Chapter 110: 110. Subjugation

110. Chapter 110: Subjugation

“So this is the illusion created by the odd artifact? Indeed, it’s incredibly real and eerie.”

At this moment, Lin Yue was pulled into the illusion.

But she found the surroundings hadn’t changed at all—she was still inside the cultivation chamber; the only difference was that Li Yi had vanished behind her, and some of her bodily sensations had disappeared, as if she were no longer flesh and blood, but merely a soul, a thought.

And Lin Yue looked at her own palms.

Her once-pale palms were now drying out, flesh melting away, and in places, bare white bones were visible.

Had she not been mentally prepared for this bizarre sight earlier, Lin Yue would have been gripped by panic.

“This illusion trapped even the Investigation Bureau’s team leader—I doubt I can escape easily, but luckily Li Yi is outside waiting; even if I’m trapped, I won’t die here.”

Lin Yue felt slightly more at ease.

The moment she relaxed, the rate of flesh decay slowed considerably.

Lin Yue noticed this, and roughly understood what was happening.

But she didn’t waste time—she walked around the small room, finally fixing her gaze on the window on the wall.

The window was shut, offering no view of the outside.

Yet when Lin Yue opened it, she discovered an odd sight: floating midair outside was a section of wall, seemingly carved from white marble, smooth and gleaming, adorned with a bas-relief mural depicting a skeleton seated on a lotus throne, hands forming a sacred seal, smiling faintly.

The posture matched exactly how Li Yi had been cultivating.

Lin Yue had barely glanced at the white-bone mural when her eyes grew hazy again.

Her attention was entirely consumed by the white-bone mural; everything around her seemed to vanish, and she found herself in a vast, blinding white world.

In this white world, only she and the white-bone mural remained.

The more she stared, the more entranced she became.

Eventually, the skeleton detached from the mural, drew closer, becoming a real, tangible skeleton before her—and soon, a thin veil covered it, flesh began to grow, and it started transforming back into a living human.

Lin Yue realized what was happening and tried to break free, to regain clarity.

But it was useless.

The white-bone mural possessed a malevolent power—even spiritual-sense experts couldn’t resist it, let alone Lin Yue, a mere spiritual-insight cultivator.

“I want to see just how powerful this thing really is,” Lin Yue muttered, defiant. She stopped resisting the illusion and instead observed curiously.

As the skeleton changed.

Quickly.

Lin Yue’s cheeks flushed red, and she spat inwardly in disgust.

The skeleton before her had transformed into a completely naked man, his physique unmistakably defined, inducing dizziness—only his face remained blurred, veiled in a faint white mist, giving an ethereal impression.

Though his face was unclear, the man radiated pure yang energy, intensely alluring, making any woman unable to resist.

Yet for some reason, seeing this man, Lin Yue—who had never experienced romance—felt her heart race uncontrollably, and an inexplicable desire surged from deep within, fierce as a wildfire threatening to burn her reason to ash.

At the very moment this desire arose, the mist over the man’s face vanished, revealing a familiar, intimate face.

The man’s face was identical to Li Yi’s.

Faces in illusions are manifestations of inner desires; the white-bone has eighteen thousand forms, and this one clearly stirred Lin Yue’s emotions and lust most effectively.

Indeed, upon seeing “Li Yi,” Lin Yue’s mind went blank—some inner lock and boundary shattered instantly, and a flood of perverse thoughts surged through her mind: being embraced, kissed, even possessed—all fantasies centered on the Li Yi before her.

Once these perverse thoughts arose, desire could no longer be contained.

Lin Yue’s throat convulsed, her body burning with heat; she couldn’t help stepping forward, reaching out to embrace “Li Yi,” turning every fantasy into reality, surrendering completely with this good younger brother, never wanting to wake again.

She paid no attention to how rapidly her flesh was vanishing—she had already lost her former form, now reduced to half a gleaming white skeleton.

If Lin Yue fully succumbed, her consciousness would vanish, and her external body would become nothing but a cold corpse.

This was the terrifying nature of the White-Bone Illusion.

Just as Lin Yue was about to fully release her inner desire—

Suddenly—

She felt everything around her rapidly fading, her body trembling.

Then a familiar voice sounded beside her ear: “Sister Lin, wake up.”

Ten minutes were up.

Li Yi walked over, leaning against the wall, and pulled Lin Yue out of the restricted zone, removing her from the artifact’s energy field.

The moment she left the artifact’s influence, Lin Yue’s eyes regained their clarity—she awoke from the illusion.

“Sister Lin, how are you? Are you alright?” Li Yi waved his fingers in front of her.

Lin Yue said nothing, her gaze fixed on Li Yi, eyes blazing with desire, her tongue flicking out to lick her lips as she longed to devour this younger brother whole and release everything she had suppressed in the illusion—after all, this was the cultivation chamber, undisturbed by anyone.

The more she thought, the more impulsive she became.

But soon, she realized her abnormal state and slapped herself hard.

Pain temporarily suppressed her perverse thoughts; she took several deep breaths to calm herself.

“I—I’m fine. I need to calm my mind,” Lin Yue turned her head away, afraid to look at Li Yi’s face, terrified her desire would flare again.

Yet her cheeks flushed crimson once more.

She couldn’t understand why she had seen Li Yi in the illusion.

Did she have feelings for Li Yi?

No.

Definitely not.

It was all the evil white-bone mural’s doing—her friendship with Li Yi was pure; how could such filthy thoughts arise?

But the Li Yi in the illusion was truly muscular, powerful, and mesmerizing—impossible to resist.

“Slap!” Lin Yue struck herself again, forcing herself to stop thinking.

“Sister Lin, are you okay? Doesn’t that hurt?” Li Yi asked, puzzled.

Lin Yue, furious and embarrassed, shot him a glance: “Damn it, it’s all your fault!”

Yet her scolding carried a woman’s softness and charm, sounding more like playful banter between lovers than true anger.

Lin Yue realized her emotional state was unstable; she fell silent, closed her eyes, and sat cross-legged, immediately adjusting herself to dispel the mural’s influence.

“Why blame me?” Li Yi scratched his head, utterly confused.

He hadn’t done anything—yet he’d been handed the blame.

After adjusting for a while,

Lin Yue finally suppressed her desire, returned to her normal state, and her blush faded considerably—though she still avoided direct eye contact with Li Yi.

She hadn’t reached the realm of fearlessness and desirelessness; she couldn’t ignore her inner cravings, so her mind harbored demons, making her unable to meet his gaze.

“Cough, cough—I’m fine now. Just affected by the white-bone mural, that’s why I was acting strangely. Li Yi, don’t take it to heart. Forget everything that just happened,” Lin Yue coughed awkwardly, her gaze shifting nervously, refusing to reveal what had transpired in the illusion.

Li Yi nodded: “I understand. The white-bone mural’s illusion is powerful—I nearly succumbed the first time too. But don’t worry, Sister Lin, I’ll teach you a clever trick that might help you break free.”

“What trick?” Lin Yue asked eagerly.

She now carried psychological trauma—she lacked the courage to enter the illusion again, knowing that if she did, she’d instantly lose control and sink in.

“The method is called White-Bone Flesh Generation. You observe white bones turning to flesh; you observe flesh returning to white bones. It manifests your inner desires—imagine it as your own form. No one develops desire for themselves. When you successfully resist it, you’ll escape the illusion. That’s how I broke free originally; otherwise, I’d be trapped forever.”

Li Yi added: “Of course, this method varies by person—it’s not guaranteed to work. If it fails, you can try viewing beauties as white bones, and white bones as beauties—achieve fearlessness and desirelessness.”

“White-Bone Flesh Generation?”

Lin Yue lowered her head in thought, gradually grasping Li Yi’s method, then said: “It’s a method, yes—but extremely difficult. Whether White-Bone Flesh Generation or achieving fearlessness and desirelessness, neither is simple.”

“Then, Sister Lin, do you want to try again?” Li Yi asked, pointing ahead.

Lin Yue glanced over—and immediately, images flooded her mind again. Her cheeks flushed once more; she clapped her hands and said: “No. Today I’ve gained some insights—I need to return and reflect deeply. I’ll come back tomorrow to challenge the White-Bone Illusion again. You stay here and cultivate. I’ll go outside for some air. After I finish, call me—I’ll take you back to the ward to rest.”

Saying this, she fled the cultivation chamber as if escaping a demon.

“Looks like Sister Lin was frightened by the illusion, needs to adjust her mindset,” Li Yi mused. “Makes sense—anyone suddenly pulled into an illusion, their body rapidly turning to bone, would be terrified.”

But he had never cultivated using the white-bone mural himself.

Perhaps he should try the artifact’s cultivation effect.

Li Yi thought this, then pushed himself up and stepped into the restricted zone.

He wasn’t pulled into the illusion—his consciousness remained clear—so he could use the artifact’s energy field to cultivate.

Immediately,

Li Yi formed the sacred seal and activated the White-Bone Contemplation cultivation technique.