The most terrifying aspect of a Natural Illusion Array was that even if you walked right into one, you wouldn’t notice a thing.
You would think the mountain before your eyes was real. All your senses—including touch and pain—would feel entirely genuine. You could climb the mountain, find absolutely nothing, and then leave from another direction or simply retrace your steps.
But all of it would be an illusion.
You just wouldn’t realize it.
"Do you see this mountain?" Man Tian pointed at the Big Mountain ahead.
The mountain was lush with trees and brimming with Spiritual Qi. Sunlight spilled through the clouds, making it look like a Human Immortal Realm. Most importantly, its terrain was treacherous, leaving only a single path up.
No one knew who had built this path. Flight after flight of bluestone steps stretched all the way to the summit.
At the peak sat a bamboo cabin.
"This mountain is no illusion; it is real," Man Tian said. "That bamboo cabin at the top belongs to me. I lived here many years ago."
"You lived here, Senior?" Ye Xuan asked.
"Yes. At first, it was quite leisurely and carefree, but it eventually grew dull. So, I left and became a storyteller. How is the environment here? Are you satisfied with it?"
"Did you build these steps, Senior?"
"No, it wasn’t me. Although I lived here, I didn’t create this place. I stumbled upon it by chance. I suppose that a long time ago, an unparalleled expert chose to live in seclusion here. This is a Grotto Heaven Blessed Land. It’s hidden by Arrays, so your whereabouts won’t be exposed."
"Thank you, Senior!" Ye Xuan cupped his hands. He was highly satisfied with this Big Mountain.
The scenery was beautiful, and the Spiritual Qi was dense. It was undoubtedly a Grotto Heaven Blessed Land. It was no wonder an expert had chosen to seclude themselves here. This place couldn’t be more perfect for the Ye Family to rest and recover.
"Are we... here? Do you guys feel that? The Spiritual Qi here is so dense! It’s much thicker than in the Three-Star Main Town."
"You feel it too? I thought my senses were playing tricks on me. Our cultivation speed here will be several times faster than in the Three-Star Main Town. It must be on par with a city!"
Excited voices rang out from the Ye Family members. They had thought fleeing for their lives would severely drop their living standards, but as it turned out, this place was fantastic.
Gongsun Yanran suddenly spoke up. "No, the Spiritual Qi here is even denser than in a city!"
"What? Denser than a city?"
"Yes. It’s just strange. This place isn’t far from Dapeng City, yet my Gongsun Family has never discovered it in over a thousand years." As Gongsun Yanran spoke, she looked at the storyteller. Just who was this old gentleman? Where did such a Divine figure come from?
The Array outside was perfectly flawless, formed by nature itself. It was astonishing that someone could see through such an exquisite Natural Illusion Array.
"Alright, I’ve brought you here, and now I must go," Man Tian said. "By the way, Ye Xuan, over the past two days, I’ve gathered quite a few stories about you from your clansmen and compiled them into a book. You don’t mind if I spread your tale outside once I leave, do you?"
Ye Xuan casually shrugged. "If nothing unexpected happens, my name has already shaken half the Kingdom. Having a few more stories or a few less doesn’t really matter."
"Excellent. Farewell!" the storyteller said, turning to leave.
As if remembering something, Ye Xuan called out, "Wait, Senior."
"Is there something else?"
"Senior, although we’ve been very careful on the road and no one should have followed us, you mentioned that the people from the Celestial Secret Pavilion are adept at divination. Could they deduce that our Ye Family is hiding here?"
"That is impossible."
"Why?"
"Because the Celestial Secret Pavilion will not make another move against you. Unless, of course, Tan Jingang hasn’t seen my letter."
"And... what if he truly hasn’t seen it?"
"The chances of that are so minuscule that it simply won’t happen."
"But what if it does..."
The storyteller smiled confidently. "With me, there are no ’what-ifs.’ You seem worried, so let me put it this way: Even if Sun Juguang accidentally dropped that letter, and even if the Celestial Secret Pavilion Master truly hasn’t seen it, they still wouldn’t be able to scry this location. When I first arrived here, I had someone set up Arrays. The people of the Celestial Secret Pavilion cannot scry this far. Otherwise, this place wouldn’t have remained undiscovered for so long. The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi here is incredibly dense; if the royal family had found it, it absolutely would have become the ninth Main City."
"The ninth Main City? They would build a Main City here?" Ye Xuan was somewhat surprised.
Man Tian chuckled and asked in return, "Do you know why the Moyue Kingdom has only ever had eight Main Cities?"
"Is it... because there are only eight Grotto Heaven Blessed Lands?"
"Correct. If the royal family discovered this place, they would definitely select a lineage from their Side Branches to build the ninth Main City."
Hearing this, Ye Xuan’s pupils shrank. The storyteller’s underlying implication was that the eight Main Cities were all distant relatives of the royal family! Their ancestors were all the same person. No wonder the eight Main Cities were so deeply trusted by the royal court.
Of course, distant relatives were ultimately just distant relatives; the blood ties between the eight Main Cities and the royal family had thinned out ages ago. If a day ever came when the eight Main Cities possessed the power to change the dynasty, they would absolutely rise in rebellion.
"The ninth Main City..." After his initial surprise, Ye Xuan’s eyes narrowed in thought.
He had always intended for the Ye Family to command a city. Then, how about figuring out a way to build a city right here in the future?
"Therefore, you don’t need to worry. No one can track you down here," Man Tian continued. "Stay hidden for a while. Once the storm blows over, you can try leaving the mountain—whether it’s to get some fresh air or to go out robbing and pillaging as bandits, it’s entirely up to you. But remember this: you must not linger outside for too long. Strike one spot, then move to another. Don’t let anyone guess where you reside."
"I understand all of this, Senior."
"Good. I’m off to tell my stories. I’ll make sure your tale becomes even more spectacular."
With that, Man Tian’s figure vanished into thin air.
Meanwhile, at the Celestial Secret Pavilion.
Sun Juguang had been back for two days, and ever since his return, he had locked himself in his room.
He sat in his chair, staring at the densely packed blueprints on his desk. These blueprints were covered in intricate sketches of gears. When interlocked, these gears could operate a war machine. These were his blueprints for improvement.
Ever since inventing the war machine, he had constantly been wondering if he could refine it—if he could build an even more advanced, much faster model. Although the war machines were incredibly tough and possessed immense Attack Power, their movements were far too sluggish!
They were only suited for massive, large-scale battles. If deployed in a one-on-one duel, the enemy would have long run out of range before its blade even fell.
These blueprints were extremely important to Sun Juguang, yet at this moment, he swept them all off the desk and onto the floor. A single letter was placed on the desk instead. It was the letter given to him by the storyteller.
After returning, Sun Juguang had not sought out Tan Jingang. He was hesitating over whether or not he should hand this letter over to the Pavilion Master.
Though he didn’t know the contents, judging from what the storyteller had said, once the Pavilion Master read this letter, there was a high chance he would refuse to help him exact his revenge.
But his entire clan had been annihilated. How could he not seek revenge?