Chapter 139: Illusion

Ah!

The Ghost-faced Man let out a painful roar, and the solidified ghost qi surrounding him slowly dissipated under the corrosive fire demon blaze, refining into nothingness.

"You never intended to deal with Zhang Heng from the start; your target was me!"

He suddenly realized it, his face full of annoyance, regret and anxiety, with a hint of panic.

"Hmph! You only understand now! Among the three of you, only you pose a threat to me. All this idle chatter with you was just to find the right moment to restrain you!"

Lu Fan sneered, utterly disdainful, "When you appeared in the Tianxing Stone Cave that day, Nalan Qusha and I were both present. Your true strength clearly exceeds that, but as long as you only manifest through soul thoughts, I will not give you the chance to employ real divine powers!"

The Ghost-faced Man, hearing this, grew angry and hateful, yet the fire demon blaze surrounding him naturally suppresses yin evil ghost qi. Being merely a soul body, he has no means to contend.

"Not good! Miss Jiang, if we both strike and Brother Wan truly gets taken down by Lu Fan, the two of us could never match him!"

Zhang Heng's eyes flickered; he had intended to use the Ghost-faced Man as a shield, but hadn't expected the opponent to be so ineffective. What shocked him even more was Lu Fan's extraordinary tactics—his scheming so far‑reaching, his methods so astonishing, utterly beyond what he could counter.

Before his words finished, Lu Fan let out a light laugh, didn't even glance at him, leapt into the air and headed toward the void, aiming for the Crystal Furnace Seal.

Yang Sheng and his companions were stunned; they had regarded the Ghost-faced Man as a formidable foe, yet he never dared to think he could match Lu Fan—just a common pest, no threat at all.

"If we didn't have to act now, your lives wouldn't be safe today; get lost while you can."

Lu Fan's cold, disdainful words drifted uncertainly through the void, like whispers from the Nine Nether, and to Zhang Heng's ears they rang with countless twists, shocking and terrifying, as if ten thousand arrows pierced his heart.

"Gagaga! You stinky brat, your tactics aren't simple; your illusion fooled those three, but not me. Come here, and I'll extract your soul and refine your spirit, using your body to manifest this realm!"

Within the refining crystal furnace, a mournful laugh sounded again. Its aura matched the previous one, yet the underlying meaning of the words was subtly terrifying.

"Illusion?" The Ghost-faced Man, wrapped in fire demon blaze and on the brink of death, froze at the words; the surge of ghost qi involuntarily halted. He was about to collapse, but instead steadied, murmuring, "Illusion! So that's it!"

He suddenly realized, his vague form solidified again, and the thick surrounding fire wall inexplicably crumbled and vanished, its power gone.

"Brother Wan, what's really going on?"

Zhang Heng was stunned; the Ghost-faced Man was clearly exhausted, and he had been ready to act, even prepared his trump card. Yet the imposing fire wall inexplicably collapsed, and the Ghost-faced Man, who moments before was on the verge of soul disintegration, regained a formidable aura.

"So that's it. Zhang Heng, have you forgotten how Lu dealt with the head of the Qin family before the Refining Guild? He suppressed Qin Town without any formation, using truly bizarre tactics!"

Xiulan suddenly understood, explaining coldly as if bone‑chilling ice.

"How could... this is..."

Zhang Heng's spirit jolted, "thud thud thud," his feet involuntarily staggered backward, dazed and disheveled. Unconsciously he collided with the Ghost-faced Man, and only after the latter patted his shoulder did he barely regain composure.

He had clearly moved behind the Ghost-faced Man, yet his position seemed reversed; as he stepped back he struck the Ghost-faced Man again. Instinctively glancing at Lu Fan, he saw him standing still dozens of zhang away, exactly as he had been watching the scene, not having taken a single step.

Snap!

Instinctively swinging his hand, Zhu Shan Xuan Bao suddenly pointed at the void, snarling at Lu Fan, "Lu Fan, impressive tactics; I, Zhang, was truly deceived by you!"

While speaking, he calmly sidestepped two steps, keeping a distance from the Ghost-faced Man. Though he was now cooperating with it, he clearly remained wary.

The Ghost-faced Man, as if not seeing him, stared at Lu Fan with a cold glare, scrutinizing him from head to toe, as if trying to see through him.

At this moment Lu Fan's complexion was slightly pale, the strange glint in his eyes gone. The Star Wish Spell power, previously suppressed by dragon‑origin energy, surged again. Between his meridians a faint silvery glow drifted.

Behind him, Yang Sheng and the others wore looks of annoyance.

"What a pity, just one step away from trapping the three of them within the illusion."

"Alas! It's our own incompetence; had we assisted Fei Shao earlier, the situation wouldn't be this bad!"

"Hmph! Fear what? Young Lu's power is unfathomable; those three minnows were trapped once, they can be trapped again. It's just that what's up with that crystal furnace?"

Buoyed by confidence in Lu Fan, Yang Sheng and his group seemed untroubled by the scene.

Huh...

Lu Fan exhaled a heavy, hoarse breath, sounding weary, "Yang Sheng, take those people and leave this place quickly. The secret realm holds many heavenly talents and earth treasures; seek your own opportunities to strengthen yourselves, and perhaps before the Dragon Tower you might even aid me!"

His tone was calm yet undeniable. Yang Sheng and his companions could not muster any resistance, involuntarily nodding as they slowly retreated into the passage behind them, vanishing.

"Hmph! Those minnows ran off, sparing us the hassle. Lu Fan, meet your death!"

The Ghost-faced Man let out a mighty shout, his whole form soaring, turning into a black wind that surged toward Lu Fan.

"You're quite good at seizing momentum! Today I, Zhang Heng, give you a chance; I want to see if everything inside the illusion can manifest in reality!"

Understanding the interplay of illusion and reality, Zhang Heng felt no fear toward Lu Fan, his battle spirit swelling. Zhu Shan Xuan Bao opened and closed his fan, then swung it sideways, unleashing a fierce gust that instantly trapped Lu Fan.

Xiulan did not delay; her slender hands continuously formed finger seals, and a talisman array slowly solidified, swirling and gathering power, ready to strike.

Lu Fan smiled calmly, waved a single hand, grasped the void, and a massive banner materialized out of thin air, then crashed down with a roar.

"Seven-Star Illusion Mirage Flag, the banner opens to veil heaven and earth!"

In an instant, seven streaks of starlight flashed from the banner, suddenly spiraling into a chaotic vortex that churned and shifted, resembling the heavens and a river of stars.

The Ghost-faced Man surged into the vortex, and the world spun wildly; the surroundings vanished, leaving only countless stars flickering out, like ancient constellations.

As the vortex rotated, radiant light surged, sweeping up the fierce wind that Zhang Heng had gathered.

In the blink of an eye, the previous illusion scene seemed to return, the Ghost-faced Man trapped within, leaving only Zhang Heng and Xiulan.

But that was not the case; Lu Fan wore a solemn expression, continuously forming finger seals toward the chaotic vortex.

The Seven-Star Illusion Mirage Flag was secretly given to Lu Fan by Zhu Ge Qing Ming before entering the Dragon Tower secret realm. It was not originally Lu Fan's treasure; it bears Zhu Ge Qing Ming's soul imprint, making it difficult for Lu Fan to wield smoothly. Even as an ownerless relic, its tier is so high—claimed as seventh‑grade, essentially a saintly artifact—that he can barely unleash any power with it now.

"A mere relic, and you still think you can suppress this young master!"

From within the vortex came a wild, unruly roar. Before the sound faded, a massive black hand burst out of the vortex, gathering force and slamming down in front of Lu Fan with a thunderous strike.

Bang!

Rocks shattered, dust billowed. The black hand created a pit about a zhang across, yet Lu Fan's figure vanished, and the banner that had stood in the void disappeared as well.

Screech!

The black hand split in two, tearing the vortex apart, and the Ghost-faced Man's form slowly reappeared.

Seeing this, Zhang Heng's spirit jolted, his face unusually excited; involuntarily, the qi swirling around him seemed to pause slightly, as if he had been too careless.

Careful!

The Ghost-faced Man spun around, shouting at Zhang Heng. A vague banner silhouette flashed, its surrounding qi swirling, its force terrifying, like a spear, thrust toward Zhang Heng's chest.

Hmph! I spotted you early!

Zhang Heng was not the least surprised; he actually wore a look of delight, realizing it had been done on purpose. He left an empty opening to lure Lu Fan here—quite a clever scheme.

Clang!

The bamboo fan flipped, diverting the flagpole's thrust. Immediately, Zhang Heng lunged forward, his other hand gripping tightly, seizing the Seven-Star Illusion Serpent Flag.

No! Why is there no resistance at all?

He hadn't even had time to be delighted when a hint of oddity struck him. At the end of the flagpole was a barren void, with no sign of Lu Fan. Even if Lu Fan intended a sneak attack, he would have to give it his all; could the mere power of a mysterious artifact really be expected to hold a Fourth-Rank Great Martial Master?

The Ghost-faced Man was also stunned, frozen, unable to fathom Lu Fan's intention. It was rather foolish! With the opponent's ghost‑like movements, even if he gave his all, and even if Zhang Heng spotted it early, he could hardly intercept it easily; in the ensuing chaos countless flaws would appear, offering a huge opening!

Could it be…

His expression flashed with alarm; he instantly turned his head toward Xiulan, about to warn her, but it was already too late.

Lu Fan's figure slowly materialized behind Xiulan; with a fierce hand‑slash, he struck her neck without a hint of mercy. Instantly "crack—bang—", a flurry of point‑shots imposed heavy restraints on the already unconscious Xiulan; with a casual shove she collapsed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The obstacle has been dealt with; if you two are truly interested, follow me!

Lu Fan let out a light laugh, then turned, leapt across the void, and rushed toward the Crystal Furnace Seal.

Zhang Heng was stunned, staring blankly at the Seven-Star Illusion Serpent Flag in his hand, instinctively sensing its extraordinary power—indeed surpassing even the bamboo fan treasure he wielded. That Lu Fan would use it as bait, abandon such a treasure, just to subdue the weakest Xiulan, left him utterly baffled.

Brother Zhang, come with me to stop Lu Fan; if he obtains the Ghost Seal, our Dragon Tower expedition will be for naught, and we'll likely face sect punishment upon returning!

The Ghost-faced Man's grim voice rang out; without even glancing at Xiulan, he vaulted into the air and chased after Lu Fan.

Zhang Heng shook his head, swinging the large flag horizontally, attempting to store it in his Qiankun Bag, but found it impossible. This mysterious treasure resisted the Qiankun Bag's containment technique—truly bizarre.

Damn! So this was your plan; you really thought I'd let you succeed—no way!

He suddenly understood: although the treasure is powerful, Lu Fan likely can't tap much of its might. Using it as bait is a distraction tactic. With Zhang Heng holding such an item, how could he smoothly execute his moves?

Smack!

He slammed the flag down with a decisive thud, instantly impaling the exotic treasure on the spot, and his figure followed the Ghost-faced Man, pursuing Ye Fei.

As he turned, he failed to notice that Xiulan's summoned sigil array, left unattended, had begun to crumble yet suddenly halted, drifting lazily toward the flag.