Cameron’s words dispelled the elation of their recent escape. They were out of the altar, yet they had no inkling of their location or the means to escape.
“It’s normal not to be able to communicate here. We’ve been in a massive illusionary realm since we set foot in that cave. Here, reality and illusion blend together, and it’s hard for us to tell them apart,” Jared explained.
“An illusionary realm? So, does being in this illusionary realm mean we won’t be able to escape that old man’s clutches?” someone asked, their voice tinged with nervousness.
“Exactly. If it’s an illusionary realm, we might still be in the same spot and haven’t actually escaped,” Jared concurred. His analysis sent many into a state of panic.
After all, everything they had experienced felt real, from battling demon beasts to collecting mystical herbs. Therefore, being abruptly informed that it was all an illusionary realm was a difficult truth to accept.
“This illusionary realm wasn’t created by that old geezer. He isn’t powerful enough for something of this magnitude. I suspect this place is an ancient underground cave. In the past, two of the ancestors of the Archaic Body cultivators, a pair of brothers, engaged in a monumental battle here. Each of them established their colossal illusion arrays, and in the end, they both perished, causing their arrays to gradually merge, blurring the boundaries between reality and illusion,” Jared explained.
Jared had developed this theory because, during his encounter with the elder of the Archaic Body Cultivation clan in the thatched cottage, the elder’s brother appeared entirely oblivious.
However, when Jared left the cottage, he immediately met the elder in the palace. It felt as though they were in completely different timelines in the same location.
From this, Jared had deduced that all of this was the result of illusion arrays. These were two distinct illusion arrays set up by different individuals, enabling them to occupy the same space without perceiving each other’s presence.
Jared’s theory left many cultivators bewildered, struggling to comprehend it. At present, their sole priority was escaping. Whether it was an illusion array or an actual cave, the paramount goal was to emerge alive; everything else was secondary. None of them cared about the treasure anymore.
“Jared, get to the point. How do we get out?
Skip the technical details; we can’t make sense of them anyway!” a cultivator implored.
“Exactly, Mr. Chance, just give us the instructions, and we’ll follow your lead,” Cloud added. Jared scanned the group and stated, “Escaping from here is simply not possible.”
“Huh?”
Jared’s words left everyone in shock. Even Cameron frowned, looking utterly confused. “Why? Are we really going to die here?”
“Yeah, why can’t we get out? There are so many of us. Can’t we find an exit?”
“Mr. Chance, please explain. Why can’t we leave?” Everyone bombarded Jared with questions, their expressions filled with astonishment.
“To break free, we’d have to find a way to finish off that old geezer. Even though he’s just a wisp of a soul remnant, he’s been trapped here for years. I’m willing to bet he’s set up a ton of traps. That ice soul fragment was just an illusion. It wasn’t a real fragment but just the energy inside it.
Anyway, that was just a type of illusion spell that trapped your minds and made you feel like you couldn’t stop absorbing energy. Therefore, we have to eliminate that old man.. Once he’s gone, I believe this place will change drastically, and then we can get out,” Jared explained.
“But even as a soul remnant, that old geezer is incredibly powerful. Besides, he’s got those Five Slayers with him as his lackeys. How in the world are we supposed to take them on?” Cameron asked.
“We can’t take them on directly, but that doesn’t mean there’s no one else who can. Have you all forgotten that I’ve seen the Archaic Body Cultivation-elder before? We can ask him for help. His soul remnant still exists, and with his assistance, we won’t have to fear a thing.”
Jared’s hope now rested on the Archaic Body Cultivation elder.
