Chapter 99: Xuancang Illusions Bewitch the Heart

Zhaoming Zhenren entered the cave together with twelve disciples. The Xuancang Cave remained exactly as it was, and as the disciples looked around, they truly could not tell where the profound mysteries lay.

Just as the group was feeling curious, they saw Zhaoming Zhenren, who was at the very front, come to a stop.

"Although your Uncle-Master Qianyuan agreed to let you enter this Second Cave, I must state the ugly truth upfront: this Second Cave is suppressed by two Zhenling Talismans. That is why you were able to search for weapons in the First Cave so easily just now. But if I were to peel off those Zhenling Talismans, a massive amount of Spirit Qi and resentment would surge out together. You must be careful when that time comes."

Upon hearing this, the group performed a Daoist salute in unison and replied in the affirmative.

Seeing the disciples act this way, Zhaoming Zhenren felt helpless. He had said all that he could; as for whether these few could withstand it, that would depend on their own fortune.

The group watched as Zhaoming Zhenren's hand seals flew and he chanted incantations. A moment later, they heard a shout of "Open!" and the stone wall before them transformed into two red-nailed doors, with two Cinnabar Talisman Papers pasted upon them.

Zhaoming Zhenren tore off the Talisman Papers, and the nailed doors swung open with a "Boom!" As the doors opened, a powerful wind rushed in from outside, as if the doorway were a bloody maw constantly sucking in air.

"Cloud Seal of the Grand Void, the beginning of the great calamity. Suddenly distant, suddenly near, sometimes sinking, sometimes floating."

Just as the chant finished, two Dharma Arrays instantly appeared on the nailed doors, glowing with golden light and spinning incessantly, finally blocking the evil wind.

It turned out that Zhaoming Zhenren had set up a Spirit-Attachment Array in front of the nailed doors, allowing the disciples to catch their breath. The wind from just a moment ago had been laden with waves of cold air, truly bizarre to the extreme.

"This is the second cave of the Xuancang Cave," he said, flicking a fireball inside with a snap of his fingers. "I have lit the lamps inside; you may now enter through this array gate."

Yet, even with the lamps lit, the cave was extremely dim, and the group had to grope their way forward by the light of the faint flames.

They truly had not expected the cave within the Xuancang Cave to be so vast. Not long after the group entered, they became separated. Along the way, they saw neither weapons nor Dharma treasures, and even the light guiding their path grew weaker and weaker.

Xin Yi had originally been walking with Zhao Wuyang, but when he turned his head, he found he was all alone. He called out for Zhao Wuyang, but there was not a single response.

Just as he was thinking of turning back, he suddenly heard what sounded like someone screaming in pain not far ahead. He carefully groped his way forward and suddenly touched a door; through the crack, it seemed as if firelight was flickering.

Xin Yi pulled on the door ring, and a courtyard appeared before him. The courtyard was littered with corpses, and not far away, a child was being held by the throat by a Demon Soldier.

The Demon Soldier raised his blade to strike. In a flash of lightning, Xin Yi kicked out at the Demon Soldier, but to his surprise, he passed right through the Demon Soldier's body.

What he saw before his eyes was an illusion!

Seeing this, Xin Yi hurriedly recited the Heart-Clearing Formula, but the illusion before him did not dissipate in the slightest. The child being held by the throat did not even have time to scream before being slaughtered by the Demon Soldier right before Xin Yi's eyes.

What on earth was happening? Why had it turned out like this?

Xin Yi looked at his own hands and suddenly discovered he had become the appearance of a youth, while the scene before him flickered and passed, and he was now in a garden.

"Brother Lu! Brother Lu! Where are you?"

Guining?

Just as Xin Yi was feeling puzzled, he saw a young girl dressed in green running over from not far away.

"Brother Lu, what are you doing here? The banquet in the front courtyard is about to begin, and Aunt sent me to find you! Come with me quickly!" As the girl spoke, she took Xin Yi's hand and ran toward the long corridor.

As they ran, perhaps feeling that Xin Yi was running too slowly, the girl let go of his hand and ran on her own. While running, she said:

"Brother Lu, hurry up!"

Yet Xin Yi felt as if his feet were filled with lead; no matter what, he could not run. Watching the girl disappear in a flash, Xin Yi could not help but feel a tumult of emotions.

"Guining! Guining!"

But even though he shouted loudly, he could only hear the sound of the girl's footsteps and her constant calls for him.

"Brother Lu! Hurry up! I'm over here!"

After being anxious for a long time, those leaden legs suddenly felt light. Xin Yi stumbled and nearly fell to the ground, but before he could even steady himself, he hurried toward the end of the long corridor.

"Guining! Guining! Where are you!"

Xin Yi ran while calling out, but the response he received was still that same sentence:

"Brother Lu! Hurry up! I'm here!"

But when Xin Yi reached the end, there was not a single person there. He searched everywhere, but the girl was nowhere to be seen.

Just as he did not know where to go, he heard what sounded like footsteps behind him. He turned around, and the girl was indeed standing behind him, but...

But her clothes were tattered, she was covered in mud and blood, and she stared at Xin Yi with wide eyes.

"Brother Lu, I'm here. Where did you run off to?"

Xin Yi was filled with terror and rushed toward the girl.

"Guining! What happened to you? What occurred?"

But the girl seemed to have lost all sensation, her eyes unfocused, not looking at anything in particular.

"Brother Lu, everyone is dead. Why are you still alive?"

Hearing this, Xin Yi was horrified and hurriedly pulled the girl into his embrace.

"Guining... it's alright... Brother Lu is here..."

Yet the girl remained as if she had lost her soul, murmuring in her mouth:

"Brother Lu, everyone is dead... you should go die too..."

At this moment, the girl suddenly raised her two arms. In her blood-stained hands, she held the Deer Horn Twin Blades. Before Xin Yi could recover from the girl's words, the two blades slashed down.

A young girl, barely half-grown, possessed strength from who knows where, hacking the blades fiercely into the flesh of the youth Xin Yi. Xin Yi wore a look of disbelief.

What had happened to his Guining...

His Guining had actually killed him...

Xin Yi collapsed in a pool of blood, watching the cold-faced girl slowly reach out her hand.

"Guining... Guining..."

Xin Yi's consciousness seemed to be blurring. Only then did he clearly see what the girl was holding—weren't those the two short blades his father always carried by his side!

The Deer Horn Twin Blades!

It was actually the Deer Horn Twin Blades!

Was he going to die under these two blades!?

"Hey~ You look older than me; calling me Senior Sister is too formal. Why not just call me by my name? It seems closer, doesn't it?"

No! That's not right! She is not Guining!

"Hiya~ What 'ordered' or not? I just saw that your practice of the Sword Technique wasn't going very well, so I specifically came to give you a set of Sword Formula that suits you."

His Guining is still alive!

"Xin Yi... Xin Yi!"

This is the demonic aura of the Deer Horn Blade!

Xin Yi suddenly snapped back to his senses, and instantly knew that everything he saw before him was an illusion cast by the demonic aura of the Deer Horn Blade.

Hah! It has been a long time, yet the baleful aura has only grown deeper!

However, to think that it does not even recognize him; he is, after all...

He is the son of the Lu Family—

Lu Xingyi!