After his emotions had settled somewhat, Feng Yan recalled Jiang Lang's shout from not long before. Though faint, he had caught the gist: do not panic, keep yourself safe.
It seemed Jiang Lang had anticipated the coming pill tribulation. Something Fellow Daoist Hui had said had helped him understand, but he had not dared spell it out for fear of revealing heaven's secrets and inviting even greater trouble.
Feng Yan reached up to touch his cheek, then lowered his head to examine his body and clothing. Frowning deeply, he sat cross-legged on the hillside and slowly calmed his mind to sense everything around him.
The birdsong and the wind, the warmth of the sunlight and the fragrance of the mountain woods, every sensation from his body and every response-all of it felt utterly real.
There were two possibilities. One was that he had truly arrived somewhere completely unfamiliar, perhaps even another world. Yi Daozi's Mountain and River State Map could accomplish that, but Feng Yan did not believe Yi Daozi could instantly seal his Dharma Power without him noticing a thing.
This was not even as simple as sealing his Dharma Power. He could not sense it at all. Thus, everything here should be false, something akin to an illusion within his mind!
After a long while, Feng Yan opened his eyes and looked toward the sky. Though the breeze was gentle and the sun bright, thick clouds lay in the distance, looking like a slowly shifting tide.
"Could all of this be something I imagined?"
As Feng Yan murmured to himself, he suddenly heard a beast roaring in the mountains, along with the sounds of birds taking flight in panic and small animals fleeing.
"Hmph. Nothing but an illusion. Nothing to fear."
Looking into the mountains, Feng Yan remained