Chapter 15: The Dead

In the Hall of Invoking Immortals, the music of Elder Ku's zither filled the air.

"Ding, ding, ding!"

Entering the third level, those who were frightened by the horrific scenes became mere servants. Only those with strong wills could endure, even if their talents were lacking; they were now qualified disciples. The disciples from the four sects waited eagerly, hoping to recruit the more resilient ones.

The terror of the illusion was escalating. Over a hundred testers remained on the square, pale and sweating, but still persevering. Soon, another tester screamed and collapsed.

"Why are they so scared, knowing it's an illusion?" Ye Dafu asked, curiosity on his face.

His uncle shook his head. "You've left the illusion, so you don't understand its terror. The images can frighten you into forgetting everything, and it only grows more terrifying. These people may know it's false, yet fear still grips them."

"But that brat seems unfazed. Is he sleeping?" Ye Dafu said, displeased.

"Hmm? Which one?" his uncle asked.

Ye Dafu pointed at Xiao Nanfeng.

Seeing Xiao Nanfeng standing calmly, eyes closed, his uncle's eyes brightened. "Brother, I found a good seed! That youth, facing Elder Ku's illusion, shows no change!" he exclaimed.

The senior brother looked at Xiao Nanfeng with interest. "What's his name?"

"Seems to be Nanfeng. His cultivation is only sixth level of the acquired realm, quite poor!" Ye Dafu remarked sourly.

"Nanfeng? Quickly, fetch his details! We want him!" the senior brother urged.

"Elder, didn't you hear me? That Nanfeng only has sixth level of the acquired realm!" Ye Dafu's face stiffened.

But the senior brother was undeterred, eyes sparkling at the calm Xiao Nanfeng. "To remain unflinching in the face of evil spirits! Such a strong will! We must do everything to recruit him."

"Brother, don't worry! We'll even give up a disciple under twenty with innate realm potential to take him!" the junior brothers vowed earnestly.

Ye Dafu: "…"

What do you mean? You'd rather have him than me? Why? He's only sixth level of the acquired realm!

No one paid attention to Ye Dafu's dark expression as they gazed at Xiao Nanfeng.

Other sects were observing as well, intrigued by Xiao Nanfeng's composed demeanor amidst the escalating horror of the illusion.

The zither continued, the illusion growing more terrifying, causing many testers to falter and awaken.

Awake, awake, awake…

The awakened testers were promptly led away, officially accepted into the Taiqing Immortal Sect.

As the number dwindled, only thirty remained—those with the strongest wills, becoming targets of contention among the four sects. Xiao Nanfeng was among them, still unchanging.

In the foggy illusion, Xiao Nanfeng noticed that the previously alluring women had transformed into terrifying demons, now a horde of them!

"Is this... a zombie siege?" Xiao Nanfeng mused, his expression peculiar.

While others panicked, Xiao Nanfeng, a horror movie fan, felt nonchalant. The grotesque faces and jagged teeth reminded him of the zombie films he had watched.

Is this it? 

He found it a bit dull, lacking buildup and atmosphere, becoming weary of the spectacle.

Yet, to achieve better results, he decided to endure.

Suddenly, he spotted a faint black mist in the distance, where a pale skeleton stood motionless.

"Eh? Isn't this a zombie film? Why is a skeleton here? The vibe is off!" Xiao Nanfeng blinked in surprise.

The skeleton's sudden appearance contrasted sharply with the previous zombie-like horrors, giving Xiao Nanfeng the sensation of a genre shift.

In the next moment, he noticed twenty-nine other testers suddenly appearing nearby. They were equally bewildered, having previously been unable to see each other.

"What's going on?" they gasped.

Unbeknownst to them, outside the illusion, Elder Ku was playing the zither when it suddenly trembled.

"Bang!"

A string snapped.

Everyone looked at Elder Ku, confused.

Elder Ku sprang up abruptly. "What's wrong? Is everyone awake?"

"Not yet. Thirty of the strongest-willed are still in the illusion. Their expressions... they seem different. What happened to that one?" a disciple exclaimed.

They saw one tester's face twist in terror, then he coughed up blood and collapsed.

"Isn't this an illusion? Why is he spitting blood?" Ye Dafu gasped.

Several Taiqing Immortal Sect disciples rushed over, but the coughing tester did not awaken, lying lifeless on the ground.

"He's dead!" one of them shouted in shock.

"What? How did he die? They were just testing in the illusion!" Ye Dafu cried.

The disciples were thrown into chaos.

"Elder Ku, one tester just died after spitting blood."

"Elder Ku, the other twenty-nine haven't awakened."

"Elder Ku, the music stopped, but the illusion hasn't faded. Why are they still not awake?" 

The responsible disciples were in disarray.

Elder Ku's face changed drastically. "Take me there, and don't awaken anyone! Don't touch them!"

"Uh? Yes!" they replied, following Elder Ku to the fallen tester. 

Elder Ku placed his hand on the dead man, a faint blue light emanating from his palm as he examined him. Suddenly, his expression shifted.

"Elder Ku? How did he die?" the anxious crowd asked.

Elder Ku remained silent, his face grave.

"Puff!"

At that moment, another tester suddenly coughed up blood and collapsed.

"Another one is dead, Elder Ku! Another one!" 

"Don't touch them! Do not disturb the rest!" Elder Ku commanded solemnly.

The situation spiraled beyond control. What started as a normal illusion test had turned fatal. Elder Ku and the Taiqing Immortal Sect disciples were anxious, while the onlookers felt a chill of horror.

"Elder Ku, how can there be deaths in the illusion?" someone asked nervously.

"An illusion merely projects images into their minds, extracting their emotions. But now, there's a problem within their mental state," Elder Ku explained, taking a deep breath.

Just moments ago, all thirty testers had been trapped in the same illusion. Initially, no one cared; after all, they had just watched a horror film. Now that there were more companions, they felt less fear. The zombies wouldn't truly harm them, so why worry?

Some even began to converse.

Only Xiao Nanfeng remained silent, fixated on the skeleton, which seemed to teleport suddenly in front of a tester.

"Ha! What's this? A skeleton? Not scary at all. My father is a coroner; I've seen worse since childhood! Trying to scare me?" a tester scoffed.

Knowing it was all fake, they felt completely unafraid, and others laughed at the skeleton.

Suddenly, the skeleton's head turned, focusing on the laughing youth. In an instant, it lunged, its claw piercing through the man's chest, blood splattering. The laughter ceased, replaced by shock.

"Puff!"

The man coughed blood, staring in disbelief at the skeleton.

"Dude, stop pretending! Can an illusion hurt you?" someone joked.

"Cough, cough, puff!" 

The pierced tester could barely speak, collapsing as he coughed up blood.

"He's dead? Can people die in the illusion?" someone remarked, pale.

The body lay in a pool of blood, soon dissolving into faint smoke, which the skeleton inhaled and vanished.

The body was gone, but the others could no longer laugh, uncertain if the man had returned to reality or truly died.

Unease spread among them, yet they remained rooted in place.

Only Xiao Nanfeng sensed the foreboding atmosphere. An overwhelming sense of dread washed over him. He no longer wanted to stay, stepping back decisively to leave the illusion.

"Bang!"

Xiao Nanfeng took a step back, but he remained still. The skeleton was still nearby.

"I can't get out." Xiao Nanfeng's expression changed.

"What?" The others looked at him, puzzled.

"I'm leaving the illusion. Try to see if any of you can exit!" he urged, scanning the others, feeling increasingly ominous.