Chapter 481 - 236: Illusory Dream Celestial Crystal

Chapter 481: Chapter 236: Illusory Dream Celestial Crystal

Xie Yuan let out a breath and shook his head slightly, not feeling overly disappointed.

As for divine artifacts like the Black Celestial Book, Xie Yuan had only ever seen the true form of one: the Eight Trigrams Lotus, which the Mu family had completely controlled for centuries. Of the one at Sword Peak, he had only caught a faint scent on the wind.

The only other one was this Illusory Dream Celestial Crystal before him now, which he was seeing and hearing about for the very first time.

Black Celestial Books had always been things of legend. It was rare enough to even see one, let alone take one away so easily. It wouldn’t be that simple.

’But it’s not like it has legs. As long as no one else finds out, I can come back later, find Mu Chaoyun, and we can move this crystal together...’

’It’s just... I haven’t seen Miss Mu in so long. I wonder where she is now, and how she’s doing. Has she made any headway in avenging her family?’

As Xie Yuan stood there thinking of her, lost in thought for a moment, Zhang Junyi slowly drifted past behind him. His eyes were rolled back in his head, and with a gurgle, he spat out two air bubbles, on the verge of choking to death from the Illusion Realm and the lake water.

Xie Yuan snapped back to his senses. He glanced back, then immediately reached his hand into the crystal.

Even though he couldn’t take it with him, he could suppress the Illusory Dream Celestial Crystal’s chaotic activity and render the lake water temporarily harmless.

He had just reached out, about to calm the Illusory Dream Celestial Crystal, when he suddenly paused.

’The Daoist can hold on for another two days anyway. Look at him, he’s grinning like an idiot. I’ll wait...’

Xie Yuan’s eyes flickered.

He suddenly wondered, ’Do the Yao and Qian families know what’s happening in here?’

’They sent Qian Yangsheng to ambush and kill me. But according to Qian Yangsheng, they weren’t one hundred percent certain of my identity.’

’The two families simply considered me too great a threat. They’d rather kill the wrong person than let me go, planning to snuff out the danger here in this lake-within-a-lake, undetectable to the outside world.’

’So, now that Qian Yangsheng is dead, do they know on the outside?’

’Do the Yao and Qian families know my identity has been confirmed?’

’No, they most likely have no idea what’s going on in here. The lake-within-a-lake must be completely cut off from the outside world right now.’

’Everyone in here is almost dead. If the Yao family knew what was happening, or had any way to intervene, they would have come to the rescue long ago. Since they haven’t, it means they either can’t perceive what’s going on, or they lack the ability to do anything about it.’

Considering the Yao family had controlled this area for a thousand years, had even found Jianzhen Lake’s Water-Stabilizing Pearl, and the fact that he and Senior Brother Qin had been inexplicably separated right before Qian Yangsheng found him... Xie Yuan felt the Yao family must have some degree of control over this place.

’Especially if they were letting geniuses from all the major families enter. How could they guarantee everyone’s safety?’

’It was probably the Jade Pendants. They must be able to establish a connection with the outside.’

’So if Qian Yangsheng died, they should know...’

’And yet, they haven’t made a move. No one has come in to rescue anyone. That must be the work of the Illusory Dream Celestial Crystal. Judging by the bizarre phenomena here, this place must be completely sealed off from the outside.’

Xie Yuan nodded. He had pieced together a rough idea of the current situation, and it likely wasn’t far from the truth.

’If I calm it now, they might send people in immediately. Then I’d be completely exposed, right under the Yao family’s nose.’

’I’ll wait.’ Xie Yuan knew he had to think carefully before acting.

The Illusory Dream Celestial Crystal was the source of the lake-within-a-lake’s greatest anomaly, and it was also the exit from the relic.

’I can leave the relic, but the problem now is, how do I leave Jianzhen Lake safely?’

’The shores of Jianzhen Lake are probably already swarming with people from the Yao family, and perhaps other families as well.’

’Of course, there’s a slim chance the Yao family has no idea what happened... but I shouldn’t underestimate a thousand-year-old family, even if they are at one of the weakest points in their history.’

Xie Yuan felt as though he was surrounded.

’Coming to the Jianzhen Lake relic, I never expected those two families would be so decisive and perceptive, figuring out my identity.’

’It must have been Mr. Qian... The methods of these great families should not be underestimated.’

’Now I’ve walked right into a trap.’

’How am I going to get out of this...?’

Xie Yuan’s brow furrowed. Zhang Junyi drifted past in front of him again, and Xie Yuan smacked him away with the back of his hand.

A smile on his lips and his face deathly pale, Zhang Junyi floated away, only to be suddenly yanked back by a hand grabbing his ankle.

Xie Yuan looked at Zhang Junyi, stroking his chin as he mused aloud:

"It’s not just the two of us in here..."

...

「On Jianzhen Lake.」

Several powerful Grandmasters from various families looked on with grim expressions. They had been searching here for days, but even they had found no way to enter the relic.

It was as if the relic had simply vanished. Despite exhausting all their methods, they couldn’t find an entrance. It was as if the lake-within-a-lake had been nothing but a fleeting dream, dissipating without a trace upon waking and taking the thirteen geniuses from the various families with it.

Yao Yuzhi and Wang Junlin stood on the shore, their expressions grave as they watched the handful of persistent Grandmasters searching back and forth.

Those who had entered the relic were all geniuses from various families, the most important prospects nurtured by the major powers. In fact, it wasn’t only the major powers. There were also small and medium-sized Sects and families who, by leveraging their intricate network of connections to the Yao family, had paid a hefty price to secure a spot. They had sent the junior members most likely to achieve the rank of Grandmaster to accelerate their cultivation, temper their martial will, and hopefully glimpse the true nature of a Grandmaster.

The Cold Mountain Elder on the lake was one such person.

He was a renowned figure among the Loose Cultivators of Jiangnan. Though not from a Major Sect, he had become a Grandmaster through sheer talent and fortuitous encounters, his name inspiring awe throughout Jiangnan for decades.

Now in his old age, he had taken on an exceptionally talented disciple to carry on his legacy. The disciple was said to have already surpassed his master, and his ascension to the rank of Grandmaster was considered a certainty. That was why the elder had spent a small fortune in savings and called in numerous favors to get his disciple into the Jianzhen Lake relic.

And then, disaster struck.

The Cold Mountain Elder’s face was an icy mask of fury. He paced back and forth over the lake, his gaze periodically flicking toward Yao Yuzhi on the shore, brimming with a menacing aura.