040 The Waves Rise Again (4)

As soon as the force exerted by Nüluo weakened, the revenant slowly straightened his long-twisted body, though his appearance was almost comical. Nüluo often wondered if his oversized skull might someday crush his slender frame.

She observed his every movement with meticulous attention, not letting the slightest detail escape her scrutiny, and at last she noticed something unusual.

Moments ago, he'd worn a pitiful expression, but now there was a mysterious glimmer in his eyes—what was he thinking? In his gaze, Nüluo glimpsed a conspiracy.

Since entering the Underworld, she had encountered all manner of revenants. Yet this devouring revenant before her was undeniably the most cunning.

His eyes kept drifting toward a certain direction. At first, Nüluo paid it no mind, but when he looked a third time, her curiosity was piqued. What was he watching so intently, and what might that direction signify?

Moreover, his feet never ceased their subtle movement—so slight as to be nearly invisible unless observed closely. In this phantasmal space, maintaining a steady form was difficult, but the peculiarity lay in his purposeful steps; he wasn't merely floating aimlessly, but moving with intent.

Meanwhile, Nüluo hovered above, her feet unsupported by anything tangible. Her sole reliance was the power of the protective barrier, barely allowing her to keep from drifting aimlessly.

But the revenant before her was entirely different. Each of his steps was so real—it was as if he walked with purpose. Considering his previous actions, there must be some unseen force supporting him. More precisely, some invisible power was sustaining his movements.

Two worlds, so close yet so distinct. Two worlds? Suddenly, a thought struck Nüluo.

Could there be two separate illusions between herself and him, even at such close proximity? Even with her restraints upon him?

If so, when had she herself entered the illusion? Why was its presence imperceptible? How had its master accomplished such a feat?

Nüluo glanced around at the hazy space, the faint light illuminating a world even more ethereal. Everything was blurred, unreal.

She missed nothing of the revenant's subtle changes. He must know something.

If their illusions differed, it might explain why other revenants vanished so quickly, and why the steps beneath her feet suddenly disappeared.

He hadn't been abandoned—he had been deliberately left behind. The revenant must have sought to devour her outright when she first arrived in this unfamiliar realm, not reckoning with the flame sword's power, which surpassed his abilities and even exceeded the illusion master's expectations. Thus, the other revenants had vanished without a trace. They had merely left the illusion; they must still linger nearby, waiting to strike from unseen places.

The thought of those grotesque revenants lurking around her, unseen, sent a chill through Nüluo's heart.

But when exactly had she entered this illusion?

She recalled every detail. Was it when she stopped moving forward? When she sensed something amiss? When she heard laughter? When she turned to look back? Or when she turned again? When had it happened?

She remembered the last, peculiar step upon which she had stood.

That step was the key. Could all before it have been crafted to catch her attention, to draw her gaze? The moment she looked back, the ever-present illusion around her took effect. Its power was gradually increasing.

When she turned again, seeing the road ahead vanish was just another lure for her attention. In that brief blankness of mind, the illusion was completed.

When the steps disappeared, whether she stepped into emptiness or into the illusion, she had unwittingly entered a strange new realm. Within the illusion, time and space could be stretched endlessly.

No wonder she had felt herself falling forever, never seeing the end—she was simply trapped in an illusion.

With careful analysis, some matters became clearer. Yet one point eluded her: how could the revenants move in and out of the illusion so easily? Were they its masters?

A sudden notion surfaced in her mind, but Nüluo quickly dismissed it.

They lacked the power, not even the revenant before her could be the master. If he truly controlled the illusion, he could not have been captured so easily. So, who was its true master?

Nüluo deliberately feigned confusion, pretending not to notice the revenant’s odd behavior.

He, too, watched her warily, sensing the restraints upon him weakening—now so faint he could almost break free.

He smirked inwardly; he had expected the power of the Earth God lineage to manifest astonishingly once strengthened, yet it was nothing of the sort. If she could not defeat him, then soon he would enjoy a delicious banquet.

The triumphant revenant betrayed nothing, occasionally casting his pitiful gaze at Nüluo, hoping to lull her vigilance.

Nüluo’s eyes never left him, though she showed no sign of abnormality. She sensed the subtle change beneath his feet. He kept moving toward the same direction—the one he had looked at three times.

There had to be a secret there.

Suddenly, his movements quickened, swift as lightning, as if he disregarded the restraints altogether.

Nüluo realized her restraints had inflicted little harm; he had been feigning all along. The pain was false, the weakness an act. Had he allowed himself to be captured deliberately? Was he hiding his true strength?

When the revenant reached that spot, he flashed a grin at Nüluo, having shed her restraints. Freed, he resumed his wicked countenance, extending his long tongue, dripping with vile liquid. He looked at Nüluo with disdain and turned to leave. In an instant, he stepped out of the illusion that bound Nüluo and entered what he considered a safe domain.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he turned to watch Nüluo struggle within the illusion, drifting endlessly in that phantasmal space, never to escape until her life ended.

He laughed gleefully, envisioning countless scenarios, but when he looked back, he was struck with horror. His already hideous face twisted even more, his eyes nearly bulging from their sockets.

The illusion was empty—no sign of Nüluo remained. She had vanished. How could she disappear? When had it happened, why had he not noticed?

Terror-stricken, the revenant stared at the illusion. He had failed—utterly failed. If he could not trap Nüluo, what fate awaited him?

With a resounding thud, a pale fist smashed into his skull. The heavy blow sent him sprawling to the ground, this time onto solid earth.

He saw Nüluo standing before him, expressionless. The figure that should have been trapped within the illusion now appeared before him, real as life.

Nüluo’s fist struck his skull again. This wretched creature dared to flee, dared to cast that disgusting look at her; Nüluo could only vent her fury with her fists.

Finally, the revenant’s expression changed. He could not believe his eyes. She had followed him all along? When had she noticed his movements? He had been so careful.

"You found out!" Another punch.

"How did you discover it?" Yet another punch.

Every question he asked was met with a fierce blow to his head.

At last, the revenant sensed the pattern and fell silent. Nüluo’s world grew quiet, and the blows ceased.

This time, the restraints Nüluo imposed upon him were several times stronger. The revenant finally revealed genuine pain. Though it was real now, Nüluo ignored his expression entirely.

He did not understand why Nüluo stood here. In truth, the moment his form shifted, Nüluo sensed it. He thought he had fully escaped her restraints, but there was still an invisible layer binding him—wherever he went, Nüluo would arrive simultaneously. That was why she now stood here.

The revenant lay on the ground, finally aware of the vast gulf between their powers. The restraints upon him now far exceeded anything he could resist.

The truth was plain: she had never relaxed her control over him; all her apparent confusion was a ruse. She had deliberately feigned bewilderment to mislead him, and had intentionally eased her restraints to leave the illusion. How ridiculous that he thought all was within his grasp.

The revenant finally understood that Nüluo's power had far surpassed the Earth God lineage he had seen before. Now, he faced reality, offering no resistance, though he had not completely given up—because the true master of the illusion was watching all that transpired.

At the thought of that figure, he shuddered.

Nüluo glanced at him briefly and then looked away. Here was yet another new world—a nearly real illusion.

She found no trace of the path she had come from; the vanished steps did not reappear. She was still within the illusion, perhaps its second layer. But now, with tangible sensation, she finally stood upon solid ground.

Though this land appeared within the illusion, it was real within its bounds, until the illusion itself faded away.