The Steward Demonic Emperor

Chapter 642: Illusion Vs. Nightmare

Whoosh!

Zhuo Fan brought an absentminded Yongning above a stretch of forest, searching in the direction she pointed.

“He-he-he took you long enough. Once I tear you to pieces, I’ll make sure to send these two brats after.” Elder Lu snickered, venturing deep into the forest and vanishing after passing a tree. Only Shuang’er remained, leaning on a tree in a peaceful sleep.

Zhuo Fan floated over the sea of trees while looking around, until Yongning pointed at a large tree, “Look, it’s Shuang’er!”

“Ha-ha-ha, you actually have sharper eyes than me.” Zhuo Fan chuckled as he went down, “Let’s go over there.”

Whoosh~

Zhuo Fan landed in an instant and saw that Shuang’er was peacefully resting on the tree.

Zhuo Fan took Yongning closer, his eyes scanning every movement, every rustle, with an insidious grin.

Hum~

The two had yet to reach Shuang’er when they felt the world flash before them, followed by a blue haze descending. The world faded away until only a completely empty space remained; white as far as the eye could see. 

Yongning next to him looked out of sorts, fading away as well. Only Zhuo Fan remained.

“Illusion?”

Zhuo Fan frowned and mocked, “Figured it’ll be a trap. Since I picked no sign of any arrays around, then this must be someone’s doing.”

“Ha-ha-ha, you jumped right in despite knowing? Brat, your arrogance knows no bounds! “

An aged voice sounded and Zhuo Fan smirked, “Elder Lu? Aren’t you the least bit ashamed as an Ethereal Stage expert to use two little girls as bait?”

Elder Lu deflected, “And? With you being in the Double Dragon Manor and three venerables around you, the only choice was to use my head. I noticed yesterday you were quite close to these two, so I had bewildered their minds to draw you out. But what the hell is wrong with one of them? No matter what I tried, she refused to obey me.”

“Oh, that’s Shuang’er.”

Zhuo Fan nodded, totally chill about it as he took his time to explain, “She is the Holy Maiden of Tianyu, expert in piercing the veil of fate and any mind tricks. Coming at her with illusions is like putting a target on your head.”

Elder Lu exclaimed, “So that’s why. I’ve heard Tianyu had some strange clans. Now I see they’re anything but normal. But kid, why are you telling me all this? Don’t you care if I take her away and turn her into my guinea pig? “

“As if, the dead can’t research shit!”

Zhuo Fan’s mouth took his trademark evil smile, “I told you all this because I know you’ll keep it a secret. The dead are known to be the best in the business.”

Elder Lu cracked up, “You sure know how to talk big. Now that I have you right where I wanted you, you think you can just take my life?”

“Hi-hi-hi, I got your body, didn’t I? Taking your soul as well, I would hardly break a sweat.”

Large and colorful wings spread from Zhuo Fan’s back, sending a hazy glow, “Old coot, you should know by now that no illusion could ever come close to reality. My Sea Phantom Wings will send you into an illusion as well the moment you enter their haze and break your own illusion.” 

Zhuo Fan flapped his wings, sending the haze for Elder Lu, who mocked, “Damn brat, you’re like a brainless monkey with all the right skills. The Sea Phantom Wings are rare, yes, but they only affect the body. I am just a soul, so it does not work on me, ha-ha-ha…”

Zhuo Fan frowned, having just noticed this flaw as well.

So he withdrew the wings, his right hand flashing red instead, “Humph, no illusion is real, but this fist of mine couldn’t be more true. An illusion is set up based on the reality surrounding us. I’ll just ruin the place around us and see how your illusion will crumble along with it. “

Zhuo Fan’s eyes flashed, his red hand glowing brighter, as he punched the ground.

Boom!

The earth quaked and then settled soon after. The red glow, Zhuo Fan, was blown away and sent flying, spitting blood as he flew. 

“Ha-ha-ha, had enough? No matter how much brawn you have, there’s no way you’ll ever break my illusion!” Elder Lu cackled again.

Zhuo Fan stood back up, shaking his head in doubt. “Can’t be, the recoil has to be an illusion. My fist had to have ruined the ground. A few more punches and the illusion should fall apart.”

No sooner said than done, Zhuo Fan started punching all over the place with boundless power. Yet every time, the area he hit shook a bit, then turned the attack pack.

In just five punches, Zhuo Fan was a sorry mess. He was so wounded one could hardly think he was human.

Elder Lu snickered at the side, enjoying his struggle. “No matter how strong you are, this time you’re finished. This is my world. In here, I’m god!”

Looking like the very personification of the king of hell, Elder Lu was laughing at him. The space warped and turned, with Zhuo Fan’s legs sticking into a pool of blood.

Along with the howls and shrieks only ghosts could come up with, thousands upon thousands of specters came at Zhuo Fan. They were hideous and bloody, with eyes flashing with cruelty and bloodthirst. 

“Zhuo Fan, give me back my life!”

“Zhuo Fan, give me back my life!”

There were many among those specters that Zhuo Fan had killed before, now coming to take his life.

Zhuo Fan squinted and cried, “Impossible, this is an illusion! I will just break you again to pieces!”

Zhuo Fan roared and tried to punch again, only to find his arm was caught. Zhuo Fan looked back to see the ghosts crawling over him and chewing on his arm. The incredible Qilin arm was gnawed out completely, bone and all.

Zhuo Fan shook his head in disbelief, “No, this can’t be happening in an illusion. This isn’t real…”

“True, it’s an illusion, but when someone dies in an illusion, they die in the real world as well, ha-ha-ha…” Elder Lu cackled with unbridled joy.

Zhuo Fan roared as he felt the bites on his body, then the pain, yet could do nothing to stop it. Watching his body eaten alive one bite at a time, he found to his despair that he was sinking in the pool of blood until it swallowed him whole…

Meanwhile, back in the forest, Zhuo Fan was just standing there with his eyes closed. There was a deep frown on his face as he winced in pain. His legs shook yet could not budge from their spot.

A blue butterfly floated around him, covering him in a hazy glow while laughing like mad, “He-he-he, dumb boy, you were wrong from the start. My soul is that of the Dream Butterfly. I send people into nightmares, not illusions. No matter what you’re trying to do, nothing will help, because I am in control of your nightmare!”

“In that world, I am god. Go ahead, fight as hard as you like, it won’t help you at all. The fist in the dream is not the same as reality. The only thing that connects you to reality is life. If you die in the dream, you die out here as well. But even that is under my control. I will make you go through a world of suffering for killing my sect’s disciples!”

“Ha-ha-ha, too bad you’ll never succeed!” A chuckle sounded in his ears.

He shook all over as the Dream Butterfly turned to the body whose mind was now stuck in a nightmare. He cried, “Y-you’re awake? “

“I never fell asleep to begin with.”

The pain on his face eased and relaxed, replaced with Zhuo Fan’s smirk. “Dream Butterfly is a truly rare soul form, good at catching the other off guard. A shame you had to face me, your bane!” 

Elder Lu looked everywhere, to find the blue haze of his still on, “No way, you’re telling me you woke up from my nightmare?”

“Ha-ha-ha, haven’t you been listening? I said I never even fell asleep.” Zhuo Fan grinned, and his figure faded away.

Elder Lu gasped in fright.

Another Zhuo Fan not far away from here was leaning on a tree, laughing to himself. His right eye had three golden halos flashing. While around the Dream Butterfly that was Elder Lu, there was an invisible barrier that rippled now and then…