The black tide continued to recede, and the green vitality surged upward, across the Illusionary Space, where undulating mountains dotted with countless red specks stretched to the very edge of sight...

The Illusionary Space finally lifted its veil, gradually revealing its full glory.

Staring at the dazzling, brilliant green within the Lingxiao Altar, countless people were struck dumb, their faces etched with astonishment and shock, the world falling into profound silence.

After a long pause, Sha Yan and the other five finally withdrew their hands. The spiritual inscriptions on the small central platform and the six arched pillars swiftly dimmed, yet the magnificent and vast Illusionary Space still shimmered faintly, radiating vibrant life across every hill and valley, mesmerizing all who beheld it.

Nie Kong took a deep breath, slightly calming the turmoil in his heart.

Having previously heard Miao Ge’s extravagant praise for the unsealed Illusionary Space, Nie Kong had held some reservations. In his past life, they could even capture and display the boundless universe for viewing; how could a mere Illusionary Space be hailed as peerless and unique in the world?

But now, Nie Kong was beginning to agree with Miao Ge. He was astonished that the humans of the Tianling Continent could achieve such a feat using only spiritual inscriptions!

This Illusionary Space was as if all the vast rivers and mountains had been compressed within the Lingxiao Altar: soaring, majestic peaks, roaring, surging rivers, sprawling, boundless forests, seas of brilliant, colorful flowers… every beautiful vista in the natural world seemed collected in this space.

Brilliant, gorgeous, grand, magnificent…

All these beautiful adjectives could be applied to this Illusionary Space!

“Boom!”

The surrounding crowd finally snapped back to reality, and an earth-shattering roar erupted suddenly, the surging wave of sound echoing across heaven and earth, seeming capable of piercing eardrums. On the circular tiers, everyone—whether watching the Illusionary Space of the Lingyu City for the first time or not—showed varying degrees of excitement, all shouting and eager to vent the awe welling up in their chests.

Several minutes passed before the sound wave, capable of shaking mountains and rivers, finally subsided slightly.

Nie Kong watched for a long time, then subconsciously poked Miao Ge beside him: “Those red dots, they represent the spirit beasts inside the Illusionary Space, right!”

Suddenly noticing the soft, springy sensation beneath his fingertip, Nie Kong looked over in surprise, only to see Miao Ge glaring at his finger, her face flushed crimson as she gritted her teeth.

Nie Kong followed her gaze and finally realized with a start that the spot his finger was touching was actually her chest; no wonder it felt so soft and yielding. Fortunately, the vast majority of the crowd were mesmerized by the Illusionary Space; only the nearest Tai Ji, Ru Jie, and Ye Xinlian witnessed Nie Kong’s action. They let out a soft snicker before quickly clamping their lips shut, looking as if they wanted to laugh but dared not.

“My mistake, just a slip!”

As if stung by a snake, Nie Kong quickly withdrew his finger. To diffuse the awkwardness, he forced a dry laugh and repeated his previous question to divert their attention.

“That’s right, one red dot is one spirit beast!”

Miao Ge’s cheeks were flushed bright red, and she glared fiercely at Nie Kong with her beautiful, watery eyes. “When we go in, we will appear as green dots in the Illusionary Space. If the assessment fails, that green dot turns black, understand? My Junior Brother Nie Kong!”

By the time she finished, Miao Ge was practically grinding her teeth. Being poked repeatedly by a man’s finger in such a sensitive area in broad daylight left her feeling deeply mortified and angry.

“Understood, understood.”

Nie Kong gave a noncommittal chuckle and subtly shifted his body closer to Miao Ge’s position, then said with a sheepish grin while lowering his voice, “Senior Sister Miao Ge, don't look at me like that, it might cause misunderstandings. If you feel that being poked by me wasn’t worth it, you can poke me back as much as you like after the Grand Competition.”

“Shut up!” Miao Ge’s anger flared, her eyes blazing. “You were absolutely right just now. After the Grand Competition of the Six Halls, I will definitely poke back. But next time, I won’t be using my finger, but my sword! If you’re still a man, don’t dodge then.”

Nie Kong coughed dryly. “Precisely because I am a man that I must dodge. If you accidentally poke the wrong spot, wouldn't I be facing the extinction of my lineage?”

“You…”

Miao Ge’s cheeks deepened to a richer shade of crimson.

Just then, that deep, strong voice echoed in everyone’s ears once more. After a moment of silence induced by those two words—Lingxiao Altar—the area became even noisier.

Miao Ge glared at Nie Kong, biting her crimson lower lip. She finally ceased their bickering, took a few deep breaths, and composed her mind.

“Rumble!”

The ground of the Lingxiao Altar trembled slightly as a ten-meter-wide entrance suddenly materialized in the Illusionary Space, from which a bright, snow-white light shone forth. Under the guidance of their instructors, all the Lingyu City disciples about to participate in the Six Halls Grand Competition filed inside.

Streams of emerald green light pillars descended from above, enveloping each disciple who passed through the entrance. Then, with a minute ripple in the void, the figures and the light pillars vanished without a trace. Only after the second row of disciples entered did the light pillars reappear.

This cycle repeated over twenty times before it was Nie Kong’s turn.

When the green light enveloped him, Nie Kong felt a rich surge of vitality, as if the life force of all the vegetation for miles around had been condensed into one spot. A thought stirred in Nie Kong’s mind, and just as he was about to fully appreciate the sensation, his body was yanked into a dark void by a powerful suction.

An instant later, Nie Kong’s vision brightened, but before he could regain his bearings, a fierce roar pierced his ears:

“Aooo!”

Following the sound came a massive, ferocious head.

Nie Kong swiftly executed the ‘Flowing Shadow of Flying Petals’ maneuver, flashing sideways to evade the bone-white teeth bristling with killing intent and two sharp claws. However, the stench erupting from that gaping maw churned Nie Kong’s stomach, nearly causing him to vomit on the spot.

“Whoosh!”

With a rushing sound of wind, the figure twisted strangely and lunged at Nie Kong again, its speed incredibly swift.

This time, Nie Kong had no time to evade. Suppressing the intense nausea, he hammered his right fist toward the grotesque head, his internal spiritual energy surging down his arm like rolling waves.

Cloud Flower Four Overlaps!

“Boom-smash, boom-boom!”

In the blink of an eye, four nearly overlapping waves of spiritual energy detonated, scattering fierce force in all directions. The spirit beast’s body was thrown reeling backward. Nie Kong, using the Flowing Shadow of Flying Petals, chased after the beast as if it were riding clouds and mist, his figure like a streak of light.

“Boom-boom-boom-boom!”

Another series of intense explosions followed as Nie Kong’s left fist unleashed Cloud Flower Four Overlaps onto the beast’s abdomen. With a howl, the spirit beast slammed heavily several meters away, yet it swiftly flipped over and leaped up, its forelegs crouched, baring its fangs and glaring at Nie Kong with blood-red eyes.

“Hoo!”

Nie Kong expelled a breath of stale air he had been holding in his chest. Only then could he clearly see the spirit beast before him. It was about a meter and a half tall, with four thick, massive limbs, and covered in sleek, oily black fur—it was a third-grade spirit beast, the ‘Shadow Stream Beast.’

Judging by the appearance of this ‘Shadow Stream Beast,’ the two consecutive ‘Cloud Flower Four Overlaps’ Nie Kong had unleashed had caused it absolutely no visible damage.

Nie Kong was secretly alarmed. Before the ‘Six Halls Grand Competition,’ he had learned quite a bit about the conditions within the Illusionary Space. He knew that once unsealed, the spirit beasts inside would become abnormally frenzied, attacking any Lingyu City disciple who entered.

This situation was somewhat similar to the final two or three days in the Nie family’s ‘Life and Death Illusionary Realm’: the spirit beasts would all lose their minds. However, unlike the Life and Death Illusionary Realm, in the Lingyu City Illusionary Space, when the spirit beasts went mad, their spiritual power across attack and defense would surge wildly!

Killing a spirit beast was incredibly difficult.

If one lacked sufficient strength and encountered a spirit beast, the best course of action was to flee. But sometimes, one could be so entangled by the beast that escape became impossible. In such situations, perhaps the only option was to activate the spiritual inscription item on their person, forfeiting this Six Halls Grand Competition.

That spiritual inscription item was called the ‘Emerald Inscription Jade Tablet.’

Every Lingyu City disciple entering the Illusionary Space received one. At the assembly in the Medicine Heart Hall, Nie Kong had also been issued an ‘Emerald Inscription Jade Tablet.’ This item served as the final lifeline for a Lingyu City disciple. After all, this Illusionary Space was not like the Nie family’s Life and Death Illusionary Realm where one wouldn't die if they were careful; here, true death was possible.

If one wished to avoid death, they had to activate the ‘Emerald Inscription Jade Tablet’ upon encountering an insurmountable crisis. This item would instantly form a protective barrier around the user’s body, capable of blocking any attack below the level of Spirit Transformation. Sustaining it for a few seconds would allow the Illusionary Space to expel the user.

This ‘Shadow Stream Beast’ was among the most formidable spirit beasts in the Illusionary Space. An average Lingyu City disciple entangled by one would typically have no choice but to use the ‘Emerald Inscription Jade Tablet.’ Nie Kong was truly unlucky to have landed right next to one upon entering the space.

Nie Kong’s eyes flickered slightly, and his right hand suddenly reached toward his chest.

“Aooo!”

However, the moment Nie Kong moved, the ‘Shadow Stream Beast’ roared with manic fury, its black silhouette shooting toward him like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Nie Kong couldn't help but curse; this beast’s reaction speed was simply too fast!

Having no choice, Nie Kong clenched the hand that was halfway reaching into his robes and instead drove his fist toward the beast’s head as it charged right in front of him.

“Boom-boom-boom-boom!”

This time, the spirit beast seemed to have learned its lesson. It whipped its head, and its thick, long tail swept out like a steel whip, colliding violently with Nie Kong’s fist in a flash.

“Aooo!”

As its foreclaws landed, the Shadow Stream Beast opened its massive maw and roared frantically. In an instant, the void within a ten-meter radius subtly rippled, and wisps of dark energy separated from the surrounding space, gathering inside the beast’s mouth before it swallowed them whole.

It can even manipulate dark spiritual energy elements! Nie Kong’s eyes narrowed, and his right hand reached toward his chest again.

“Aooo!”

Roaring toward the sky, the beast lunged at Nie Kong once more, its body seemingly having swollen to nearly twice its original size, enveloped by a faint black aura. With barely a flash of black light, the beast was upon Nie Kong; despite its increased size, its speed had not decreased but increased!

“Go to hell!”

Interrupted twice in a row, Nie Kong was becoming furious. A savage glint flashed in his eyes as he slapped toward the Shadow Stream Beast’s head…

P: Second update done. I was so lost in writing that I forgot today was the Lantern Festival. Happy Lantern Festival, brothers~