Chapter 1722: Grand Illusion Realm

Su Yuanzai’s multi-decked ship was a semi-immortal object. Once it was no longer needed, it shrank on its own until it was only the size of a palm. Then he stored it inside his magical receptacle.

Being well acquainted with the members of the White Cloud Sect at the Main Altar, Su Yuanzai managed to negotiate with them regarding Zhou Mengyao’s earlier killing spree and settled without further incident.

Of course, the key reason was that Zhou Mengyao’s cultivation was simply too high. Even after having their teeth knocked out, they could only swallow them along with their grievances. What else could they possibly do? They could not expect Qi Xuansu and Su Yuanzai to punish Zhou Mengyao. Though Qi Xuansu certainly entertained the idea, Su Yuanzai clearly had no desire to provoke an Immortal like Zhou Mengyao, much less the Earthly Preceptor standing behind her.

This was perfectly understandable. Such was human nature, since Su Yuanzai had no past grievances with Zhou Mengyao. Anyone capable of rising to the position of Mansion Master knew how to consider the bigger picture. Weighing gains and losses was practically ingrained into their bones. If doing a good deed cost him nothing, he might do it in passing, but he certainly would not harm his own interests merely to play the chivalrous hero. Qi Xuansu alone could not do anything to Zhou Mengyao either.

If they angered Zhou Mengyao and she truly decided to embark on yet another killing spree, that would be a true horror story.

If Zhou Mengyao happened to recover her peak cultivation, Qi Xuansu and Su Yuanzai would not be able to stop her even if they joined forces.

The followers of the White Cloud Sect could only swallow their anger and endure the humiliation in silence. After all, they were operating by the law of the jungle.

Qi Xuansu also met the current Sect Leader of the White Cloud Sect. His true age was unknown. But he appeared relatively young. He was already the sect’s third-generation leader, as the previous two leaders had both gone to serve the Cloud God. However, after Su Yuanzai arrived here, he had enlightened them with a great deal of common knowledge.

In this respect, Su Yuanzai was not so evil as to resort to any means necessary. Although he wished to seek out the fortuitous opportunities here, he did not mind doing some good deeds along the way. Under Su Yuanzai’s enlightenment, the people at the White Cloud Sect’s Main Altar had quietly begun to change. Although they still worshipped the Cloud God, they no longer ventured into the mountain. For example, Tang Ling had stopped at the Xiaoyao stage and refused to advance even half a step further.

However, the same could not be said about the people from the other Incense Halls. After all, Su Yuanzai’s time inside the pocket realm was limited, so it was impossible for him to visit every Incense Hall. Moreover, he had only done all this in passing. Thus, there were still plenty of people who ventured into the mountain, while the Main Altar did not dare stop them for fear that they might anger the Cloud God.

Su Yuanzai even had a residence of his own within the Main Altar, so he invited Qi Xuansu and Zhou Mengyao there.

It had been so long since Qi Xuansu and Zhou Mengyao had last been in the same room that he could barely remember it anymore. Yet his state of mind was now completely different. The sentiment from the past was long gone, and in its place was an indescribable resentment. Even so, after so many years of tempering, Qi Xuansu possessed the necessary self-restraint and composure. Since circumstances had forced them to temporarily join forces, regardless of whether this cooperation was sincere or merely a delaying tactic, he at least restrained himself on the surface. He did not openly display his deep-seated hatred and remained relatively calm.

Zhou Mengyao lowered her hood, revealing her true appearance, and asked, “What exactly is inside this great mountain where this Cloud God supposedly resides? Who exactly is this so-called Cloud God anyway?”

Su Yuanzai said, “To be honest, I don’t know either. I have never managed to break through the final formation, so I have never been able to venture deep into the core region of the entire pocket realm.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “What kind of formation is it?”

After all, Qi Xuansu had acquired the abilities of the Great Witch of Earth and could manipulate earth qi. Most formations were related to earth qi, no matter how intricate they might seem.

Su Yuanzai said, “This place is different from a conventional formation. Strangely enough, it gives me a feeling similar to Jade Capital’s Grand Illusion Realm, yet it is not entirely the same.”

As an Omniscient Sage and a member of the Daoist Order’s upper echelon, Su Yuanzai knew many secrets. Moreover, he had held the position for many years and came from a family with deep foundations.

Zhou Mengyao thought for a moment before saying, “The Grand Illusion Realm can only be created by a First-Tribulation Immortal. From the looks of it, this pocket realm truly is connected to the Cloud Lord. However, each Grand Illusion Realm differs depending on its creator. Jade Capital’s Grand Illusion Realm was left behind by Daoist Master Nanhua, who was a disciple of the Primordial Daoist Ancestor, whereas the Cloud Lord was a deity of the Ancient Celestial Court. I fear the differences between the two will be great.”

As an Immortal cultivated by the Daoist Order and backed by the Earthly Preceptor, Zhou Mengyao likewise knew the secrets of the Sixth Tai.

Zhou Mengyao paused before continuing, “However, the Grand Illusion Realm is a method of a Heavenly Immortal, while the Cloud Lord was a Godly Immortal. Did the Cloud Lord forcibly switch to the Heavenly Immortal lineage and ultimately achieve transcendence?”

Qi Xuansu said, “That possibility cannot be ruled out. According to the relevant records, the fates of several major deities of the Celestial Court, including the Eastern Sovereign, were clearly accounted for. Whether they lived or died was recorded for all to see. Only the Cloud Lord disappeared without a trace. If the Cloud Lord switched from the Godly Immortal lineage to the Heavenly Immortal lineage and ultimately transcended, then everything would make sense. After the Cloud Lord became a Heavenly Immortal, his Divine Kingdom was stripped away and eventually transformed into this pocket realm, while the Cloud Lord established a Grand Illusion Realm within his own pocket realm.”

What Godly Immortals such as Wu Luo and True Lord Siming yearned for above all else was to become Heavenly Immortals and ultimately leave the mortal world before the end of the era. This was what it meant to achieve transcendence, and doing so required an enormous amount of divine power. Times had changed. Relying solely on spreading their faith and harvesting incense power was barely enough to maintain a balance between income and expenditure, leaving little divine power to accumulate. Therefore, an external infusion of divine power was essential. Thus far, only True Lord Taiyin had managed to achieve transcendence with the help of the Daoist Order.

Precisely because such a precedent already existed, practically every Godly Immortal sought to establish ties with Qi Xuansu. Some took a softer approach, such as Ixchel, while others resorted directly to coercion, such as the Heluo God. At the time, Qi Xuansu had not even reached the Pseudo-Immortal stage, so how could he possibly help them achieve transcendence? What they saw in Qi Xuansu was the Daoist Order behind him and his potential as a leading contender for the position of eighth-generation Grand Master. Put plainly, the Godly Immortals were all placing their bets and making investments in advance, hoping to earn the merit of having backed the future ruler of the Daoist Order.

Su Yuanzai sighed. “The entire Grand Illusion Realm unfolds layer by layer, each one leading deeper than the last. On the several occasions when I risked entering it, I could only wander around its outer reaches. Although I obtained quite a few fortuitous opportunities there, I was never able to advance any further.”

Zhou Mengyao let out a faint laugh. “I don’t think you were unable to go deeper, but rather that you didn’t dare. If you entered and then found yourself unable to leave, you would be eroded by the pocket realm and eventually be forced to fuse with it, becoming part of the pocket realm itself.”

Su Yuanzai said, “Madam Zhou, you’re absolutely right. Back then, Daoist Master Nanhua used the Grand Illusion Realm to conceal Jade Capital, so countless people who sought to reach Jade Capital fell into the illusion. In the end, they became part of the Grand Illusion Realm itself, unable to live yet unable to die. With such a cautionary precedent before us, we can’t afford to ignore it.”

Qi Xuansu said bluntly, “Sage Su, since you intervened to stop our fight and invited the two of us to solve this problem together, you must already have some idea of how to proceed.”

Su Yuanzai did not try to conceal anything. “I have consulted a vast number of ancient texts and gathered a great deal of information concerning the Grand Illusion Realm. From this, I reached a conclusion. Provided that no one is actively controlling it, anyone possessing the cultivation of an Immortal should be able to pass through the Grand Illusion Realm without much difficulty.”

At this point, Su Yuanzai glanced at Zhou Mengyao. “Madam Zhou, although your cultivation is currently impaired, Tian Yuan and I are both at the Pseudo-Immortal stage. With the three of us joining forces, even if we cannot compare with a Quasi-First-Tribulation Immortal, we should still surpass an ordinary Immortal. The key issue now is that a so-called ‘Cloud God’ is also hidden within the Grand Illusion Realm. That could prove to be a major variable.”

Qi Xuansu asked, “What makes you say that?”

Su Yuanzai said, “I have personally witnessed members of the White Cloud Sect entering deep into the Grand Illusion Realm, and I have also seen people emerge from its depths after receiving the Cloud God’s enlightenment. From this, we can see that although the Cloud God is not the Cloud Lord of the Celestial Court, it is capable of controlling this Grand Illusion Realm to a certain extent. As I said just now, my conclusion was based on the premise that no one was controlling the Grand Illusion Realm. If someone is controlling it, I make no guarantees.”

Zhou Mengyao looked toward Qi Xuansu. “Tian Yuan, you seem to have an immortal object in your possession.”

Hearing Zhou Mengyao address him as Tian Yuan, Qi Xuansu felt as though he had been stung by a bee. Nevertheless, he restrained himself and said without betraying any emotion, “This is an immortal object left behind by the sixth-generation Grand Master. Through a fortunate coincidence, it came into my possession. I have already reported it to the Zixiao Palace...”

Su Yuanzai interrupted Qi Xuansu. “The Taiping Sect gave the Qinghuo Pearl to Yong Yan. Since you are to represent both the Zhengyi Sect and the Quanzhen Sect in contending with Yong Yan, you should also possess an immortal object. That is only reasonable.”

At heart, Su Yuanzai was still emphasizing unity. The Zhengyi Sect and Quanzhen Sect were allies, while their principal opponents were the Taiping Sect and the Great Xuan Imperial Court. As such, they could not afford to fight among themselves. By extension, the same principle applied to their present search for fortuitous opportunities. There could be no infighting among them.

Zhou Mengyao did not dispute this. “Since it belonged to the sixth-generation Grand Master, it must be the Taiji Eight Trigrams Mirror.”

Qi Xuansu was not particularly surprised. People of Zhou Mengyao’s generation had begun making names for themselves while the fifth-generation Grand Master was in power and had successively risen to the pinnacle during the tenure of the sixth-generation Grand Master. In a sense, they had once served alongside the sixth-generation Grand Master, so it was only natural that she knew something about his immortal objects.

Moreover, the Yao family knew what was hidden inside the Tianshui Core Tower. If not for Yao Pei, Qi Xuansu himself would never have learned of the tower’s secret. Given Zhou Mengyao’s relationship with the Yao family, there was nothing unusual about her recognizing the origins of the Taiji Eight Trigrams Mirror.

Qi Xuansu admitted frankly, “That’s right.”

Zhou Mengyao said, “I remember that the artifact is particularly effective against ancient beings. The supernatural phenomena of Yunmeng Marsh first appeared during the Golden Horde era, so this Cloud God most likely took possession of this masterless pocket realm around that time. More than 500 years have passed since the Golden Horde era. By any measure, the Cloud God qualifies as an ancient being. The Taiji Eight Trigrams Mirror in your possession should prove exceptionally effective against it.”

Qi Xuansu neither confirmed nor denied it. “As an Immortal, shouldn’t you also possess an immortal object?”

Zhou Mengyao gave a mirthless smile. “What, are you trying to sound me out? Do you really think I’d tell you, just so you can come and kill me someday?”

Qi Xuansu said expressionlessly, “Know yourself and know your enemy, and only then can you emerge victorious in a hundred battles. Right now, we don’t know our enemy, nor do we fully know certain people on our own side. I’m afraid that could cause problems. Since you’re unwilling to say, then forget it. However, for you to have escaped alive from Great Sage Jiang’s sword, you must have used an immortal object, didn’t you? At worst, I can simply ask Great Sage Jiang myself.”

Zhou Mengyao narrowed her eyes and said, “I do indeed possess an immortal object, but I won’t tell you its name. Just know that it isn’t suited for direct combat, so I doubt it will be of much use.”

With the Kunlun Paradise descending into the mortal world and Jade Capital revealing itself, large numbers of immortal objects that had originally been hidden within Jade Capital had resurfaced. As a result, virtually every Immortal in the Daoist Order now possessed an immortal object of their own.

Although Zhou Mengyao carried certain historical baggage, she still enjoyed the Earthly Preceptor’s protection, so it was perfectly reasonable for her to possess an immortal object.

This news, however, was not particularly good for Qi Xuansu. Zhou Mengyao’s immortal object was apparently focused on preserving her life. No wonder Great Sage Jiang had been unable to do much to her. Without this immortal object, Zhou Mengyao would probably have followed in Chen Shuhua’s footsteps.