Chen Jinshu hurriedly stepped back several paces. Not only had the mural moved, but it was also emitting a bizarre, eerie sound.
"What are you? A demon or a ghost?"
"I've dwelled within this mural for many years—not a human, not a demon, nor a ghost... I am a soul!" The old man retracted his fishing rod as he spoke, his earlier laughter fading into a twisted grin directed at Chen Jinshu.
The sight of his smile sent chills down her spine. Instinctively, she threw a talisman meant to ward off evil spirits at him. But when the talisman's golden light hit the mural, it had no effect whatsoever.
"Hahaha! I'm no spirit or monster, just a soul-body—how could such a thing harm me?"
"Little friend, how about a trade with me? Just three years of your life span in exchange!"
As he spoke, the old man stretched out a pale, translucent hand that lacked any physical form, reaching toward Chen Jinshu. She quickly poured spiritual power into her sect token and tried to signal her two senior brothers for help. But no matter how hard she pushed her power into the token, it didn't respond.
"What's going on? Why isn't the token reacting at all?"
This sect token wasn't an ordinary spiritual tool—her master had said it was developed by the sect's only peak fourth-tier artifact master and refined by disciples. Its quality reached the second tier.
Once activated, it was impossible for it to be unresponsive.
She also noticed that Xiao Yin perched on her shoulder wasn't moving either. It was frozen, like a lifeless doll, devoid of spirit or thought.
"Xiao Yin?" She could still feel the connection between them, but something was clearly wrong.
Seeing that spectral hand approaching, she immediately activated her Rainbow Step, dashing away in a blur. But suddenly, the ink-wash landscapes on the surrounding murals began to move. A waterfall in one painting surged and cascaded, misty and majestic.
The murals were coming alive. Cranes flew through painted skies. Fish darted in painted rivers. Chen Jinshu knew something was very wrong. These murals, as realistic as they were, shouldn't be able to move.
Then it hit her.
The moment she saw the old man move on the mural, her consciousness had likely been sucked into some strange illusory space created by the painting. In other words—she had already been caught in a mural-based illusion technique.
"Even if it's an illusion, it can't trap me!" she declared, coldly snorting.
She pulled the Lüqi Zither from her storage pouch and, while dodging attacks, began playing the tune: Five Sacred Mountain: Demon-Sealing Melody.
She rarely played this piece outside of practice—it consumed a lot of spiritual energy and always left her drained. But its power was undeniable. Whenever she played it, her mind grew calm, sweeping away all illusions and demonic influences, placing her consciousness into a state of self-protection. She hoped to use the melody to snap herself out of the illusion.
Ding—ding—ding…
The moment the melody started, all the moving murals froze in place—as if nothing had happened. But the malicious glint in the old man's eyes confirmed that it had happened. She was still trapped in the illusion. Still, the music had clearly weakened it.
"Master! Wake up!"
"Master, please wake up!"
"Xiao Yin?" she heard its voice again—urgent and close.
"So I really am inside an illusion…"
She couldn't tell whether the illusion began when she examined the murals, or the moment she saw the old man move. Now wasn't the time to find out. If she didn't break free soon, her life span would be stolen by the mural dweller.
As a seventh-level Qi Refining cultivator, her lifespan far exceeded that of mortals. With her wood-aligned technique, Verdant Wood Rebirth Method, she might live to 150, maybe even 160 or 170 years. But that was still too little to give away freely.
Her fingers didn't stop strumming the zither. The music's force seemed to weaken the old man—his spectral body dimmed, almost on the verge of vanishing.
"The 'Five Sacred Mountain: Demon-Sealing Melody' really is powerful!"
Chen Jinshu was confident she could break free completely. nSoon, the piece came to an end. The vivid motion and color of the murals receded, melting back into the wall as they originally were.
Xiao Yin's cries grew louder in her ears.
She felt her mind pulling back into reality. Turning her hand, she took out the Golden Lantern Flower gifted by her master. The lantern-shaped blossom burst with dazzling golden light, instantly pulling her fully out of the illusion. She looked back at the mural—the old man hadn't moved again.
"Could this mural be a trap left by the cave mansion's original owner to harm intruders?"
A chilling thought struck her. Trading a cultivator's lifespan to fuel an illusion—what a terrifying technique.
"The other senior brothers must've fallen into similar traps!"
Her gaze hardened with hatred as she stared at the old man on the mural. Had she reacted a moment slower, she might've lost years—if not all her lifespan. He may have claimed to only want three years, but who could believe that?
"A mural that harms others like this has no right to exist."
She drew her Azure Frost Sword and drove it straight at the old man's neck on the mural.
"Wait! Let's talk!" the old man's faint voice rang out again, pleading as the sword neared.
"Too late!"
Clang!
The blade pierced the mural, slicing the figure's neck cleanly.
The voice fell silent.
Clack.
A light gray rod fell from the mural.
"Isn't this the old man's fishing rod?"
"No… it's the Dragon-Fishing Rod?! It's a real object!"
Chen Jinshu picked up the rod and immediately sensed a faint dragon aura. But she couldn't even determine its grade. A wild thought flashed through her mind—could this really be the legendary Dragon-Fishing Rod?
"I'll examine it later. I need to find my senior brothers—chances are, they've fallen into similar illusions."
She turned and rushed toward the direction they had gone. Soon enough, she found Du Yi trapped in an illusion. His expression was twisted and pale—on the verge of collapse. She quickly held the Golden Lantern Flower up to his face.
"Ah! Hah! Hah…!"
Under the golden light, Du Yi gasped for air—he had just been strangled by a demon in the illusion, nearly suffocating.
Then a golden light pulled him back to reality.