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Chapter 149: The Great Deception

"Why do the creatures in this hidden realm appear to be asleep?"

"Deep Pool of Dreams..."

On the way up the mountain, Monk Pushan bombarded the Guider with so many questions. He was hoping to know the secrets hidden within this place.

"Shut up!"

Initially, the Guider ignored him, but he later realized that the monk could chatter incessantly even without a response.

When the Guider couldn't bear it any longer, he scolded Pushan fiercely.

"If you don't want to talk, just stay silent. Why be so aggressive..." Monk Pushan rolled his eyes and muttered quietly.

After a while, he asked again, "How severe are your injuries now? In fact, in our Buddhist sect, there are several powerful healing techniques that might be very effective."

The Southern-Route Guider abruptly stopped and shouted, "I came here to refine a seventh-realm Battle Soul that lies in slumber. I stumbled upon this accidentally and know nothing else. I don't need your healing; I just need silence. One more word, and I'll rip this girl’s tongue out. Understand?!"

Monk Pushan kept his mouth shut and started humming through his nose, "Hmm hmm hmm, hmm hmm hmm hmm..."

Chu Liang, who was at the side, then said, "He said he got it and asked you not to hurt Miss Luo."

"I don’t need you to translate for me!" the Guider roared.

After enduring a journey of difficulties, they finally arrived at the palace on the mountaintop. They then saw a neatly paved white square with a magnificent golden temple in the center. From a distance, a figure sitting cross-legged on the temple could be vaguely sighted.

Even as they reached the square, Chu Liang and Monk Pushan did not dare to step forward casually.

Even without the Southern-Route Guider’s warning, they could tell that there were death traps set up on this square.

"There is this Five-Element Formation of Celestial Design. If you solve this formation, you can enter the palace," the Southern-Route Guider said gloomily. "I appreciate both of your efforts."

Chu Liang turned and cast a glance at the Southern-Route Guider, who kept his figure ethereal and hid behind Luo Yao. He was using a young girl as a shield for his own body and leaving no chance for a sneak attack.

On the other hand, Luo Yao's gaze was surprisingly calm, as if she didn't care at all about death.

"I'll do my best," Chu Liang responded and forced himself to take a step forward.

Bang!

As he took a step, a vortex seemed to materialize at the spot. The surrounding elemental forces instantly began to swirl and converge into a mysterious entity.

Boom.

A fierce ball of flame suddenly appeared, hurtling towards Chu Liang with terrifying momentum. He swiftly dodged the fireball, but as he moved to a new position, another set of elemental forces was activated. Dozens of earth spikes erupted from the ground, nearly piercing him!

As he soared into the air to avoid the earth spikes, he hesitated to land. It seemed as if invisible threads in the void were at play, activating yet another vortex.

Swoosh, swoosh!

The sharp sounds of the wind!

Chu Liang quickly flipped to dodge the attacks. They were two invisible golden-edged blades that nearly sliced Chu Liang into four pieces.

Before he could land, a multitude of water droplets condensed in the void, freezing on contact with his clothes. The ice rapidly encased Chu Liang, immobilizing him in an instant!

Although he quickly used his foundational qi to shatter the ice, a large number of wooden vines had already sprouted from the earth spikes and water droplets, ensnaring his legs and rendering him helpless!

The long vines, adorned with thorns, violently hurled Chu Liang several dozen yards away, causing him to crash heavily outside the square!

After Chu Liang left the airspace above the square, everything that had just occurred dispersed entirely, as if returning to the void. The peaceful white square was restored.

Bang!

Chu Liang, covered in dirt and looking disheveled, stood up, chuckling bitterly, "This formation is quite powerful."

This formation, guided by celestial design, guarded the central palace from all directions.

The formation was not meant to kill but to drive the intruder away. Otherwise, given Chu Liang’s cultivation level, he might not have escaped unscathed.

"Hmph." The Southern-Route Guider’s gaze turned cold; he tightened his grip around Luo Yao's throat. "Don't act weak. If you can't solve this formation, I'll kill this girl immediately!"

"This is the limit of my strength. If you truly think that I am powerful, there is nothing I can do about it," Chu Liang responded honestly.

With a very fierce expression, the Southern-Route Guider appeared entirely unconvinced. He sneered and said, "Pretending to be weak won’t work on me. Spare me the act."

From the Southern-Route Guider’s point of view, Chu Liang was attempting to portray himself as a weakling to lower his guard. His true intention was clearly to find an opportunity to attack. Such a scheme would never deceive this experienced cultivator of the Diabolical path.

Monk Pushan took a step forward and said, "Never mind. Let me try."

Before he even finished talking, he walked into the square. But, it wasn't a regular step forward; it was like he was walking on air, as if there were invisible platforms beneath him, supporting his movement.

In the blink of an eye, he had taken several consecutive steps, going much farther into the square than Chu Liang.

It was only at this moment that the formation was activated.

In a flash, immense waves surged ahead of him. The moment they materialized, they turned into a colossal ice wall, effectively obstructing his path. At the same time, a towering wall of fire appeared behind him and blocked his path behind. Numerous earth spikes and vines shot up from the ground, and golden light descended from the sky resembling chaotic blades!

It might have been because Pushan had been too aggressive and ventured too deep inside the square and too quickly, triggering an unprecedentedly intense response.

Rumble!

Amidst the series of explosions, Monk Pushan hastily summoned the lustrous, crystal, and grand bell to protect himself. He hid within the shadow of the bell, attempting to dash out again.

However, invisible barriers from all directions blocked his path, leaving him with no way to escape! It seemed he was trapped within!

When Chu Liang saw this, he controlled a sword from outside the square. The sword flew like a dragon and struck the wall of fire behind Pushan, creating this dazzling radiance. Only then did the lustrous bell, containing Pushan, break through the fire wall and charge out.

However, it wasn't over.

Pushan had just charged out of the boundary of the formation. As soon as he stepped out of the square, five more whips followed and relentlessly went after him!

Monk Pushan’s bell was already shaky and unstable. Another attack would have shattered the bell with a resounding crash!

Pushan was clearly about to be exposed to the attacks. And so, Chu Liang raised his hand and controlled his sword qi to block the attacks with him.

Boom!

The two worked together and blocked the attacks from the formation.

The Five-Element Formation of Celestial Design was evidently a formidable formation that should not be underestimated. When Chu Liang cautiously tested by stepping into the boundary of the formation, it triggered a series of attacks. However, when Monk Pushan recklessly charged into the boundary, the formation seemed determined to ensure his death!

After the attacks ended, Chu Liang and Pushan appeared defeated. They had tried so hard to fight back and almost failed to evade the attacks.

When Chu Liang turned back and looked at the Southern-Route Guider, there was a grim expression on his face.

"You are really..."

Chu Liang did not consume the Essence-Concealing Pill this time. And so, when Chu Liang controlled his sword qi earlier, the Southern-Route Guider sensed the aura of a cultivator at the pinnacle of the Spiritual Awareness Realm.

The Southern-Route Guider had assumed that this fellow was keeping his identity a secret.

However, when the Monk Pushan encountered that crisis, Chu Liang urgently swooped in and rescued him.

Chu Liang evidently revealed that his actual cultivation level was the Spiritual Awareness Realm...

He was indeed not a cultivator at the Golden Core Realm.

In a way, the South-Route Guider hadn’t guessed incorrectly.

The Southern-Route Guider thought to himself. The attack that killed the Southwestern Guider earlier must have been done using some special technique. It clearly wasn't his real strength. Yet, I somehow expected this small fry to help me break through the Five-Element Formation of Celestial Design... How could that be possible?!

Southern-Route Guider felt a surge of anger within his chest. It was unclear as to whether this anger had stemmed from the frustration of not being able to solve the formation or the embarrassment of misidentifying Chu Liang.

He was just very angry.

If he weren’t heavily injured and reliant on Chu Liang's help to solve the formation, he would have dealt with these three spies long ago!

"You are truly a weakling at the Spiritual Awareness Realm..." the Southern-Route Guider pushed Luo Yao away and gestured with his fingers at Chu Liang. "Then, what use are you to me? Die!"

A black light burst forth!

Seeing the Southern-Route Guider making a move at him, Chu Liang was already on guard. In the instant the Southern-Route Guider attacked, he summoned another sword.

The Crimson Executioner!

Despite having killed a few diabolical cultivators, this righteous sword was still in a state of agitation. While it might not be effective against formations, it would never show evildoers any mercy.

The Talismanic Sword Seal! Lightning Talismanic Sword!

With how urgent the situation was, Chu Liang had no time to execute the Three-Character Talismanic Sword. He swiftly drew a lightning character and unleashed the flying sword seal.

He had chosen to execute the lightning talismanic character for its speed.

In addition, the mysterious state of the Southern-Route Guider, who appeared neither real nor illusory, caused Chu Liang to worry that his attack would be ineffective.

Since techniques of lightning nature had the effect of countering sinister and occult forces, this attack would have been effective against the techniques of the diabolical path.

And that was indeed the case.

When the roaring golden lightning dragon charged towards the Southern-Route Guider, it swallowed the black light midway and instantly collided with the Southern-Route Guider.

In the moment of being engulfed by the lightning dragon, the Southern-Route Guider had no time to defend and was unexpectedly struck by the sword.

Before his figure dissipated, he could only express a hint of shock.

How could a mere ant at the peak of the Spiritual Awareness Realm attack with such a powerful sword qi? Just a moment ago, he seemed on the verge of death when he was solving the formation. How is he attacking me with such vigor now?

Could it be that his apparent weakness earlier was all an act?

He was acting?

It really doesn't seem like it...

How could any movements from earlier be a disguise by a powerful individual? Even if he was pretending to be weak, how did he manage to appear as an actual weakling?

His act of pretending to be a weakling was too convincing!

As the lightning sword approached, the Southern-Route Guider fell into a state of disbelief. He had no choice but to admit that he had been tricked!

At first, he was tricked into thinking that they were actual Soul Subjugators. Then, he was fooled again when Chu Liang pretended to be a cultivator at the Spiritual Awareness Realm. Throughout the journey, this person continuously deceived him.

"Aaaah!!!" In the final moments of his life, he could only let out a bitterly resentful scream. "You've made a complete fool out of me with your tricks!"