Early the next morning, everyone set off for the illusion aboard spirit boats.
This time, every sect had sent disciples, so the scale was especially grand.
Dozens of spirit boats sailed majestically through the air, an impressive sight.
After the boats landed, the various sects entered the illusion in order. Since they were searching together but divided by sect, each sect’s disciples formed their own group.
As Ye Ran followed Lu Li off the boat, she noticed that Meng Xuan had come as well.
“Junior sister, this journey into the illusion is extremely dangerous. You must stay close to us.”
Ye Ran had barely glanced at Meng Xuan when he immediately noticed her gaze. His face lit up with joy as he quickly walked over.
“Thank you for your concern, junior brother.”
Lu Li answered on Ye Ran’s behalf.
His calm eyes swept over Meng Xuan’s shoulder before landing on his face. Though the glance seemed casual, a flicker of panic crossed Meng Xuan’s features. But he quickly looked away and turned to Ye Ran, his panic replaced by an affectionate gaze, as if only a personal response from her would suffice.
“Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother Meng.”
Unable to bear Meng Xuan’s stare, Ye Ran finally responded.
No sooner had she spoken than a cool hand wrapped around her wrist. His thumb gently rubbed her skin, sending tingling sensations through her—an unspoken clinginess.
Ye Ran shifted, but couldn’t break free. The tingling continued unabated.
She sighed inwardly and continued to Meng Xuan: “With Senior Brother Lu here, I won’t be in danger.”
This finally satisfied Lu Li, who let go of Ye Ran’s wrist.
Meng Xuan’s expression grew even more dejected, but he clearly wasn’t ready to give up. He lingered before Ye Ran, unwilling to leave.
“Senior Brother Lu has to protect all the disciples. He might not always be able to watch over you, junior sister. If you encounter a life-threatening situation, you can take shelter behind me.”
“Junior brother should focus on ensuring his own safety.”
Lu Li’s voice carried a hint of coldness. Meng Xuan immediately averted his burning gaze, looking at Lu Li in shock and disbelief.
He had been taking advantage of Lu Li’s good temper, repeatedly making advances toward Ye Ran even though he knew about their relationship.
He had assumed that even if Lu Li was displeased, he couldn’t do anything about it.
But lately, he had noticed a change in Lu Li’s attitude toward him. It was no longer as gentle as before. Every time he faced Lu Li, he felt a sense of pressure.
Especially now—beyond that pressure, he also sensed a chill and a warning in Lu Li’s words.
As if, should he overstep again, Lu Li would actually take action against him.
At this thought, cold sweat broke out on Meng Xuan’s palms. He lowered his head.
“I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother Lu.”
Only then did Meng Xuan truly settle down.
The coldness radiating from Lu Li eased slightly. He looked up and scanned the surrounding disciples before speaking calmly:
“Let’s move out.”
“Yes!”
After a unified response, Lu Li led the group into the entrance of the illusion.
Compared to last time, the illusion had changed.
When they had entered before, everything was lush and vibrant, filled with greenery.
But this time, many plants showed signs of decay. Even the sky was shrouded in gloom, as if a storm was brewing.
“Senior Brother Lu, before we left, Master gave me a map. It shows that the northern part of the illusion hasn’t been explored yet. Master instructed us to search north.”
Just as Lu Li was about to lead the group along the planned route, Meng Xuan stopped him and produced a map.
Lu Li took the map and glanced at it, then looked up at Meng Xuan.
“The agreed route was south.”
Lu Li’s tone revealed no emotion, but it carried an invisible pressure that made a flicker of panic flash through Meng Xuan’s eyes.
“This was specifically instructed by Master before we left. Here is also a letter from Master. Please take a look, Senior Brother Lu.”
With that, Meng Xuan handed another letter to Lu Li.
Lu Li took it, glanced at it, but didn’t speak. Only when Meng Xuan’s nervousness became increasingly apparent did he put away the letter and nod.
“Then we’ll follow Master’s instructions and go north.”
With that, Lu Li turned and headed north.
Ye Ran, walking beside Lu Li, noticed that Meng Xuan’s reaction seemed off.
She couldn’t help but glance back at Meng Xuan, and happened to see what looked like a sigh of relief. Her suspicion deepened.
Meng Xuan noticed her gaze. He immediately composed himself, putting on a flattered expression, and looked at Ye Ran with even greater intensity.
His sticky, cloying stare made Ye Ran deeply uncomfortable. She quickly looked away.
As a result, she missed the flash of obsession and determination that appeared in Meng Xuan’s eyes the moment she turned her head.
[System, I think the male lead is acting a bit strange.]
From Meng Xuan’s reaction to Lu Li earlier, Ye Ran had sensed something off.
She felt that today’s Meng Xuan was very peculiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on exactly what was wrong.
[Host, our mission is to stay away from the male lead. As long as you keep your distance and cling tightly to the villain, you’ll be fine.]
[That’s not wrong.]
Ye Ran nodded thoughtfully and unconsciously edged closer to Lu Li.
Though it was just a subtle move, Lu Li noticed immediately.
A few cool fingers brushed against Ye Ran’s palm. Before she could pull away, those fingers interlaced with hers, holding her hand firmly.
Startled by his boldness, Ye Ran remembered the disciples following behind them. It really wasn’t appropriate for them to be so intimate in public.
She struggled and shot Lu Li a glare, signaling him to let go.
But instead of releasing her, Lu Li only held on tighter. When Ye Ran looked at him, he smirked—an expression that clearly said, “What are you going to do about it?”
Fortunately, they were walking very close, and his wide sleeves concealed their joined hands. Without looking closely, no one could tell.
So Ye Ran gave up struggling and let Lu Li hold her hand as they walked.
As the group pressed on, the once-lush trees began to wither, and the dark clouds in the sky grew thicker.
Under the dim light, the atmosphere became increasingly oppressive.
Everyone grew more alert. Many disciples had already drawn their swords, ready for a fight at any moment.
But Lu Li seemed completely at ease. Still holding Ye Ran’s hand, he strolled leisurely at the front, as if he had no fear of an ambush.
“Senior Brother Lu, something feels strange about this place. We should be more cautious.”
Meng Xuan walked up with his sword drawn to warn Lu Li.
“Thank you for the reminder, junior brother.”
Though Lu Li said this, he didn’t change his demeanor. He continued holding Ye Ran’s hand, looking completely relaxed.
Meng Xuan retreated to the back, but as he looked at Lu Li’s figure, a cold smile appeared on his face.
After walking a bit further, the light grew even dimmer. The forest was eerily silent—the only sound was the crunch of footsteps on the ground.
“Ah!!!”
Suddenly, a scream came from the rear.
Everyone stopped and turned. Thorny vines had appeared in the forest. The disciple at the very back was entangled by one. After a single scream, he was snapped in half.
Panic rippled through the group at this sudden turn. Only when more vines attacked did they snap into action to defend themselves.
“Senior brother, look out!”
Ye Ran had just drawn her sword when she saw a thick vine appear behind Lu Li, speeding toward him.
In the nick of time, Lu Li pulled Ye Ran aside, dodging the attack.
But this move separated them from the group.
As Lu Li tried to lead Ye Ran back to the others, the surrounding vines seemed to sense his intention. They multiplied, blocking his path.
More and more vines closed in on them. Lu Li had to dodge while cutting down the vines, all while keeping Ye Ran close.
But this only pushed them farther from the group.
Realizing they would soon be isolated, Ye Ran drew her sword to help Lu Li fight off the vines.
After much recent practice, her swordsmanship had improved considerably. The vines weren’t too difficult to handle.
As the number of vines dwindled, Ye Ran tried to lead Lu Li back to the group.
But just as she turned to speak to him, a vine silently appeared behind her and lunged.
By the time she noticed, it was too late—she couldn’t dodge.
Just as the vine was about to strike her, Lu Li rushed to her side, wrapped his arms around her, and took the hit himself.
“Senior brother!”
Before Ye Ran could react, Meng Xuan’s urgent voice rang out.
Sword in hand, he rushed over and cut down the vine that had attacked Lu Li.
“Senior Brother Lu, are you alright?”
Seeing the wound on Lu Li’s back, Meng Xuan looked deeply concerned.
Lu Li let go of Ye Ran. Only after confirming she was unharmed did he shake his head.
“I’m fine. Let’s go back.”
He was about to lead Ye Ran and Meng Xuan back to the group when a figure darted through the forest, followed by an attack aimed at them.
Though Lu Li managed to pull Ye Ran and Meng Xuan out of the way in time, the residual force of the blast nearly knocked Ye Ran off her feet.
“Senior Brother Lu! That must be the demon lord!”
Meng Xuan exclaimed before pointing his sword toward the direction of the attack.
Lu Li gave him a bland look, then also looked ahead.
“Hahaha! You guessed right. Since that’s the case, you can all die.”
A figure emerged from the darkness. His eyes swept over the three with disdain, as if they were mere ants he could crush at will.
Ye Ran’s heart leaped into her throat. She hadn’t expected to encounter the legendary demon lord so soon.
Remembering the demon lord’s connection to Lu Li, she couldn’t help but look up at him.
Strangely, Lu Li’s face showed no hatred—only calm. So calm that Ye Ran felt he was looking at a clown.
“Senior Brother Lu! He really is the demon lord. Let’s capture him!”
As the demon lord approached step by step, Meng Xuan’s urgent voice rang out again.
But Lu Li didn’t move. Instead, he turned and looked at Meng Xuan.
The glance made Meng Xuan’s expression flicker with panic. But he quickly charged ahead with his sword.
Only then did Lu Li move, joining Meng Xuan in fighting the demon lord.
Soon, the demon lord was losing ground. Sensibly realizing he couldn’t win, he turned and fled.
“Senior Brother Lu, what now?”
Meng Xuan stopped and looked back at Lu Li.
“Chase.”
With a single word, Lu Li took Ye Ran and pursued. Meng Xuan followed closely behind.
The demon lord wasn’t fleeing very fast. They quickly caught up. But just as they were about to reach him, he activated an array and slipped inside.
Seeing the array about to close, Lu Li flicked a leaf into it, slowing its disappearance.
“Senior Brother Lu, our fellow disciples are trapped outside. We don’t know what’s inside this array. Maybe we shouldn’t rush in.”
Meng Xuan stepped forward to stop Lu Li from entering.
“Catching the demon lord is the priority.”
With that, Lu Li took Ye Ran and stepped into the array.
A triumphant smile appeared on Meng Xuan’s face as he followed them in.
The array then vanished without a trace.
Inside seemed to be a separate space—a dense forest, but unlike the decaying illusion outside. Here, everything was lush and vibrant, though danger lurked beneath the surface.
Lu Li stopped moving and silently surveyed his surroundings.
“Senior Brother Lu…”
Just as Ye Ran was about to ask what they should do next, Lu Li clutched his chest and spat out blood.
Startled, Ye Ran quickly reached out to steady him.
Just then, Meng Xuan entered. Seeing Lu Li’s condition, he seemed even more anxious than Ye Ran, rushing to his side.
“Senior Brother Lu! How are you? Are you alright?”
“It’s nothing. I just need to rest and meditate for a while.”
Though Lu Li said this, his voice had noticeably weakened.
Guilt washed over Ye Ran—he had been injured because of her. She quickly helped him sit on a nearby rock.
“Senior Brother Lu, are you sure you’re alright?”
Seeing his face grow pale, Ye Ran couldn’t help asking again.
“The vines were poisonous. I’ll try to expel the toxins. Don’t worry, junior sister.”
With that, Lu Li closed his eyes and began to meditate.
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