we tried other methods just now, but they didn’t work. As for tickling Senior Sister, your cultivation is higher, so it’s best if you do it.”
Mu Cengxiao frowned slightly, bent down to pick up the small branch at his feet, and walked over to Meng Ying, kneeling beside her.
His heart was initially at ease, but when he grasped Meng Ying’s foot to remove her shoes and socks, he suddenly hesitated.
To explain, Liu Yunxin and he had often played barefoot in the mud as children. Though they weren’t biological siblings, they were closer than most, never considering such matters. However, he wasn’t as familiar with Meng Ying. The women in the sect were proud and lofty. What if she found his actions inappropriate?
What if Meng Ying woke up, got angry, and decided to cut him down?
Mu Cengxiao suddenly felt uneasy.
His current cultivation level was still no match for Meng Ying.
However, he was in a difficult position now, and it seemed that Tian Fangfang and Men Dong wouldn’t be tickling Meng Ying anytime soon. They couldn’t afford to delay any longer. With this in mind, Mu Cengxiao steeled himself, closed his eyes, and swiftly pulled off Meng Ying’s shoes and socks, then grabbed the small branch and started tickling her foot.
He didn’t know how long it had been when suddenly, there was a slap sound.
In the silent cave, the sound of the slap was abrupt.
A heavy black longsword was now pressed against his neck. The woman’s face was filled with anger, her voice as cold as ice: “Scoundrel—”
*
Slap—
A figure was violently thrown, her back crashing against the hard cave wall. As she slid down, a trail of blood marked her path, like a crimson serpent.
“Yang Zanxing!” Gu Baiying’s eyes flashed sharply. He struggled to prop himself up, trying to stand, but his obstructed spiritual veins made it impossible to move an inch. Moreover, he had lost all his spiritual energy.
“Let her go.” The young man spoke calmly, “I’ll stay with you. It’s a good trade for you.”
The Mirage Woman walked over to Zanxing’s side, gripping her neck and lifting her like a piece of merchandise. She watched her prey struggle, speaking slowly, “Little Immortal, that won’t do. She must die, and you… I want you too.”
“Don’t be delusional… cough cough…” Zanxing laughed, “My martial uncle… would never be with an old monster like you. Stop dreaming.”
“Very well, still defiant at death’s door.” The Mirage Woman laughed instead of getting angry, “If I throw you into your worst nightmare, I wonder if your bones will be as hard as your words.”
Gu Baiying shouted, “What are you planning?”
“I don’t like killing directly,” the Mirage Woman’s voice was gentle, “It’s too crude and boring. I prefer to let them sink into my illusion, where I am the law. As for you,” she looked at Zanxing, “let’s see what you fear most, and I’ll make you drown in it forever.”
“The law?” Zanxing retorted, “You might have misunderstood yourself. To me, you’re just an old harpie who toys with people.”
“Bitch—” The Mirage Woman’s beautiful face twisted at Zanxing’s words. She suddenly opened her five fingers, which transformed into five fierce snakes that lunged at Zanxing.
The next moment, the Mirage Woman’s movement stopped.
The broken segmented staff was in Zanxing’s hand, one piece held by her and the other embedded in the Mirage Woman’s waist, not fully lodged, with only a small part sticking out, dripping blood.
The Mirage Woman tilted her head slightly, showing a confused expression that quickly turned into a vicious rage, “You dare—”
“You really talk too much,” Zanxing said as the Mirage Woman threw her to the ground. Unbothered by her own wounds, she raised her hand, and the segmented staff was pulled from the Mirage Woman’s waist.
“You might not know what a real illusion is,” the Mirage Woman said coldly, “I told you, you will regret it—”
The segmented staff suddenly opened, and from its tip, a small red snake flew out. This snake was as thin as a finger, entirely blood-red and shiny like a mirror. It darted like a fine thread into Zanxing’s forehead.