Illusion Technique Initially Formed

"Fellow Daoist Li, Fellow Daoist Zhao, what should we do now? Yinshan Town is too deep, it's clearly a place of great misfortune!"

After Jia Song and his men left, Chi Hui sighed in a low voice, his face full of worry.

"Indeed, Jia Song's actions are strange, I don't know what he's up to! We must proceed with caution, otherwise, one wrong step and we might die here for nothing!"

The old Daoist priest from Purple Gold Temple said hatefully.

"Wait a moment!"

Li Qingyun suddenly raised his hand, quickly drawing and pointing in the air. Six Thunder Seals appeared and vanished, wisps of thunderous intent spreading out.

Buzz!

The invisible presence in the air was shaken by the thunderous intent and retreated in fear!

He then looked outside. The courtyard flowers and trees cast flickering shadows, and crossbow-wielding soldiers appeared and disappeared among the dark shapes. He then transmitted his voice secretly:

"The food and wine have been drugged with hallucinogens. Drinking too much will lead to hallucinations and being controlled by others. After you ingest it, do not swallow it. Dissipate it secretly with your mana..."

Everyone's expressions changed slightly, but then it was as if nothing had happened, and they continued to chat and drink.

However, they didn't take much food, and as soon as the wine entered their throats, it was quickly evaporated and dissipated by their mana.

The five of them were the only ones in the room who remained conscious. The other martial artists at various tables had vacant eyes, deep in hallucination, awkwardly and strangely picking up food and drinking, chewing mechanically.

In Li Qingyun's left sleeve, he held the eye orb of the Nightmare Deer Demon.

With this item in hand, common minor illusions and similar drugs had no effect on him. Instead, the Nightmare Eye Orb would actively absorb the hallucinatory power.

Even though it hadn't been refined into a magic artifact yet, the Nightmare Eye Orb had considerable use, as it came from a demon comparable to the Dao Foundation Realm!

"Fellow Daoist Li, why don't we join forces tonight and break out of Yinshan Town? We might encounter trouble if we delay! Can this mere small town really trap us?"

After raising his cup to Li Qingyun, Chi Hui also transmitted his voice secretly.

This hot-tempered Daoist priest from Luoxia Temple still wanted to leave this strange town as soon as possible.

How could mortal lives compare to their own safety!

Zhao Yifan couldn't bear to transmit his voice: "Then what about all the chivalrous warriors in this room? Should we just watch them suffer?"

Chi Hui hesitated for a moment, then said with disdain: "They're just a bunch of heretical path practitioners anyway!"

The old and young Daoist priests from Purple Gold Temple exchanged glances upon hearing this, drinking their wine and looking at Li Qingyun.

Subtly, in the room, everyone seemed to be looking to Li Qingyun as their leader.

"Tonight is not suitable! Just facing Jia Song alone, none of us are his match! Moreover, if it's true as he said, and there's an evil ghost lurking in the shadows..."

Li Qingyun pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

"I believe we must first meet Commander Zhou Gang and understand the real inside story. As the Commander of the Youdao Division in Yinshan Town, if we all die here, he will surely not fare well!"

"Fellow Daoist Li, what you say makes sense. Tonight, we'll go and meet this bedridden Commander Zhou!"

"When I first arrived in Yinshan Town, I went to his residence to pay my respects, but I was turned away. Over a dozen soldiers with crossbows guarded Zhou's mansion, saying that Commander Zhou was seriously ill and could not receive guests!"

The few of them discussed via voice transmission, but they couldn't come up with any clear plan and were quite worried.

"It's alright, I'll try tonight..."

Li Qingyun chuckled, taking on the task of visiting Commander Zhou that night, as he had some confidence.

His hand, holding the dark green eye orb in his sleeve, grew steadier and stronger.

He adjusted his posture, adopting a casual and unrestrained demeanor, and began to meditate cross-legged on the chair.

On the surface, he was still drinking with Chi Hui and the others, but his mind quieted down. The mysterious Daoist effigy in his mind slowly took shape.

Li Qingyun looked behind the mysterious Daoist effigy, silently chanting in his heart, concentrating his gaze.

On the dark, wall-like surface, a faint ripple of light finally appeared, vaguely resembling an eyeball.

"Illusionary Spirit Technique can interfere with the target's six senses and plunge them into a confusing illusionary state that blurs the line between reality and fantasy. When mastered to a profound level, it can be combined with object manipulation techniques to transform the mundane into the spiritual, animating inanimate objects..."

Success!

This mysterious Daoist effigy is really, quite awesome!

Li Qingyun rejoiced inwardly, unable to suppress a smile.

As the night deepened, the banquet dispersed.

Some young Daoist priests came forward, intending to lead everyone to their respective rooms to rest.

Li Qingyun saw the pale-faced young Daoist priest among them and proactively smiled, "Fellow Daoist Qin, Brother Chi and I have met too late. We wish to continue our conversation by candlelight. Please arrange for us to stay in adjacent rooms."

This young Daoist priest surnamed Qin was the one who had been following Jia Song earlier. He was likely a subordinate accustomed to being ordered around by Jia Song.

"Alright, please follow me, sirs."

Qin Qing's eyes flickered slightly, and then he led Li Qingyun and the others away.

In a secluded courtyard, the flowers and trees were withered, and the atmosphere was bleak and desolate.

Li Qingyun, Zhao Yifan, Chi Hui, and the old and young Daoist priests from Purple Gold Temple were all arranged here by Qin Qing.

Upon arriving at the new location, the Big Black Cat Yuanbao naturally began to explore and claim its territory, leaping around the room before finally jumping onto the roof beam.

This was one of the reasons Li Qingyun dared to stay at the Daoist temple; although Yuanbao was agitated, it wasn't frantic, indicating the situation wasn't too serious yet.

"Daoist friend Li, please rest well. I'll take my leave now!"

Inside the room, Qin Qing, having made his arrangements, hesitated slightly before turning to leave.

"Daoist friend, please stay!"

Li Qingyun's enthusiastic invitation came from behind him.

Li Qingyun smiled sincerely, stepping forward and grabbing Qin Qing's sleeve. "From the moment I first met you, Daoist friend Qin, I felt an unusual connection. It's quite strange! Well, the night is long, why don't we have a few drinks?"

"This doesn't seem right. I still need to wait for Deputy Commander..."

Qin Qing's expression changed slightly, and he tried to pull away with force, but couldn't.

This Daoist friend Li was too enthusiastic!

"Deputy Commander Jia specifically said that we should be well-fed and well-housed. Besides, it won't make a difference if we're a little late!"

Li Qingyun smiled and pulled Qin Qing towards the square table in the room.

"Alright then, I'll have a drink with Daoist friend Li. I can't hold my liquor, so I really can't drink much!"

Unable to refuse such hospitality, Qin Qing could only agree, forcing a smile and sitting down.

The guest room already had a wine pot and two or three plates of snacks prepared.

The Dao Bureau was very thoughtful; as soon as they finished drinking, they arranged for more.

A quarter of an hour later, Qin Qing was restless and found an excuse to leave in a hurry.

"Interesting..."

Li Qingyun didn't force him to stay this time.

He watched the retreating figure of the Daoist priest with a faint smile on his face.

During their conversation, he had probed constantly, and Qin Qing clearly wanted to say something, but the young Daoist priest kept glancing at the ceiling beams and the corners of the room. In the end, out of caution, he didn't dare to say more.

However, Li Qingyun had achieved his goal.

"Illusionary Spirit Technique. If you want to transform into someone, it's best to be familiar with them beforehand. The more details you have, the harder it is to see through!"

A room without lights.

In the darkness, Deputy Commander Jia Song lay quietly on a rattan chair, like a petrified old corpse, his aura strange and chilling.

Around his reclining figure, many shadows seemed to move silently.

Qin Qing, who had just returned from Li Qingyun's place, looked even paler. He knelt beside the recliner, his lowered eyes filled with fear.

"Are they all settled?"

Jia Song, lying like a corpse, finally spoke. His cold, aged voice echoed in the empty, dark room.

"Reporting to the Deputy Commander, those troublemakers have returned to their rooms to rest. That Li Qingyun looks young, but he's a drunkard. He didn't drink enough at the banquet and even pulled me aside for a few drinks after returning to his room.

However, I noticed he seemed quite sober. Was the medicine in the wine not strong enough?"

Before Jia Song, this Qin Qing acted like a subservient maid, trembling and not daring to disobey in the slightest.

He even volunteered to mention the trivial matter of Li Qingyun pulling him aside for a couple of drinks.