Chapter 323: Chapter 243: True Realm in the Painting, True Immortal Mountain in the Void (Part 2)

This reminded Yi Beidou of certain legends.

Legend tells of the Map of Mountains and Rivers, a painting that held an entire world within it.

Many legends and religions contained similar accounts.

In a trance, an individual might find themselves in an indescribable wonderland, even coming face-to-face with Deities.

Places like Heaven, Hell, the Sumeru Realm, or Shambhala...

It seems legends might not be mere legends after all.

These places might truly exist, just not in the physical world.

’What a truly miraculous technique.’

Even Yi Beidou couldn’t help but marvel.

He took a moment to feel his surroundings and could sense the presence of his physical body. This Illusion Realm was like a dream; he could wake from it at any time. This put him much more at ease.

If anything felt wrong, he could return to reality in an instant.

’The Penglai Power exists here, too, and it even feels stronger and clearer?’

Yi Beidou reached this conclusion after carefully sensing his surroundings.

Compared to the outside world, the Penglai Power here was far more distinct.

’Does this mean that if I cultivate and comprehend the Penglai Power in this Illusion Realm, my efforts will be twice as effective? The Alchemists occupied this treasure land for years, and they still couldn’t truly master this power?’

Yi Beidou muttered to himself.

HUMMM!!

The next moment, a strange change occurred within the Illusion Realm. The celestial music in his ears abruptly intensified, growing sharp and instilling a profound sense of terror.

"Hm?"

Then, something even more terrifying happened. Yi Beidou felt an intense pain wrack his entire body.

SWOOSH!!

He felt something brush against his face, falling in streams.

He reached up and swiped at his head, pulling away a clump of pitch-black hair.

It was his own hair.

Amidst the excruciating pain, all the hair on his body was falling out.

Not only that, but after his hair fell out, a fine powder began to flake off the surface of his skin.

His skin was dissolving.

Keep in mind, his was the terrifying Demon Body, impervious to blades and capable of withstanding even military-grade weaponry.

However, this was not reality but a dream-like Illusion Realm, and the Immortal Mountain was in control here.

Some force was "dissolving" his indestructible body.

This reminded Yi Beidou of an Illusion Realm he had experienced before.

The White Bone Observation.

In that Illusion Realm, his physical body had also disintegrated, his flesh rotting away to reveal stark white bones. If he couldn’t withstand the intense agony, he would be lost to the illusion forever.

Yi Beidou wasn’t concerned about the physical pain. He was more worried about the consequences of this phenomenon.

Even though this was only an Illusion Realm, it was still connected to his Life Magnetic Field. If his body completely dissolved here, his Life Magnetic Field would likely suffer a heavy blow in the real world.

Of course, it probably wouldn’t be enough to actually kill him.

’What is the purpose of this Spirit Painting?’

Yi Beidou wondered.

This Spirit Painting clearly wasn’t created for the sole purpose of torture. If the Immortal Mountain lineage was considered a sect or a legacy, then this was more likely a training ground.

One force was dissolving his physical body, so he needed to use another force to repair it. This would achieve a balance, allowing him to exist within this Illusory Immortal Mountain for a longer period.

’This is a form of Cultivation. Once I reach a certain level, perhaps I’ll be able to grasp the Penglai Power?’

A Cultivator of the Penglai Immortal Mountain’s Taoist Skills, by training in this Illusion Realm, could achieve maximum progress with minimal harm.

As Yi Beidou considered this, he prepared to sit cross-legged and attempt to channel the Penglai Power to restore his body and counteract the Power of Dissolution. Suddenly, his brow furrowed.

TAP, TAP!!

He heard the sound of approaching footsteps. His gaze snapped toward a spot in front of him.

From within the "wall" of mist and glowing light, a human figure emerged, strolling toward him.

’A person?! A living being?!’

’Could it be a conscious entity left behind by the ancients of the Immortal Mountain thousands of years ago?’

Yi Beidou’s expression shifted slightly.

He made no move, simply standing his ground and watching the figure slowly approach. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

It was truly just a "figure." It was quite tall, but even as it stood before Yi Beidou, he couldn’t make out its features or clothing. It was like a condensation of mist. Only its pupil-less eyes seemed to radiate a soul-stirring light.

Yi Beidou grew vigilant, raising his Life Magnetic Field. This was, after all, an Illusion Realm controlled by the Spirit Painting; it was hard to say how much of his true power he could bring to bear.

If things went south, his only option would be to immediately exit the Illusion Realm.

Fortunately, the tall, illusory figure did not attack. It simply walked out of the mist and stopped in front of him.

The figure trembled slightly, looking for all the world like an unstable signal.

The unknown figure’s mouth opened and closed slightly, as if it were speaking. Yi Beidou tried to listen, but all he heard was a buzzing sound, making it impossible to discern any words.

It felt just like watching a video that was suddenly censored with a loud "BLEEP."

Ordinarily, for someone at Yi Beidou’s level, reading lips was no problem. But as he watched the movements of the figure’s mouth, he couldn’t connect them to any language he knew.

Who knew how long this figure had existed? The languages of human regions had undergone earth-shattering changes throughout history; even the most expert linguist wouldn’t dare claim they could communicate fluently with people of the ancient past.

In other words, even if the voice wasn’t muted, Yi Beidou likely wouldn’t have understood a word.

For a rare moment, he felt like an illiterate, completely out of his depth.

Still, he could tell from its tone that the figure was explaining something.

Perhaps it was a unique feature of the Penglai lineage’s Cultivation, or something related to the Penglai Power.

In any case, it had to be something important.

Unfortunately, Yi Beidou had no idea what it was saying.

But his spirits soon lifted, because the figure began gesturing with its hands and moving its body. It might have been demonstrating a set of Pile Techniques, the characteristics of Emitting Force, or the principles of True Qi circulation.

Yi Beidou couldn’t understand the language, but the movements could prove to be extremely useful.

As long as the being wasn’t an alien, it would possess basic human characteristics, and he could glean a great deal from its movements.

Just as Yi Beidou focused his attention, ready to observe the figure’s actions, another sudden change occurred.

BZZZZZZ!!

The figure suddenly began to shake and distort violently, like a pixelated image, as if it had become corrupted.

SCREEE!!

The figure let out a seemingly inhuman shriek, and the entire environment of the Immortal Mountain changed in an instant.

The celestial music instantly became a piercing shriek. The surrounding Immortal Realm-like scenery grew dim and dark, suffused with an indescribable horror, as if an Underworld filter had been laid over everything.

Even more ominously, the Power of Dissolution suddenly intensified, and an even more violent pain wracked Yi Beidou’s body.

His flesh sloughed off in bloody strips. In an instant, he was skinless, his entire body a raw, crimson red.

At this rate, he would be reduced to a skeleton in mere moments.

Forget his current grasp of the Penglai Technique; even an Alchemist in the state of the Immortal Forbidden Area would likely be unable to survive this level of the Power of Dissolution.

With a jolt of his will, Yi Beidou chose to exit the Illusion Realm.

「Back in reality.」

Yi Beidou’s eyes snapped open. He felt a slight warmth on the tip of his nose. When he reached up to wipe it, his palm came away stained crimson.

He was injured. The wound was comparable to the backlash from using the Second Layer of Reverse Chaos. Had he withdrawn from the Illusory Immortal Mountain a moment later, his injuries would have been even worse.

He looked at the Immortal Mountain Spirit Painting before him and began to understand. He now knew why the Alchemists had failed to master the Penglai Power after so many years, and why they had left the painting here intact instead of trying to take it with them.

This Immortal Mountain Spirit Painting appeared complete, but in reality, its internal magnetic field system had a massive problem and had been corrupted by some unknown influence.

This reminded Yi Beidou of the legend of the Three Immortal Mountains Overseas. Two of them had already sunk beneath the sea. Something must have happened back then that, while this Penglai Immortal Mountain survived, its very essence had been critically damaged.