A Fantasy Love Story Across the Warring States Period

Chapter 86 Misty Illusions and Hidden Truth

The blurry figure drew closer to Huanmo, who felt every hair on his body stand on end, a chill running from his feet to his heart. He gripped his sword tightly, his spiritual energy circulating within him, preparing for any eventuality. He wondered, "What is this thing? Is it yet another obstacle set up in this forbidden area, or does it have some other purpose?"

Despite the eeriness of the figure, Huanmo knew he couldn't back down now. He took a deep breath and shouted again, "Who are you? If you don't speak, I won't be polite!" However, the other party still didn't respond, but walked towards him slowly. Every step seemed to step on Huanmo's taut nerves, making him even more nervous.

Just as the figure was about to reach Huanmo, the surrounding mist suddenly churned violently, as if stirred by an invisible hand. With the surging mist, the figure's outline gradually became clearer. Huanmo's eyes widened in surprise as she discovered that the person before her looked exactly like her, except that his eyes were cold and indifferent, as if devoid of any emotion.

"You... how could you be like me?" Huanmo was both shocked and frightened, his voice trembling. The phantom just looked at him coldly, then slowly spoke, its voice as if coming from the deepest hell, eerie and cold: "I am you, or rather, I am the truest self deep within your heart, summoned by the power of this forbidden land."

Huanmo felt a surge of panic. He didn't understand what those words meant, but he had a vague feeling that this phantom was no ordinary person. Before he could react, the phantom suddenly pounced on him with such speed that Huanmo had no time to dodge, and the two instantly began to wrestle.

The phantom's moves were exactly the same as Huanmo's, each move carrying a sharp killing intent. Huanmo defended while secretly lamenting, "This is practically fighting against myself. I'm too familiar with his moves, yet I can't defend against them at all." For a moment, the light of spiritual energy flickered continuously in the mist, and the sounds of collisions rose and fell, but Huanmo gradually lost ground, and several wounds appeared on his body, staining his clothes with blood.

On the other side, the woman in black robes anxiously searched for her companions in the mist. Her cries were swallowed by the fog, receiving no response. Suddenly, she felt a cold wind behind her. She quickly turned and swung her sword, only to find a phantom with the same face as herself before her. The phantom wore a twisted smile and attacked without a word. The woman in black robes was shocked and immediately began to fight back, thinking, "What on earth is going on in this forbidden area? How could such a phantom appear?"

The man in white encountered a phantom identical to himself. He nimbly wielded his jade flute, the melodies he played transforming into spiritual energy barriers to defend against the phantom's attacks. However, the phantom seemed to know his moves inside and out, always finding an opening to break through his defenses, leaving the man in white exhausted and his forehead covered in cold sweat.

Ling'er was not spared either. Facing the phantom rushing towards her, she danced her ribbons so tightly that they were impenetrable, trying to use the light to drive the phantom away. But the phantom was fearless and pressed forward step by step. Ling'er's eyes turned red with anxiety. She was terrified, but she stubbornly refused to give up the fight.

As Huanmo battled his own phantom, he gradually realized that the phantom seemed to be a magnified manifestation of his inner fears, desires, and other negative emotions. If he continued to passively take hits like this, he would never be able to win. He gritted his teeth and began to try to calm himself down, clear his mind of those distracting thoughts, and recall his original aspirations. To unlock the secrets of the Seven-Colored Box and save all living beings, he had endured countless hardships and dangers. How could he be defeated by his own phantom here?

Thinking this, a resolute glint flashed in Huanmo's eyes. He no longer blindly resisted, but instead launched an attack, each move carrying an unstoppable momentum. As his mindset shifted, his spiritual power grew stronger, gradually suppressing the illusion. Huanmo seized the opportunity, thrusting his sword into the illusion's chest. The illusion let out a shrill scream, then vanished into the mist as a wisp of green smoke.

Huanmo let out a long sigh of relief, about to call out to his companions, when he noticed the surrounding mist beginning to dissipate, revealing a strange scene. They were all standing before a giant circular screen of light, on which flickered images, like scenes from the past. The images showed once-prosperous cities where people lived in peace and contentment, but gradually, the scenes darkened, war broke out, and countless lives were lost. And the source of all this seemed to point to the seven-colored box.

The crowd gathered around, all captivated by the content displayed on the screen. The woman in black robes exclaimed in surprise, "So the secret of this box is so deeply connected to the wars and chaos in this world! But what exactly is going on?"

The man in white frowned, carefully examining the image, trying to find more clues. He said, "It seems that if the power contained in this box is used by someone with ill intentions, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Huanmo stared at the light screen, his heart growing heavier. He knew the weight of the responsibility on his shoulders; he had to completely unravel the secrets of the box and prevent the disaster from striking again. Just then, the image on the light screen suddenly froze, followed by the appearance of a mysterious symbol. The symbol flickered with an eerie light, as if summoning everyone.

Ling'er curiously reached out to touch the symbol, but Huanmo quickly stopped her, saying, "Don't touch it yet. This symbol is strange. We don't know what will happen if we touch it." But Ling'er's hand was already about to touch the symbol. Just as her fingertips were about to touch it, the light screen suddenly burst out with a powerful suction force. Before anyone could react, they were all sucked in.

Upon entering the light curtain, the group found themselves in an unfamiliar space, surrounded by endless darkness. Only a faintly glowing path stretched out into the distance beneath their feet. At the end of the path, a strange sound could be faintly heard, like the panting of some giant beast or the surging of some mysterious power.

Huanmo was filled with unease, unsure where this path would lead, what dangers or secrets awaited them ahead. But there was no turning back; they could only grit their teeth and move forward. They slowly advanced along the dimly lit path, the sounds at the end growing clearer. Each step felt like treading on the edge of the unknown, making their hearts leap into their throats once more…