Chapter 269: Revisiting Thousand Illusion Mountain

“What’s wrong?”

Seeing Lin Jing’s expression change suddenly as he looked in a certain direction, Senior Sister Xu Qingyao couldn’t help but ask.

She followed Lin Jing’s gaze but saw nothing.

However, she could sense powerful figures of unknown origin observing the area from other directions.

This was not surprising; the arrival of so many Demon Emperors at the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect with such fanfare would naturally draw the cautious attention of local powerhouses.

“I feel like my illusory form has been seen through,” Lin Jing sent a divine transmission to his Senior Sister.

“Who could possibly see through your illusions—” Xu Qingyao paused. She knew Lin Jing’s skill in illusions, and with the Shape-Shifting Demon Core she had given him, even those in the Void Profound Realm shouldn’t be able to see through it!

“Wait… Thousand Illusion Mountain.” Senior Sister suddenly realized something.

Lin Jing shared this judgment: “In this Senluo Province, the only one capable of seeing through my illusions is likely the Old Ancestor of Thousand Illusion Mountain. I thought that after condensing the ‘Spell Spirit Embryo,’ I could hide from her, but it seems her illusion skills have also reached the ‘Spell Spirit Embryo’ stage, or she might have even cultivated a true ‘Illusion Dao Spell Spirit’.”

Xu Qingyao recalled: “Before coming to annex the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, I investigated the situation in the Senluo Province. The Old Ancestor of Thousand Illusion Mountain is indeed a genius of the Illusion Dao. She possesses a Natural Illusion Body, her magic power inherently carries illusory properties, and she was born with Illusion Pupils—even as a Mortal, her eyes had the power to mesmerize. Once she attained success in her cultivation, no one dared to offend her because even experts one or two Realms higher than her could not find a trace of her.”

“It is for this very reason that Thousand Illusion Mountain has stood for a thousand years. Even Void Profound powers dare not underestimate them. After all, when facing an illusion master, even if a Void Profound Great Cultivator isn’t afraid themselves, offending her without a countermeasure would be a nightmare for the lower-level Cultivators of their own Sect.”

“Senior Sister, please accompany me to Thousand Illusion Mountain once more!” Lin Jing intended to investigate.

Their Divine Thought exchange was lightning-fast. After entrusting the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect to Elder Li and ordering the Demon Emperor Dao Protectors to stand by and guard the Sect—which had lost its Sect-Guarding Magic Treasure—they turned and sped toward Thousand Illusion Mountain.

This move gave the Sect Master of the Flower Sect a fright. Was the Demon Court planning to annex Thousand Illusion Mountain right after the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect?

Did they intend to annex the entire Senluo Province?

At Thousand Illusion Mountain, Old Ancestor Huan Li returned to the Sect, secretly regretting her curiosity. Before she could even think of a solution, two familiar auras had already descended upon the mountain.

Illusory Duke Guangming, the Sect Master of Thousand Illusion Mountain, was shocked. Just as he was about to go out and investigate, Old Ancestor Huan Li’s voice reached his ears.

“Guangming, step back. I will handle this.”

“Yes, Old Ancestor.” Illusory Duke Guangming withdrew and entered the core area of the Sect-Guarding Array, waiting for the outcome of the negotiations.

Outside the illusion mountain, Huan Li flew into the sky with a smile, looking at the arriving Xu Qingyao and Lin Jing.

“I wonder what business the esteemed Third Holy Daughter of the Demon Court has with Thousand Illusion Mountain?”

“Senior Sister, it’s her,” Lin Jing said with certainty. “She’s clearly over a thousand years old, yet she still looks like a Loli. More importantly, I can sense she’s in an illusory form, but I can’t see through to her true body. Her mastery of illusions is definitely superior to mine.”

“Exalted One of Thousand Illusions, you know too much. It seems today—wait, what is a ‘Loli’?” Senior Sister Xu Qingyao stared unkindly at the Old Ancestor of Thousand Illusion Mountain, then turned to ask Lin Jing.

“Uh, it basically means a little girl. It’s slang from my hometown.”

“I see,” Senior Sister nodded.

“Damn it, are you two even reasonable?” the Old Ancestor of Thousand Illusion Mountain suddenly cursed. “I just took a few extra looks! Do you really intend to annex my Thousand Illusion Mountain like you did the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect?”

“Let me tell you, my Thousand Illusion Mountain isn’t as easy to mess with as the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect—”

“Furthermore, this kid sneaked into my Thousand Illusion Mountain to steal our secret techniques, and I haven’t even said anything about that yet.”

Just as Xu Qingyao had said, the Old Ancestor of Thousand Illusion Mountain indeed had more confidence than the Sect Leader of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.

Faced with powerhouses, the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect could only resign themselves to fate, unable to even resist.

But Thousand Illusion Mountain was different. Their Old Ancestor’s illusions were at the pinnacle; if she was determined to hide or escape, few could detain her unless a supreme expert intervened.

“Old Ancestor, don’t be nervous. I have indeed learned Thousand Illusion Mountain’s Spells, but how can it be called stealing? To this day, I am still a Disciple of Thousand Illusion Mountain. Surely you wouldn’t disown me as a Disciple?” Lin Jing chuckled.

The Old Ancestor of Thousand Illusion Mountain’s mouth twitched; she wouldn’t dare claim him as a Disciple.

If word got out that Lin Jing had joined Thousand Illusion Mountain, would the Sect ever have peace again?

The Yin Corpse Sect, the Gu God Sect, the Sky Lion Clan—which of these powers could Thousand Illusion Mountain afford to offend?

Of course, Thousand Illusion Mountain couldn’t afford to offend the Demon Court either. She seemed to recall a clan within the Demon Court called the Bi Yi Clan, who were also masters of illusions. Although she was extremely confident in her own illusions, she didn’t dare underestimate these masters among Yao Beasts.

Most importantly, Lin Jing was so young, yet his mastery of illusions was already close to hers. She truly couldn’t imagine what heights his achievements in illusions might reach in the future.

“Just leave. I didn’t see anything, and I don’t know anything. Thousand Illusion Mountain plans to seal its gates for five hundred years and withdraw from worldly affairs,” the Old Ancestor of Thousand Illusion waved them away.

“That won’t do,” Xu Qingyao said after a moment’s thought. “Exalted One of Thousand Illusions, I see that your Thousand Illusion Mountain is suffering from a lack of successors.”

“In a thousand years, no Disciple with the potential for Soul Transformation has appeared. Why don’t you continue to acknowledge him as a Disciple? In the future, he can inherit the Thousand Illusion Mountain Legacy. With his talent in the Illusion Dao, he certainly won’t tarnish your Sect’s reputation.”

“At your age, you should let go of mundane affairs and focus on pursuing the Kong Xuan Realm. You shouldn’t spend your energy on the Sect anymore. At your current level, the Sect is of little help to you. How about this: he will take over Thousand Illusion Mountain, and you come with me to the Demon Court. Doesn’t your Sect specialize in the Path of Phantom Beasts? I’ll introduce you to various Demon Ancestors to discuss the Dao. What do you think?”

“Uh…” Old Ancestor Huan Li was stunned.

She looked at Lin Jing. She had indeed never seen someone with such Heaven-Defying talent in illusions. If the Legacy of Thousand Illusion Mountain fell into his hands, it would actually be a sign of great prosperity.

Her biggest concern was the Sect. If the Sect’s Legacy was guaranteed, she could indeed pursue the Void Profound Dao with peace of mind.

Xu Qingyao had actually managed to tempt her.

“I believe the Exalted One is a smart person. You won’t regret this choice. Following us will definitely be better than Thousand Illusion Mountain developing on its own!” Xu Qingyao gave a boisterous laugh.

The Old Ancestor of Thousand Illusion Mountain’s face darkened. Damn it, you junior… did you say the exact same thing to the Sect Leader of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect just now?