"I'll take the lead! Try and take it down while I'm getting its attention!" Bing yelled as the group made it into the last room.
"Put me down already!" Ying told Bing with an irritated look on her face.
He did as she asked and they all locked eyes with the giant metal beast. The cave room they were in was smaller than the room they just left but it still had plenty of room for all of them to fight freely. The walls were littered with skeletons wearing the tattered robes of their sect, broken or rusted weapons lying next to them, and the musky smell of the cave itself.
A lot of disciples have met their end to this spirit tool. Lei Zhi wondered if there was some sort of malicious spirit inhabiting the magical treasure. The reason why it is trying to take so many lives could be because of this malice. Or was it just trying to protect itself from being taken away and used like a tool? Lei knew that some magical treasures could think for themselves as if they had their own mind. If this spirit tool was like that did it mean it was purposely trying to kill everyone who got caught in its illusion or just wanted to be left alone?
Lei shook his head. This type of thinking is only distracting him. He needs to focus on this battle and help his teammates out. The giant beast was swiping its paw down at Ying to crush her. It just knocked Bing away a few moments ago so he couldn't protect her from being squashed! Lei threw his fishing hook towards the leg of the metal wolf to try and help Ying. The feisty la.s.s definitely wouldn't choose to avoid the attack.
She stood her ground with a heated grin. Ying's giant sword came over her shoulder with great force to slice the beast's paw in half. The amount of power in that swing was definitely too much for a girl of her age and physique! Her sword and the beast's paw clashed in a fierce clash of sparks. Lei's hook reached the wolf's leg and easily pierced into it. Seeing that strange sight made him wonder just what couldn't his hook snag into...
Another question to test later with Bing, Ying was slowly pushing the metal paw back with just her raw strength! Lei was starting to doubt she even needed his help in the first place! Her sword was slowly cutting right through the beast's paw. The metal beast roared with enough force to send most of them flying away! Its clashing with Ying was stopped but Lei Zhi's hook was still attached to it! Quon caught Lei before he smashed into the cave wall while Lei tugged on his line, lifting the giant wolf off its feet and tossed it into the opposite wall.
Qing caught Ni Xong and stopped herself with her wings, Ying stabbed her sword into the ground before she could be sent flying, and Bing took a note from Ying by digging his twenty fingers into the floor. Now that the beast was out of the way, everyone could finally see the spirit tool that it was protecting.
"How beautiful..." Wan Qing muttered.
"Destroy it!" Bing yelled.
"Wait! Does anyone want an illusion making spirit tool!?" Lei Zhi asked.
"I don't! But I think Qing does!" Ying responded as Qing slowly flew over to the magical treasure.
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She wrapped her hands around the softly glowing oil lamp and suddenly she was taken elsewhere! Qing looked around and found herself sitting on a throne surrounded by kneeling men dressed in feminine robes. This was her palace... The palace she's lived in for the past 20 years... Why did it feel like she didn't recognize this place at all? Like she didn't know any of the hundreds of followers bowing before her. She seemed so lost looking at all the same things she's seen every day.
The palace she called her home was the most beautiful palace within the Evergreen continent. It was filled with such beauty and unbelievable riches that it was like this entire place was meant for her! Even though she played a great part in creating this place, it just all fit so perfectly. This great palace belonged in her Immortal Fairy Sect in which she was the sect leader of.
There was a strange blue b.u.t.terfly on the back of her palm though. She didn't recognize this bug but it felt like she should. It seemed like it was calling for her, trying to connect with her. It was crazy that Wan Qing felt like she should try and connect back with this spirit beast she's seen for the first time. If anyone else knew of her thoughts they would call her a maniac!
"Sect Leader!" Someone called out to her.
That shout woke her from her daze, "Yes?"
"Are you ready for the wedding that will combine both our sect and the Supreme Blade Kingdom together and lead the future of Evergreen continent into prosperity?" Ni Xiang asked.
Ni Xiang was her best friend since they were young. They did everything together growing up. Learning the ways of the sword, cultivating the same martial arts, and even liking the same boys but unlike Qing, she was born a woman. There was a time in their past where Wan envied Xiang because of this. It spiraled into a large fight where their friendship was close to shattering forever. If it wasn't for Xiang's persistent and headstrong nature then they would probably be nothing more than strangers right now.
Wan Qing smiled that her best friend was still with her but why did Wan feel like she didn't know Xiang at all? A small part of her refused to acknowledge Xiang as her best friend in the entire world. A small part of her refused to even acknowledge Xiang at all. And it wasn't just her she felt this way about, she felt this way about her supposed groom and everything that was happening right now. The body she was in didn't even feel comfortable! It felt different.
Ni Xiang grabbed her hand and led her to the doors leading out of her throne room. Was she really going to be married right now? Everything is going too fast! Shouldn't marriage be something done after several years of getting to know each other? Why does it feel like she's getting married to someone she just got to know a couple of seconds ago!? Just what is even going on right now?!
Ni Xiang opened the doors and soon the surroundings changed. Ni Xiang was no longer next to her and every one of her family and friends were sitting in chairs clapping. Wan looked to her right and stared into the eyes of Hu Tao!? Hu Tao locked eyes with Wan Qing and gently smiled. He was like a completely different person entirely! He was wearing a well-made and fitted outfit, his hair was smooth and straight, and his personality was kind, supporting, and respectful.
"Are you ready, my dear?" His voice was filled with love and care. If she didn't know Hu Tao before, he would be her dream husband! He was like a royal prince!
But! This was an illusion. She was trapped in an illusion inside an illusion right now! These memories floating around in her head weren't real! The magical treasure was a sky-ranked one! The b.u.t.terfly from before flew in front of her face and sent qi at her. It was trying to help her break free this entire time! Wan Qing responded in kind and sent her qi back to the b.u.t.terfly, distorting the world around her and all the people inside.
Qing shot up from the ground. She frantically looked around and saw everyone staring at her. The spirit tool was clutched in her hands, Ni Xong was hugging her lap with a worried look on his face, and the b.u.t.terflies were all over her body. It looks like they made it out of the first illusion without her. They were back in the Great Plains with everyone else.
"Finally awake huh? You should probably hide that unless you want everyone knowing we got the spirit tool." Ying smiled.
"How long was I out?" Wan asked as she connected her qi with the Illusionary Urn.
"Half an hour at most. After you touched the spirit tool, you just stopped moving. It was like your mind was taken somewhere else." Bing replied.
"I got put under a second illusion." Wan Qing used the powers of the urn to change its look into a normal sword. So, if anyone looked at it now, they would just see a sword hanging from her waist.
"We tried everything we could to wake you up but nothing worked." Lei Zhi said.
"I even punched you and that still didn't work." Ying revealed.
"Is that why my face hurts right now!?" Wan yelled.
"Sorry but hey! You got a spirit tool at the earth rank! Wanna show us what it can do?" Ying suddenly asked.
"We should get moving. Qing, you can tell us on the way." Bing suggested.
"Did it really have to be my face though!?" Wan asked.
"If a punch in the face won't wake you up, nothing will." Ying replied.
"She felt really guilty after doing it though. She even fed you one of her recovery pills." Bing spoke up.
"Who feels guilty!?" Ying shouted.
"Well thanks, but next time I'm unconscious don't touch my face please." Wan begged.
"Heh. Youth is refreshing to witness." Lei Zhi chuckled as the group got up and starting to move deeper in the Great Plains.
