Soon after relaying situation awareness and finishing introductions, Davis and the others set out.
They hovered through the dense grove, occasionally brushing past trees that were thousands of meters tall. Although they didn't reach even the chest of the mountain, they did indeed sprawl around the mountains in such a way that even amidst the basin, the visibility was practically dense.
It wouldn't be strange if an entity that managed to hide itself chose to ambush them. That was how advantageous the surroundings were for an ambush, a blind spot appearing and disappearing with each huge tree that was tens of meters wide, having many roots that made the underneath appear like they could host a wide variety of bugs.
All sorts of imaginations swirled around Davis's head.
This was an unknown land, making him feel like it wouldn't be strange if the ground split apart and a huge creature swallowed them whole or if they were already walking on one, although he couldn't sense such a thing underneath as his soul sense already explored a few thousand kilometers underneath, finding nothing other than ordinary ores and dirt although that also may be an illusion in this formation they were trapped in.
As they pressed onward through the dense forest, suddenly mist started pouring in, thickening the air as their vision became obstructed, even their soul sense.
"It's also an illusion…" Myria uttered.
Even though they understood that they weren't able to overcome it as the perception was such a hard thing to control when it was being influenced.
"What…?"
Sophie instantly conjured azure flames from her hand, her undulations blaring as she suddenly heard an unsettling whisper.
These whispers echoed through the trees, and eerie shapes flickered in the corners of their vision, making it difficult to discern reality from illusion. This caused her to panic as she inched closer to Davis.
Abruptly, she saw a long-robed specter emerge from one of the giant trees, causing her to flinch.
*Whizz!~*
She threw the azure flame at the giant tree, but it passed through the incoming specter.
"Dear!"
Sophie cried out in shock as she saw the specter abruptly dash like a serpent, slithering over the surface before it raised its claws and slashed at Davis from below, its claws ripping him apart from his feet to head!
"…!"
Her eyes turned bloodshot, and she was about to make a move when she suddenly experienced an immense force acting on her.
The next moment, she blinked, looking at Davis holding her head and caress as he ran his hands through her blonde hair while looking at her with worry.
"Are you fine? You got dragged into an illusion…"
"…"
Sophie moved her gaze around, noticing that everyone else was looking at her except a few who were holding their heads.
Clearly, Davis and most of the others weren't influenced by the illusion, causing her to turn embarrassed. However, she felt a little better as she saw that even Niel Bladeheart and Garoe Rynn were still trapped in an illusion.
Davis turned to look around and saw even Vereina, who rushed her cultivation, wasn't affected.
"Break."
At this moment, Asher Mooncrest, who was clad in white robes, raised his hands, his soul force extending out of his palms as they encased Niel Bladeheart and Garoe Rynn. He allowed the two to break free of the illusion, causing them to become embarrassed and cup their hands towards him as they thanked the alchemist of their group.
"Clearly, if you're soul prowess is not at the Level One Immortal Emperor Stage, you're going to be hard-pressed to defend against this illusion mist, trapped here for a long time before the formation master comes and finishes you off, or you die before that happens because you couldn't defend against an illusion of this level."
Orion Chestwave harrumphed coldly, looking at the ones who were caught in the illusion with a condescending tone.
It seemed that he was offended by their inability to overcome such a weak illusion.
"Indeed." Davis lightly smiled, "This formation seems to be designed for the masses. But the people here are all selected by either me or the Aurora Cloud Gate elders. If you have some problem, why don't you go back to your master and beg him to teach us how to break through powerful illusions that are above one's cultivation."
"…"
Orion Chestwave looked at him with a frown, "Is that supposed to insult me?"
"No, teach you some common sense. It was no wonder I didn't see Divergents around in Aurora Cloud Gate that much. I've been around reasonable Divergents that I forgot why the people blamed us in- "
"Aiya~ Can we not fight here? Let's get out first."
Maximus Wolfbane hurriedly arrived between the two of them and tried to calm them with a worried expression on his face.
"Hmph! Agreed. I don't want to spend time with weaklings either. Magnus Irvin, Asher Mooncrest. If you two don't want to die here, you better follow me."
He coldly spoke and continued on the path while Davis watched him leave.
However, Magnus Irvin and Asher Mooncrest also left with him after they cupped their hands towards him, indicating that they meant no offense.
He understood their thought process. After all, he already had so many people to take care of that they would have better chances to survive with Orion Chestwave.
"I'm sorry…"
Sophie's soul transmission suddenly fell into his mind, causing him to shake his head.
"It's not your fault…"
He knew Sophie had not trained her Soul Forging Cultivation that much as it wasn't heavily required for forging. On the other hand, due to heavy pill concoction requirements, both Tina and Dalila seemed to have overcome the illusions by themselves. They had powerful souls but not Sophie, who concentrated on focusing on her Immortal Vessel.
Sophie felt moved. She felt like she had embarrassed him here, but he said otherwise, causing her to be full of glee.
Soon, they continued after Orion Chestwave's groups and came across more illusions, one which even started affecting almost everyone else in the group other than Davis, Myria, Lea Weiss, Maximus Wolfbane, and even Bing Luli.
Davis was shocked to see that Vereina, who was a soul expert, was influenced by the illusion but not Bing Luli, recognizing that the latter had become even stronger.
As they ventured deeper into the forest, the illusions grew more intense, creating an environment that challenged their resolve. Shimmering apparitions of loved ones, haunting whispers that spoke of doubt and fear, and mirages of tantalizing exits appeared before them.
Myria saw her dead father appear here, looking at her with a bloody gaze, but she didn't even deign to look at him. Like her, many others witnessed their fears and regrets come to haunt them.
Dalila witnessed Davis looking at her with disdain and disappearing, and Tina felt like she was stuck in a cold palace. Sophie even vaguely saw her child being mutilated by a bunch of savages. However, they all gritted their teeth, knowing that these were all illusions.
Once they believed it was real, it was over. It could affect their sanity and even inflict a real wound caused by the explosion of their own energy circulation or truly be affected by the legendary realm of illusion.
Regardless, the group remained steadfast, focusing their attention on Myria, who seemed to have somewhat become a guiding light in their illusions.
Davis saw Myria unleash a soothing light as she kept walking without looking back. Even he could feel the warmth from it, knowing that she put herself in those illusions to be a guiding light.
Her knowledge and understanding of techniques and formations were practically above everyone else present, including him. With her here, he felt like he didn't have to do anything, causing him to smile at her with fondness.
And indeed, guided by Myria's gentle light, once convincing apparitions now seemed translucent and feeble, and the whispers grew distant and indistinct. With newfound determination, they pushed through, refusing to let their doubts control them as they followed Myria out.
The next moment, the mist began to dissipate, revealing a breathtaking landscape bathed in the sun's warm light. They emerged from the shadows of the forest, relieved and exhilarated as they looked at the vast scenery of the verdant prairie and basked in the freedom of the open space.
Niel Bladeheart and Garoe Rynn's hearts shook as they gazed at Myria's soothing light. The word 'divine fairy' stuck in their throats as she exuded such a magnificent bearing that made their souls tremble with the intent to protect her, but they wryly smiled, knowing someone else already had an eye on her.
"…!"
They saw Davis view her deeply, but then, a shadow was suddenly cast on them, causing them to turn to look up.
A giant blue bird with a three-hundred-meter-long wingspan flew above them, blotting out the sun. It suddenly dived, dashing towards them.
They took a battle stance, readying themselves to combat it when simultaneously, the ground split open, and a giant crimson crocodile of unknown length tried to swallow them whole.
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