Immortal of the Nine Realms

The princess lowered her head. ”No, it’s okay, thank you....”

”She must have been scared, but it’s good that she’s okay,” said one Demon King with a smile.

King Lu couldn’t help but feel that something was amiss, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. His brow furrowed.

At that moment, Zhou Wuji spoke up. ”Gentlemen, our business here is concluded. We’ll take our leave, alright?”

Tu Qingqiu nodded slightly. ”Alright, Daoist Zhou.”

Zhou Wuji didn’t linger, immediately leading his disciples away.

A Demon King frowned. ”What about that sword cultivator? We can’t just let it go, can we? Tianfeng can’t have died in vain.”

”Tianfeng was fated to meet this calamity,” chimed in a gentle voice.

Everyone’s eyes brightened at that, and they swiveled around to see a woman standing ten meters away, seemingly having appeared out of thin air.

Even Tu Qingqiu, who was considered a peerless beauty, fell very short in comparison to this newcomer, she was overshadowed.

The woman wore plain white clothes and had eyes as bright as stars. She had such delicate, rosy skin that it almost seemed as though it could easily break with a touch.

All Demon Kings turned revenant. They all bowed in unison. ”Your Majesty!”

There was admiration in King Lu’s narrowed eyes, but he dared not stare at her. It was as though he felt he’d profane a Goddess with his mortal eyes.

Tu Qingqiu smiled. ”The little princess hasn’t been met with any danger, Sister.”

The woman in white was none other than the Qinghu Empire’s ruler, the empress who ruled over the land of the Green Fox, commanding all demons.

The ruler of the Qinghu Empire smiled faintly. ”Of course she hasn’t. Why don’t you take a proper look at her?”

Hmm?

Everyone was puzzled.

But they didn’t have much time to be confused, as they saw the princess smile faintly, nod toward the ruler, and then say, “Your little princess will be staying with me for now. We can have a proper exchange after I leave your empire’s borders. I hope you won’t try and deceive me with another illusion when the time comes.”

The princess suddenly blurred and broke into wisps of smoke that dispersed into the air.

Tu Qingqiu was stunned.

King Lu and the others were also stunned.

The sword cultivator had actually tricked Tu Qingqui with illusions!

They couldn’t help but feel that even the figure that had gone out to meet them might’ve not even been real. Maybe he had been fake? Maybe he put them under some illusion? Was it before he came out to meet them, or was it even before that?

Tu Qingqiu’s face grew increasingly ugly, and a flash of anger rose in her eyes. She was a member of the distinguished Qinghu Clan, yet she had been played like a fiddle using the skill she took the most pride in!

”Isn’t he a sword cultivator? Why does he know illusions?” asked the Demon King in the mid-stage Foundation Building Realm with astonishment.

”Illusion Talisman,” said King Lu in a deep voice.

”Tianfeng’s Illusion Talisman? His inheritance was really inside his cave-dwelling?”

”Even if it was really the Illusion Talisman... Tianfeng hasn’t been dead for long. The swordsman couldn’t have comprehended the talisman’s essence so quickly. I remember Tianfeng spent a whole year just to craft one Illusion Talisman, right?”

Everyone was perplexed.

”Give chase!” shouted King Lu coldly, about to pursue. However, he saw the ruler raise her hand, which caused him to pause in his tracks.

King Lu was confused. ”Your Majesty?”

”There is no need for us to pursue him,” said the ruler calmly. “The little girl will be fine. The words of a sword cultivator are trustworthy. Since he said he would meet us at the border, then he will.”

Tu Qingqiu looked guilty. ”Sister, it’s my fault. If I hadn’t been careless, I wouldn’t have been deceived by him....”

It was clear that, when she was in front of the ruler, she wasn’t as closed up and cold.

The ruler smiled faintly. ”It’s not your fault. I was also tricked. I wouldn’t have been able to see through it if it weren’t for the fact that I noticed that the girl was acting weird.”

Everyone gasped in disbelief, Tu Qingqiu no exception.

She couldn’t believe that even the ruler was tricked by the Illusion Talisman. In fact, it was much easier for her to accept that the ruler was lying in order to comfort her.

”Sister, I’ll immediately call back the people from the Blood Corpse Sect to track him again,” said Tu Qingqiu.

”No need for that. If my guess is correct, they should be heading to the Grand Qian Empire. Hurry to the border and bring the little girl back. Whatever amount of spirit stones he wants, just give it to him. Don’t make enemies with him.”

Tu Qingqiu was taken aback. ”Give him however many spirit stones he wants?”

King Lu’s expression shifted. He quietly assessed the ruler. ”Your Majesty, do you plan to get on his good side?”

”I just don’t want to make enemies with that sword cultivator. Go.”

”Yes.” They exchanged glances and then all flew toward the direction of the Grand Qian Empire.

The ruler didn’t move from her spot for a while, her eyes reminiscing.

Joy slowly blossomed on her face. ”Big Brother Mu, I’ve encountered yet another sword cultivator. Perhaps he can help me find you....”

***

Inside a dilapidated temple.

Fang Chen was restoring his spiritual energy. The princess stood to the side, expressionless, not moving at all.

Curious about her situation, Jiang Tianai cautiously approached her and poked her waist.

Jiang Zhong quickly pulled her back. ”Young Lady!”

”Uncle Zhong, what’s wrong with her?” asked Jiang Tianai curiously. “Why isn’t she moving?”

Jiang Zhong subconsciously looked at Fang Chen, then shook his head slightly. ”I don’t know either.”

”Sect Leader Fang, is she immobilized by a Binding Talisman?” asked Jiang Tianai, unable to hold back her curiosity.

Fang Chen smiled. ”It’s not a Binding Talisman, but an Illusion Talisman. Its effect on her hasn’t dissipated yet. She’ll be fine in a few days.”

The little princess suddenly started giggling foolishly, drool dripping down her mouth, wetting her clothes.

Xia Ji couldn’t help but shiver. ”This Illusion Talisman is so powerful. Look at how she’s laughing. She’s probably having the most sweet of dreams right now.”

Fang Chen chuckled. ”Probably spending time with that Big Brother Jue of hers.”

”Jue Wudi?” Xia Ji laughed heartily. “That guy’s quite popular with the ladies. Even this little princess here is head over heels for him.”

He suddenly looked toward Fang Chen and whispered, ”What happened after she sent you the spirit stones was all an illusion, right?”

”That’s right.” Fang Chen nodded with a smile. “After she sent them to me, I immediately took you all and fled. Everything you’ve seen since then has been an illusion conjured by the Illusion Talisman.”

If his divine soul hadn’t been strong enough, he might have fallen for Tu Qingqiu’s illusion technique.

He had noticed that Tu Qingqiu had begun to employ her illusion technique even before she took out the spirit stones. He immediately used the Illusion Talisman to counter her after he had seen that.

The Illusion Talisman was really more useful than the Binding Talisman or the True Fire Talisman.

”No wonder my master said that among the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations of cultivation, the Illusion Tribulation is the most terrifying. I have now personally seen it for myself,” muttered Xia Ji as he looked at the little princess, who was still smiling foolishly.

If a cultivator were to be immersed in illusion for a hundred years, or even a thousand years, how tragic would that be?