Chapter 109: Illusory Realm

  Phantom realm, is a strange space between reality and illusion.

  The entire Tianling continent has many known or unknown fantasy realms, each with different properties. There are Longshi fantasy realms where gravity is stronger than in the outside world, Lingxiu fantasy realms where spiritual energy is denser than in the outside world, and even Miquan fantasy realms that use desire to entice people's hearts and illusions to confuse their minds.

  Nie's family possessed the Mortal Realm of Illusions.

  No matter what kind of spiritual realm, the spiritual master can extract his own soul from his body through a special "soul stone" and enter it to form a life-like entity that is both real and fake. In the spiritual realm, after death, the soul will return to the flesh, on the condition that the head is not blown into pieces.

  Nie family's life and death boundary, allows the spiritual master to experience the process of life and death with senses nearly ten times sharper than usual at the moment of death. It is said that during this process of death, the spiritual master can clearly feel his own life slipping away bit by bit.

  In the outside world, death is just a matter of an instant, and even pain can't be felt. But in the Mortal Realm, the process of dying is prolonged tens or hundreds of times over. People have to endure intense suffering while watching themselves slowly die.

  Between life and death, there is great terror.

  Having experienced the terror of death, one can understand the preciousness of life. Moreover, after experiencing death, a person's will and temperament may undergo a qualitative transformation. This is why every five years when the fantasy realm opens, the Nie family selects spirit masters under the age of 20 who have reached the sixth rank of Ling Gathering to go in for training.

  It can be said that no matter what kind of spiritual realm, it has a great auxiliary effect on the cultivation of spiritual masters. However, the reason why the spiritual realm takes effect is still unclear to this day, and no spiritual master has been able to figure it out. All that is known is that all discovered spiritual realms are remnants from the era of spiritual beings.

  It is said that before the "Tianling Era", humans used the "Huanling Era". At that time, this continent was called the Huanling Continent.

  About 10,000 years ago, the Phantom Continent suffered a catastrophic event that caused the deaths of most humans. Even those who survived forgot everything, and almost all written records proving the existence of that era disappeared without a trace. Except for some excavated relics with strange inscriptions, the history of the Phantom Continent is largely blank.

  The Phantom Era, to the humans of today's Phantom Continent, is merely a myth and legend. The Phantom Realm, as a remnant of the Phantom Era, has been shrouded in mystery. Since ancient times, generations of powerful spirit masters have studied its structural principles, but unfortunately, there has been no progress.

  The Phantom Realm can actively absorb the power of heaven and earth to maintain its operation, but it also has a fatal flaw. As long as the spiritual master's cultivation exceeds the limit that the Phantom Realm can bear, cracks will appear, or even collapse and destroy. Of course, everyone understands the preciousness of the Phantom Realm, so no matter what sect or family gets it, they will carefully protect it and generally will not have such man-made accidents.

  It is known that many families, sects, and even the imperial family of the Tianling Continent rose to prominence because of the Phantom Realm. The Nie Family is a prime example.

  Three hundred years ago, the Nie family was just a moderately powerful family in the Great Success Empire.

  At that time, the Nie family head inadvertently discovered the life and death fantasy boundary and the ice flame cave here, and moved the entire family over, strictly guarding the secret of the fantasy boundary. After nearly a hundred years of development, the Nie family made a stunning appearance in the "Family Alliance Conference" held by the Great Success Empire every ten years, ranking among the top five, which gave rise to the reputation and prosperity of the Nie family for many years, and even this Jitian City was also due to the Nie family that it has its current scale.

  There is a world of life and death, and there is the Nie family, this statement is absolutely correct.

  "Life and Death Domain? Ha! I've already truly died once, why would I want to enter the Life and Death Domain again to experience that fake feeling of death?"

  As he walked home, Nie Kong couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he thought about the rumors surrounding the Life and Death Domain. Ever since Nie Qingfeng told him that he had a chance of entering the domain, Nie Kong had been asking around in his spare time, comparing what he heard with what he remembered, and now he had some understanding of the Life and Death Domain. Recently, in the training grounds, one could almost always hear discussions about who would be chosen for the "Life and Death Domain".

  Just now, the Ninth Elder came looking for him and they were discussing this matter.

  If it were another young man from a collateral branch who heard that the Ninth Elder had summoned him personally, he would probably be flattered and terrified. Nie Kong, on the other hand, didn't have much of a reaction; he was very clear that the reason the Ninth Elder had specifically sought him out to talk was because of the potential and value he had recently demonstrated.

  Six or seven days, the time from Jī Líng first rank to Jī Líng ninth rank, such a speed is naturally worthy of family attention. If Niè Kōng is still a half-dead sickly person now, others won't even give him a glance, let alone Jiǔ Zhǎnglǎo who wouldn't remember that he had treated this sickly person before.

  As for the experience of life and death, and the realization of life and death that the Ninth Elder spoke of, Nie Kong had no interest in it. What he was most concerned about was a sentence that the Ninth Elder had mentioned in a joking tone, which was that there were some extremely rare medicinal herbs in the Life and Death Domain, and even treasures similar to spiritual pattern weapons.

  The most bizarre thing about the spiritual realm is that it's hard to say whether it's real or not. If you pay a little attention, the spirit masters inside won't truly die; but if you say it's fake, then there are mountains and rivers inside, with flowers, grass, trees, and even a large number of ordinary animals and spiritual beasts still living.

  "Today is the thirteenth, tomorrow the fourteenth, and the day after tomorrow will be the day when the Realm of Life and Death opens."

  Nie Kong muttered to himself, his heart filled with worry. He had heard that in the Illusory Realm, one could stay for no more than seven days. During this time, only Hua Mei was at home, and Nie Feng Xing and Wu Tong, who bore a deep grudge against him, might come to harass him. With just Hua Mei, an ordinary woman, he feared she would be unable to cope.

  "Big Radish Disciple."

  Suddenly, a delicate voice pierced through the air.

  Only that little girl, Mu Hongyan, knew this nickname and would also use it to address herself! Nie Kong hastily looked in the direction of the voice and found that at a fork in the road not far away, a lovely red-clothed girl was smiling and waving at him.

  It's been a while since I've seen her... Suddenly, an idea struck me, and Nie Kong felt a bright light in front of him. Such a good resource would be wasted if not utilized properly. So, Nie Kong put on a smile and approached her enthusiastically, greeting her warmly: "So it's Little Master, you're here."

  "Don't add 'little'."

  Mu Hongyin put on a master's airs, her round face tense, and sternly lectured, "Bad disciple, it's been so many days since we last met, how is your cultivation going?"

  Nie Kong shook his head and said, "The low-speed gear is okay, but the medium speed is not good. I've been practicing with the gyroscope at medium speed for several days, and at most, I can only hold on for about twenty times before being pinched."

  "Progress is so fast?" Mu Hongyan was somewhat surprised.

  At first, she only started practicing medium-speed top spinning after entering the spiritual realm, and it took almost half a month of effort to reach Nie Kong's level. But listening to Nie Kong's tone, he seemed still somewhat dissatisfied, and Mu Hongyan suddenly felt a bit frantic.

  "Hmph, the little girl pouted and said: 'Bad apprentice, you're being naughty again. Still pretending to be humble in front of me? I'm your master! Treating your master like an outsider, it seems your skin is itching again.' Mu Hongyan rolled up her sleeves, her two slender jade arms dancing in front of Nie Kong, with a lecturing attitude."

  Nie Kong smiled and said: "Young Master, I didn't take you as an outsider. It just so happens that I have something to trouble you with right now."

  "Hurry up and say it."

  Mu Hongyan still thought that Nie Kong's offer to help was about cultivation, and she suddenly smiled brightly, her mouth corners trembling with a dimple. She hadn't had enough of Master's indulgence yet, and she no longer cared about the small words Master said earlier. "A disciple's affairs are naturally the master's affairs. As long as I can be of assistance, Master will not decline."

  Nie Kong hurriedly said: "A small favor, for a young master like you, is just a matter of lifting one's hand. However, before saying anything, I'd like to ask, how many more days will you be staying in Jieyang City?"

  "At least a month, what's with the question?" Mu Hongyan asked suspiciously, slanting her eyes at Nie Kong.

  "It's like this, I'll be entering the Illusory Realm in two days' time and only my sister-in-law will be left at home. I'm worried that Nie Feng Xing will harass her. Oh, Nie Feng Xing is the third son of the clan leader and has always had ill intentions towards my sister-in-law. Since you're not in a hurry to leave, Master, would you mind helping me take care of things for a few days?" Nie Kong explained.

  "Is that person Nie Feng Xing?" Mu Hong Yan's eyebrows furrowed, a hint of disgust in her eyes.

  "That's right."

  "Hmph, Big Radish disciple, you can rest assured and go to the Illusory Realm, this busy Master will definitely help." Mu Hongyin patted her chest lightly and promised with a pleasant expression.

  "Then thank you, little master. Let's go, I'll take you to my place first." Nie Kong was taken aback, he had thought he would have to persuade her some more, and had even prepared the words to coax Mu Hongyan, but unexpectedly she agreed in one breath, without any hesitation or reluctance.

  "Go!"

  Following Nie Kong for a few steps, Mu Hongying finally came back to her senses.

  Clutching her fists and knocking on the back of her head, Xiaotou frowned and muttered: "It's unfair, it's unfair. Why should I do what he tells me to do? I'm the master, he's just an apprentice! Now it seems like I'm his apprentice... If only I hadn't agreed so quickly..."

  ……

  PS: This chapter introduces an important setting and background for the next book, so the content is a bit less. However, after laying the groundwork, the wonderful fantasy world will begin soon...

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