Chapter 168 : So It Was All an Illusion
Chapter 168: So It Was All an Illusion
At Ye Jingchen’s signal, Zhou Qingshu secretly formed hand seals in the distance, activating the Spirit Speech trigger buried deep within Nan Yuchen’s divine soul!
In an instant, Nan Yuchen’s body on the arena platform suddenly stiffened, as if an invisible force had seized his throat.
Immediately after, under the gaze of the entire crowd, his once-clear eyes were instantly bloodshot, his face twisted, and just as Ye Jingchen had hoped, he abruptly raised his head and let out an inhuman roar,
“Ahhh!! You… you talentless trash!! And you dare call yourselves my fellow disciples?! Garbage belongs where garbage should stay!!”
He looked utterly deranged. Instead of paying attention to his opponent before him, he turned toward the surrounding spectator stands, waving his arms wildly and spitting curses,
“Why! Why do I have to perform like a monkey for you here! You worthless fools! Idiots! You think you’re worthy of watching me, Nan Yuchen, perform?! And you! Mingzhu! You’re biased! Why did you bring that surnamed Ye into the cave heaven! I am your personal disciple!!”
His vulgar words and frenzied emotions were completely unlike the humble and hardworking image he usually displayed—it was truly his disgraceful side laid bare!
It worked!
Ye Jingchen was overjoyed.
The time had come!
Without hesitation, he fully activated the strange “key” in his hand, preparing to take the most crucial step—stealing destiny luck—at the very moment Nan Yuchen’s fate fluctuated violently!
The runes on the key suddenly lit up, dim light flowing across them.
A greedy suction force locked onto Nan Yuchen on the arena, who was still madly cursing his opponent and the audience.
However, at that critical moment, the wild joy on Ye Jingchen’s face froze!
Something was wrong!
It was too quiet.
The uproar he had expected—gasps, condemnation, disdain—none of it happened! The Martial Arena, packed with tens of thousands, had fallen into an eerie, unnatural silence!
He abruptly lifted his eyes—
Every spectator in the stands, whether the Golden Core elders seated at the back, the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining disciples in the front rows, or the mortal dignitaries who had come to observe, all maintained their previous seated postures.
But on every single face was the exact same smile.
The curve of that smile was precise as if measured with a ruler—lips raised, exposing rows of pale white teeth—yet their eyes were utterly lifeless. Like countless puppets controlled by the same string, they “gazed” toward the arena with suffocating calm.
When he tremblingly turned to look beside him, he nearly screamed.
Liu Ruyan, Su Ningxue, and that ever-fawning Tang De—
The three of them were the same!
Each wore that perfectly standard, eerily artificial smile, eyes unblinking, staring directly at him. Though their gazes seemed to carry “amusement,” they were cold and hollow, devoid of any living vitality—like three exquisitely crafted Puppet Constructs wrapped in human skin!
“Uh… hhk…” Meaningless sounds escaped Ye Jingchen’s throat. He could even hear his own heartbeat.
Then—
Crack… crack… crack…
Everyone in the arena, including Nan Yuchen who had just been “madly” cursing, moved in perfect unison, as if receiving the same command.
With a nonhuman rhythm accompanied by faint sounds of bone grinding, their heads turned simultaneously—
Those identical smiling faces all aligned toward Ye Jingchen’s position!
One identical smile.
Tens of thousands of hollow gazes.
In that instant, he was isolated at the center of the stage—becoming the true “protagonist” of everyone’s attention.
No words.
No movement.
They simply “smiled,” quietly watching him.
Cold sweat soaked through Ye Jingchen’s inner robes like a stream. The suffocating pressure nearly made him faint!
As if clutching his last lifeline, he violently turned toward Zhou Qingshu, hoping this “accomplice” would still appear normal and face this horrifying scene together with him.
But what he saw—
Zhou Qingshu had risen to his feet at some unknown moment.
The former respect and obsequiousness were nowhere to be seen. In their place was the same standard false smile as everyone else!
“Ahhh!!”
At last unable to withstand the overwhelming psychological pressure, Ye Jingchen let out a shrill scream. He no longer cared about stealing destiny luck or grand ambitions. Only one thought remained in his mind—
Escape!
Leave this hellish place immediately!
He sprang from his seat like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, shoving aside Senior Sister Liu and Junior Sister Su, knocking the fat Tang De away, and bolted madly toward the exit of the Martial Arena!
His movement shattered the deathly silence. His footsteps echoed harshly across the empty grounds.
Yet the tens of thousands of “spectators” in the stands maintained their eerie smiles and fixed stares, silently “seeing him off” as he fled.
That wordless gaze was more terrifying than any pursuit.
Like a stray dog cast out from its home, Ye Jingchen fled frantically along the grand avenue outside the Martial Arena.
He dared not look back, always feeling those tens of thousands of identical smiling faces were still silently watching him.
He raced toward the sect gates. Though he had no idea what was happening, if he could just leave the sect’s territory and activate that life-saving escape talisman, there might still be a sliver of hope!
But as he ran, his speed gradually slowed.
He had been fleeing at full speed for nearly half the time it took a stick of incense to burn, yet the scenery on both sides seemed to repeat endlessly.
The magnificent mountain gate still stood far off on the horizon—the distance between them had not shortened in the slightest!
An illusion…
This was an illusion!!
The realization struck his mind like lightning, making his scalp tingle!
Yes!
That was the only explanation!
Why would tens of thousands of spectators reveal such identical, eerie smiles at the same time?
Why could he not escape no matter how he ran?!
All of this—
It was a colossal illusion meticulously woven just for him!
From the moment he stepped into the Martial Arena—or perhaps even earlier—he had already fallen into an illusion set by some great power.
Everything he saw and heard was likely false!
The instant he grasped this truth, the surrounding scenery rippled violently like a reflection disturbed by a stone, then shattered inch by inch like broken mirrors!
A powerful dizziness struck him, and Ye Jingchen could not help closing his eyes.
When he abruptly opened them again—
He was no longer in any Martial Arena, nor on any road!
He was kneeling in a cold chamber filled with strange runes.
Though indoors, mist lingered all around, making him feel as though his consciousness had not yet fully returned to reality.
Before him stood three figures, silently looking down at him.
On the left—
True Person Mingzhu.
The absolute gentleness from the previous night had vanished from her exquisite face, replaced only by cold scrutiny.
On the right—
A middle-aged man wearing a helpless bitter smile yet possessing extraordinary bearing. Ye Jingchen naturally recognized him as well—the Sect Master of the Nine-Xia Heaven Sect, Zhuge Jingde!
And standing in the center—
A handsome young man with calm, ocean-deep eyes. Though Ye Jingchen did not know his identity, the fact that even the Sect Master stood slightly to the side meant he was most likely a Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivator.
No matter how foolish he was, he now understood.
He had long been targeted—and by the upper echelons of the Nine-Xia Heaven Sect.
His former complacency, his ambition to steal destiny luck, his ridiculous performance within that illusion—
Under the gaze of those three pairs of eyes that seemed to see through everything, it all appeared so laughable.
The young man in the center slowly spoke. His voice was not loud, yet it exploded within Ye Jingchen’s soul,
“Ye Jingchen—or perhaps I should say… Destiny Luck Thief. You deliberately came here to stir up trouble. Are you satisfied with the return gift we prepared for you?”
Ye Jingchen’s face turned ashen. It felt as if all strength had drained from his body.
So it was true—
His identity had long been exposed.
At this moment, he knew he had been utterly defeated.
Yet he did not rush to ponder how he had been discovered, for such thoughts were meaningless for now.
His strong pride—and the absolutely confident trump card still in his possession—
Prevented him from falling into complete despair.
So what if the plan had been exposed?
He was not finished yet.