Phantoms of Phantom Shadow Forest

Before she could speak, Xiao Tian walked into the mist.

"Keep up, or I won't look for you if you lose me."

The two stepped into the mist, surrounded by tall, dense trees, completely different from the outside world, with sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting dappled shadows.

A mysterious and oppressive aura permeated the surroundings, like a ferocious beast opening its mouth to devour its prey.

As they ventured deeper, visibility decreased to less than ten meters. In such a situation, only by utilizing their Soul Perception could they survey their surroundings.

Xiao Tian's powerful Soul Power surged out like a tide, spreading outwards.

Xuan Qingying was startled when she sensed Xiao Tian's powerful Soul Power. His soul strength was much stronger than her own, which aroused her great interest in Xiao Tian, and she looked at him with surprise.

Why are you looking at me like that? Look around you.

Xiao Tian felt uneasy under her gaze and asked in confusion.

"You're Alchemist too?"

"Xuan Qingying" couldn't help but ask, her voice tinged with surprise.

Xiao Tian simply smiled and nodded slightly, without saying anything else.

"So you're Alchemist too. No wonder you have a faint fragrance of pills about you. It seems your rank isn't low either. No wonder you look down on my pills."

She scrutinized Xiao Tian, trying to discern something from him, but Xiao Tian's expression remained calm and still, like a bottomless lake, its depths impossible to fathom.

"Don't get too curious about a man; it's easy to get yourself into trouble."

A hint of amusement flashed in Xiao Tian's eyes, and he chuckled softly.

"Hehe, curiosity is human nature, and I'll know my limits. My curiosity about you is limited to your desire to know your strength and all your mysteries."

"As for falling for someone, that depends on whether you have that kind of charm. At least I don't think I'm that easily falling for someone or being conquered."

As soon as Xiao Tian finished speaking, "Xuan Qingying" covered her mouth and giggled, her voice revealing a hint of provocation, her smile carrying a touch of arrogance. Although Xiao Tian was the most handsome man she had ever seen, and his temperament was mysterious, she was very confident in her composure.

Her laughter was clear and melodious, echoing in the air like a string of silver bells.

"It's good that you're confident; otherwise, I don't want to have another romantic entanglement with you."

Xiao Tian smiled faintly, put his hands behind his back, and continued walking forward.

The two chatted intermittently as they walked.

As they approached the forest, the fog grew thicker and thicker. Xiao Tian and the woman had to slow down and carefully navigate through the dense fog.

Jiang Feng, look over there.

As they walked, a surprised voice came from beside Xiao Tian. He looked in the direction she was pointing.

Beside a large tree, in a cluster of flowers, grew a brightly colored flower in the center.

"Is this the Dream Spirit Flower?"

Xiao Tian carefully examined the flower. Under his gaze, the entire flower seemed to constantly change colors, as if various colors on a palette were colliding and blending. There was a deep and mysterious purple, a bright and dazzling red, and a fresh and soft green, making it look like a dream.

It has seven petals, the edges of which are wavy and gently undulating, each petal as if draped in a light veil.

The entire flower transforms the surrounding area into a dreamlike world, making one want to immerse themselves in it.

"Yes, it's very important to me. Combined with my secret technique, it allows me to quickly restore my Soul Power."

Having said that, he prepared to walk forward.

Xiao Tian carefully observed his surroundings, and with his Soul Perception, he sensed something was amiss. He grabbed Xuan Qingying's hand. "Something's not right here, be careful."

Seeing Xiao Tian's serious expression, she stopped in her tracks, stood firmly beside Xiao Tian, and asked.

Did you discover something wrong?

"I didn't find anything, but my Soul Perception vaguely indicate something's wrong. Also, such a large flowerbed might be guarded by some magical beast in the shadows. We've been walking for so long without entering any illusion."

Xiao Tian's sharp eyes swept across his surroundings, his voice carrying a mixture of seriousness and doubt.

"That's true. So what should we do now? Should we just leave?"

"Let's go? Since we've seen something good, why shouldn't we take it? You stay behind me and don't stray too far."

She obediently walked behind Xiao Tian, two body lengths away.

Xiao Tian walked slowly forward. When he was less than ten steps away from the Dream Spirit Flower, he stopped. "Xiao Tian Xuan Qingying" behind him couldn't brake in time and crashed into Xiao Tian's back.

Xiao Tian felt two soft mounds bump against his back, and he took half a step forward.

"Excuse me, you stopped suddenly, I..."

Her face flushed slightly, she lowered her head, and her tone was a little shy.

"It's alright. My gut feeling told me it was dangerous ahead, and I couldn't go any further."

Xiao Tian didn't notice her expression. His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, and his Soul Power surged outwards, surveying every place.

The anomaly was eventually discovered on a rock the size of a human head.

Xiao Tian condensed a ball of Lightning Dou Qi and Soul Power in his fingers, and struck the stone, instantly shattering it into pieces.

As the stone cracked, the surrounding scenery changed.

Less than two meters away from where the two were standing was a huge plant that looked like a giant mouth.

It lay on the ground with its gaping maw, waiting for Xiao Tian and his companion to step inside.

Thunder Bird.

Xiao Tian condensed his Lightning Dou Qi into the shape of a bird and blasted it towards the big beak.

"Boom."

The entire giant flower was blasted to pieces.

"This is Blood Mouth Flower. Its mucus has the effect of paralyzing and sealing Dou Qi. Even Dou Emperor would find it difficult to escape once inside and would only become its food. However, this kind of magical beast is only good at ambushing through illusions; its active attack power is very weak."

Xuan Qingying recalled the information about this magical beast in her mind.

"Go and pick it. That stuff is useless to me. Be careful, I don't know if there are any other dangers. Keep an eye on things, don't let the medicinal herbs cloud your judgment."

After giving a word of advice to the woman behind him, Xiao Tian walked towards the stone he had just smashed.

Arriving at the stone, he picked up a piece of gravel and examined it closely, sensing a slight energy fluctuation within it.

"Any discoveries?"

After picking the Dream Spirit Flower, Xuan Qingying came to Xiao Tian's side and asked him about the stone in his hand.

"It's just an ordinary stone, nothing special. It's just that the Blood Mouth Flower channeled its illusion-creating energy into it, forming something like an array."

Xiao Tian crushed the stone in his hand, turning it into lime and scattering it on the ground.

"So that's how it is. No wonder it's called the Phantom Shadow Forest. It seems that 'phantom' means illusion. I wonder what 'shadow' means."

She lost interest in analyzing the meaning of the name of this Secret Realm, which was generally quite fitting to the actual situation.

"I don't know. Maybe this shadow is Ghost Shadow, appearing and disappearing without a trace, specifically following beautiful women. Perhaps one of them is hiding in your shadow."

Xiao Tian shrugged and said casually.

Upon hearing this, Xuan Qingying chuckled softly, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes. "You certainly have a silver tongue. We are cultivators, why would we be afraid of these things? Perhaps they've come looking for you? I've heard that many handsome men are heartless and are here to seek revenge."

"You might be mistaken. I'm not a heartless person." Xiao Tian smiled slightly, turned to look at her, and asked, "Do you want to refine that medicinal herb now?"

She gently shook her head. "No, refining it requires a quiet and safe environment, and this place is clearly not suitable."

At that moment, Xiao Tian's expression suddenly changed:

"Careful."