Perception filled every engraved metal line, and the invisible barrier between the metal disk and the Energy Container seemed to shatter all at once. The initial, shapeless energy surged into the disk.
Something extraordinary happened!
The surroundings suddenly darkened, as though everyone had plunged into night. The abrupt change startled them all. Xivide and the others braced themselves as if facing a formidable enemy; they had never witnessed anything so bizarre. Bo Wen and Cheng Ying immediately activated their Energy Shields, one pale white and the other emerald green, both conspicuous in the darkness.
Chen Mu did not panic. He knew the sky had not actually changed; they were inside an illusion. He had entered the Mysterious Card countless times and encountered large-scale illusions like this on many occasions, so he recognized it at a glance. The Simple Water World he had later created was still rather crude, but it had also deepened his understanding of illusions.
Yet he did not relax in the slightest. These illusions were indeed false, but that did not mean they were harmless. On the contrary, they were extremely dangerous. Anyone trapped inside could lose their life through the slightest carelessness. Illusions mingled truth and falsehood: falsehood within truth, truth within falsehood, until neither could be distinguished from the other.
Just then, another sudden change occurred.
Countless fist-sized balls of light rose, illuminating everything around them with a brilliant glow. Their light was not dazzling, but it felt extraordinarily cold. The balls rose to roughly chest height, then stopped, floating silently in midair.
One hovered in front of Chen Mu's chest. After a moment's hesitation, he extended a finger, intending to touch it gently.
The instant his finger touched the ball, a voice suddenly rang out overhead. "System activated. Authorized users: zero. Beginning initial authorization