The endless void churned and shifted, clouds wandering and winds stirring, much like the days of achieving Dao and attaining longevity, when grand aspirations and free-spirited thoughts soared.
At that time, he still possessed a certain boldness and refinement; often, after striking down a formidable enemy, his spirit would wander for ten thousand miles, surveying this realm, observing its magnificent sights, and comprehending its subtle mysteries.
Yet as the years grew heavier and tribulation loomed over his head, he had long since cast those leisurely moods into the corners of his memory, destroying them even beneath the lightning's glare and electrical fire.
He had not expected them to reappear today.
This... was wrong!
Blood Mansion Ancestor gave a violent start, finally reacting: how had he unwittingly entered an illusionary realm?
Having narrowly escaped his great tribulation, his psychological defenses were fragile. Being at the lowest ebb since he began his cultivation, he was least able to withstand these illusionary demonic trials, and his mind immediately swayed as terror surged within him.
Yet the scenery before his eyes was like a deep dream from which one could not wake; anxious and frantic though he felt, he struggled in vain to break free. He "saw" the rippling waters of Xi Yu Lake, and ancient tree-lined waterways winding endlessly. His mind rode like a boat, drifting between them, yet the destination and direction were entirely beyond his control.
Blood Mansion Ancestor was also a man of broad experience and deep knowledge. He knew that unless Rakshasa Ghost King struck personally, it was utterly impossible to project the divine art of reality and illusion across millions of miles and afflict him with it.
In other words, the lake waves and waterways before him were not fabricated sceneries conjured out of thin air, but genuine