Chapter Thirty-Three: The Illusory Formation

Now that everything had been settled, Nuotian made straight for the site of the forbidden inheritance. Previously, Cangsong had used the forbidden inheritance as bait to lure others, so he had never actually disturbed it; but now, knowing that someone was coming, he didn’t object to retrieving the treasure ahead of time.

Cangsong notified the guards stationed at the site, and the two soon arrived at the river above the forbidden ground. “Junior brother, the forbidden place is right below,” Nuotian said, glanced around, and plunged into the water. Cangsong pursed his lips, then followed.

Their cultivation was sufficient to let them move freely in the water. The river appeared narrow, but its depth was astonishing—clearly it had carved its way from the mountain’s base, flowing far into the distance.

They descended nearly two hundred meters, following the mountain wall downward, until a submerged cave appeared before them. Nuotian, seeing it, knew he had arrived. A cave, about three meters high, was hollowed out of the underwater mountain wall. From outside, the entrance was clearly visible; within, no water flowed. The mouth of the cave was sealed by a shimmering barrier, preventing water from entering.

Seeing they had arrived, Cangsong said to Nuotian, “This is the forbidden ground discovered back then. I’ve tested the formation at the entrance—it’s not especially strong, but its illusion defense is tricky. If I were to break it, it would take considerable time, which I didn’t want to waste, so I decided to wait for someone else to come.”

Nuotian sent a message to Cangsong, “How can we break this formation?” Cangsong replied, “It can’t be forced open. If you try, you might damage what’s inside. The only way is to enter the formation and slowly dismantle it. Don’t worry, it’s not very formidable. Last time I didn’t break it, but I already figured out how.” With that, he explained the method to Nuotian, who memorized it and went inside.

Nuotian wasn’t mindlessly trusting Cangsong; he had already scanned the formation with his divine sense and found it matched the description. This type of formation posed little difficulty for him, so he entered directly.

Cangsong, seeing Nuotian enter, was left with nothing to do. Though the formation wasn’t strong, it still required time—he himself would need two or three days to break it, and he didn’t believe his junior brother, whose strength was inferior, could do better; likely he’d spend even longer. So Cangsong left the river, found a scenic spot on a nearby mountain, and began cultivating.

Inside the illusion, Nuotian found himself in a world of blinding white. There was nothing around him, but he didn’t bother wandering. Having triggered the formation, searching would be pointless.

Cangsong had told him this illusion was generated from the mind, stimulating memories and conjuring the closest people, more powerful than the entrant. If one’s mind held too many intimate figures, the ordeal could be exhausting—Cangsong had given up for this reason. He had also explained how to exit: by infusing one’s essence blood into the mental world, the formation would eject you, and you’d fail the trial.

Nuotian understood well the importance of essence blood, particularly his own Nether Essence—it could not be wasted here.

Soon, a figure appeared in the white world. Nuotian was curious—which person was dearest in his memory? He watched as the figure took shape: familiar white robes, a familiar smile. “Little fool, where have you run off to? Sister misses you so much.”

It was his sister Nuoyu. Nuotian realized how deeply he missed her. Before the age of three, his sisters had cared for him, and hearing that familiar nickname stirred his heart.

Nuoxin walked up, stroked his hair. Now he was taller than her by half a head. Her loving gaze made him want to embrace her, but he suddenly sensed danger—a sword shadow flashed past; only his quick reflexes saved him from being skewered.

Nuotian looked at the beauty before him without animosity. He knew this was an illusion conjured by the formation, not his sister’s doing, so he felt nothing toward her.

Several sword lights swept in from all sides. Nuotian transformed into a dragon shadow and punched the illusion’s forehead, instantly dispersing it.

The illusion could only manifest someone one level higher than the challenger; thus, the conjured Nuoyu possessed only mid-stage Spirit Core strength, while Nuotian now rivaled peak Spirit Core experts. He annihilated the illusion in a single move.

Yet anger lingered in his heart—this damned formation dared conjure his sister and force him to strike her. It was infuriating.

He then realized, since Nuoyu appeared, surely Nuoxin would too? The formation didn’t disappoint. As soon as he thought of her, another beautiful figure emerged.

Alluring posture, coldly beautiful face, approaching slowly. When her dazzling smile appeared, Nuotian’s heart trembled.

“Xiaotian, where are you? I’ve searched for so long and couldn’t find you. Next time I see you, I’ll have Xin’er spank your bottom.” The gentle, familiar voice made Nuotian’s longing overflow.

He stepped forward, gazing at her. “Sister Nuoxin, I miss you both so much! One day I’ll return to see you. Goodbye, sister!” As he spoke, his palm pressed against the illusion and shattered it.

In the Northern Domain of the Desolate God Continent, on a mountain near the Nether Sea, two beauties sat cultivating in their rooms. Suddenly, both opened their eyes and gazed into the distance. “Xiaotian.” “Little fool.” Two voices, full of longing, spoke almost simultaneously.

The illusion had its merits—it turned the dearest figures into hidden enemies, catching people off guard. But Nuotian was no ordinary person. Even the legendary Xiao Cangtian couldn’t invade his mental world; Nuotian’s spirit was supremely strong. Such an illusion could not ensnare him.

When Nuoxin’s figure vanished, Nuotian was transported into the cave. Only then did he realize the people he missed most were his two sisters. But considering his strength, he decided not to return yet. Besides, the distance between Northern and Eastern Domains was immense. With his current power, traveling north was tantamount to courting death.

Steadying his thoughts, Nuotian delved deeper into the cave. It wasn’t very deep; a few steps and turns brought him to the innermost chamber—a huge stone room, ten meters high. On its sole stone bed lay a skeleton, still clad in scraps of clothing.

He looked around. There was nothing else, save for a book and a medicine bottle on the stone bed.

Nuotian picked up the book. The words “Illusion Formation Heart Manual” caught his eye. Beneath it, he found a sheet of paper.

He quickly read the message. The fallen cultivator was not a disciple of the Reverse Dragon Sect, but of the sect’s old rival, the Lingyun Dao Sect. After stealing the sect’s treasured manual, he was chased, fled into Reverse Dragon territory, but his injuries were too severe and he perished. The cave had been his accidental find; he set up an illusion formation to use it, hoping to heal with the pills in the bottle. Unfortunately, the pills were all for breaking through cultivation realms, not for healing, so he died with regret.

Nuotian gazed wordlessly at the skeleton. Truly unlucky—killed for a single manual.

He could not yet comprehend a cultivator’s thirst for supreme manuals; everything had come too easily to him. In truth, the appearance of a powerful manual inevitably triggered massive conflict. Though Reverse Dragon possessed countless secret skills and manuals, each was won after countless life-and-death struggles by its ancestors.

Nowadays, any disciple of Reverse Dragon who obtained a new manual or secret skill and handed it to the sect would be richly rewarded. Every sect was devoted to collecting manuals; aside from talent, these were the most precious treasures.

Nuotian’s gaze shifted to the medicine bottle. He picked it up, finding five pills left inside. Their fresh aroma filled the air, the medicinal potency preserved well.

According to the message, these five pills were for breaking through cultivation realms. Though he had vowed never to use such pills himself, that didn’t mean those around him couldn’t benefit.

The little girl and Yue’er were both on the verge of breaking through to the Human Hero realm, and their aptitude wasn’t great by cultivator standards. So, taking pills was a good choice. Taking pills didn’t mean they could never advance again; it would only slow their progress somewhat.

Of course, before giving them the pills, he needed to verify their effects. If taken wrongly, it could be disastrous. The message said they were for breaking through realms, but not which realm; the deceased’s strength was clearly at the Spirit Core level, so there were many possibilities—he couldn’t afford to make a mistake.

Nuotian immediately stored the manual and the medicine bottle in his ring, then departed.