Chapter 55: The Power of Illusions
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
A thunderous explosion echoed across the mountain, shaking its peak and sending shockwaves through the area. Inner disciples, deep in their meditative cultivation, were jolted back to reality, startled by the abrupt disturbance. They rushed out of their quarters, abandoning their calm, and began whispering anxiously.
“What’s going on? Is there a fight?” one disciple wondered aloud.
“That was a massive blast! Did someone break through a barrier?” another speculated.
“Senior Brother Zhang! Senior Brother Wang! Do you have any idea what’s happening?” a worried disciple asked, looking for answers.
Faces filled with confusion and concern, the disciples exchanged uneasy glances. Those stationed higher up the slope peered towards the summit, straining to catch sight of the commotion’s source.
At the top, Xiu Luo stood amidst the chaos she had inadvertently caused, her expression twisted in frustration. Not far from her, Yu Zhao leaned casually against a rock, a smirk playing on her lips, her eyes filled with mocking disdain.
Xiu Luo’s anger, barely contained, flared up again. She spun around, her body radiating a fierce, earthy yellow aura that crackled with raw energy.
“Ha!” she yelled, throwing a powerful punch into the air. It hit nothing but empty space, yet the resulting shockwaves hissed as they cut through the air.
Xiu Luo’s eyes were fixed on Yu Zhao, missing the faint, sweet scent that hung in the air. Her attacks seemed futile. One moment, Yu Zhao was there; the next, she vanished.
“How can you even think of becoming Master Qing Yan’s disciple with such pathetic skills? It’s laughable!” Yu Zhao’s voice rang out, taunting and mocking from behind her.
Xiu Luo clenched her fists, her eyes blazing with fury.
“With your level of talent, you’ll never rise above being an inner disciple. Stop dreaming about things beyond your reach,” Yu Zhao continued, her words sharp and biting.
Each insult felt like a slap to Xiu Luo’s pride. Consumed by rage, she let out a primal scream and lunged at Yu Zhao, her fists swinging wildly. Any semblance of strategy vanished, replaced by a desperate need to strike down her tormentor.
Down below, the inner disciples, drawn by the spectacle, gathered at the peak. They stood in silence, transfixed by the scene unfolding before them.
“Her basic skills are decent,” Elder Hou remarked, though he couldn’t fully hide his disapproval of Yu Zhao’s harsh words. He watched Xiu Luo’s fruitless efforts, noting the puzzled looks from the disciples around him.
“Weren’t you learning the Sea Moon Technique from Master Qing Yan? When did you switch to illusion arts?” Curious, Elder Hou asked in a quieter tone.
Yu Zhao glanced at him, puzzled. “I’m no longer Master Qing Yan’s disciple, so naturally, I stopped practicing the Sea Moon Technique.”
Her nonchalant reply left Elder Hou momentarily speechless. Switching cultivation techniques was no trivial matter, yet Yu Zhao had done so with apparent ease. Her illusions had completely trapped Xiu Luo, who seemed oblivious to the trickery—a clear sign of Yu Zhao’s growing mastery.
Elder Hou’s mind raced. The Yu Zhao standing before him bore no resemblance to the arrogant troublemaker of rumors. Instead, she appeared calm, clever, and highly skilled—a true prodigy. Her command of illusion techniques made her nearly invincible against anyone below the Golden Core stage. But what could have led Master Qing Yan to expel such a promising talent?
The more Elder Hou thought about it, the more baffled he became.
Meanwhile, the crowd of disciples finally snapped out of their daze. One of them started laughing, and soon the others joined in, their laughter echoing across the peak.
“It’s about time Xiu Luo got what she deserved!”
“Who would’ve thought we’d see this day!”
“Finally, some justice!”
The disciples were visibly pleased. Xiu Luo, notorious for her bullying, had long been a source of dread among them. Her powerful punches were legendary—anyone on the receiving end would be left unconscious, waking up the next day with bruises as if they’d been crushed by boulders. They recalled a time when, frustrated by a bottleneck in her cultivation, Xiu Luo had stormed through the sect, challenging every inner disciple. The sect had been filled with cries of pain, a period of terror for everyone.
Now, witnessing Xiu Luo’s public humiliation brought them unexpected joy, electrifying the atmosphere with a sense of vindication.
Not everyone shared in the laughter. Four senior disciples stood at the front of the crowd, their expressions grim. Their attention wasn’t on Xiu Luo but on the unfamiliar girl beside Elder Hou. They scrutinized Yu Zhao with cautious eyes, assessing her.
Before the chaos, only Xiu Luo, Elder Hou, and this girl had been at the peak. It was clear she was the catalyst for Xiu Luo’s erratic behavior. As the four disciples quietly evaluated their own abilities against hers, they felt uneasy—none of them felt confident they could defeat her.
The rise of another powerful disciple in the inner sect threatened their positions. Quickly, anxiety clouded their faces as they contemplated the potential shift in the sect’s hierarchy.
The laughter around them grew louder, and finally, Elder Hou stepped forward to intervene, ending the spectacle. “Yu Zhao, let her wake up,” he commanded, his voice tinged with pity as he glanced at Xiu Luo, who looked utterly drained, her spiritual energy nearly exhausted.
Yu Zhao nodded, her expression indifferent. With a flick of her wrist, she released her hold on the illusion. Xiu Luo staggered, as if struck, her eyes momentarily unfocused. When she regained clarity, she found herself facing a large, laughing crowd.
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
“Hahahaha!”
“Look at her, so clueless!”
“If it were me, I’d dig a hole and hide in it. So embarrassing!”
Xiu Luo stood frozen, confusion and shock etched on her face. Why were they laughing? She remembered fighting Yu Zhao, but why had everything stopped?
Desperately, she scanned the crowd for Yu Zhao and spotted her standing calmly beside Elder Hou. In stark contrast to Xiu Luo, who was drenched in sweat, Yu Zhao appeared composed and relaxed, showing no signs of exertion.
Horror dawned on Xiu Luo’s face as the realization hit her. Memories of the fight rushed back—how she had failed to land a single blow on Yu Zhao, how Yu Zhao had effortlessly exploited her insecurities, and the strange, sweet scent that had lingered in the air.
The truth was a cold, bitter pill to swallow. From the very beginning, she had been caught in Yu Zhao’s illusion. Her desperate struggle to defend her pride had been nothing more than a sad, one-sided show.
For the first time, Xiu Luo felt a deep, crushing despair. She stood there, paralyzed, as the full weight of her defeat settled over her.
Sharingan.