A World Apart

"Such a strong hallucinogenic effect!"

Zhang Xuezhou originally thought that the white light belonged to the earth's energy, that is, the earth's Spiritual Qi.

After all, secret realms gather the essence of countless territories and lock it in one area. The accumulated Spiritual Qi has become a blessed land, so it is common for some Spiritual Qi to gush out.

The earth's rich Spiritual Qi can transform into light, and Zhang Xuezhou's guess wasn't far off.

The white light he rushed into did indeed contain Spiritual Qi, but it was mostly the array power emanating from that Spiritual Qi.

This was a hallucination he had experienced several times, and it was also a move that the formation liked to use the most.

The hallucinogenic ability isn't exactly powerful, since a strong mind can mitigate its effects. But once you're hit, it's despair. The continuously operating array doesn't care what kind of resistance you have; it will wear you down until the intruder collapses.

Only by completely avoiding the influence of the formation can one move freely within it.

Zhang Xuezhou also experienced an impact when he fell, but it was the impact of the Sky Shuttle hitting the ground that jolted him awake from his hallucinations.

He was clearly affected without even realizing it.

This is a subtle and gradual hallucination, much like a master being struck by a hidden assassin when caught off guard. Even with Zhang Xuezhou's powerful mental strength, he was unwittingly drawn into the illusion.

Zhang Xuezhou was amazed by the sophistication of this formation, but he quickly recovered from the illusion.

"You're quite resilient for your age!"

Zhang Xuezhou lifted his numb legs and stood up, then looked at Huo Qubing behind the Imperial Shuttle.

Seeing that Huo Qubing was merely lost in a daze and hadn't suffered any injuries or broken bones, he breathed a sigh of relief.

As Zhang Xuezhou glanced around, he saw a path appear in the white light.

It was as if by simply stepping on the white light, he could enter the secret place that the new emperor had been seeking but could not obtain.

The ghostly forest surrounding them remained unchanged, and Zhang Xuezhou could even see the two small leaves unique to Solomon's Seal.

"Let's go in and take a look!"

Aside from the troublesome passengers in the back of the shuttle, Zhang Xuezhou felt that everything was perfect.

The outer four-gate protective array had already been breached once, and he wanted to see what the internal hallucinogenic array looked like, and how many powerful medicinal herbs were planted in this secret place.

He lifted Huo Qubing with his left hand, put the Imperial Shuttle in his right hand, and then stepped onto the path in the white light.

This path appeared abruptly in the demon forest, like a passage leading to an abyss, or perhaps leading to another world; the path seemed completely out of place in the demon forest.

If a powerful cultivator were in charge of the formation, Zhang Xuezhou felt he would stay as far away as possible, but an unmanned formation was a different story.

Over the years, he has entered and exited various unmanned formations. Without the master's control, the powerful formations have become significantly less threatening.

The Liang King's Tomb's array was shrouded in malevolent energy, making it a formidable formation. However, without the Liang King's command, it became merely a facade, allowing Zhang Xuezhou to escape. Meanwhile, Hongku in the Yedie River Holy Land used the small array at the Black Stone Courtyard to repeatedly kill several powerful Venerables.

Ultimately, formations are merely an auxiliary means; only when controlled and coordinated by humans can they unleash their full devastating power.

Having witnessed various grand formations and possessing the Acupoint-Fixing Technique to suppress and paralyze formations, Zhang Xuezhou's fear of formations without a presiding officer was not high.

"Indeed, there is another world out there!"

The winding path led to a secluded spot, with the dark, demonic forest swaying behind him, but before Zhang Xuezhou lay a gentle, breezy mountain landscape.

Although the stars still twinkled in the sky and we were still in the mountains, this was no longer Zhongnan Mountain; even the shape of the mountains had changed.

"It's a bit like a secret mountain area like Broken Soul Ridge!"

There is a poisonous tree in Duanhun Ridge where Divine Lord Zhenyuan resides, which can enhance one's comprehension. Zhang Xuezhou is also curious about what this secret place holds.

He looked around and saw only twisted oak trees, with a thick layer of dead branches and leaves beneath them.

It's clear that no one has been here for a long time.

Even the longest-lived master of the secret realm is not immortal. Even if he cultivated life-saving techniques in the past, he would still turn into a pile of dust after thousands of years.

If one encounters conflict or struggle, it would not be surprising if one dies before reaching the limit of one's lifespan.

Zhang Xuezhou kept his eyes peeled and didn't rashly leap into the air to crash into anything, being cautious of any possible countermeasures left behind.

There are large medicinal herbs growing underground, constantly absorbing Spiritual Qi to nourish them. This secret place is indeed not as rich in Spiritual Qi as the Yin-Yang Secret Place, but it is definitely a superior treasure land.

The white light path that led him here was like a spotlight shining on a singer on a stage, constantly appearing beneath his feet, while the hallucinogenic array surrounding his body did not dissipate.

Zhang Xuezhou rallied his spirit to avoid the influence of hallucinations.

He could resist the hallucinogenic power of this formation, but he also tried to find the core of the formation in order to stop its operation and avoid any possible changes to the formation or an increase in its hallucinogenic power.

"There's no way out!"

When Zhang Xuezhou glanced outside, he saw that the path he had come from had disappeared.

The white light that leaked outwards may have dissipated, causing the path he came in to disappear without a trace, or perhaps this path had been monitoring Zhang Xuezhou all along.

Zhang Xuezhou looked around, but found it difficult to see where this white light source was coming from.

It was as if it had no origin, and was simply projected onto him.

This situation is bizarre, but not uncommon in formations. If explained using physics, Zhang Xuezhou thinks it might be due to the refraction of light.

Illusionary formations mostly rely on light to confuse the vision, causing a loss of direction. They also use geomagnetism to make people lose their sense of perception, or add factors such as smell to affect the formation. When several factors are combined, those who stray into the formation will experience various hallucinations.

"This place is not for ordinary people, so be it!"

Only a few people can resist the hallucinogenic effects of this secret place.

If the new emperor doesn't have any trump cards, the opponent should fall into an illusion as soon as they enter this place.

Zhang Xuezhou carried Huo Qubing, feeling that things weren't too bad; carrying a child was more convenient than carrying an adult.

He kept taking deep breaths and occasionally pushed aside the branches that were blocking his way, trying to survey everything in his surroundings as much as possible.

Nearly half an hour later, Zhang Xuezhou discovered the artificial traces.

These are two identical horizontal beams, with a supporting beam in the middle.

If Zhang Xuezhou wasn't mistaken, this should be a decorative railing.

He reached out and rummaged around on both sides, then found another rotten railing under the withered branches and leaves.

The situation inside the secret place immediately became clear: as long as Zhang Xuezhou stepped between these two railings, he would be stepping onto the passage built by the previous owners of the secret place.

He straightened the two railings and stood quietly between them.

The white light that enveloped him like shackles lasted only a moment, as if the guard and hostility had been lifted, before dissipating into nothingness.

Even if you are not identified as the owner of the secret place, you will most likely be regarded as a guest if you step on the road that the owner of the secret place once created. Or these roads that provide passage are in areas where the influence of the formation is weak, so that the influence of the formation will be gradually reduced until it returns to normal.

But Zhang Xuezhou knew very well that if he stepped on a path that was not set up for this place, the mentally affecting array would descend again.

This made Zhang Xuezhou very curious: who had been in charge of this secret place in the past, and why no other great cultivators had come here for so long?