Because Ye Tiancheng had not opened his eyes, he had indeed not stepped on the lake. The vast expanse of blue lake seemed to have never existed. This bizarre illusion had played a huge trick on them.
Anyone who found themselves in such a place could have imagined that the lake before them was not real, and then dared to step onto it with courage.
However, their eyes saw it. Because their eyes could see, this blue lake would always be real. Even if one guessed whether the lake was an illusion and tried to step on it, they would only step into the lake water.
Even if someone noticed something amiss, closed their eyes and stepped onto the lake surface, and did not actually step into the lake water, when faced with such a situation, they would inevitably open their eyes to confirm the reality, wanting to see what had happened. Then, that person would discover that they were standing on the lake and would sink into the lake forever.
Moreover, human nature was such that if someone truly closed their eyes and walked onto the lake, when they could no longer resist their curiosity and wanted to open their eyes to check the situation, it would often be after they had already walked a considerable distance.
In short, it would not be a distance very close to the shore. That person was very likely to sink into the lake, and in the lake, there was a monstrously large creature waiting for them, waiting for them to fall into the lake.
As Ye Tiancheng speculated in his heart, he couldn't help but think of the fake Fatty who had dived into the lake at his request. Did he know everything?
If fear could be faked, if he had ever shown any cracks... Ye Tiancheng remembered that after the fake Fatty had narrowly escaped death, he had even dared to joke. He knew that he must have known, and even knew more, which was why he was so fearless and could act with confidence.
If it were in a place unfamiliar even to oneself, if it were not on one's own turf, how would a hunter dare to approach the prey carelessly, venture into the tiger's den, and set a trap?
Ye Tiancheng's thoughts raced chaotically. He simply closed his eyes and walked forward a few dozen steps. Then he heard the voice of the little fox behind him, "It's okay, Brother Ye, we've arrived. I can completely confirm that this is it, there's no mistake!"
Upon hearing the little fox's voice, Ye Tiancheng sensed. He still couldn't use his cultivation. They must still be standing on the lake surface. Therefore, Ye Tiancheng knew that he absolutely could not risk the lives of himself and the little fox. Thus, he needed to confirm multiple times.
"Little fox, are you sure? Feel it again carefully and then give me an answer. Don't rush, feel it carefully. This is very important to us, do you know?"
When the little fox heard Ye Tiancheng say this, he did not question him. Instead, he followed Ye Tiancheng's words and sensed carefully again, confirming if there were any abnormalities, and then replied to Ye Tiancheng with great certainty, "I can be sure, I am very sure, this is it, no mistake."
Ye Tiancheng took a deep breath, then slowly opened his eyes. What greeted his eyes was indeed solid ground. He had won the gamble. He completely relaxed and then turned around to put down the little fox he was carrying on his back.
However, just as he put the little fox down and was helping him stand steady, the smile on Ye Tiancheng's face suddenly froze. He suddenly realized what kind of danger they had been experiencing in their previous location.
Ye Tiancheng stood there blankly without speaking. After the little fox steadied himself, he waited for a while but did not receive any reaction from Ye Tiancheng, nor did he hear Ye Tiancheng's voice. He didn't understand what had happened. However, since he was already standing on solid ground, he fumbled on his own and untied the cloth that was covering his eyes.
Then, the little fox saw Ye Tiancheng looking in the direction they had come from in shock. The little fox followed Ye Tiancheng's gaze and saw only a vast, boundless expanse of water shrouded in thick mist in the direction they had come from.
The little fox vaguely sensed something. They had walked from that direction. Although they were some distance from the water's edge, it was he who had been guiding Ye Tiancheng all along.
The little fox knew exactly how long they had walked straight and which directions they had turned. Therefore, with just a glance, he could detect something incongruous and wrong.
The little fox couldn't help but confirm with Ye Tiancheng, "Brother Ye, did we really come from over there? From that... that water?! Were we in the water all along?"
Ye Tiancheng was momentarily brought back to his senses by the little fox's shocked voice. Then, he finally told the little fox all their experiences along the way. It was indeed a story that sounded incredible, but considering that they had been in an illusion, it was entirely possible.
The lake was not a lake, the forest was not a forest. The forest was a water area, and the lake was land. This was the bizarre illusion they had been in before.
Previously, they thought they were walking in a forest, but in reality, they had been walking on water. And when they thought they were walking in water, they had actually stepped onto land.
This illusion was truly adept at toying with people. Who could have imagined that an illusion would have such means? If they had continued to foolishly search for clues in the forest, they probably would never have been able to leave that illusion. If it weren't for the little fox, Ye Tiancheng felt that it would have been difficult to find an exit.
This was because Ye Tiancheng had truly never expected the illusion to be like this. He had even speculated whether that stone was in the water, and how to get into the water to break the illusion.
And how could they escape the illusion without going into the water? How many people in such a place could avoid being tricked? This was a path that even the little fox, who was guiding Ye Tiancheng, had never expected.
It was truly perilous. Even when they were still in the previous illusion, if they had not escaped the illusion, if they had not truly stood on real land, and had seen through all the illusions, wouldn't that mean they would have directly fallen into this vast body of water before them?
This body of water, shrouded in mist, looked full of hidden dangers. Who knew if they had truly fallen into this water, let alone being able to ensure they didn't drown without any defense? Even if they had not drowned and successfully reached the surface, how far would they be from the shore, and what dangers awaited them beneath the water?
Ye Tiancheng and the little fox both broke out in a cold sweat, feeling chilled from head to toe. The little fox, filled with lingering fear, began to shift his thoughts, trying to escape this negative emotion.
He turned to look at the land they were standing on. Vaguely, he could see the outline of a village. So, he tugged at Ye Tiancheng's arm.
"Brother Ye, look over here. Do you remember the dream I had before? Brother Fatty, the fake you, and I were staying in a very dilapidated earthen house. Look at that village over there. Could Brother Fatty be staying in this village?"
It was useless to dwell on past experiences now. What was more important was the challenge before them. This was clearly not a normal place either. It was just unknown whether this was an illusion or a real place in reality.
Ye Tiancheng followed what the little fox had said and gazed at the hazy outline of the village in the distance in the night. Unlike in the illusion, it was daytime in the illusion. Even after they had stepped onto the lake, just walking these few dozen steps should not have made the sky darken to this extent.
Although they didn't know if Fatty was in this place, they had to go in and take a look. Only after looking would they know if they had found the place.
Regardless of whether this place was an exit or not, they still had more important things to do, which was to save Fatty. However, they didn't understand the situation here very well, and it was not good to act rashly, because it was obvious that this place was definitely dangerous.
Moreover, there was a village ahead. There were likely villagers in the village. They didn't know how many villagers there were, whether the villagers were good or evil. Although there was no basis for speculation, both Ye Tiancheng and the little fox were more inclined to believe that the villagers in this village were likely not on the friendly side.
After discussion, Ye Tiancheng decided that they would not alert the villagers for now but would investigate the situation themselves. The most important thing was to see if they could find Fatty first, and if they could find the dilapidated earthen house that the little fox had seen in his dream.
The little fox thought that in his dream, all of them were in the house. He could only guess what the outside of the dilapidated earthen house looked like. But for Fatty's safety, even if he couldn't find it, he had to grit his teeth and search.
So, under the cover of night, Ye Tiancheng took the little fox, and they quietly sneaked into the village shrouded in darkness. The process of searching for Fatty was not easy either, because they didn't know the way, and it was too dark, which made it even more difficult for them to find their way.
To find the dilapidated earthen house where Fatty lived, they didn't have many clues, nor did they know what features that dilapidated earthen house had in its exterior.
The two could only follow the road, searching room by room, using the process of elimination. First, houses that looked larger and in better condition were definitely not their target. However, just in case, Ye Tiancheng would still approach the window and see if Fatty was inside.
But all the rooms were dark, and it was difficult to see anything. Ye Tiancheng relied on his good eyesight and strong night vision, which allowed him to see many things clearly in the dark and identify the contents of the rooms by recognizing the outlines of objects.
They checked many houses. After a considerable amount of time, Ye Tiancheng hesitantly thought that it seemed like none of the houses they had looked at were inhabited.
Thinking this, Ye Tiancheng took the little fox's hand. He looked back to confirm that he was holding the little fox's hand. The little fox squeezed his hand and looked at him, confirming his identity, clearly understanding what Ye Tiancheng was doing.
Then, Ye Tiancheng led the little fox towards the main door of a house. The little fox's eyes widened in shock. He didn't dare to make too much noise, for fear of alerting someone, so he could only try his best to lower his voice and whisper to Ye Tiancheng, "Brother Ye, what are you doing? This is the main entrance!"