Chapter 449: Layers of Mirage

"Brother Han, this is the eighty-third mirage illusion. From here, we start turning northeast." Lu Yuqing immediately noticed the anomaly ahead and said.

Upon hearing this, Han Li muttered incantations, and a dazzling golden light emerged from his body as the True Word Wheel spun and appeared.

He formed hand seals, and soon a巨大 pupil emerged in the center of the wheel—the Eye of Truth.

A faint golden light radiated from the pupil, gazing ahead.

Then, the surface of the Green Kite Flying Boat flashed with green light, slightly adjusting its course and flying northeast toward the oasis.

Although Han Li changed direction, the oasis ahead still appeared before them and rapidly grew larger as the boat advanced.

Han Li did not try to avoid it but directly urged the flying boat into the oasis.

The scenery before them suddenly changed; the surrounding desert vanished, and the flying boat appeared within an oasis.

Everywhere they looked, there were lush, dense forests and patches of lakes. Moist air rushed toward them, as if they had suddenly entered another cool world, the previous heat completely gone.

Moreover, the surrounding oasis kept spinning, giving a sense of disorientation between heaven and earth, causing dizziness.

Han Li remained calm, seemingly unfazed by this situation. He quickly formed hand seals and urged the Eye of Truth to scan the surroundings.

Lu Yuqing, however, immediately closed her eyes, sat cross-legged, and activated her technique to protect her mind.

The Green Kite Flying Boat flew forward steadily, unaffected by the changing environment.

After a full quarter of an hour, the surrounding oasis suddenly flickered, then shattered like bubbles and dissipated into nothing.

The scenery blurred and returned to the sea of sand.

Han Li's eyes remained fixed ahead without blinking as he urged the Green Kite Flying Boat to continue forward.

"I never expected these mirage illusions to be so powerful, impossible to avoid. Thanks to you, Brother Han, otherwise, even with a map and knowing the correct route, I would probably be unable to move an inch." Lu Yuqing let out a light breath, slowly opened her eyes, and smiled.

Han Li merely smiled faintly in response.

"The passage is not far from here, but according to the information I received, there is a Golden Immortal stage demon beast guarding it. Entering the passage might not be easy." Lu Yuqing hesitated for a moment before adding.

"Do you know what demon beast it is?" Han Li raised an eyebrow and asked.

"I'm not sure. I only heard that it is quite powerful and has been guarding the passage for who knows how many years." Lu Yuqing shook her head.

"No matter. We'll adapt as the situation arises." Han Li nodded thoughtfully and said slowly.

Seeing Han Li's expression, Lu Yuqing felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

In the blink of an eye, more than half a day passed.

During this time, they encountered several more mirage illusions, and Han Li, relying on the Eye of Truth, broke through each one without incident.

According to Lu Yuqing's map, the passage was just ahead.

Han Li was still piloting the flying boat, but his brow was slightly furrowed.

He no longer paid much attention to the mirage illusions in the sea of sand; his only concern now was the demon beast guarding the passage.

If what Lu Yuqing said was true—that this beast had been guarding the passage for unknown ages—who knew what it had become or what other abilities it might have developed.

As he pondered, a green flash appeared ahead, and another oasis illusion emerged.

Han Li quickly set aside his thoughts, golden light flickered on his body, and he activated the Eye of Truth.

"This is the last mirage illusion before the passage entrance. No need to change direction; go straight ahead." Lu Yuqing checked the map with her divine sense and said.

Han Li nodded, and the Green Kite Flying Boat glowed brightly, turning into a green streak that flew straight ahead, about to plunge into the oasis ahead.

But at that moment, the void ahead flickered repeatedly, and four more oasis illusions appeared.

The five oasis illusions formed a pentagon shape, resonating with each other, and simultaneously burst with light, instantly transforming into a colossal green light mass.

Han Li and Lu Yuqing were both startled, but it was too late to stop the flying boat.

The Green Kite Flying Boat flashed and vanished into the green light mass ahead. The scenery changed, and the sea of sand disappeared again.

But this time, what appeared was not the previous oasis environment but a hazy space.

Countless green lights flickered around, intertwining and leaping like a tangled mess.

Waves of powerful illusionary force pressed in from all directions, ten times stronger than the previous oasis illusions.

"How could this be..." Lu Yuqing was shocked.

But before she could finish, a powerful illusionary force surged in and enveloped her body.

Lu Yuqing's eyes immediately became vacant, and she stood there motionless, as if her mind had been taken over by the illusion.

Waves of illusionary force also assailed Han Li. Although his resistance was far stronger than Lu Yuqing's, he still found it somewhat strenuous, and a wave of dizziness hit him.

He took a deep breath and immediately activated the Art of Refining the Spirit. A cool sensation surged in his mind, and his muddled consciousness cleared.

At that moment, Lu Yuqing beside him suddenly began to move her limbs wildly, and a hint of madness appeared in her previously vacant eyes.

She abruptly turned to look at Han Li, her eyes filled with murderous intent. A silver light flashed in her hand, and a silver longsword appeared out of thin air.

A dazzling silver sword light emerged from the sword, pure and thread-like, resembling countless silver filaments.

The silver longsword blurred and turned into a vague shadow, slashing down at Han Li's head.

Before the sword shadow arrived, a fierce sword intent had already arrived, like countless red-hot steel needles piercing Han Li's soul.

Even with Han Li's powerful soul, he couldn't help but frown and let out a soft grunt.

At the same time, he was surprised. Having traveled with Lu Yuqing all this way, he had never seen her use swordsmanship. Her sword cultivation was so profound that it could harm the soul with sword intent.

But such damage was naturally of little concern to him.

He flicked his fingers, and five cyan sword qi shot out, blocking the silver longsword, ready to twist and shatter it.

But Lu Yuqing moved her wrist, and the silver longsword bounced like a live fish, then twisted impossibly and broke free from the five sword qi.

Lu Yuqing's body suddenly burst with dazzling green light, and her figure spun around and vanished.

Han Li was startled.

The next moment, figures flickered around him, and five identical Lu Yuqings appeared out of thin air.

Each Lu Yuqing emitted a fierce,森然 sword aura, completely different from before. The silver longswords in their hands shone even brighter, stabbing fiercely at Han Li's vital points with deadly precision.

Clang!

All five silver longswords struck a layer of starlight crystal membrane on Han Li's body and were blocked.

At the same time, the Eye of Truth before Han Li flashed with golden light and swept over the five Lu Yuqings.

The next moment, Han Li's eyes lit up as if he understood something, and he suddenly opened his mouth.

A thick golden arc of lightning shot out from his mouth, striking swiftly at a Lu Yuqing on his left.

That person let out a low shout, swung her arm, and the silver longsword turned into a dense silver sword screen, protecting her entire body.

The golden arc hit the sword screen, crackling loudly, and was nearly half shattered by the sword shadows.

But the silver sword screen also trembled violently, finally reaching its limit. With a crisp "pop," it disintegrated.

The silver longsword in Lu Yuqing's hand also shattered into countless silver fragments.

The remaining golden arc did not stop and struck Lu Yuqing's body.

Her body was sent flying like a tattered sack, crashing directly into the cabin of the flying boat.

The other four Lu Yuqings trembled and then vanished.

After a muffled grunt, Lu Yuqing turned over and leaped up again, a fierce light in her eyes, about to do something.

At that moment, the void around her flickered, and a thick, crystalline chain materialized out of thin air, wrapping around her like lightning.

These chains were silver-white, crystal clear, and faintly visible, as if not solid—they were the Spirit Chain.

Lu Yuqing's body was immediately immobilized, but her frenzied expression did not return to normal; she still struggled fiercely.

Han Li quickly chanted incantations, flicked his finger, and several spell seals shot out, entering various parts of Lu Yuqing's body.

The spell seals were faintly inscribed with countless runes, emitting a sealing force.

As the spell seals entered her body, several crystal rings appeared on Lu Yuqing's body, firmly binding her.

Her protective green light vanished like snow under the sun, and her body went limp, falling to the ground with a thud.

Seeing this, Han Li nodded slightly.

This was a secret technique he had created by studying the Seven Luminaries Star Rings and imitating their binding power; it seemed the effect met expectations.

However, the scene just now stirred a hint of doubt in his mind.

If not for the poor quality of the silver longsword in Lu Yuqing's hand—merely an ordinary magic treasure, not even a spiritual treasure—he might not have subdued her so easily.

Lu Yuqing's strength just now was far greater than what she had shown throughout the journey.

Had she been deliberately hiding it?

Han Li took a deep look at the fallen woman, then immediately averted his gaze. He was still in danger and couldn't afford to attend to Lu Yuqing.

The True Extreme Membrane around him flickered and vanished. He sat cross-legged and looked at the hazy space around him.

Although this illusion was powerful, he could tell that this hazy space was essentially the same as the previous oasis illusions.

With his experience in breaking illusions over the past few days, he was confident he could break out of this formation.

Han Li muttered incantations, mobilizing all the immortal spiritual power in his body and channeling it into the True Word Wheel before him.

The True Word Wheel immediately emitted a brilliant golden light, especially the Eye of Truth at its center, which became crystalline and dazzling as golden light flowed through it.