Chapter 164: Illusions
The oppressive heat of the underground tunnels faded, replaced by cool, moist air.
Lin led the group, following the corruption stains that marked Jiaolong’s path. The dark smears left by Jiaolong were harder to see as they walked through the tunnel.
"The passage is getting wider," Captain Zhen observed as they rounded a bend. Ahead of them, the tunnel opened into what appeared to be a vast underwater cavern.
They emerged into the West Sea realm, and Lin immediately understood why it was called the Mist Realm. Dense, swirling mists filled the water, reducing visibility to mere yards in any direction. The mist wasn’t ordinary water vapor—it created shadows that seemed to move like they were alive.
"Stay close," Lin warned as they swam forward. "I can barely see ten feet ahead."
The corruption trail they had been following vanished almost immediately, the dark stains dispersed by the swirling mists. Through brief clearings in the fog, they caught glimpses of silver coral gardens stretching in all directions, their branches perfectly silent despite the gentle current that moved through them.
Floating pearl lanterns drifted through the water at various heights, each casting circles of soft white light that appeared and disappeared as the mist thickened and thinned around them. The lanterns moved without any visible means of propulsion.
"It’s like being inside a dream," General Huoyan whispered, her voice echoing strangely in the mist-filled water.
Between the coral gardens, forests of black and gold seaweed swayed. Each strand reached from the sea floor toward the distant surface.