Illusionary Realm Again

Is this the cultivation world's version of a ghost leading you astray?

Bai Lan frowned and stopped.

Boy's urine? No, she wasn't a boy.

"System... huh?"

Bai Lan wanted to call the System, only to realize the chattering figure beside her was missing.

Just as she sensed something was wrong, a flash of inspiration struck her mind. The surrounding stone walls collapsed with a boom, and the scene before her dissipated like smoke and clouds, replaced by another.

Green mountains, clear waters, thatched cottages, and farmland.

Wisps of cooking smoke curled upwards, vibrant with greenery.

Bai Lan frowned, looking at the scene before her. She lowered her head and sighed, suppressing the sourness in her heart.

The phantom maze from before was clearly an illusion. This scene before her now was something she was all too familiar with.

This was obviously also an illusion.

An illusion within a maze, and an illusion within an illusion.

Fine, fine, fine, playing with nesting dolls, huh?

But that phantom maze from before had suddenly collapsed the moment Bai Lan realized something was off.

However, this current illusion, even though Bai Lan had realized it was an illusion, the world around her remained as solid as ever, showing no signs of collapse.

Got it.

Climbing a tower, right?

The first level was the simplest illusion.

The second level increased the difficulty.

She guessed there were nine levels because it was a good number.

With a faint sigh, Bai Lan stepped forward and pushed open the door.

"Disciple, your Master personally cooked a huge table of dishes. How about it, moved?"

Bai Lan couldn't help but let out a laugh. "Oh, how do you plan to clean up those pile of takeout boxes by the door?"

"Huh? What boxes? I'm old and can't hear clearly. Come eat, come eat quickly." The old man covered his ears and started changing the subject.

Sitting at the familiar round table, she looked at the familiar dishes before her.

Indeed, they were all takeout orders she used to place frequently.

Bai Lan hadn't expected that one day she'd be able to eat takeout and drink milk tea in an illusion within the cultivation world.

But the unexpected surprise was seeing her long-unseen family again.

But unfortunately.

These were all just illusions from her memory, weren't they?

"..." Bai Lan sighed. "Master, forgive me."

Taking out a long spear from her Storage Bag, Bai Lan's expression sharpened, and she fiercely thrust it towards the old man before her.

She herself had buried Master's coffin with her own hands. If the person before her now were real, she'd write her name backwards.

She carried a responsibility and naturally wouldn't cling to the warmth before her.

The illusion being here meant that deep down, she still longed for her past life.

But...

She still had to cultivate immortality.

As expected, the moment the spear was thrust, the figure of the old man before her diffused like mist and clouds, and the surrounding scene gradually collapsed as before.

As the scenes changed, what appeared before Bai Lan was...

The System?

The surroundings returned to the stone maze.

And the young man in red beside her was leaning against the stone wall, already fast asleep.

"Hehehe, mission, mission accomplished, hehe."

"Got a raise, hehe, I'm the strongest System, hehe."

"Host, I'll carry you to fly, hahaha..."

"..."

She had initially hoped the System would help her out after she entered the illusion.

Well, alright.

She had emerged safely from the illusion, but the System itself had fallen into one.

It was even lost in the joy of completing its mission.

The illusion created by the Azure Origin Sect's Law Enforcement Hall truly lived up to its reputation. Even an artificial intelligence could be fooled by a cultivator's creation.

Was it the System's overwhelming desire to complete missions and get a promotion and raise, or should the System be criticized for its poor mental fortitude?

"Heh heh..." the young man in red continued to giggle foolishly.

Bai Lan gritted her teeth, grabbing the System's face with both hands and telepathically transmitting to it with clenched teeth, "Snap out of it!!!"

"Heh heh, mm... My face hurts, ah..." The System opened its eyes groggily. "Host?! Aren't you on a mission? Where is this?"

"Wait, no, an illusion? Host, you..." The System seemed confused.

Bai Lan shook her head, not answering. She slowly stood up, scanned her surroundings, and her expression turned serious.

"You entered the illusion just now."

The System froze.

"If that's the case, the person who set up the formation must have sensed another consciousness entering the illusion as well. Your existence has been exposed," Bai Lan said in a deep voice. "I will reload the save. This time, when you enter the Void Stone, don't follow me. I will break out of the illusion alone."

The System also realized what was happening.

It was an artificial intelligence with self-awareness. In other words, it was a being capable of thought and independent emotion, a distinct individual.

It had also been affected by the illusion and entered it. Therefore, its existence had been detected by the people in the Law Enforcement Hall.

As expected, in the next moment, the surrounding stone walls collapsed with a boom, and two figures flew down from above on their swords.

The middle-aged man leading them had a solemn expression, and the pressure of a Core Formation stage cultivator washed over them, almost making Bai Lan lose her footing.

"Who exactly are you, and why are you trespassing in the trial grounds for disciples of the Azure Origin Sect's Law Enforcement Hall? Why not reveal yourself and state your intentions?" His deep voice carried a heavy sense of oppression.

She knew it!

She'd been discovered!

The System was a presence that even Long Aotian's grandfather couldn't detect. It was one thing not to be discovered, but if discovered, it would cause trouble.

In the cultivation world, if you couldn't ascertain someone's cultivation level or strength, it meant they were likely a powerful expert far above you.

But the System was just an artificial intelligence that could only babble!

How could she explain? It was impossible to explain!

Bai Lan decisively pressed the reload button.

Time rewound to when Bai Lan first stepped into the Law Enforcement Hall. Seeing the familiar scene before her, everything returned to normal, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She exchanged a glance with the System, and both nodded.

She now realized that relying on the System was not as good as relying on herself.

She had already passed the illusion once, so passing it again should be no problem.

The illusion trial in the Law Enforcement Hall tested perseverance in the first stage and one's state of mind in the second.

If one gradually lost themselves in an endless maze, they would fail the first stage. Only those who found a flaw within it could break free from the endless illusion.

In the second stage, the illusion would stimulate the desires and attachments deepest in one's heart, attempting to keep you trapped in the depths of the illusion forever.

Deceased relatives, beloved Dao companions, or the most coveted possessions hidden deep within one's heart.

Once these things appeared, those with unstable states of mind would find it difficult to muster the courage to shatter the dream with their own hands.

With the experience from the previous loop, Bai Lan felt much more adept when she re-entered the illusion.

She broke through the stone walls, defeated her inner demons, and encountered the same two illusions again. This time, Bai Lan passed through them in just five minutes.

"Hiss, am I seeing things?" The middle-aged man, holding a teacup, blinked in surprise.

When he went through these two illusions himself, it took him a full incense stick's worth of time, and even then, he was considered a unique genius for hundreds of years.

The Foundation Establishment stage young man beside him also showed a flicker of astonishment in his eyes. He then stroked his chin and said with a smile, "Master, you're already one hundred and seventy-three years old this year. It's understandable to see things, so don't be upset."

"Scram, you're insinuating things behind my back, you disrespectful brat. Bring that little girl here. I want to get a good look at her." The middle-aged man put down his teacup, a hint of amusement in his tone.

"Yes! Master, I told you this little girl isn't simple. Her comprehension is excellent, she's a good prospect. This trip wasn't for nothing, was it?" The young man's eyes flashed with cunning as he spoke as if seeking praise.