Arc 87The Illusion World Gambit

Xia Ping infiltrated the Illusion Race as Bati, won a fortune through a scam, and secured a chance to compete for a treasury guard position while secretly seeking Sound Pattern Stones. When Minerva arranged to have him killed during the trial, Xia Ping revealed his strength and turned the Abyss Demons against one another, drawing an angry threat from an unknown voice.

  • The Golden Slime endured Geng Metal Lightning, became a Saint artifact, and gave Xia Ping five divine abilities before Green Ox stopped him from testing its sword form further.
  • Xia Ping entered the Illusion World disguised as Bati, defeated Keli, and wagered with Jacob that he could earn more than one billion Universal Coins in two months.
  • Xia Ping’s fake offer of a hundred million Universal Coins for an heir brought in hundreds of billions in fees, and Jacob lost his property and was forced to eat a ton of shit.
  • Sophia offered Xia Ping a chance at the treasury guard position if he sold her three thousand planets, and he proposed a lottery while secretly pursuing the Sound Pattern Stone.
  • Xia Ping studied the Illusion Race’s secret arts as Emma sold the lottery tickets, then learned that the treasury guard assessment required him to kill demons in the Abyss World.
  • Jacob and Keli ambushed Xia Ping in the Abyss World on Minerva’s orders, but Xia Ping escaped using Grand Void Limitless Three Thousand Clones as Sophia learned that her surveillance talisman had vanished.
  • Xia Ping killed Jacob and the assessment participants, escaped an elder’s self-destruction into the Mountain River Bead, and used Myriad Nightmare Art to make hundreds of millions of Abyss Demons attack one another.
  • An angry voice accused Xia Ping of using underhanded tricks to slaughter the demon army and threatened him.
Chapters 2151–2175 Vol. 22 Read

Ch. 2151The Power of the Golden Slime

The Golden Slime survived its artifact tribulation and became a lower-grade Saint artifact, gaining powerful new abilities. Xia Ping tested its sword form and tore through space before Green Ox warned him that he might destroy the Mountain River Bead’s spatial world.

  • The Golden Slime endured a day and night of Geng Metal Lightning, which transformed the surrounding land into a vast metallic region and refined its body.
  • After the final bolt, the Golden Slime absorbed the universe’s source energy and law information, completing its transformation into a Saint artifact.
  • The Golden Slime communicated its five divine abilities to Xia Ping: Myriad Transformations, Devour All Things, Body of Earth, Unbreakable, and Earthquake.
  • Xia Ping transformed the Golden Slime into a golden greatsword and drew upon the earth’s source energy.
  • Xia Ping’s casual sword swing tore open a spatial rift thousands of kilometers long, and Green Ox stopped him from testing the sword further to protect the Mountain River Bead.

Ch. 2152Heading to the Illusion Race's Lair

After testing the newly forged Golden Slime greatsword, Xia Ping learned it could help him contend against an Immortal Saint. Since Rich had not yet located the Tree World, Xia Ping postponed that journey and decided to head to the Illusion Race's lair for its Sound Pattern Stones and other treasures.

  • Chong Xiaoqian coveted Xia Ping's King's Sword, while Tan Menglu wanted to eat it.
  • Ancient remnant species recognized Xia Ping's sword as a Golden Slime and despaired of escaping.
  • Feiyi and the Black Baleful Demon Bird argued with the other prisoners over rumors that they had been captured for breeding and reduced to poop-scoopers.
  • Xia Ping recalled the Golden Slime as a bracelet and assessed the greatsword's strength.
  • Xia Ping asked Ruth about the Tree World's location, then decided to visit the Illusion Race's lair while Rich kept searching.

Ch. 2153The Dragon's Pool and Tiger's Den

Xia Ping learned how to find the Illusion Race’s hidden stronghold and planned to infiltrate its treasury for Sound Pattern Stones. He reached the stronghold’s concealed entrance and entered the Illusion World.

  • Xia Ping questioned Bati under illusion and learned that the Illusion Race’s movable stronghold was founded on the supreme-grade Saint Artifact Mirage Mist Pearl.
  • Bati described earning merit or becoming a treasury guard as ways to approach the treasury, while Green Ox warned Xia Ping that stealing many Sound Pattern Stones could provoke the Illusion Race’s Saints.
  • Xia Ping said he would wait to assess his chances, relying on the Formless Mask to conceal his identity and the Wish Compass to help him escape if necessary.
  • Xia Ping traveled through Yanhuang Planet to a remote Northern Universe starfield and searched for the Illusion World’s hidden gate.
  • Xia Ping spotted the gate with his Hell Golden Crow Eye, transformed into Bati’s appearance, and entered the white point of light.

Ch. 2154Mission Hall

Xia Ping entered the Illusion World disguised as Bati and learned that its strict hierarchy required warriors to complete assigned missions. At the Mission Hall, Bati’s rival Keli mocked him, but Xia Ping ignored them and walked on.

  • Xia Ping passed the Illusion Race’s inspection at a forward base and was teleported into the Illusion World.
  • Bati explained that returning warriors reported to the Mission Hall to submit completed missions and claim rewards.
  • Bati told Xia Ping that his annual mission was to swindle one hundred million Universal Coins and that failure could cost him his noble status.
  • Keli and his companions mocked Bati, predicting that he would be demoted if he failed his mission.
  • Xia Ping ignored Keli and his underlings and walked past them.

Ch. 2155The Thieves' Den

Xia Ping defeated Keli and his lackeys after revealing his advancement to the Return to Truth Realm, then entered the Mission Hall. There, he discovered that the Illusion Race’s missions were all criminal schemes.

  • Keli blocked Xia Ping and challenged him, but Xia Ping mocked his reliance on his father.
  • Keli attacked Xia Ping, who knocked him into the ground, then blasted away Keli’s lackeys with a gesture.
  • Xia Ping revealed that he had reached the Return to Truth Realm and warned Keli to behave; Keli fled with his lackeys.
  • Xia Ping entered the Mission Hall and found missions involving seduction, bank robbery, and piracy.

Ch. 2156Illusion Race Contract

Xia Ping, posing as Bati, clashed with Supervisor Jacob over Bati’s year-end mission and wagered that he could scam more than one billion Universal Coins within two months. The two signed a binding Illusion Race Contract, leaving their fortunes and penalties dependent on whether Xia Ping could meet the challenge.

  • Jacob confronted Xia Ping in the mission hall and criticized him for not completing his year-end mission.
  • Xia Ping mocked Jacob and dismissed his threats, angering the supervisor and the onlookers.
  • Xia Ping bet that he could scam more than one billion Universal Coins within two months, while Jacob would eat a ton of shit and forfeit his property if Xia Ping succeeded.
  • Jacob accepted the wager and produced an Illusion Race Contract, which bound its signers under severe penalties for breaking it.
  • Xia Ping signed the contract without concern, and Jacob predicted that he would lose everything and become a laughingstock.

Ch. 2157Elder Emma

Xia Ping, posing as Bati, ignored the Illusion Race members who mocked his wager with Supervisor Jacob and traveled to Lawrence City with Elder Emma. He sought to use Emma’s influence to pursue a treasury guard position, while she followed him home to learn how he planned to win.

  • Illusion Race members ridiculed Bati for wagering with Supervisor Jacob, and Xia Ping left the Mission Hall.
  • Emma confronted Xia Ping about the wager and warned that his loss could disgrace the Lawrence Family, while he teased her and walked away.
  • Xia Ping used a teleportation array to travel to Lawrence City, and Emma followed him there.
  • Emma questioned Xia Ping about his plan to win, and he dismissed her concerns.
  • Xia Ping asked whether Emma could help him become a treasury guard, and she said the position might be attainable if he earned Sophia’s favor.
  • Xia Ping invited Emma to watch what he planned to do at Bati’s home, and she followed out of curiosity.

Ch. 2158Seeking Offspring with a Heavy Reward

Xia Ping launched a viral ad offering a huge reward for a son, using a fabricated rich woman and a law firm guarantee to draw in applicants. The ad spread across the Cosmic Virtual Network, and men debated its legitimacy while some rushed to contact her.

  • Xia Ping dismissed Emma’s doubts and created an ad offering a hundred million Universal Coins to a healthy young man who could provide an heir for the fictional Cuihua Marilyn Monroe.
  • Xia Ping used Cat Immortal to create a seductive photo, posted the ad, and spent ten million Universal Coins promoting it across major media websites.
  • The ad appeared to countless users and quickly spread as netizens reacted to its unusual offer and enormous reward.
  • Some users suspected the ad was a scam or an excuse for a rich woman to find a lover, while others trusted the Integrity Law Firm guarantee and believed they had nothing to lose.
  • One man warned others that the ad could lure men into being financially supported by a rich woman, then admitted he planned to call her.

Ch. 2159Missed a Hundred Million

After Xia Ping advertised a hundred-million reward for a rich woman seeking a child, callers rushed to apply. Posing as a lawyer, Xia Ping tricked one hopeful man into paying a ten-thousand-Universal-Coin examination fee, and the man believed he was on his way to wealth and beauty.

  • A man defended applying for the reward as a way to help a lonely rich woman, while others mocked him and admired her beauty.
  • Many people called the number, and Cat Immortal handled the incoming calls simultaneously.
  • Xia Ping answered one caller as Da Dong from Integrity Law Firm and said Miss Cuihua? Marilyn Monroe had entrusted the matter to the firm.
  • Xia Ping claimed the caller needed a health examination and demanded ten thousand Universal Coins to arrange it.
  • The caller paid the fee and agreed to wait three days for the examination.
  • After the call ended, the caller fantasized about winning the rich woman's affection and taking her wealth.

Ch. 2160Enthusiastic Response

Xia Ping used Cat Immortal to handle callers responding to his advertisement, collecting examination fees from people hoping to win a one-hundred-million-coin reward. As the scheme spread across the universe, the fees surged into the tens of billions, leaving Emma convinced Xia Ping had already won the wager.

  • Cat Immortal processed millions of calls, and at least one hundred thousand callers paid ten thousand Universal Coins each on the first day, bringing in one billion.
  • Emma was stunned by the earnings, while Xia Ping explained that greed made the scheme effective and said he was doing it to complete his mission and impress the Illusion Race higher-ups.
  • Call volume grew tenfold on the second day as people from other races joined in.
  • Online discussions and callers' accounts of the upcoming examination fueled a frenzy across the universe.
  • The scheme earned ten billion Universal Coins on the second day and thirty billion on the third, convincing Emma that Xia Ping had effectively won the wager.

Ch. 2161Fled

Xia Ping and Emma quit the scam after collecting enough money, while their advertisement spread across the universe and drew in hopeful applicants. Three days later, the applicants discovered the phone number had been discarded and realized Integrity Law Firm had fled with their fees.

  • Xia Ping told Emma they would stop taking calls, discard the phone number, and report their success to the family head.
  • Emma accepted Xia Ping’s plan and said she would report it to the family head.
  • The advertisement spread widely, and people argued over whether the offer of a hundred million Universal Coins was genuine or a trap.
  • Three days later, applicants found that Integrity Law Firm and the rich woman had not contacted them and that the phone number no longer worked.
  • The applicants panicked and called repeatedly before accepting that the scammers had fled with their physical examination fees.

Ch. 2162They're All Fake

Victims of the “fortune-seeking child” scam discovered that the promised Integrity Law Firm was fake and that they had no way to identify the scammers. News then spread through the Illusion World that Xia Ping had completed the mission and that Bati had orchestrated the scam, earning several hundred billion.

  • The victims realized the Integrity Law Firm was fabricated, and they demanded refunds and called on the police to catch the scammers.
  • People who had doubted the offer mocked the victims for believing they could get rich and sleep with a beautiful rich woman.
  • Police on nearby planets received a flood of complaints and treated the fraud as an unprecedented case, though investigators had few clues.
  • Xia Ping submitted the mission in the Illusion World and declared it completed and overfulfilled.
  • Members of the Illusion Race learned that Bati had carried out the scam and made several hundred billion, and some admitted they had been swindled too.

Ch. 2163Jacob's Despair

After Bati won their wager, Illusion Race enforcers seized Jacob’s fortune and forced him to fulfill the contract’s humiliating second clause. Jacob was left penniless, disgraced, and convinced his life was over.

  • Illusion Race spectators mocked Jacob, recalling that his contract with Bati required him to surrender his property and eat ten tons of shit if he lost.
  • Enforcers surrounded Jacob’s home and rejected his accusations that Bati had cheated, saying Bati had earned several hundred billion and risen to prominence.
  • The enforcers bound Jacob and seized everything he owned except the clothes he wore, transferring his assets to Bati.
  • The enforcers forced Jacob to eat one ton of shit despite his protests, and he lay devastated, lamenting his ruined reputation and future.

Ch. 2164The Patriarch's Summons

Keli raged over Bati’s rise and vowed that he would not let him live. Meanwhile, Xia Ping learned that Family Head Sophia wanted to meet him and went with Elder Emma to Lawrence Family headquarters.

  • Keli smashed a glass and complained that Bati had humiliated him and grown wealthy after winning his bet with Jacob.
  • Keli’s lackeys warned that Bati’s money and new standing could make him powerful, but Keli insisted that Bati would need to stay alive first.
  • Elder Emma congratulated Xia Ping on becoming famous and warned him that Jacob might seek revenge.
  • Xia Ping argued that Jacob would have taken revenge even if he had abandoned the bet, then asked Emma whether she had arranged his treasury guard position.
  • Emma said she had reported the request to Family Head Sophia, who wanted to meet Xia Ping, and took him to Lawrence Family headquarters.

Ch. 2165Early Ancient Saint

Xia Ping entered the Lawrence Family’s headquarters and met its head, Sophia, an Early Ancient Saint who had mastered spatial laws. Sophia considered his request to become a treasury guard and said she would grant it if he handled a task for her.

  • Emma led Xia Ping into the Lawrence Family’s ancient Castle, where family members envied his sudden rise and the head’s personal summons.
  • Emma brought Xia Ping to Sophia’s residence, and he sensed that the family head’s power far exceeded his own.
  • Green Ox warned Xia Ping that Sophia was likely an Early Ancient Saint who could use spatial laws to evade attacks and strike across dimensions.
  • Sophia examined Xia Ping, recognized his unusual perception and talent, but did not uncover his true identity.
  • Xia Ping admitted that he wanted the lucrative treasury-guard position, and Sophia offered to consider him for it if he completed a task.

Ch. 2166Minerva

Sophia asked Xia Ping to help sell her three thousand commercial planets at a fair price so she could buy materials for a high-grade sacred artifact. Minerva arrived uninvited and offered to buy them for sixty percent of market value, but Sophia rejected his offer and his advances, leaving him threateningly focused on Xia Ping.

  • Sophia explained that she had been unable to sell her three thousand planets for years because buyers offered only half their market value.
  • Minerva tore through space into Sophia's Castle, and Emma told Xia Ping that he was the powerful head of the Leinster Family and had long pursued Sophia.
  • Minerva used his divine sense to examine Xia Ping but found nothing unusual because of the Formless Mask.
  • Minerva offered Sophia sixty percent of the planets' market value and suggested she become his woman, but she angrily refused.
  • Minerva questioned whether Xia Ping could help Sophia and stared at him with killing intent.

Ch. 2167Surveillance!

Xia Ping offered to sell three thousand commercial planets at market price to help Sophia resist Minerva, then left Minerva furious after challenging him to an Illusion Race Contract. Sophia assigned Xia Ping the sale and gave him a Saint-grade talisman that he realized could surveil and kill him, though he concealed his suspicion while pursuing her help to obtain the Sound Pattern Stone.

  • Xia Ping told Sophia he could sell three thousand planets at market price, while Minerva mocked his claim and threatened him.
  • Xia Ping challenged Minerva to an Illusion Race Contract, wagering his life against Minerva's entire fortune, but Minerva refused and departed the Lawrence Castle.
  • Sophia praised Xia Ping's courage, warned him that Minerva might send others after him, and asked whether he could truly sell the planets.
  • Sophia entrusted the planet sale to Xia Ping and gave him a Saint-grade talisman that he sensed could surveil him and be detonated to kill him.
  • Xia Ping hid his suspicions about the talisman and resolved to tolerate Sophia until he obtained her help securing the Sound Pattern Stone.

Ch. 2168Simply a Devil

Xia Ping proposed selling the Lawrence Family’s three thousand planets through lotteries, winning Emma’s approval and leaving her to run the scheme. He chose to cultivate in seclusion while secretly remaining focused on obtaining the Sound Pattern Stone and leaving the Illusion Race.

  • Sophia judged Xia Ping to be genuine Lawrence Family blood and assigned Emma to guide him, while leaving the three thousand planets in his hands with the threat of punishment if he failed.
  • Emma told Xia Ping the planet-selling task was entirely his responsibility and asked how he planned to sell the vast asset.
  • Xia Ping proposed selling lottery tickets for ten Universal Coins each, with a planet as the prize, and Emma recognized the plan could recover the planets’ value and earn a profit.
  • Emma praised Xia Ping’s plan, and he told her to manage the operation while he entered seclusion to cultivate.
  • Xia Ping concealed his real aim from Emma: he wanted the Sound Pattern Stone and intended to leave the Illusion Race once he obtained it.

Ch. 2169The Illusion Race's Many Secret Arts

Emma's lottery selling planets brought in huge sums and deepened Minerva's hatred of Xia Ping. While staying in Lawrence Family territory, Xia Ping studied the Illusion Race's secret arts, gained new abilities, and grew closer to the lightning tribulation.

  • Emma's lottery sold out its first billion tickets almost immediately, and sales of the next three thousand planets proceeded steadily.
  • Minerva learned of the lottery, grew furious, and annihilated several people who provoked him, further deepening his hatred for Xia Ping.
  • Xia Ping entered the Lawrence Family library with Emma's help and Sophia's approval, recording the Illusion Race's secret arts.
  • Xia Ping mastered Illusion Art Seventy-Two Transformations and used it to gain greater control over his body.
  • Xia Ping learned Grand Void Limitless Three Thousand Clones and Myriad Nightmare Art, and studied the Illusion Race's formations.
  • As Xia Ping studied, his mana surged and he drew closer to the peak of the Lightning Tribulation Realm and the coming lightning tribulation.

Ch. 2170Trial of the Guard

After studying the Illusion Race’s secret arts, Xia Ping received a chance to compete for the treasure vault guard position by hunting demons. He joined the trial assembly and recognized his enemy Jacob among the examiners, leaving him wary of a possible trap.

  • Xia Ping spent more than a month studying Illusion Race secret arts while his cultivation advanced naturally.
  • Emma told Xia Ping that Sophia had secured him a chance to compete for the treasure vault guard position, which required killing ten Return to Truth Realm demons or one Dharma Image Realm demon.
  • Xia Ping learned that the trial would begin the next day and assemble at the Mission Hall.
  • Xia Ping arrived at the plaza and saw that his rival Keli had also reached the Return to Truth Realm as other warriors discussed Xia Ping and his wealth.
  • Jacob, the Mission Hall supervisor, arrived with two Lightning Tribulation Realm examiners, and Xia Ping suspected the trial might be a conspiracy against him.

Ch. 2171The Siege

Xia Ping was forced to join the treasury guard assessment in the Abyss World despite trying to withdraw. After the other candidates scattered, Jacob, Keli, and their allies surrounded him, and Xia Ping warned them that harming him would bring Sophia’s wrath.

  • Jacob announced that candidates had to kill enough Abyss Demons on the Abyss Continent within ten days to pass the treasury guard assessment.
  • Xia Ping tried to postpone the assessment and then withdraw, but Jacob refused and activated the teleportation array.
  • The candidates arrived in the Abyss World, where Jacob explained how to use their marks to return to the Illusion World from a safe location.
  • The candidates flew off to hunt Abyss Demons, while Jacob, Keli, and more than a dozen cultivators surrounded Xia Ping.
  • Xia Ping calmly warned the group against harming him and invoked Sophia, head of the Lawrence Family, as his patron.

Ch. 2172Acting as Bait

Jacob and Keli tried to force Xia Ping to act as bait for Abyss Demons, hoping to kill him while completing their mission. Xia Ping escaped their attack by using the Illusion Race’s Grand Void Limitless Three Thousand Clones, leaving Jacob and the others stunned.

  • Jacob revealed that Saint Minerva wanted Xia Ping dead and ordered him to release his aura to lure Abyss Demons for Keli’s mission.
  • Xia Ping activated the Saint-grade talisman Sophia had given him, but Keli blocked its attack with a Great Turtle Shell Talisman.
  • Jacob and Keli threatened Xia Ping after his talisman’s power was spent.
  • Xia Ping used Grand Void Limitless Three Thousand Clones to create three thousand convincing copies of himself.
  • Jacob, Keli, and the other Lightning Tribulation Realm experts recognized the rare Illusion Race escape ability and reacted with disbelief and envy.

Ch. 2173Falling Out!

Bati escaped Jacob and Keli by unleashing the Grand Void Limitless Three Thousand Clones, but Minerva Saint gave Jacob a golden talisman to track and kill him. At Lawrence Castle, Sophia Saint dismissed Emma’s concerns, believing Bati dead and accepting that their relationship would turn hostile if he survived.

  • Bati fled in three thousand clones, leaving Jacob and the others unable to tell which ones were real or pursue him.
  • Minerva Saint rebuked Jacob and the others, revealed he had placed an aura lock on Bati, and gave Jacob a golden talisman to track him.
  • Jacob ordered Keli and the others to hunt Bati down and kill him before they faced Minerva Saint’s punishment.
  • Emma questioned Sophia Saint about sending Bati into a deadly trial, and Sophia admitted she had treated his life as the price to appease Minerva.
  • Sophia said she sensed that her talisman linked to Bati had vanished and assumed he was dead, but accepted that he could live if Minerva’s plan failed.

Ch. 2174Life and Death Struggle

Xia Ping, still disguised as Bati, faced Jacob and the others after they cornered him, then killed Jacob with a single punch. The survivors realized an impostor had infiltrated the Illusion World and fled to warn the Illusion Race.

  • Xia Ping waited for Keli, Jacob, and the others to catch up, knowing Minerva Saint had marked him and that Sophia had stopped watching him.
  • Jacob and Keli confronted Xia Ping, and Jacob revealed his hatred over being humiliated into eating filth and vowed to kill him.
  • Xia Ping punched Jacob, shattering his body and annihilating his Primordial Spirit.
  • Keli and the other elders recognized that Xia Ping could not be the real Bati and feared an outsider had infiltrated the Illusion World.
  • A Lightning Tribulation Realm elder ordered the others to retreat and warn the ancestor about the enemy infiltrator.

Ch. 2175Self-Destruction!

Xia Ping killed Keli and the assessment participants, then survived a Lightning Tribulation Realm elder’s self-destruction, which drew a huge Abyss Demon army to him. He trapped the demons in the Illusion Race’s Myriad Nightmare Art and watched them slaughter one another before a furious voice challenged him.

  • Xia Ping killed a Lightning Tribulation Realm elder with a punch and shattered Keli and the other assessment participants with his next attack.
  • A remaining elder self-destructed, razing the surrounding area, while Xia Ping escaped into the Mountain River Bead’s space.
  • The explosion drew hundreds of millions of Abyss Demons, and Xia Ping stood his ground as they surrounded him.
  • Xia Ping used the Myriad Nightmare Art to plunge the demon army into illusions, causing the demons to attack and kill one another.
  • A furious voice accused Xia Ping of using underhanded tricks to slaughter the demon army and threatened him.
Arc 87 of 119