Chapter Forty: Duel of Illusions

In the desolate city, skyscrapers toppled and colossal claws slashed through the air. Those sharp talons were sheathed in bone armor, though cracks branched across parts of it, the claws themselves remained intact. Wherever they passed, devastation followed, and an unsettling ripple emanated from their presence, subtly disturbing the minds of all living creatures nearby.

The young man was clearly affected, staring blankly as the massive claw swept toward him, unable to react.

"Rong Fei, dodge!" Noticing something was amiss, Kong Yuxuan shouted urgently. Yet Rong Fei stood frozen, unresponsive, as if all will and awareness had vanished.

Seeing the claw about to strike, Kong Yuxuan quickly recited an incantation. Her jade fingers pointed toward the void, and she intoned gravely, "Open!"

The air before Rong Fei twisted, and a seven-colored divine light tore through the heavens. At the same time, a similar light shimmered before Kong Yuxuan. She reached into the radiance, her hand emerging from the glow before Rong Fei, seized him, and dragged him back to her side.

The giant claw slammed into the ground. The earth shuddered, debris flew, and rising dust completely enveloped the monstrous appendage.

Only then did Rong Fei exhale deeply, his dull gaze regaining clarity. He muttered in confusion, "What happened?"

"We should be asking you that," said a long-haired woman squatting on a nearby rooftop. Her face was marked with ancient runes as she eyed Rong Fei askance.

A tremendous roar erupted from behind. The ruins of the fallen skyscraper were violently hurled aside, and a gigantic creature, several stories tall, crawled out onto the street. At first glance, it resembled a massive dragon lobster, armored in hard shell. Four enormous claws supported its weight, while its numerous legs behind were so thin as to seem pitifully mismatched to its immense body.

On its head were two faces—one gentle and benevolent, the other ferocious and savage—stacked one above the other, imparting an eerie, uncanny air.

"This... duality of good and evil, Captain, it feels almost Buddhist," Rong Fei observed as he angled his sword.

The others nodded in agreement, sharing the same impression.

"No matter what it is, it’s certainly no Buddha. Moon Shadow, confuse it," Kong Yuxuan commanded coldly, turning toward the long-haired woman.

Moon Shadow nodded. "Understood." As she spoke, she traced black runes in the air, then cast them forth. Her figure leapt gracefully, passing through the spell as it melted into a dark glow and vanished. At that moment, a faint black radiance enveloped her, and she darted through the air, leaving behind countless identical shadows. In an instant, the city was filled with her likeness, scattered everywhere.

With a crisp sound, all the Moon Shadows whipped their right hands, conjuring crystalline blades shimmering like crescent moons, encircling the spectral entity above and below.

"Eight Thousand Lunar Palace Strikes!" Moon Shadow’s voice thundered, and all her images rushed toward the spectral beast, creating a scene of breathtaking intensity.

From afar, Luo Longyu and his companions watched, dumbfounded, as the silhouettes filled the sky. The youngest disciple of Lieshan’s group shuddered, "How many people did they bring?"

"These are all one person. The core aura is identical. Though each has offensive power, only one is the true body; the rest are mere projections of her strength," Luo Longyu squinted, his irises flashing with the Wheel of Corpses, seeing through the illusion.

Luo Mengxuan spoke up, "That’s Moon Shadow. I saw her when I was little—she’s wonderful. My sister said Moon Shadow has some kind of genetic battle engine inside, called the Lunar Palace Weapon System. When she supplies energy, she can copy her power. It’s terrifying."

"A battle engine? A robot?" Lieshan glanced at Mu Yimian.

Luo Mengxuan shook her head, "No, not exactly. It’s tied to some secret of the human body, and probably connected to ancient civilizations, like the Corpse Dao Project."

"Ah... ancient weapon engineering, related to the gods, then there’s no point in asking. I wouldn’t understand anyway," Lieshan nodded, acknowledging his own limitations.

On the battlefield, thunderous explosions and dazzling lights erupted. From afar, it seemed a full moon had risen in the city, energy raging within, winds howling, rain pouring; nothing could be seen, only the sounds of earth-shattering strikes and terrifying energy waves. The surrounding empty buildings were torn to shreds, hinting at the destructive force within the glowing sphere.

Suddenly, Luo Longyu remembered something and turned to Luo Mengxuan, "The first squad has Long Shaoxian, the third has Moon Shadow. Who are the monsters in the second and fourth squads?"

"I have no idea. I’m not from the Profound Chamber. Besides, you’re the monster!" Luo Mengxuan shot him a disgruntled glare.

The barrage continued. In mere seconds, all eight thousand strikes hit the spectral entity. The glowing sphere began to reverse, forming a bubble in the void, its contents completely obscured from view.

Inside the bubble, moonlight slashed like blades across the sky, overwhelming the spectral creature. Then, moonlight rapidly condensed, and Moon Shadow emerged from the radiance, wielding a colossal lunar blade. Moonlight flickered around her as if the moon goddess had descended. The runes on her face glowed softly in the moonlight.

"Battle engine activated—Moon Goddess Smite the Demon!" With a fierce cry, Moon Shadow became the incarnation of the moon goddess, a curtain of moonlight billowing behind her like a cloak. Her long hair danced, ethereal and untouchable. The blade in her hand swept for miles, tearing through chaos and striking the spectral beast with relentless force.

But at the instant she struck, the spectral creature suddenly erupted in blinding golden light, drowning out the moonlight. Moon Shadow’s pupils contracted to pinpoints, terror surging across her face.

In the city, Kong Yuxuan and her group stood ready. They knew the power of Moon Shadow’s Lunar Palace combat arts—more than enough to deal with the spectral entity.

Staring at the bubble, barely a meter across, Kong Yuxuan spoke gravely, "Moon Shadow has drawn the enemy into the Lunar Palace domain. When the domain fades, Crown Prince, immediately initiate force suppression. I’ll assist you. Rong Fei and Ye Lan, attack with all you have. We must end this in one strike—"

"Ah!"

Before Kong Yuxuan finished, the Lunar Palace domain shattered abruptly. Gold light blazed across the sky, and a finger, seemingly forged from pure gold, launched Moon Shadow a thousand meters away. The ground cracked along its path, gouging a road through the city.

The giant finger vanished, its golden radiance receding. Moon Shadow collapsed helplessly in the dust, coughing blood, gravely wounded.

Witnessing the sudden turn of events, Mu Yimian, Lieshan, and their companions were stricken with terror, unable to believe their eyes. Kong Yuxuan’s group retreated in shock, their faces blank, utterly stupefied.

In the heart of the city, a golden giant Buddha sat cross-legged upon a green lotus, hands forming sacred seals, eyes lowered in wisdom. Its face shifted between expressions, Buddha without attribute, good and evil reflected in the heart. Behind its head, golden light radiated, imparting an aura of holiness and solemnity that inspired reverence.

"The sea of suffering has no end. Turn back to find the shore..." The giant Buddha intoned a sacred mantra, and a hurricane of power swept forth, overwhelming in its might.

Luo Longyu, observing the battle, frowned in confusion. "What are they doing? Why have they all stopped?" In his eyes, the spectral beast stood with four claws planted on the ground, its four eyes emitting beams of black and white light. Kong Yuxuan’s group had all frozen, motionless. Just moments before, the bubble had burst, Moon Shadow blasted a kilometer away, and now everyone stood still as statues.

"Hey, what’s going on?" Luo Longyu looked at Luo Mengxuan, only to find Mu Yimian and the others equally immobile, like wooden stakes.

"Hey!" Luo Longyu slapped Luo Mengxuan, but she didn’t respond. Growing suspicious, he stepped in front of her, seeing her eyes vacant, flickering with black and white light. The same was true for Lieshan and his young disciple.

Moved by intuition, Luo Longyu slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his blood-red gaze revealed the Corpse Wheel, tearing through reality and slipping into illusion. He finally saw the vision crafted by the spectral entity.

Corpse Wheel Eyes—able to penetrate falsehood, traverse illusion. The Dao of Corpse is soulless; with no soul, there is no spirit, and thus one is immune to illusion. The blood eyes are the root, the corpse wheel the branch, weaving through yin and yang, reality and fantasy, undisturbed by the outside world.

"What a powerful brain force field... It can suppress everyone’s brainwaves, drawing them into its own illusion. Truly insidious," Luo Longyu muttered to himself. With that, he exited the illusion. The situation was now clear—the third squad had been defeated. While they couldn’t be accused of carelessness, they certainly hadn’t understood the spectral entity’s abilities.

After a moment’s thought, seeing the creature raise its claws to obliterate the third squad, Luo Longyu leapt into the city. Upon landing, he had fully transformed, the Corpse Wheel spinning behind him, his power at its peak.

"A contest of illusions, is it? The Corpse Wheel Eyes seem suited for this," Luo Longyu rasped, gazing up at the spectral beast.

The entity seemed surprised that someone was immune to its illusions. It intensified its brain force field, all four eyes focusing on Luo Longyu, attempting to ensnare him as well.

At that moment, Luo Longyu’s eyes blazed with fierce blood light. The Corpse Wheel behind him synchronized with the wheel in his gaze. From the wheel, a force field surged, penetrating the spectral entity’s brain force field.

Within the illusion, Kong Yuxuan and the others remained oblivious, lost in the vision. It was so real, unfolding exactly as reality would, lacking any of the usual ephemeral unreality of illusions.

The giant Buddha radiated sanctity, its palm descending from the heavens like a mountain, shrouding all directions with thunder and chanting. The force was so overwhelming that even Kong Yuxuan felt a despairing helplessness.

But at that critical moment, a vast black hand suddenly emerged from behind Kong Yuxuan, firmly supporting the Buddha’s palm. When the two hands collided, the impact resounded like thunder from the heavens.

Footsteps echoed. A black giant strode over the heads of Kong Yuxuan and her companions, towering fifty meters high, rivaling the Buddha. Twin eyes shone with silver light, bands of corpse energy swirling around him. With each step, the ground trembled. Gold and black, Buddha and demon, the two giants faced each other in a direct, earth-shaking clash!