Chapter 1301: Searching
Yi Tianyun refrained from striking back immediately, even though his opponent kept attacking fiercely. Every move felt so familiar. Despite wielding a whip instead of a ribbon, the fighting style was almost identical.
By observing closely, he inferred that the attacker likely was using a ribbon technique. Also, this blue-furred fox demon looked elegant, its coat pale blue in color. Wasnât Demon Lord Liuli aligned with the water attribute? Of course she might display a bluish hue, and the foxâs features resembled her usual style.
Most importantly, Yi Tianyunâs Evil Spirit Roulette still pointed straight at this fox. That indicated, beyond doubt, that it was Demon Lord Liuli! The Evil Spirit Roulette wouldnât lie, proving that the fox in front of him was indeed her.
âThis illusion is terrifying. Itâs obviously meant to make us kill each other. If youâre from a different group, thatâs one thing, but if youâre actually allies, it forces you to fight your own partner!â
Yi Tianyun was inwardly alarmed. This illusion was so strong even he couldnât dispel it. Demon Lord Liuli was already trapped. It was laid by an Upper Heavenly Venerable, so how could it possibly be undone with ease?
That meant he couldnât let her see his true form. To Demon Lord Liuliâs perception, he was likewise some kind of monster she had to destroy.
From her perspective, she saw a demon beast darting around, evading every blow, and it made her anxious. She had not expected that upon arriving here, her first battle would be against a monster this elusive. Its speed prevented her from landing any hits.
As she prepared another fierce onslaught, the âbeastâ suddenly drew a spear and began carving something into the ground.
She glanced over, noticing written characters:
âStop attacking! Iâm Yi Tianyun! You must be Sister Liuli, right? Itâs all an illusion designed to make us kill each other!â
He carved these words at lightning speed, producing a long message in the blink of an eye. For cultivators at their level, carving writing was effortless and swift.
Perhaps illusions could alter oneâs weapon or appearance, but the words etched into the ground would remain unaffected. Even the strongest illusions here only changed surface visuals like oneâs form or gear.
Reading what it said, Demon Lord Liuli froze and halted her assault.
âIllusion? All of this is an illusion?â
She replied by carving a line of her own:
âThen tell me where we come from and whatâs happened recently.â
She wouldnât believe right away; a few verification questions were necessary. As for speaking aloud, it would sound to the other as if an animal were roaring.
Yi Tianyun quickly inscribed what had occurred these past days:
âWeâre from the Heavenly Spring God Domain. Not long ago, you scolded me for cultivating lightning arts in a way you disliked and told me to stop.â
Upon seeing these words, Demon Lord Liuli immediately believed him, everything really was an illusion!
âIt looks like in addition to searching for the bead, we have to be wary of attacks from our own allies, or from anyone else, for that matter,â Demon Lord Liuli wrote.
Yi Tianyun nodded and carved:
âExactly. The moment you see a âmonster,â you just try to kill it, thereâs no room to talk. If I werenât fast enough, I really mightâve died at your hands.â
Feeling awkward, Demon Lord Liuli realized she had no idea how Yi Tianyun had figured it out. But indeed, on first sight of a strange beast, who wouldnât attack? This stage of the trial was truly insidious.
If Yi Tianyun hadnât been able to evade, he would have been slain by his own teammate. That would be the saddest thing of all, finally realizing, only too late, that it had been a tragic misunderstanding.
âNow that we know, letâs hurry and look for the beads. That is what really matters!â she wrote, eager to leave. As they couldnât break the illusion, they could only pass this stage to lift it.
Yi Tianyun agreed, and the two headed for one of the spots where a piece of the Ten Lives Heavenly Bead had fallen. They clearly recalled approximately where each piece had landed.
Originally, Demon Lord Liuli had been heading for one of those very places. Soon, they arrived and saw a small crater in the ground with a miniature bead lying there.
Yi Tianyun sped down, scooped it up, and discovered that claiming the bead didnât revert them to normal forms. Everything remained as it was.
Having obtained the first bead, they didnât linger. They set out immediately to grab the second. Along the way, Yi Tianyun couldnât help reflecting on how vicious this stage was. If all ten participants came in, itâd be absolute carnage.
No wonder so many had failed; this single trial alone could stop hordes of cultivators. If the entire group was originally allies, that would be even worse, friendly fire could be devastating.
After collecting that second bead without incident (no one else had gotten there yet, and there werenât many people to begin with), they pressed on to the next location. Here, flight was impossible, some invisible force prevented it, so they had to run everywhere.
Otherwise, it would have been far simpler.
Boom, boom, boomâŠ
Suddenly, the sounds of fierce combat echoed up ahead, along with repeated bursts of energy. Yi Tianyun instantly knew other contenders had crossed paths, sparking a fight.
They lacked something like his Evil Spirit Roulette to distinguish true identities. At first glance, they would just attack. Unless they all fled and refused to fight, battles like this were inevitable.
âThat area is where another bead landed. Theyâre probably fighting over it. Letâs look elsewhere,â Yi Tianyun wrote in the dirt.
Demon Lord Liuli nodded. With ten beads total, it was best to retrieve others first. If two half-step Heavenly Venerables were locked in battle, that left only one more searching for beads.
Which gave them better odds at finding the rest before anyone else did.
âKeep fighting, you two, donât stop any time soon.â
Yi Tianyun smirked, then led Demon Lord Liuli toward the next beadâs location. It looked like the greatest threat in this round was cultivators vs. cultivators vying for the beads, rather than anything else.
Even so, that was deadly enough, these mutual struggles would be brutal. Not that Yi Tianyun minded a brawl himself; after all, half-step Heavenly Venerables yielded quite a lot of experienceâŠ
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