Chapter 56 – Tower of Illusory Heavens: First Level

As a branch tower, the Anping Dao Palace’s Tower of Illusory Heavens only had eleven floors, but according to the division of three floors per realm, this Tower of Illusory Heavens could also imprison and manifest Mortal Shedding Adept Level existences, making it more than sufficient as a trial tower for Mu Lin and the others.

At the same time, the walls of the Tower of Illusory Heavens were inscribed with countless names.

Wherever Mu Lin and the others passed through a floor, their names would be recorded there.

Regarding this information, Mu Lin only briefly understood it before ceasing to pay attention.

Leading Chu Lingluo, Mu Lin entered the Tower of Illusory Heavens. Inside the tower, the first thing that caught his eye was a massive mirror.

A flash of light from the mirror caused Mu Lin’s consciousness to blur, and soon after, he completely lost consciousness.

Following him, Chu Lingluo also fainted. At the same time, their bodies transformed into beams of white light and were sucked into the mirror, stored somewhere unknown.

…

The two entering the tower caused many to perk up and pay attention.

Some were even praying, hoping Mu Lin and the others would fail on the first floor.

This time, Yan Yunyu also turned her gaze toward them.

However, all of this was unknown to the unconscious Mu Lin.

After an unknown amount of time, Mu Lin slowly regained consciousness.

Then, he discovered he was no longer inside the Tower of Illusory Heavens but on a dirt road, at the end of which lay a small village.

Just as Mu Lin saw the village, a gust of wind blew a cloud of dust before his eyes, forming lines of text.

‘Strange occurrences have been happening in Stone Mountain Village, suspected to be caused by Demonic Fiends. As a Daoist Novice of the Demon Subduing Division, you have been ordered to come and quell the disturbance.’

The message remained before Mu Lin for over ten breaths before the wind scattered the dust-formed words completely.

And Mu Lin now knew his mission.

“Quell the disturbance…”

After murmuring to himself, Mu Lin did not immediately enter the village or start his mission. Instead, he closed his eyes to sense his own state and observe his surroundings.

To discern the truth of this world, Mu Lin even crouched down, grabbed a handful of soil, and examined it closely.

He even stabbed himself with a knife.

However, after a series of actions, Mu Lin had to admit one thing… he could not see through the Illusion Art of the Tower of Illusory Heavens.

Surveying his surroundings, everything felt utterly real.

“Truly worthy of a Dao Treasure.”

As Mu Lin marveled, Chu Lingluo had also regained consciousness. After entering the Illusion Realm, her innocence had receded somewhat, and she had become much more vigilant.

“Brother Mu, should we enter the village?”

“We will naturally enter the village, but let me make some preparations first…”

…

A short while later, Mu Lin led Chu Lingluo toward the village, escorted by four Yellow Turban Warriors.

From a distance, they saw a group of people at the village entrance, gazing into the distance.

Upon spotting Mu Lin and the others, the group excitedly yet cautiously approached.

“Are you the esteemed ones from the Demon Subduing Division?”

“Yes.”

After exchanging words and verifying their identities, Mu Lin learned that these people were the Clan Elders and guards of Stone Mountain Village.

They would serve as support, assisting Mu Lin and Chu Lingluo in confronting the enemy.

At the same time, Mu Lin also learned that the aberrations in Stone Mountain Village mostly appeared at midnight, coming and going without a trace each day, making them difficult to track down.

Upon hearing this, Mu Lin raised an eyebrow and prepared to release dozens of paper cranes into the village at dusk to search for the enemy.

However, before he could act, his expression froze in surprise.

Chu Lingluo beside him suddenly sent him a voice transmission, saying she had used natural Sensing to locate an unusual spot.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. The Scripture of Heavenly Induction – Azure Emperor Chapter that I cultivate excels at detecting enemies. Any disharmony with the natural environment, I can sense.”

Convinced by her words, Mu Lin led Chu Lingluo and the village guards toward a dilapidated house.

  Just as they surrounded the house, before they could even break in, a piercing cat screech echoed from the rafters inside.

Then, a black shadow shot out like Lightning, darting toward the outside.

It was trying to escape.

Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be easy.

The moment the black cat bolted, the Yellow Turban Warrior beside Mu Lin sprang into action, chasing and blocking its path.

The guards of Stone Mountain Village charged forward even more indignantly.

In recent days, they had been toyed with daily by this monster, and many of their clansmen had been killed by it. Now that they had found the culprit, they were eager to vent their pent-up rage.

However, as soon as they charged forward, some of them suddenly froze in place.

“Meow!!”

Facing the oncoming enemies, the black cat let out another shrill cry, and its face turned toward the guards of Stone Mountain Village.

What was horrifying was that the black cat’s face was not that of a wild cat but… a human.

A human face on a wild cat’s body triggered the uncanny valley effect, filling everyone who faced it with dread.

And this was during the day. If it were nighttime, the fear the wild cat inspired would be even greater.

Fortunately, while ordinary guards might be frightened, the Paper Figure – Yellow Turban Warrior was not.

Once its true form was revealed, who would scare whom remained uncertain.

“Kill!”

Amidst furious roars, the Yellow Turban Warrior closed in on the human-faced black cat from all sides.

Yet, it didn’t succeed. Though the Yellow Turban Warrior possessed immense strength and was impervious to blades and spears, speed was not its forte.

In contrast, the human-faced black cat was terrifyingly fast.

Still, this scene didn’t unsettle Mu Lin.

“Huff…”

Pulling out a Paper Sword, Mu Lin blew on it lightly, and the paper rapidly expanded and grew.

Soon, a bloodstained, ominous-looking paper Longsword appeared in his hand.

“Whoosh!”

Once the Paper Sword materialized, Mu Lin focused his mind, and the Longsword transformed into a streak of light, slashing toward the human-faced black cat.

Through Paper Folding, he could create all things, and with a breath of living energy, Mu Lin could mimic many professions.

For instance, he could imitate a Sword Cultivator.

In fact, because paper swords were lighter and more agile, in the early stages, Mu Lin’s sword control speed surpassed that of Sword Cultivators.

Of course, this came at a cost.

While Sword Cultivators could cut through all things, the power of the Paper Artisan Lineage’s paper swords was limited by materials and lacked the ultimate techniques and mysteries of Sword Cultivators, making them relatively weaker.

Fortunately, Mu Lin’s Longsword was no ordinary one.

Corrupted by the Sky Burial Power, his Paper Sword was steeped in ominous energy. Now, this sinister Longsword shot toward the human-faced black cat like a streak of light.

“Meow!”

The sudden assault of the ominous flying sword made the human-faced black cat sense a certain degree of danger.

If possible, it did not want to engage in a direct clash with the longsword, but the flying sword came too fast, too fierce.

Unable to dodge in time, it could only raise its claws to block the longsword with a strike.

“Shhla!”

Like a hot knife cutting through butter, the result of the clash ended in the complete defeat of the human-faced black cat—its sharp claws were sliced open by the ominous flying sword.

And from that moment, something terrifying began to unfold.

After the two collided, the ominous blood stained the human-faced black cat’s body. Then, centered around the point of impact, the cat’s body rapidly aged and decayed, while a foul, rotting stench emanated from it.

(End of Chapter)