"Well, well! If it isn't my dear sister! What a coincidence, meeting you again."
Looking at this sinister old witch, Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but smile. He clearly remembered that the last time he came to the Illusory Land, he had encountered this old witch fighting with someone else. He never expected to see her again on this visit to the Illusory Land.
"Fellow Daoist actually remembers this old woman? Truly, I am deeply honored."
The old witch did not approach but remained standing in the distance, communicating with Gu Qingfeng through spiritual telepathy.
"Dear sister, what kind of show are you all putting on here?"
Gu Qingfeng glanced at the swirling, transforming ball of light not far away and asked, "Could it be that this Illusory Land has gestated some spatial world?"
"Fellow Daoist doesn't know?"
"I truly don't."
"Is that so..." The old witch's eyes, like black caverns, fixed on Gu Qingfeng. After a moment, she explained, "The Illusory Land is not the Great Desolate Heaven and Earth. How could it gestate a spatial world?"
"Then what is this..."
"This is an Illusory Realm. It can also be understood as a relic from the Wu Dao Age."
"So that's it."
Gu Qingfeng nodded, suddenly enlightened. He asked again, "A relic from the Wu Dao Age—I can understand that. But why is it also called an Illusory Realm? Is there some reasoning behind it?"
"May I ask, Fellow Daoist, how much do you know about this Illusory Land?"
"Nothing at all."
"Do you know whether the Illusory Land exists within the heavens and earth or not?"
"I do not."
"Do you know if this Illusory Land truly exists?"
"I do not."
"Fellow Daoist does not know, and this old woman does not know. No one knows whether the Illusory Land exists within the heavens and earth or not. No one knows if this Illusory Land truly exists. Therefore, everything in the Illusory Land is like a dream, illusory and ethereal, its truth unknown. If not illusion, what is it? If not a realm of fantasy, what is it?"
Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng chuckled wryly. "So that's how the term 'Illusory Realm' came about."
After a pause, he asked, "Do Illusory Realms often appear in the Illusory Land?"
"Occasionally."
"When I came last time, I didn't seem to see any Illusory Realm."
"The Illusory Realms that appear in the Illusory Land are unstable. Sometimes they last for several days, sometimes for a few hours, or even shorter. Of course, sometimes they can last for months, even years..."
"Are these so-called Illusory Realms truly relics from the Wu Dao Age?"
"According to rumors, yes."
"Rumors?" Gu Qingfeng asked, "Haven't you entered one before?"
"I have entered, but this old woman also does not know if what lies within the so-called Illusory Realm is truly a relic from the Wu Dao Age."
"Alright."
After a moment of silence, Gu Qingfeng noticed that in just this short while, several more Spiritual Incarnations had arrived. Roughly counting, nearly a hundred Spiritual Incarnations had now gathered near the Illusory Realm. He asked, "Could it be that all of these are the Spiritual Incarnations of Wu Dao Persons?"
"That depends on how Fellow Daoist defines the term 'Wu Dao Person'."
"How so?"
"I don't know if the 'Wu Dao Person' Fellow Daoist refers to means someone who survived from the Wu Dao Age, or a reincarnated Wu Dao Person, or someone with karmic ties to the Wu Dao Age, or someone like Fellow Daoist—a person of Wu Dao Original Sin."
"Listening to you, dear sister, and thinking about it carefully, it really is like that."
Gu Qingfeng asked, "I wonder which kind of Wu Dao Person you are, dear sister?"
"This old woman belongs to the Wu Dao Age, but I am not a person of Original Sin."
"What's this? From the tone of your voice, dear sister, it sounds like you have some prejudice against people of Original Sin?"
"Fellow Daoist, do not misunderstand. This old woman holds no prejudice against people of Original Sin, nor dare I hold any."
Just as Gu Qingfeng and the old witch were chatting idly, suddenly, a voice brimming with majestic aura rang out.
"Heh heh, to think another Illusory Realm has appeared in the Illusory Land today. It seems my luck is truly not bad!"
In response appeared a giant shimmering with golden light.
This giant wore a bright red cape on his back and carried a great sword at his waist, looking imposing and majestic, like an invincible golden-armored war god. The golden radiance blooming around him was like a tyrannical sun, illuminating the dark Illusory Land brightly, exuding nobility and domineering might.
Seeing this golden-armored giant Spiritual Incarnation, the expressions of the hundred-plus people present varied. Some looked rather wary of the golden-armored giant, some seemed rather annoyed by him, and others looked at him with hatred. There were also those who remained expressionless and calm upon seeing him, some who showed disdain, and others who looked rather amused, as if finding the situation quite funny.
It seemed they all knew this golden-armored giant.
And indeed, that was the case.
Of the hundred-plus people present, at least half knew this golden-armored giant. The reason was simple: this golden-armored giant was a frequent visitor to the Illusory Land. Many had crossed hands with him and knew that this golden-armored giant called himself something like the 'Golden Spirit King'. He was arrogant, conceited, overbearing, and tyrannical. In the Illusory Land, he loved stirring up trouble whether there was a reason or not. Quite a few people had suffered losses at his hands. Of course, due to his combative nature, the Golden Spirit King had also suffered many losses himself.
Anyone with a normal brain knew that those capable of entering the Illusory Land were without exception connected to the Wu Dao Age. Even if they weren't Wu Dao Persons, they might be reincarnated Wu Dao Persons, or perhaps people with karmic ties to the Wu Dao Age, or even more likely, people bearing Wu Dao Original Sin.
One thing was certain: no matter which kind of Wu Dao Person they were, none were to be trifled with.
Therefore,
most people who entered the Illusory Land did so with extreme caution, careful and then more careful, afraid of provoking someone they shouldn't.
But this Golden Spirit King was an exception. Even after suffering losses, he remained just as overbearing and tyrannical in the Illusory Land.
However,
this Golden Spirit King also had the qualifications to be overbearing and tyrannical.
Firstly, his Spiritual Incarnation was indeed powerful. Ordinary or even somewhat extraordinary individuals were truly no match for him.
But that wasn't the important part.
The important part was that no one knew what kind of existence this fellow was. No matter how severely his Spiritual Incarnation was injured, even if it was beaten to dust and ashes, before long, it would recover completely—not only recover but become even stronger than before.
This couldn't help but make people marvel.
A Spiritual Incarnation, also known as a Divine Sense Incarnation,
was, as the name implied, formed from a person's divine sense, from their spirit.
And whether it was divine sense or spirit, both were closely related to one's mental state and even their Soul.
Once a Spiritual Incarnation was damaged, one's mental state could collapse, divine sense could become blurred, consciousness could become fuzzy, and the Soul could also be affected.
This series of effects was not something that could be recovered from in a short time.
And that was just damage. If a Spiritual Incarnation was destroyed, then the divine sense would also be destroyed, the mental state would inevitably be destroyed, self-awareness would most likely disappear, and not only that, even the Soul might be destroyed.
It was precisely for this reason that everyone was extremely cautious when entering the Illusory Land with their Spiritual Incarnations.