Chapter 478 - 236: Illusory Dream Celestial Crystal

Chapter 478: Chapter 236: Illusory Dream Celestial Crystal

Xie Yuan stared at the bizarre scene before him, startled. The surroundings had reverted to his own bedroom.

He shot to his feet, his expression flickering uncertainly.

’What happened at Jianzhen Lake?’

’Why did the dark, vast lake become so bright?’

’And how could I see the entirety of such a huge lake at a glance?’

’Those prodigies from the various families who came in with me... why did they all look half-dead? No, some were already dead.’

’Including Qian Yangsheng, who died by my hand, three were already dead.’

’It looked like they were all trapped in an inescapable illusion, unable to stay conscious.’

’Could the Yao family have pulled some strings again?’

’But even with a hundred times their usual nerve, they wouldn’t dare attack all these prodigies from different major powers at once... That’s practically a declaration of war on every Major Sect.’

’The Yao family aren’t fools.’

Xie Yuan frowned, unable to make sense of what had happened.

But when he thought of Zhang Junyi’s half-dead state, he knew he couldn’t delay any longer. He had to get out and save the Daoist.

Xie Yuan furrowed his brow and circulated his energy.

Then, silence.

’So...’

’How am I supposed to get out?’

From the very beginning, when he saw his own status panel, he knew this was all just an illusion.

As he used more and more of his real-world abilities and continued to train his Cultivation Technique, Xie Yuan felt the dream becoming increasingly transparent and less real, as if it would shatter at any moment.

He had a feeling that if he cultivated for another ten days to half a month, he would be able to return directly to the bottom of Jianzhen Lake and wake up completely.

However, seeing the situation in Jianzhen Lake, the Daoist probably couldn’t even last three to five days, let alone ten days or half a month. The others would likely all be dead by then too.

Only his Eldest Brother, Qin Zhenyang, might last a little longer, but even he didn’t look like he could hold on for more than ten days...

’I want to get out now, but I have no idea how to wake up!’

Xie Yuan’s brow furrowed slightly as a thought suddenly occurred to him.

’Why am I in such good condition? So lucid?’

’Compared to everyone else... what makes me so special?’

...

「Purple-Gold Mountain.」

「Jianzhen Lake.」

Figures overlapped along the shore of the lake, a crowd of people standing about. It was rare for the Yao family’s restricted grounds to be so lively.

Above the lake itself, several powerful figures patrolled the air, their gazes sweeping back and forth. They were Grandmaster experts.

On the shore, Yao Qinglai watched the Grandmasters above the lake, his expression grim, tinged with anxiety and gravity.

The people beside him were clearly not all from the Yao family; in fact, most were not.

They surrounded Yao Qinglai and bombarded him with questions:

"Elder Yao, what exactly is going on? Why have they been inside for so long with no news?"

"Elder Yao, what do you mean you’ve lost clear contact with those in the lake? This is your Yao family’s Jianzhen Lake! You’ve managed it for a thousand years, and you’re telling me you can’t perceive what’s happening inside?"

"Yao Qinglai, where is my son? You’d better give me an explanation, now! Otherwise, I will not let this matter rest with you or the Yao family!"

Yao Qinglai, exhausted from fending them off and under immense pressure, could only repeat himself:

"Everyone, please be patient. Let’s wait until the Patriarch and the other Grandmasters have finished their investigation."

Above the lake.

Patriarch Yao stood motionless with a grave expression, surrounded by several other Grandmasters.

"Patriarch Yao, what is the meaning of this?"

one of the Grandmasters demanded, his voice laced with severity.

Patriarch Yao’s brow was tightly furrowed as he slowly replied:

"It seems the ruins within Jianzhen Lake have undergone an unexpected change. Our knowledge of the situation inside is currently limited..."

"Limited, or have you completely lost control? What about the thirteen people who went inside? You clearly detected a problem long ago, so why are you only telling us now?"

The Grandmaster cut him off directly.

A flash of anger appeared in Patriarch Yao’s eyes. As the head of a great family, it was the first time in his life he had ever been questioned so aggressively.

However, the implications of this incident were far-reaching, and the status of the person before him prevented him from issuing a rebuke. He could only frown and say:

"Elder Junlin, this was a complete accident. No one wanted this to happen, and it’s even more impossible that my Yao family caused it intentionally."

The other Grandmasters also felt that the Yao family wouldn’t be so bold. Besides, there was no need for it. What would be their motive?

Jianzhen Lake had been open for many years and had always been stable. No one particularly unusual had entered this time, either.

Well, Zhang Junyi might be considered an exception, but it was even more unlikely that the Yao family would make a move against him...

Regardless, the accident had happened on the Yao family’s territory, so everyone would naturally demand an explanation from them. At the very least, they needed to know if their own disciples and family juniors could still get out.

Wang Junlin, the Grandmaster Elder of the Langya Wang family, said with a solemn expression:

"Qiwen is the disciple from the Wang family’s current generation with the most hope of becoming a Grandmaster, and he is the Patriarch’s own son. Patriarch Yao, we must bring him out."

Hearing this, Patriarch Yao, Yao Yuzhi, frowned even more deeply.

"I know, but..."

To be honest, Yao Yuzhi was probably the person who least wanted this to happen.

After all, for prodigies from so many families to have an accident on Yao family territory all at once was a colossal problem for them.

But as for why such a change had occurred inside, even he had no idea.

At first, the Yao family detected Qian Yangsheng’s sudden death and sensed that the "lake within the lake" seemed to have changed. They were just about to investigate. However, before they could even figure out what was happening, the Magical Artifact they used to perceive the ruins suddenly flashed with a brilliant light and was completely destroyed.

During this time, they tried to enter and investigate, only to find that the previous method of entry no longer worked.

After trying for a long time without success, they spent ages discussing the cause and potential solutions, but they came up with nothing.

’Could it be related to the attempt to intercept Zhang Mountain, who was suspected of being Xie Yuan, with the Water-Stabilizing Pearl? But a fight between a few juniors is unlikely to have caused such an outcome...’