Astral Pet Store (WN)

The gods who had gone away to hunt returned with a few more spirits soon after.

There was an Owl Spirit, plus a few Class A spirits that Su Ping had only seen on the files the Loulans had offered.

Even if they're capable of capturing Class A spirits, there can't be that many of them nearby. According to the Loulan family, it was already extremely 'lucky' for me to encounter any of them.

Su Ping shook his head with a smile. That illusion was hardly convincing.

However, thanks to the knowledge he had just acquired, he could still transform the illusion into reality as long as he was able to convince himself to believe it.

The illusory spirits could be transformed into real nutrition. The source and components of such nutrition were part of the Sea of Illusions' deepest secrets.

Su Ping didn't hesitate to absorb the spirits.

The latter turned into misty energy which flowed into his body. Su Ping felt that his mind was even quicker, calmer and more substantial. The gods before him even looked clearer than before too

I haven't been freed from my illusion yet. If this is real, I should be able to see through more illusions with the improvement of my willpower, making them become vaguer in my eyes. Is it because I'm still in the illusion? However…

Su Ping slowly closed his eyes. His body seemed to be undergoing a certain change.

The faces of the gods changed when he closed his eyes.

They had previously scorned him when he questioned them. However, they became solemn at the moment.

"This is his first visit to this place, yet he has already grasped the path of illusions. It seems that we've underestimated this successor."

"As expected of the chosen one. He's truly smart."

"It seems that he can survive in this place without us, as long as he doesn't approach the inland battlefield."

All the gods who hunted spirits for Su Ping seemed to be comforted. Su Ping had disappointed them at first, but their impression of him changed. They saw hope again.

"We should join the battle," said the old woman at the center with a soft voice.

The gods' expressions became grave after they heard her. They looked at Su Ping thoughtfully; no one complained.

"We must buy more time and hope for him," said a god in a low voice, staring at Su Ping and clenching his fists.

None of the gods disagreed. Su Ping's change had brought them confidence and motivation.

"Anna, he's yours," said the old woman softly.

Joanna—who was standing in front of Su Ping—was stunned for a moment. She then glanced at Su Ping intently. A moment passed, then she shook her head with a caring expression, like none Su Ping had ever seen. She said softly, "He's already capable of defending himself; he doesn't need me. I have to do something for him…"

The old woman glanced at her and felt her determination. Then she said, "Let's go!"

All the gods' eyes turned sharp and they gradually disappeared.

Su Ping slowly opened his eyes as they disappeared. Then, he saw that none of the gods remained. He heard what they said during their departure; after all, the illusions were based on his subconscious mind. The voices would have still reached him, even if he covered his ears.

My perception range has been increased to a thirty meter radius… Su Ping examined the fog around him. Although it was darker than before, his perception range was ten times wider!

Even Ascendants will have it hard when trying to infiltrate my mind when I leave this place, thought Su Ping.

Su Ping felt slightly embarrassed when he looked at the place where the gods used to be and recalled what he said, wondering if he had always been subconsciously fond of other people's adulation.

Maybe it's in the nature of every human being. Everybody likes to be praised.

Su Ping shook his head. In any case, he was already capable of protecting himself while roaming that place.

Since he had just mastered the path of illusions, Su Ping could not only absorb illusory spirits as though they were real, but also transform the things he imagined into real entities!

The objects he could transform depended on his willpower!

"Disperse!" Su Ping suddenly roared.

As if following commands, the heavy fog trembled violently. Then, the dark fog gradually dispersed, revealing a blank void in front of Su Ping's eyes.

Spirits love fear. Unfortunately, I can't force myself to fear. However… With a thought, Su Ping had the Dark Dragon Hound appear next to him.

However, Su Ping didn't summon the Dark Dragon Hound from his contract space. He merely imagined it.

The Dark Dragon Hound next to him could only exist in the Sea of Illusions. Su Ping could hardly turn what he imagined into real entities while in the real world, unless he could create a world similar to the Sea of Illusions.

"Fear!"

Su Ping imagined how the Dark Dragon Hound would run in panic while exploring the cultivation sites. His pet dog was the first to run whenever they encountered a formidable opponent; however, Su Ping would always force it to confront its fear.

Very soon, the Dark Dragon Hound trembled with fear.

Su Ping observed the environment. The fog—rather peaceful a moment earlier—suddenly surged. The waves were subtle at first, but then they rose like boiling water soon after.

However, the fog quickly settled and became tranquil again after seething for a moment.

Before Su Ping started to investigate, a dark ray of light had burst out from the fog from one side, charging at the Dark Dragon Hound like an octopus.

Su Ping had already detected the anomaly hiding in the fog. He condensed his willpower into a sword and slashed out.

Bang!

The spirit was instantly cut into halves; Su Ping's sword made another turn and soon chopped the spirit into pieces.

He then raised his hand and absorbed the spirit. It was a Class B spirit according to the Loulan family's files.

Su Ping's willpower was improved again after absorbing the spirit. His perception range was expanded by one meter.

Su Ping didn't stop there; he continued fishing out the spirits with the Dark Dragon Hound's fear.

Su Ping was able to move hundreds of kilometers in one instant with the path of illusion. He could imagine and create laws as long as his willpower could support it; he was almost invincible in that place!

Even if I encounter Ascendants, they wouldn't be a match for me unless they have mastered the path of illusion too. Su Ping was feeling quite confident at the moment.

More and more spirits appeared in the fog, attracted by the Dark Dragon Hound's fear. To Su Ping's surprise, most of them were Class B and some were Class C. As for the weaker Class D spirits, they were as rare as the Class S ones, which gave Su Ping a bad feeling.

The only thing he could trust was the information acquired outside of the Sea of Illusions.

He trusted the information the Loulans had gathered, which meant that he was already in a relatively deep place of the Sea of Illusions.

The strength of the spirits encountered was an indication of where he was.

That was probably the only way to confirm one's location in the Sea of Illusions.

Inferior spirits are near the edge, but I encountered a big guy the moment I came in. Although I didn't know whether or not that big guy was real, I seem to be in a deep place right now.

Does everybody arrive at a random location after passing through the gate? But the Loulan family didn't mention that.

The fog around me has an unusual color. It's supposed to be bright, yet it's black right now…

Su Ping remained vigilant of the environment while hunting the spirits, and was ready to retreat if anything went wrong. He had a speculation that he couldn't confirm.

The spirits lured by the Dark Dragon Hound's fear were getting stronger and stronger as time passed. Some were even Class A spirits.

Su Ping fought the Class A spirits, finding that it wasn't too hard to kill them; he could even tear the spirits apart with the path of illusion from the inside.

Su Ping's willpower increased rapidly as he slew more spirits, and his perception range was increased to seventy meters.

It was twenty times greater than when Su Ping entered the place!

Su Ping felt the situation was rather surreal. However, the path of illusion was directing him; this kept him clear of any self-doubt.

I'm improving even faster than when I explore cultivation sites! Su Ping thought.

The Sea of Illusions would surely be a top plane like the Archean Divinity if it was listed among the system's cultivation sites!

After all, it was a place that not even Celestials had explored in full.

Those Celestials must have mastered the path of illusions, yet they have still been unable to fully explore the place; it must be unimaginably dangerous!

The strongest spirits that the Loulan family has recorded are categorized as Class SSS. However, a piece of information mentions a horrifying being above SSS Class would show up once every couple of thousand years, killing anyone it meets whenever it appears!

The information about that creature was left by one of the few Celestials who have died in the Sea of Illusions.

Su Ping managed to grasp the path of illusion, but he still didn't dare to act carelessly. After all, it was a place where even Celestials could die; it was as dangerous as the ninth space!

The black fog surged again while Su Ping continued hunting, planning to increase his perception range to a hundred meters. This time, all the black fog surged while moving fast, blowing Su Ping's hair back.

Something seemed to be pushing the black fog. It also seemed that something massive was running in his direction and knocking the fog away.

What is that?

Su Ping changed his expression. He hurriedly made the Dark Dragon Hound stop emitting fear. Meanwhile, he quickly flashed and disappeared from the area, reappearing thousands of meters away.

Hardly had Su Ping reappeared when Su Ping heard a voice. "Why are you still here?"

It was none other than the mysterious young man who had fought against the Black Swallower earlier on.

However, Su Ping didn't see him; he could only hear his voice coming from the fog. It seemed to echo from a far off place, beyond his perception range.

Is it because my willpower has been strengthened? That is why I can't see his illusion any more, and can only hear his voice? Su Ping thought.

While he pondered, the mysterious young man said quickly, "Leave now! You'll be discovered if you meddle in the battle!"

Although he knew that the person was imaginary, Su Ping couldn't help but ask, "Who are you?"

He wanted to know why he had imagined that mysterious young man.

The man had a pair of eyes ablaze with passion and determination. Su Ping was sure that he would have never forgotten him, had they ever met before.

"You may call me Heaven Killer!" said the mysterious young man, "We will meet again. You must live on. All of our hope rests on your shoulders!"

"Heaven Killer?" Su Ping was stunned for a moment. He felt that the name was rather familiar.

Judging from his title, it was easy to tell that the man was a horrifying being with a realm beyond the Celestial State.

After all, none of the Celestial experts would dare mention the Heavens!

"Let's go!"

The fog surged before Su Ping could say another thing. He then felt that his body was quickly pushed away to a far distance.

The push was so real that Su Ping felt appalled. Was the mysterious young man not an illusion?

Su Ping soon found that it was the black fog pushing him. He thought that the force had originated from the mysterious young man, but it was more like the inertia produced by the moving fog. It was just like being in the middle of a torrent, one would feel as if someone were doing the pushing.

In the middle of the fog—Su Ping felt that his head was stinging. The fog entered his body, turning into countless sharp needles which stung his head, making him want to break out of his shell.

The pain was so excruciating that he wanted to run away from it.

However, only his thoughts could possibly escape!

What a feeling, caused by the fog… Su Ping was shocked. That was the black tide, as documented by the Loulan family. A person's consciousness would separate from their soul, once hit by the black tide. After that, it would be very hard for it to join back with the soul!

Without the protection of the soul, one's consciousness could be swallowed by the black tide at any moment!

According to the research done by the Federation, the black tide was the actual energy transformed from all the swallowed consciousnesses. It was highly corruptive!

Damn it. This isn't my illusion! Did something happen on the other side of the gate? Su Ping looked rather awful; he couldn't stay there any longer. Even though he had mastered the path of illusion, he wasn't bold enough to wander the Sea of Illusions during that dangerous period. He was still too weak.

"Hurry!"

"Send him away!"

"They felt something!"

Some voices echoed in the fog. They weren't too far from Su Ping, but they were beyond his perception range, and he couldn't see them.

Meanwhile, Su Ping felt a lot of forces pushing his body; they felt like giant hands.

His body was uncontrollably flying forth at a high speed, as if latched onto a rocket.. The thick fog brushing past his body made him feel as if his soul would have left his body.