Chapter 286: Encountering an Illusion Realm

Su Chen looked at Xiaoxian earnestly, feeling uneasy in his heart; although Xiaoxian was usually lively, active, and carefree, it was now clearly visible that her emotions were not right.

After all, he deeply understood her longing for family, and though he did not know whose skeleton this Dragon Race frame belonged to, at this point, they could only look forward.

Thinking of this, Xiaoxian nodded dejectedly; she was clearly still immersed in the gloomy atmosphere, unable to recover, and did not say a single word.

"I can sense the aura of my kind nearby, it's just still some distance away from us."

Xiaoxian could not help but say.

As they ventured deeper, they had already discovered traces of the Dragon Race, and he believed that if they walked for a while longer, they would soon be able to find the true habitat of the Dragon Race.

"I remember that the Dragon Race in the Western Wasteland had a very large territory, but their core and main location was the Holy Mountain. If we search along that direction, we should be able to find clues about the Dragon Race."

Luo Shen thought for a moment, then spoke slowly.

After all, she was knowledgeable and experienced, and still had some understanding of information in this regard; although the time span was too great and everything had changed significantly, having a direction now was better than having none.

Su Chen nodded, and the group immediately began their journey toward the Holy Mountain; because they had a general direction, the group traveled quite quickly this time.

By the time they reached the vicinity of the Holy Mountain, Xiaoxian could already sense the aura of her kind; for some reason, upon arriving here, the deeper she went, the more she felt a mysterious calling in her heart.

The voice within her heart seemed to be telling her that everything she wanted to know was inside, and she must go and find her kind.

Xiaoxian had been bothered by the premonitions in her heart for the past few days, her mind in such chaos that she could not help but tell Su Chen about it.

Su Chen was confused for a moment, thinking perhaps it was the mutual bond between Spirit Beasts.

The knowledgeable Luo Shen, however, immediately grasped the crux of the problem.

"You have returned to your homeland and are slowly awakening your Inheritance Memory. Every high-grade Spirit Beast will receive an Inheritance Memory, which contains treasures such as past memories and cultivation techniques."

Luo Shen explained, her eyes already carrying a hint of anticipation.

After all, Xiaoxian was a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon; even though she had seen many Divine Beasts, those of Xiaoxian's level were rare, pitifully few.

"That's right, our Mermaid Race also has Inheritance Memory, though it is usually taught and guided by elders. Anything can happen during the process; it could be a memory from the past, a cultivation technique, a parting instruction or warning, or even a prophecy."

Hearing this, Natasha said calmly.

After receiving her Inheritance Memory, she had also transformed the Universe Pearl, making it her Life Spirit Tool.

It was just that the Universe Pearl also contained many cultivation techniques and precious memories, mostly advice and prophecies left by past Mermaid Priests; Natasha had even seen a fleeting glimpse of her mother's figure within it, which made her cherish this beautiful memory very much.

She had been dazed these past few days precisely because she was inheriting the Inheritance Memory.

It was just that this Inheritance Memory did not appear all at once like the others, but emerged bit by bit, giving Natasha a chance to buffer.

Otherwise, so many memories would likely have caused her to explode and die.

Hearing this, although Xiaoxian only half-understood, she accepted it calmly.

But the most urgent task was still to find water and food.

Fortunately, heaven does not disappoint those who try, and the group finally saw the shadow of an oasis in the distance.

This was like providing charcoal in snowy weather, and the group immediately walked toward the destination. But they did not expect that after walking for half a day, they still had not reached the location of the oasis; instead, just like before, they could only see a hazy shadow.

"Strange, we have been walking for so long, why does it still feel the same as before?"

Seeing this, Lv Luo could not help but say, looking somewhat haggard.

After all, this was the first time they had encountered such extreme weather.

Su Chen wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and subconsciously gazed at the oasis in the distance; it clearly felt close, yet it was like a parallel line—no matter how much they advanced, the oasis advanced by the same amount.

This was very strange.

For a moment, the group was actually unable to make up their minds, not knowing whether they should continue.

If they persisted and kept walking in the same direction, they did not know when they would reach their destination, and looking at the situation, it was highly likely they were wasting their efforts.

After blindly walking for half a day, Su Chen finally realized something was wrong; why did this oasis in the distance look so much like a mirage appearing in the desert!?

On the surface, it looked like there was an oasis nearby, but in reality, it was just a reaction caused by solar refraction.

This area was currently a plain, but due to drought and lack of human presence, it had gradually become desolate, and the surface was bare, indeed looking like a desert.

Thinking of this, Su Chen made a prompt decision and said to Lv Luo: "Lv Luo, you are a Tree Spirit, your root system should be quite developed, right?"

Lv Luo was a bit stunned at first, then honestly nodded.

"Master, why are you asking this? Is there a way? But at such a distance, my tree vines cannot be driven; it is simply too far."

After saying this, Lv Luo could not help but sigh.

If she had leaves on her body, they would surely have withered and dried up by now; she looked listless and drained.

"Lv Luo, plant your roots into the soil and spread them in all directions; you will definitely be able to find a place where water exists. The oasis we saw just now must be an Illusion Realm; it isn't actually over there, and it's useless even if we walk to the end."

Su Chen explained slowly.

"As expected of Master, you saw at a glance that the oasis was an Illusion Realm. No wonder we walked for so long and didn't even see the edge of the oasis."

Lv Luo could not help but nod like a chick pecking at rice, her eyes full of admiration.

Su Chen was suddenly embarrassed by the praise; if he hadn't learned about such issues before, he certainly wouldn't have known either.

He now had scientific backing, but he certainly couldn't say that to the others; they wouldn't understand it anyway.

Thus, Su Chen could only respond vaguely.

"No time to lose, Lv Luo, try it quickly. According to my deduction, there should be a water source nearby."

Su Chen looked at Lv Luo earnestly, his eyes already carrying a hint of anticipation.

Lv Luo nodded quickly, feeling very nervous herself; she took a deep breath, placed her hands on the ground, and leaned her body slightly as the plant's vines instantly took root from beneath the ground and extended in all directions.

(End of chapter)