Chapter 362 - 338: Life and Death Illusion Gas

Chapter 362: Chapter 338: Life and Death Illusion Gas

"There shouldn’t be a problem, but let’s walk slowly. I still feel like something isn’t right." After pausing for a moment, Nie Yun saw the Hell Cold Stream appear again. A faint smile touched his lips as he gently warned the others and continued forward.

"Aaargh..."

They had only taken a few steps when they heard a tragic scream. The group turned to see Venerable Xintu instantly frozen into a solid lump of ice. In less than two breaths, his breathing stopped, and he was completely dead!

"Xintu? Venerable Xintu... I told you to be careful! To think you’d still run into the Hell Cold Stream... your luck is just terrible!"

Seeing that Tuxin had been killed by his machinations, Nie Yun sneered inwardly. Outwardly, however, he sighed in feigned sympathy for him.

’Tuxin dared to capture my father and the others back then. He should have died long ago. I was just using him to spread the word that my master is a Supreme Elder of the Cloud Transformation Sect. Now that they obviously believe it, there’s no use keeping him around. The whole reason I had him follow me was so I could get rid of him here first!’

"Xintu..." Panic flickered in the eyes of the Golden Armored Hong Ape, the form Qi Emperor had taken, upon seeing Tuxin die.

’Nie Yun had just said something was wrong, and then the man died. It’s too much of a coincidence.’ However, he couldn’t articulate why. He just had a sinking feeling that this path was growing more and more dangerous.

"Your Majesty Nie Yun, allow me to carry you on my back." After a moment of thought, he took a step forward and crouched down before Nie Yun.

’Even though I don’t know how Tuxin managed to run into the Hell Cold Stream, I know it must have something to do with Nie Yun.’ To avoid the same fate, he had no choice but to do this, despite the utter humiliation.

"Heh, alright!" Of course Nie Yun knew his motive. Without another word, he chuckled and leaped onto the ape’s back.

The group walked on for a while longer. The passage began to brighten, as if they had finally left the oppressive darkness of the Blood Evil.

"Look, what’s that?" Suddenly, Qii Tao pointed forward.

Following his finger, they saw a huge stone chamber appear at the end of the narrow passage. A single, dim yellow oil lamp burned in the middle of the room. Hanging on the center of the far wall was a Big Bell, taller than a man.

That’s right, a Big Bell, the kind that rings when struck.

"Let’s go take a look!" Nie Yun was also taken aback. ’This wasn’t in the left-hand passage.’ But since they were already here, they might as well see it through. He led the remaining three inside.

The moment they stepped inside, the group was met with a peculiar fragrance. It smelled like some sort of flower or herb, but none of them could identify it.

"This Big Bell is so strange... Let me see if it’s some kind of treasure!"

His Majesty Longxi walked up to the Big Bell, braced himself, and with a great heave, lifted it.

RUMBLE!

GRIND! GRIND!

The moment the Big Bell left the wall, the sound of grinding machinery erupted from the wall in front of them. It sounded like a ghoul gnashing its teeth, enough to make one’s skin crawl.

"Everyone, be careful!"

Nie Yun shouted the warning, but didn’t wait for the others. With a flicker, he shot out of the stone chamber. Simultaneously, True Qi erupted from his body, forming a suit of defensive armor over his skin.

’The Zihua Daoist who could forge such a Cave Mansion must have been incredibly powerful. My strength might not be weak, but I’m not arrogant enough to think I’m invincible. It’s always better to be cautious.’

The wall held no traps. It slowly slid open to reveal what was inside: a Treasure Vault, packed to the brim with all kinds of weapons.

Most of them were Royal Family’s Weapons; there were no Spiritual Soldiers among them. But the sheer quantity was staggering—there had to be over a thousand.

’Over a thousand Royal Family’s Weapons... Even the Divine Holy Empire probably couldn’t produce so many at once!’

"Haha, so much treasure? It’s all mine!"

Seeing so many weapons, His Majesty Longxi’s eyes went red with excitement. He leaped inside, fanning his fingers open for a grand sweep. Instantly, a dozen or so weapons flew toward him.

Nie Yun didn’t rush in recklessly. Instead, he activated his Celestial Eye to peer inside. One look was all it took for him to notice something was wrong.

Under the light of his Celestial Eye, the entire room was filled with a strange mist. The mist was a vibrant, dripping red, and all the weapons in the room were actually illusions manifested from it!

’Life and Death Illusion Gas?’

A name came to Nie Yun’s mind.

’Life and Death Illusion Gas. It carries a peculiar scent that draws people into an illusion, making them lose their grasp on reality. Even an Early-Stage Secret Realm expert would be controlled by it, so long as their soul hadn’t reached the Spirit Realm.’

"Aaargh! Huangg Ling, you dare attack me? I’ll kill you!"

BOOM! BOOM!

While Nie Yun was still processing this, he saw that Longxi, inside the chamber, was already completely under the influence of the illusion gas. He was like a madman, flailing his arms and repeatedly striking the Big Bell outside.

With each strike, the Big Bell boomed, releasing even more of the red mist.

The mist was invisible to the naked eye, but it had nowhere to hide from his Celestial Eye.

"Your Majesty Nie Yun, what do we do now?" Neither Qii Tao nor Qi Emperor had rushed in recklessly. Seeing the situation, they were both horrified.

They didn’t have Nie Yun’s Celestial Eye, so they couldn’t perceive the Life and Death Illusion Gas. All they saw was Longxi dart into the room and immediately start acting like a madman, his Spirit no longer his own.

"It’s the Life and Death Illusion Gas. The source seems to be the oil lamp and that Big Bell. If we can shatter them, it should solve the problem!"

Nie Yun said after a moment of contemplation, pointing forward.

’We hadn’t touched the Big Bell, but we smelled that strange fragrance the moment we walked in. The scent must be coming from the oil lamp.’

"Let me try! Golden Tripod Fist!"

With a loud cry, Qii Tao threw a punch at the Big Bell.

His fist shot forward. Golden Light converged, forming a massive golden tripod that hurtled toward the Big Bell with a roar.

VMMMM!

When the two collided, the Big Bell once again let out a deafening ring, yet it remained completely unscathed. The impact did, however, startle Longxi, who was in the middle of his own attack on the bell.

"Huangg Ling, so you’re here! You’re not getting away!"

With a great roar, Longxi lunged at him.

"You..."

Qii Tao hadn’t expected this. His expression turned grim as he dodged several of Longxi’s attacks. A vicious glint flashed in his eyes. "If you keep this up, don’t blame me for getting rough!"

"I want you dead!" Longxi roared again, his eyes bloodshot. He didn’t seem to hear a word Qii Tao was saying.

"You want me dead? Then I’ll just have to kill you first!"

Qii Tao let out a sharp cry. His fingers bent into claws, each fingertip glinting with Radiant Golden Light. He swiped his hand sideways, clawing for Longxi’s head.

Longxi’s strength was far inferior to Qii Tao’s to begin with. Trapped in an Illusion Realm of his own making, he was unable to pull himself free, let alone dodge. SQUELCH! Qii Tao’s claws tore through his skull. Blood sprayed out in a gory fan, splattering all over the floor.

THUD!

Longxi’s body collapsed to the ground. A Purple Splendor Jade Seal rolled out from his robes.

"Hmph!"

Qii Tao snatched the Jade Seal, closing his fingers around it and stuffing it into his pocket.