Chapter 162 The Myriad Phenomena of the Mortal World
Rumble!
The entire ancient ruins trembled, and huge cracks appeared on the ground, crisscrossing and unfathomably deep, as if it were about to shatter.
"What's going on?"
"Why is the ancient ruins showing signs of collapse all of a sudden?"
Leaping up from the ground, Feng Zichen looked down at the ancient ruins in bewilderment.
The sudden tremor caused the surrounding strange and dangerous places to erupt one after another. If he hadn't reacted quickly and flown into the air in time, he would have been covered in dust and dirt.
The tremor came quickly and went quickly, stopping not long after, as if nothing had happened.
If it weren't for the huge cracks remaining on the ground and the messy earth, all indicating that the tremor had just occurred, Feng Zichen would have thought that his experience was just an illusion.
"Strange, why would I have such a thought?" At this moment, Feng Zichen suddenly realized something was wrong.
After all, he was a master comparable to a Great Luo Golden Immortal, and even if he was still somewhat inferior to a true Great Luo Golden Immortal, the difference wasn't significant.
The Great Luo Immortal, with the Three Eternal Flowers atop his head and the Five Qi of the Primordial Chaos condensed in his chest, transcends the River of Destiny, proving the Dao of all heavens and the universe, eternally unique.
Therefore, everything experienced by a Great Luo Golden Immortal is inevitable, utterly real, etched into spacetime, and cannot be faked.
Yet now, he actually doubts the authenticity of his own experiences, which shocks him.
Thinking of this, Feng Zichen dares not hesitate, simultaneously summoning the Chaos Pearl and the Primordial Dao Bell, bombarding the surrounding void.
"I want to see who's playing tricks!"
With a deafening boom, the place almost collapsed, the sky shattered like porcelain falling to the ground; it was the Primordial Dao Bell and the Chaos Pearl breaking through all matter, trying to obliterate all laws.
"Young friend, your strength is indeed extraordinary. You noticed something amiss so quickly. I thought you would take a while longer to realize it."
After the void was completely shattered, streams of black energy surged out, condensing into an old Daoist before Feng Zichen, who smiled and said to him.
The moment the old man appeared, Feng Zichen felt a long-forgotten sense of crisis, as if this man were a monstrous beast that could devour him at any moment.
The black aura was the chaotic, malevolent energy; the language was chaotic Daoist language. This old man was a Great Luo Golden Immortal, a Great Luo Golden Immortal born from a primordial ferocious beast!
"Greetings, Dao Venerable!"
"May I ask how you are addressed, Venerable?"
Despite his inner shock, Feng Zichen maintained a calm expression, casually bowing and inquiring.
"I was born under the influence of the Illusionary Dao's destiny, the master of the Illusionary Dao. The world calls me the Illusionary Venerable!" the old man smiled and said.
Bullshit! Did he really think I'd never seen a Chaotic Demon God before? And before speaking, couldn't he at least conceal the chaotic malevolent energy emanating from his body? It's so blatantly displayed; does he think I'm blind?
Hearing the old man's words, Feng Zichen couldn't help but roll his eyes. This ferocious beast was simply treating him like a fool!
This was intolerable!
They were clearly treating him like a fool. Feng Zichen had originally planned to play along for a while, but now he couldn't care less. He immediately said to them, "Senior, do I look like a fool to you?"
Following Feng Zichen's gaze, the Illusionary Lord also noticed the chaotic aura emanating from his body and coughed awkwardly twice, explaining: "Ahem!"
"Young friend, you misunderstand. The chaotic evil energy on my body is from years of entanglement with innate ferocious beasts, not from my own origin."
"If you don't believe me, you can come forward and see!"
As he spoke, the Illusionary Venerable's voice suddenly became low and deep, carrying a seductive quality that tempted people to believe him and do as he said.
"Is that so?"
Muttering to himself, Feng Zichen walked forward absentmindedly. Amidst the Illusionary Venerable's excited expression, he arrived in front of him, raised the Primordial Dao Bell, and smashed it down with all his might.
"Hmph!"
Caught off guard, the Illusionary Venerable was hit on the head by the Primordial Dao Bell, let out a muffled groan, and immediately shattered, turning into streams of chaotic evil energy that fled in all directions.
"Hmph, trying to leave!"
"I was prepared for this. Stay here!"
Feng Zichen waved his sleeve, pouring all his magical power into the Hongmeng Dao Bell, causing it to expand to hundreds of thousands of feet in size, enveloping everything around it, including the chaotic evil energy.
However, the Illusionary Venerable, a powerful being who survived the ancient war, was extremely vigilant. The chaotic evil energy contained only a wisp of his divine thought; his true self was not there.
"Die!"
Just as Feng Zichen probed the chaotic evil energy, the Illusionary Venerable's cold voice suddenly rang out throughout the world. At the same time, a phantom mirror appeared, reflecting various illusory scenes that enveloped Feng Zichen.
"Haha! The myriad aspects of life, the myriad phenomena of the mortal world, intertwined with all sorts of love, hate, and grudges. You will slowly fall into this chaotic mortal world!"
"Then, I will devour you, recovering much of my original essence and escaping this state of neither life nor death."
Seeing Feng Zichen being devoured by the myriad phenomena of the mortal world, the Illusionary Venerable couldn't help but laugh.
This mirror, called the Mirror of the Mortal World, is a top-grade innate spiritual treasure. It contains the five turbid energies and can conjure all sorts of scenes, corrupting people's hearts and severing their paths to enlightenment—truly a wondrous artifact.
Feng Zichen is trapped within it; it will likely be long before his heart weakens, he falls into self-doubt, and perishes.
The Illusionary Lord has great confidence in the Mirror of the Mortal World. During the Primordial War, he used this mirror to conjure the five turbid worlds, deceiving his opponents and creating the illusion of his own death, thus preserving a sliver of life for himself.
The Illusionary Lord's original plan was to secretly slip away after the war ended and everyone left, heading to the Chaos to recuperate and hide, awaiting the future.
However, unexpectedly, as soon as the war ended, before he could even leave, the surviving innate gods and demons joined forces to use a secret technique, sinking the Primordial Battlefield deep into the river of time and space, completely sealing it away.
Even at his peak, the Illusionary Lord couldn't withstand the combined might of so many innate gods and demons, let alone when he was severely injured and nearly dead.
Thus, the Illusionary Lord, along with the Primordial Battlefield, was sealed deep within the River of Time, falling into a state of unconsciousness
and unease. It wasn't until Feng Zichen and his companions accidentally stirred the River of Time, breaking the seal, that the Illusionary Lord awoke. Because of this, from the Primordial Era to the present, countless years have passed, yet the Illusionary Lord's injuries have neither worsened nor improved, remaining in the state before being sealed.
Otherwise, with so many years and the accumulation of so many resources in this place, to what extent would the Illusionary Lord's strength have increased?
Feng Zichen and his companions would likely have been killed by the Illusionary Lord the moment they entered.
(End of Chapter)