Supreme of the Heavenly Realm
Chapter 499 - 496 Perilous

Chapter 499: Chapter 496 Perilous

Having traversed the Flame World, Ye Xuan and his companions arrived at another realm. This realm had transformed into a vast marshland, bleak and gray as if Ye Xuan and the others were not actually inside the Evil Dragon Temple but instead were standing amidst an external swamp.

"What is a marshland doing here?"

Leng Wusheng expressed his surprise.

"Indeed, it’s strange."

Xue Lingzi nodded in agreement; in the Flame World they had just left, he had sensed something amiss, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.

"It’s an Illusion Realm."

A sharp glint flashed in Ye Xuan’s eyes, "Including the Flame World we just encountered, it’s all an illusion."

"What, an illusion?"

Xue Lingzi, including the three others, were all startled. If it was truly an Illusion Realm, then the fact they hadn’t noticed it demonstrated the masterful deception of the illusion.

"Ye Xuan, how did you know?"

Xue Lingzi looked at Ye Xuan with surprise; if this were truly an illusion, even he had not seen through it. Could it be that Ye Xuan’s Soul Realm surpassed his own?

"Not at all."

Ye Xuan shook his head, "Actually, it’s just a guess. Something about this environment seems off, and the air is imbued with a trace of evil energy containing a residual will that affects our minds. If you concentrate, you should be able to sense it."

Upon hearing this, Xue Lingzi and the others also released their soul power to sense the malicious intent in the air.

Sure enough, upon closer examination, they found faint traces of a sinister will gnawing at their soul power like termites, slowly eroding it.

"It really is an Illusion Realm."

The faces of Xue Lingzi, Fei Yue, and the others turned grave. This malevolent will had formed an impervious barrier; their soul power hadn’t extended far before it was completely corrupted. Even so, they nonetheless detected something unusual.

"As long as we guard our minds firmly against the real and the false, the false and the real, we won’t face any major problems."

Ye Xuan’s expression remained unchanged as he began to cautiously move forward.

They were in a dimly lit underground world, not very tall, only a few hundred meters in height. The top was made of hard black soil, bizarrely shaped and sharp as a blade. The soil’s surface was covered with a layer of Prohibition force supporting the vast underground world.

The ground was filled with the adverse environments of primitive jungles, marshlands, and rivers, which were gloomy and terrifying.

Swoosh swoosh!

From a section of the marshland, dozens of gray bubbles suddenly emerged, and with a loud bang, an immense figure burst forth, raising fists the size of iron pots and suddenly smashing them towards Ye Xuan and his companions.

Boom!

Amidst them, Xue Lingzi bravely struck out with a punch against the Swamp Monster, ferociously knocking it flying away.

Boom!

The giant figure was sent tumbling down, landing on the marshland and raising gray splashes of mud. Xue Lingzi also staggered, his blood boiling with energy.

"Its strength is almost as good as mine," remarked Xue Lingzi in amazement, staring at the huge figure below.

Those who could stand toe-to-toe with him like this were generally Demon Venerable level Demon Beasts. Could this randomly emerging Swamp Monster actually compete with him?

It was a humanoid monster formed of gray clay clumps, just like the marshland itself. The creature’s surface was covered in viscous mud, constantly sliding off. Its eyes were a pair of black agates, void of mouth, nose, and ears, standing three to four meters tall, with thick arms and legs, accurately described as a Swamp Monster.

"This is not a Demon Beast; it was born from your negative emotions. Don’t get entangled with it."

Ye Xuan shook his head and advised.

Hearing Ye Xuan’s warning, Xue Lingzi’s eyes lit up—indeed, if this place was an Illusion Realm, then where would a Swamp Monster come from? All of this was merely an illusion, but the Illusion Realm was so powerful that even he couldn’t distinguish it from reality.

"Moon Slash!"

Fei Yue slashed with her sword, the blade’s radiance tracing an arc in the air like a crescent moon, slicing a deep gash across the Swamp Monster that pounced again.

"Break!"

A fierce light flashed in Xue Lingzi’s eyes as he pointed a finger at the Swamp Monster’s chest.

Pop!

The crimson Finger Force penetrated the Swamp Monster’s chest, piercing right through its back.

Splash!

The Swamp Monster collapsed, bonelessly melding into the swamp, dissolving into nothingness.

However, no sooner had the Swamp Monster been killed than the mud of the swamp began to surge again, and shadowy figures emerged from within.

"Let’s go!"

The five of them made a split decision and immediately dashed forward, realizing this was the Illusion Realm. Killing these mud monsters was completely fruitless, a sheer waste of energy, and they risked being trapped here.

Whoosh whoosh...

No sooner had they repelled the Swamp Monster than pairs of blood-red eyes suddenly lit up from the dark areas surrounding the mud zone. From within the black rocks ahead, countless black bats, each as large as a wolfhound with blood-red eyes and terrifying fangs, sensed the presence of the five and swarmed toward them, a dense and endless black mass.

These bats all bore ghastly faces, extremely fierce with a menacing aura soaring to the heavens.

"This is a goddamn hellhole!"

Leng Wusheng’s face turned grim; although this was an Illusion Realm, it was clearly no ordinary one. The aura of these black bats was incredibly fierce; under the same conditions, perhaps even two or three Demon Beasts combined would be no match, extremely ferocious and strange.

"Five-layered Sword Power!"

Raising the Dragon Abyss Ancient Sword high, Ye Xuan delivered a slash that released five interweaving streams of Sword Qi, forming a net of swords that descended upon the bat swarm.

Boom!

Sword light surged, spreading like a spiderweb, and hundreds of Dark Ghost Bats perished under this one slash, a burnt scent suffusing the air.

Xue Lingzi and the other three also took action, striking at the approaching bat swarm.

But the number of Dark Ghost Bats was overwhelming; at first, it was a dense mass, then it grew to cover the sky like a black tide.

Swoosh!

A Dark Ghost Bat, as massive as an elephant, hid among the swarm and emitted a circle of black light waves toward Ye Xuan and the others. The black light waves nearly ignored their Protective True Essence, enveloping the five in its reach.

"Danger!"

Ye Xuan was the first to react, shifting ten meters to the side, avoiding the light wave’s range. Almost simultaneously with Ye Xuan, Xue Lingzi’s figure flashed, evading as though teleporting. Fei Yue and Ouyang Tie were slightly slower in their response, but they narrowly avoided the onslaught. Leng Wusheng, the slowest, was caught within the black light wave.

The sleeves on Ouyang Tie’s arms were burned to ashes by the black light wave, but after being enveloped by it, Leng Wusheng’s eyes also turned blood red, as if possessed by demonic will. From deep in his throat, a thunderous, inhuman roar erupted as he turned and pounced toward Fei Yue behind him.

"Junior Leng!"

Fei Yue’s pretty face changed, and instinctively, she threw a punch that sent Leng Wusheng flying.

However, she controlled her strength very well and didn’t injure Leng Wusheng.

Yet, like a madman, Leng Wusheng charged once more with bared teeth and claws.

"What’s happening?"

Xue Lingzi swept away a group of Dark Ghost Bats with a slash, then restrained Leng Wusheng, frowning as he spoke.

"He’s been controlled by an evil malice. We can only expel the evil malice from within him to let him regain consciousness."

Ye Xuan watched the frenzied Leng Wusheng, his face grave as he spoke.