Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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The howling wind outside the peach grove seemed to have stopped. Xie Lingya looked bitter. “Then we really need to hurry. Do you have any ideas?”
It was too late to regret it now. Xie Lingya could only comfort himself. Tan Qing was a born antisocial person; even if he watched “Teletubbies,” he might come up with some bad ideas.
Whether in Taoism or Buddhism, there were many ways to break an illusion. Ultimately, it all came down to following the simplest principle and upholding one’s true nature. However, this simplest thing was also the hardest to do.
Lian Tan lowered his head and thought for a while before saying, “I will meditate here.”
Of those present, Lian Tan had decades of meditation experience; he seemed to be the most likely to break the illusion and escape first.
“Alright, Master Lian Tan, be careful.” Xie Lingya was afraid that Lian Tan would be disturbed by Tan Qing and develop some inner demons.
Lian Tan lifted his monk’s robe, sat cross-legged on the spot, and tried to enter meditation.
A wisp of fog, seemingly from nowhere, seeped into the peach grove. It started as wisps, then grew thicker until it was pitch black.
Even so, with such a dense fog, you could convince yourself it was an illusion, but no matter how you looked, you couldn’t see anyone else.
“It’s here again…” Xie Lingya’s scalp tightened. “Everyone be careful!”
He saw a faint shadow beside him. “Senior Brother?”
“I’m here,” Shi Changxuan replied, putting Xie Lingya at ease.
Xie Lingya also heard Fang Zhe spit and begin chanting again: “I beseech the Great Wind Immortal Master, I beseech the Lesser Wind Immortal Master, wind come quickly, come quickly, wind, I will vanish the fog without a trace!”
Fang Zhe was doing his best, but the wind he summoned only thinned the fog around them slightly; a few steps away, it was still thick fog, and visibility below the knees was still poor.
Xie Lingya was recalling the incantation when he suddenly heard screams, seemingly directed at him.
Alert, Xie Lingya dodged, raised his sword defensively, and looked to his side, his expression instantly changing.
Standing beside him was Shi Changxuan, but now only a three-meter-long white tiger remained!
The white tiger stood there, somewhat dazed, a small wooden figure with complete features and dressed in clothes held in its mouth. Its slanted eyes swept across the scene, the pupils of its pale blue eyes shrinking to black dots. The dazed look vanished completely, and with a wide roar, the small wooden figure fell to the ground!
“Roar—”
Only by being there could one truly feel the domineering aura of the king of the forest. The white tiger crouched low, glaring menacingly at the humans around it. Whoever its gaze locked onto trembled with fear.
Xie Lingya looked at the Phytolacca God on the ground, then at the white tiger, “…Senior Brother?”
The white tiger suddenly turned to Xie Lingya, letting out a threatening roar.
Tan Qing had actually transformed him into a tiger, and somehow managed to make Shi Changxuan lose his composure, completely transforming into a tiger and even appearing ready to attack.
Even if Xie Lingya were as quick as Sun Wukong to recognize Shi Changxuan, what if Shi Changxuan didn’t recognize them?
If he really pounced, should they fight or not?
The white tiger was already impatient, looking around, its claws rubbing against the ground, ready to strike at any moment.
Liu Lingtong cried out in fear, “It’s a tiger, Master—”
Even a Reporting God couldn’t tell whether it was a tiger or a human.
The Guai Long clung tightly to Xie Lingya’s wrist in fright, its head shaking nervously.
Xie Lingya didn’t have time to pay attention to them. Seeing that the white tiger was about to step on Phytolacca God, he couldn’t help but shout, “Don’t break it!”
The white tiger roared again and suddenly pounced on Xie Lingya!
Everyone cried out in alarm, “Teacher Xie, be careful!”
“Mr. Xie!”
“Draw your sword!”
Everyone was reminding Xie Lingya to defend himself. Xie Lingya’s hand was indeed on the sword, the veins on the back of his hand almost bulging, his teeth clenched. Before him, the massive white tiger leaped up, blocking a large portion of his view. The stench of blood emanated from it, its gaping maw seemingly bottomless, its white teeth gleaming with sharp, piercing light.
Xie Lingya’s mind was taut. In that critical moment, he forcefully closed his eyes, ignoring everything else, refusing to look at the terrifying tiger, controlling his instinctive defensiveness. He even threw down his Three Treasures Sword, spreading his arms to meet the attack!
His hands initially felt soft and furry, but quickly, as if pressed down by a heavy object, the fur on his hands vanished, replaced by smooth fabric and a familiar scent. He was entangled with someone, rolling to the ground.
When he opened his eyes again, the white tiger had transformed back into Shi Changxuan, the two of them embracing each other as they fell to the ground.
The surrounding scenery had become the familiar landscape of Baoyang Temple.
Xie Lingya finally exhaled the breath he had been holding— he had succeeded.
Tan Qing’s understanding of “humans” was still too superficial. Yes, transforming a companion into another form was frightening, a basic horror trope that could incite conflict.
However, in Xie Lingya and Shi Changxuan’s case, it became the key to breaking the illusion.
Xie Lingya firmly believed that Shi Changxuan would never harm him; there was no hesitation between them. Therefore, the white tiger’s actions became a loophole, allowing him and Shi Changxuan to escape the illusion together.
Looking around, the others were still with their eyes closed, their expressions varied.
Tan Qing sat on a bamboo chair, watching them with interest. “How did you get out?”
“Business secret.” Xie Lingya ignored him, looking around to find his father standing upstairs looking down, his face full of suspicion.
In his father’s eyes, these people had suddenly stopped talking, and then his son and Shi Changxuan had suddenly moved, tumbling together.
He initially wanted to be angry, but quickly realized how bizarre it was, and now he only felt worried.
Xie Lingya wanted to remind his father, but quickly remembered Tan Qing was nearby, and swallowed his words, feeling somewhat conflicted.
Tan Qing seemed to sense Xie Lingya’s hesitation, and he grinned, holding up a finger: “For now, we can’t capture your family. They have talismans on them, and they also have Master’s monk’s robes. However, it’s only temporary, about half a minute.”
Xie Lingya gave a dry laugh, “Half a minute is too dismissive.”
His eyes darted around the other people’s faces, his brain working at full speed. Unable to borrow divine power, he could only rely on himself. He whispered, “Senior brother, cut paper.”
Shi Changxuan understood and cut a paper moon.
This technique was originally about borrowing light from a paper moon, but now Xie Lingya intended to use it to break Tan Qing’s technique.
Xie Lingya held the round moon-shaped paper between two fingers, placing it against his chest.
Taoist techniques were ever-changing, and Tan Qing didn’t know what Xie Lingya was going to do, curiously touching his bald head with his hand.
Xie Lingya took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and tossed the paper moon upwards, shouting each word clearly: “The Supreme One welcomes the Jade Wheel!”
….
Fang Zhe and the others were still in the peach grove. They were almost reluctant to watch the white tiger pounce on Xie Lingya, but at the last moment, the white tiger landed on Xie Lingya and the two of them disappeared together.
Everyone was stunned. “Where’s Teacher Xie?”
“Did they go out?”
“Could it be another illusion… making us watch people disappear one by one?”
At this moment, Lian Tan suddenly lurched forward and woke up, beads of sweat the size of beans on his forehead. Tan Xing quickly helped him up. “Master.”
Lian Tan said with a pale face, “Whenever I try to enter meditation, I’m overwhelmed by evil thoughts and can’t calm down.”
Tan Xing sighed, “Master, just now, Mr. Xie and Daoist Shi both disappeared. Daoist Shi first transformed into a white tiger and pounced on Teacher Xie, and then they both disappeared together. I don’t know if they escaped or…”
“This…” Lian Tan thought for a moment and judged, “They should have escaped.”
The others frowned and said, “Then what should we do? If the people next to us turn into tigers later, should we just endure it without dodging?”
Controlling one’s instincts was easier said than done. Just now, when Teacher Xie was pounced on, didn’t you see him covered in cold sweat and how his veins were bulging?
Lian Tan was about to speak when he suddenly noticed a strange phenomenon in the sky.
Everyone looked up at the same time.
The surrounding mist, including just inches above their heads, had dispersed, revealing a vast sky.
The sky in this illusion, which had been daytime with the sun high in the sky, now showed a bright moon that had silently risen in the west, creating a scene of sun and moon shining together!
A faint, familiar voice echoed from somewhere: “The Supreme One welcomes the Jade Wheel!”
The full moon rose visibly to its zenith, standing shoulder to shoulder with the blazing sun.
A chill ran through everyone!
All the Taoists clasped their hands towards the sky, chanting, “The Great Dao is formless, giving birth to heaven and earth; the Great Dao is without emotion, governing the sun and moon.”
In an instant, heaven and earth collapsed, leaving only the halo of the bright moon in the sky. Everyone could only see that single point of light; their vision went white, and then they were abruptly freed from the illusion.
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