As the manifestation of the King of Mirrorsâ Authority, the [Illusion Realm] possessed incredible power and was connected to the mysterious Mirror World.
It could pull everything within an area into the Mirror World. Inside, any destruction caused by outsiders would not affect reality. It could also create perfectly realistic reflections of living beings. If an ordinary person were to unwittingly enter the Mirror World, they could live there for years without ever realizing the "people" around them were just images.
Due to its unique nature, the Mirror World was the best choice for ambushing Fallen Paradise and the Eternal Fire. Days ago, all of Jinzhu City had been stealthily pulled into the Illusion Realm, falling under the King of Mirrorsâ control.
To deceive Fallen Paradise and the Eternal Fire, all living beings inside the Mirror World were their actual selves. They would only be teleported back to the real World when faced with fatal danger. At the same time, the King of Mirrors would create a perfectly identical image to die in their place, ensuring that the "reality" within the Mirror World remained stable.
Now, all civilians had been evacuated from the Mirror World and teleported to a safe area far from Jinzhu. There were no longer any lingering concerns.
After a long time of casting the line, it was finally time to reel in the net.
âFrom Fallen Paradise, the Tier Five Crowned Kings: the Inciter and Filthy Angels.
âFrom Abyssal Chaos Purgatory, the Tier Five Monarchs: the Purgatory Fire Demon and the Nine-headed Demon Serpent.
âAnd a projection of the Abyssal King, the King of Chaos, whose descent was yet to be confirmed...
The haul was so bountiful it invigorated everyone. They had never expected to hook fish of this caliber.
If they could take them all out, both Fallen Paradise and Chaos Purgatory would suffer catastrophic losses.
"Iâm in the process of transferring Jinzhuâs Ascenders, but Iâve run into some kind of obstruction..."
The King of Mirrors, his temples graying, frowned slightly. "There are a few... too many Tier Fives in the Mirror World."
Fallen Paradise deployed two, and Chaos Purgatory deployed two. Besides the King of Mirrors, the Star Association had also dispatched three other Tier Fives.
A total of eight.
And yet, two more Crowned Kings of unknown allegiance had now appeared out of nowhere in Jinzhu City. They used a special method to conceal their movements, and even the King of Mirrors, who controlled the entire Illusion Realm, found it difficult to track them.
"Unexpected variables are to be expected."
Jiang Che didnât seem too surprised. "We have more than enough countermeasures prepared. Let the Winter King and the others make their move. Ideally, we can reclaim âthat thingâ in the process... How much longer will the transfer of the Ascenders take?"
"Itâs almost done."
Three seconds later, the King of Mirrors nodded. "They have all been transferred back to the real World."
ăAt the same time.ă
As Zhou Chen fled with Erin on his back, his vision blurred. The surrounding scenery changed as if a filter had been switched, instantly shifting from dark and gloomy to a bright and sunny warm hue.
He turned his head to look, but there was no sign of a Gate of Hell or an enormous, savage Hell Monarch. Above him were blue skies and white clouds, and the distant streets and buildings were perfectly intact, as if everything that had just happened was nothing but a dream.
"Whatâs going on..." Erin was dazed, unable to comprehend what had happened.
"I donât know, but what we just saw definitely wasnât an illusion..." Zhou Chenâs head was still spinning, a sign that the mental corruption heâd suffered was real. He couldnât spare it another thought and hurried toward the Star Association with Erin on his back.
He saw quite a few Ascenders along the way, but not a single ordinary person. âIf the Star Association is behind this, theyâve probably moved all the civilians to a safe zone far from the battlefield. Ascenders donât get that luxury, though, because weâre all just tools...â
Soon, they made it back to the Star Association. The moment he stepped through the main gate, Zhou Chen felt a tangible sense of security. He couldnât help but breathe a sigh of relief as a great weight was finally lifted from his shoulders.
âIt has to be safe here at the Star Association. The higher-ups have been preparing for so long; they canât possibly get their base raided, right?â
âEven if someone tried, they probably wouldnât succeed. The Star Associationâs Defense Power is not to be underestimated, not to mention thereâs definitely a Tier Five holding down the fort this time.â
Resting her head on Zhou Chenâs shoulder, Erin blushed and stammered, "Mr. Zhou Chen... c-can you put me down now...?"
"Oh, right..." Zhou Chen quickly put Erin down. He pulled out his phone to contact Jiang Che, but the call wouldnât connect, and his text message vanished without a trace. âHe must be busy directing the operation and doesnât have time for me.â
Erin straightened her clothes and tucked a few stray strands of golden hair behind her ear, regaining her dignified, graceful, and poised demeanor. The only thing out of place was the faint blush on her cheeks, and she only dared to steal furtive glances at Zhou Chen.
"AH! Why is she here?! Why is she here!"
A terrified shriek came from nearby. It was the same Ascender with the Eye of Fortune Ability from before. He had also escaped into the Star Association and was now pointing at Erin, his face a mask of terror, drawing a crowd of onlookers.
"Hey, thatâs enough," Zhou Chen said, stepping forward in annoyance. He held out his hand. "Weâre inside the Star Association. She canât still be cursed with bad luck, can she? Share your vision with me again."
The manâs hand trembled as he reached out and touched Zhou Chen.
A sharp pain shot through Zhou Chenâs eyes, and he instinctively squeezed them shut. When he opened them again, he was once more sharing the vision from the Eye of Fortune.
"Your aura is yellow now. What does yellow mean?"
"It means youâll run into some danger, but nothing you canât handle..." The man let out a long sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground as if he had just escaped the jaws of death.
Zhou Chen glanced around, noticing that the people nearby had either white or yellow auras. But when his gaze fell upon Erin, his eyes narrowed.