"Master, apart from Illusion Dao Energy, this place also contains Mental Force. It's a combination of the two types of energy, and their fusion produces an even more powerful disorienting effect," Hu Miao said to Ye Yunfei.
"Yes, I can sense it too. The Illusion Dao Energy and Mental Force seem perfectly fused together, resulting in a truly terrifying power," Ye Yunfei nodded.
Just moments ago, even Ye Yunfei himself had nearly fallen victim. One could imagine just how formidable the disorienting effects here were.
"Master, everyone stay close to me. I'll use the Primordial True Fox Stele to resist the disorienting influences here," Hu Miao announced.
As soon as she finished speaking, the stone stele floating above her head trembled intensely, releasing even more chains of Great Dao laws. Like a brilliantly shimmering, expansive umbrella, they rattled and swirled, enveloping Ye Yunfei, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, and Huang Shang.
Soon, Ye Yunfei, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, and Huang Shang all felt their minds clear significantly.
Guided by Hu Miao, they strode forward down this deep, secluded corridor.
"It feels like many strange things are trying to invade my Soul Body, trying to influence my thoughts," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm suddenly said.
"That's all just the fusion of Illusion Dao Energy and Mental Force. Don't worry. As long as you all stay close to me, my Primordial True Fox Stele can protect you from the disorienting effects here," Hu Miao assured them.
Just then, Ye Yunfei noticed the scenery before his eyes undergo a drastic change. The deep corridor they had been walking through suddenly vanished, replaced by a vast, hazy starscape.
"It seems the interior of this palace is a Small World," Hun Lao remarked, looking at the unfamiliar starry expanse.
"No. Inside this palace, there exists extremely potent Illusion Dao Energy and Mental Force. And when these two energies combine, they produce a disorienting effect of even greater power. So, everything we see here could very well be an illusion," Hu Miao said, shaking her head.
"That makes sense," Hun Lao nodded.
Then, following Hu Miao's lead, Ye Yunfei and the others trailed behind her as they walked through this starry expanse.
Suddenly, a furious roar echoed from not far away. A colossal monstrous beast appeared and charged toward Ye Yunfei and his companions with a deafening shriek.
"Illusion Beasts! They're the same Illusion Beasts we encountered earlier on the plains! That's strange. I remember those beasts erupted from this very Primordial True Fox Stele. I thought they were unique to the stele. Why are they here now?" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm exclaimed in surprise.
No sooner had it spoken than another enormous Illusion Beast appeared from a different direction, roaring as it lunged toward them.
More Illusion Beasts continuously materialized, one after another, all charging straight at Ye Yunfei's group.
"Master, let me deal with them," Hu Miao declared, taking a step forward.
The Primordial True Fox Stele above her head erupted with dazzling divine radiance. Simultaneously, nine massive fox tails materialized behind her, sweeping out in all directions.
*Thump! Thump! Thump!...*
Several of the huge beasts were sent flying backward by Hu Miao's fox tails.
"Are these real or fake? Why are there so many powerful Illusion Beasts here?" Ye Yunfei asked Hu Miao.
"Master, I can't tell for sure right now whether these Illusion Beasts are real or illusory," Hu Miao replied.
*Rumble…*
The stele above Hu Miao's head erupted with a tidal wave of energy that spread out in all directions, repelling over a dozen surrounding Illusion Beasts. The beasts at the forefront were directly blasted apart.
As Ye Yunfei, Hu Miao, Huang Shang, and the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkwerm continued to advance through this unfamiliar starscape while dealing with the Illusion Beasts, a figure suddenly appeared before the main gate of the palace outside.
This figure was shrouded from head to toe in profound and special laws, making it impossible to discern his true appearance.
"It seems they've entered this palace. The interior likely contains a small space," the figure murmured to himself, standing before the palace gate.
"There's no escape from me," the figure sneered.
After speaking, he reached out directly to push open the palace doors.
*Rumble…*
An overwhelmingly powerful energy surged out from within the palace like a tidal wave.
"This palace actually contains both Illusion Dao Energy and Mental Force simultaneously. And by the looks of it, there might even be treasures related to these energies inside. Excellent. They will all belong to me," the figure sneered, sensing the energy crashing out from the palace.
He then released a surge of formidable energy of his own and stepped into the palace.
"Interesting. The Illusion Dao Energy and Mental Force within this palace are combined, creating an immensely powerful disorienting effect. It seems when these two energies are properly fused, the resulting power is far greater than a simple sum," the figure mused upon entering.
He found himself standing in a deep, secluded corridor and was immediately shocked to find phantasmagorical illusions appearing before his eyes.
Although he understood intellectually that these illusions were all false, they felt incredibly real, continuously pouring in from all directions.
"Break!" the figure shouted.
A terrifying wave of Soul Power erupted from his Soul Sea, condensing into a colossal silver hand. The hand executed a palm technique, striking out and manifesting a silver palm print that shattered every single illusion in the surrounding space.
The figure strode forward confidently.
Meanwhile, deep within the starscape, Ye Yunfei and his group continued forward while fending off the Illusion Beasts that constantly appeared around them.
"These Illusion Beasts don't seem real. They feel like illusions," Ye Yunfei suddenly stated.
"That's right, Master. The Illusion Beasts we just encountered in this starscape are all fake. But their combat power is very strong. Even illusory, they can still inflict harm," Hu Miao agreed, nodding.
"Exactly. So we still need to prevent them from harming our bodies," Ye Yunfei said.
"Look! There's someone ahead. He seems to be waiting for us," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm suddenly exclaimed, pointing at the starscape ahead.
Ye Yunfei focused his gaze and sure enough, spotted a person standing in the starry void ahead.
It was a man clad in a green robe.
The man stood with his hands clasped behind his back amidst the stars ahead, watching Ye Yunfei and the others with a calm, detached expression.
"My friends, I've been waiting for you for quite some time," the green-robed man said, smiling as he looked at Ye Yunfei's group.