PCJ – Chapter 310 Everything is Illusion

Chengdao was running, drenched in sweat and panting heavily, leaning against the stone wall, unable to straighten his waist. This time, he had used all his strength to escape for his life.

“What the hell was that thing? It lured me step by step! If it weren’t for this bell saving my life at the critical moment, I would have lost my life here today.” Chengdao had never seen such a monster—so ugly and so insidious, even creating illusions to deceive him.

“That was close!” Chengdao sighed.

“Chengdao! What are you doing here?” an unexpected voice called out.

“Master.” Chengdao turned around to see that it was none other than his old Taoist master.

Chengdao took a couple of steps forward but suddenly stopped. “Good! You, ghostly thing, deceived me once, and now you dare to come again? I’ll fight you!”

Chengdao didn’t notice that this time, the bell in his hand didn’t make a sound.

And Pan Yongxi’s group was different from before; their expressions were no longer dull, each showing varied emotions. This was related to Chengdao’s previous lack of attention to these people. His spirit had been attacked by that monster, leading to hallucinations. After all, those illusions were imagined in Chengdao’s mind. Since he hadn’t paid attention to this group of people, he naturally couldn’t imagine their expressions.

However, Chengdao had no patience left; he couldn’t calm down to think. He drew his sword and charged at his master.

The old Taoist master merely moved slightly to avoid Chengdao’s attack and seized his hand, saying, “Chengdao, calm down!”

The old Taoist master’s voice was like a bell, striking Chengdao’s heart and instantly waking him up.

“Master! I finally found you!” Chengdao now confirmed that his old Taoist master wasn’t that monster.

“I didn’t leave for long; I was worried you would follow in. I came back to find you, but who knew you had disappeared without a trace? So we followed your trail all the way here,” said the old Taoist master.

“Master, did you see the marks I made?” Chengdao asked.

“What marks? We didn’t see any at all. There’s a very hidden side tunnel at the entrance. We couldn’t find it before. If you hadn’t disappeared, no one would have noticed that side tunnel,” the old Taoist master said, having not seen the marks Chengdao left.

“That’s not right; I clearly left marks!” Chengdao said, confused.

“You were bewitched by that thing. Even though you thought you had freed yourself from the enchantment, from the moment you entered the cave, you were already influenced by that ghostly creature. You must always remain clear-headed in such situations,” the old Taoist master reminded him.

“Ah.” Chengdao scratched his head. “Master, it’s been so long; why are you still here?”

Chengdao was somewhat puzzled. By rights, they should have encountered each other earlier, so why did they only meet now?

“It hasn’t been long. Little Master, we didn’t walk far before hearing you calling from behind. By the time we retreated, you had already vanished. Luckily, you left a footprint at the entrance, allowing us to find that hidden tunnel. We followed it and it took us less than half an hour,” Pan Yongxi quickly explained.

“Ah? It hasn’t even been half an hour?” Chengdao was shocked. He felt he had been struggling for a long time, yet others said it hadn’t even been half an hour.

“You were bewitched by that thing, so time naturally feels abnormal. You were completely immersed in the illusion and had no clear concept of time. Coupled with all the things you experienced, they were entirely imagined by you. Therefore, your perception of time became even more muddled,” the old Taoist master explained.

“Ah! So that’s how it is.” Chengdao’s mouth dropped open.

“However, thanks to you, we learned about this secret passage. Perhaps entering through this secret passage is safer,” the old Taoist master said.

“Master, now that I’m in here, you’re not going to kick me out, are you?” Chengdao asked.

“Since you insist on going, then go. Don’t blame me later,” the old Taoist master said helplessly.

“Not at all. Leaving me outside would be even more painful. I was worried I’d never see you again,” Chengdao almost cried out.

“Let’s go!” the old Taoist master said.

The group walked along the stone-paved path deeper into the cave.

“Master, I encountered lizards, bats… and finally a very ugly ghostly creature covered in tentacles. At one point, it nearly dragged me away when I wasn’t paying attention. Luckily, I activated a talisman in time to escape. In the end, I got distracted and fell into an illusion, almost being deceived. Fortunately, this bell woke me up at the most dangerous moment and revealed the true form of that thing. I almost didn’t get to see you!” Chengdao still felt uneasy when he recalled the events.

“You! When I told you to diligently study Taoist techniques, you didn’t believe me. Now you realize the importance of mastering your skills, right?” The old Taoist master was very loving toward his youngest disciple.

“Hehe, Master, I’ll practice my spells diligently from now on,” Chengdao said, feeling embarrassed.

“Sigh, whether we can get out of here is still uncertain. Chengdao, if you encounter a ghostly creature that even I have difficulty dealing with, you must not hesitate to run! Do you hear me?” the old Taoist master cautioned.

“Master, don’t say such depressing things. That ghostly creature, though powerful, you are a renowned water master. How could you not handle it?” Chengdao replied dismissively.

“Cough, be careful in your response,” the old Taoist master had no other choice with this little disciple.

“Master, I just encountered that ghostly creature not far ahead. It was covered in tentacles and looked really disgusting. What exactly is that ghostly creature? Moreover, these ghostly creatures have a strange black line on them,” Chengdao recounted what he had seen earlier.

“That is the Thousand-Claw Phantom Demon. Ghostly creatures will have a black line on their bodies; the more powerful the ghostly creature, the more black lines it has. Eventually, these lines weave into a net, densely distributed across their bodies. At this level of ghostly creature, even I would have a hard time dealing with it. If we encounter such a ghostly creature in this cave, our entire group will perish here,” the old Taoist master indeed recognized that kind of ghostly creature.

“Little Master, you’re really lucky. Generally, people have no way to escape from such Thousand-Claw Phantoms. I didn’t expect you to come out unharmed. Truly, a talented disciple comes from a good master,” Pan Yongxi subtly flattered the old Taoist master.

“Pan Yongxi, shut up. I don’t like hearing such nonsense. This is the last time I’m involved in your Dalubao matters. After this, don’t expect me to do anything for your Dalubao. The lives of your Dalubao people are none of my concern. Our Meishan Sect has never owed anything to your Dalubao. On the contrary, you’ve always owed us,” the old Taoist master disliked Pan Yongxi and scolded him no matter what he said. However, Pan Yongxi seemed unfazed. The people from Dalubao had somewhat unfriendly expressions. As long as Pan Yongxi waved his hand, they would definitely attack the old Taoist master and Chengdao directly.

“Roar!” That terrible roar echoed again, clearly indicating that the ghostly creature had sensed Chengdao’s presence. After Chengdao had dealt it a heavy blow earlier, it must now hate him to the core.

“Be careful, step back,” the old Taoist master quickly pulled Chengdao behind him, fearing even the slightest harm would come to him.

The people from Dalubao were also quick to react, immediately standing in front of the old Taoist master and Chengdao, protecting them. Their main task on this journey was to protect the old Taoist master so he could freely use his Taoist techniques. Their formation was also quite intricate, clearly forming a plum blossom formation, which Chengdao, who practiced plum blossom stances daily, recognized at a glance. This plum blossom formation could both attack and defend, possessing remarkable power. However, Chengdao hadn’t expected that this group from Dalubao understood Meishan skills.

“Master, is this the Plum Blossom Formation?” Chengdao whispered.

The old Taoist master was not worried about the Thousand-Claw Phantom Demon. Dealing with such ghostly creatures was not difficult for him; after all, he was not at the half-baked level of Chengdao’s skills. While preparing to confront the ghostly creature, he nodded and said, “Just a basic skill. Back when our Meishan Sect eliminated evil spirits here, we taught them some basics.”

“Tian Shi is right; our Dalubao people only learned a bit of the Meishan Sect’s basics. However, this little bit is very useful for us mortals,” Pan Yongxi was not bothered by the old Taoist master’s sarcasm.

However, the ghostly creature grew somewhat impatient, rushing towards them like the wind. Its countless tentacles moved even faster, shooting towards them like a rain of arrows.

The warriors of Dalubao had long drawn their swords. When the tentacle arrows flew toward them, a flurry of sword light erupted, and the tentacles on the ghostly creature were sliced into pieces under the warriors’ blades, falling to the ground like noodles.

Chengdao’s face turned green. That old man had just mocked him with words. After praising how powerful he was, Chengdao really thought the ghostly creature was formidable, but he didn’t expect it to be chopped up like beans by the people from Dalubao. It turned out that this ghostly creature was not that powerful in combat after all. Now, recalling his earlier predicament made Chengdao feel a burning shame on his face.

“Chengdao, don’t underestimate these people. They are not simple. They are a group of death warriors trained by Dalubao using special methods. Each of them possesses great martial arts skills and fears neither death nor pain. They are the most formidable force of Dalubao. It’s a pity that Dalubao has been declining year by year; now, even a castrated slave can take down the fortress lord. Truly laughable,” the old Taoist master, knowing his disciple’s feelings, immediately mocked the warriors of Dalubao to vent his disciple’s frustrations.