This attire was truly eye-catching.
Qi Yu's first thought upon seeing her was: "Did the Heavenly Law descend?"
But she quickly dismissed the idea.
This woman was clearly far superior to the Heavenly Law, and though she wore a veil, it was gossamer-thin, clearly revealing her exquisite features.
She was a stunningly beautiful woman, one who commanded awe at first glance.
Seeing the woman effortlessly pass through the barrier, with no hint of hostility, Qi Yu was momentarily unsure of her intentions and instinctively blocked her path:
"Who goes there?"
"This humble one is Liu Ying, a minor immortal under the command of the esteemed God Liu Yu," the beauty bowed gracefully. "I have come on behalf of God Liu Yu to deliver a message to all of you."
As she spoke, she produced a scroll and offered it. Although she had introduced herself as a subordinate of Yu Zhen, her every gesture exuded an air of nobility.
She clearly seemed to be more than just a minor immortal.
Qi Yu raised her hand and accepted the scroll with spiritual energy.
Before another word could be exchanged, Liu Ying turned and vanished.
This meant the woman had truly just come to deliver a message.
Qi Yu clicked her tongue, feeling something was amiss. The scroll remained suspended by spiritual energy, not held in hand nor brought closer.
"Is this a painting? Why did she say she was delivering a message? Who writes letters on scrolls? How much content could there be?" Si Qing mused, gently tapping the scroll with his spiritual energy to open it.
Immediately, the scroll unfurled, rolling several meters across the ground.
Shao Feng leaned in curiously, about to examine the contents, when the scroll suddenly expanded dozens of times, spreading out like a carpet in all directions.
Finally, it emitted a blinding light.
Everyone instinctively squinted, shielding their eyes. When they opened them again, the surroundings had transformed from the mortal realm into a misty, ethereal immortal landscape.
"...Everyone, be careful. This is likely a trap set by Rakshasa Heavenly Venerate," Qi Yu warned, assuming a defensive stance.
All faces turned tense.
Just then, the sound of footsteps, "dada dada," echoed from not far away.
Si Qing spun around abruptly.
There, Rakshasa Heavenly Venerate was walking towards them, stepping on clouds, all while removing his gloves.
Behind Rakshasa Heavenly Venerate were two women.
One was Ling Ruo, in spirit form.
The other was Yu Zhen.
As for the veiled beauty, Liu Ying, who had delivered the message, she was nowhere to be seen.
However, Liu Ying's aura lingered in this place, suggesting she was still here, merely hidden.
For some reason, Qi Yu felt that Liu Ying, who claimed to be Yu Zhen's subordinate, was not simple.
The words "subordinate of Yu Zhen" felt less like an identity and more like a borrowed guise.
Qi Yu couldn't fathom it: if her intuition was correct, what was Liu Ying's true identity?
Feng Si Qian's face contorted in disgust. She held no good impression of these two who had willingly surrendered and become Rakshasa Heavenly Venerate's lackeys.
"We meet again. What a coincidence," Rakshasa Heavenly Venerate said with a mocking smile. "I had intended to set a different trap for you. But I ran out of time. You always claimed you didn't care about the lives of mortals, didn't you? So, I thought about it and decided to change the game."
Feng Yun Zui paid no mind to Rakshasa Heavenly Venerate's words. She lowered her voice and asked Qi Yu:
"How can this guy just pull us up here so easily? Even if that scroll was opened, he shouldn't be this powerful, should he?"
If Rakshasa Heavenly Venerate's cultivation had reached a point where he could arbitrarily drag them into a pocket dimension, what was the point of fighting?
They might as well pack up, hide in the twelfth heaven, or simply surrender.
After all, if Rakshasa Heavenly Venerate could freely pull them into pocket dimensions, it meant he could control them at will, which was even more terrifying than the Heavenly Dao and the Laws casting curses upon the mortal realm. What was happening to this world?
"You're overthinking it. He's not that powerful. If he were, he wouldn't be wasting his breath talking to us here," Qi Yu glanced at Rakshasa Heavenly Venerate. "The scroll Liu Ying delivered was likely a magical artifact. I just don't know how Rakshasa Heavenly Venerate got his hands on it."
Feng Yun Zui frowned deeply.
This artifact, which had created a world filled with misty clouds, made her feel deeply uneasy.
Qi Yu also felt a slight discomfort, but at this moment, her intense hostility towards Rakshasa Heavenly Venerate left her no time to dwell on her own unease.
Rakshasa Heavenly Venerate's gaze was fixed on Qi Yu and the others. Seeing that Qi Yu had been talking to Feng Yun Zui, he let out a cold sneer:
"It seems you're not very nervous, still having the leisure to chat."
"But it's not surprising. You still don't know what I intend to do after entering this place, do you?"
"Once you know, you won't be so relaxed."
Rakshasa Heavenly Venerate spoke as he spread his arms.
The surrounding ethereal mist seemed to be swallowed by something, and the area suddenly plunged into darkness.
Qi Yu stood up, her hand conjuring a flaming spear. She swung it fiercely, breaking through the darkness.
The next moment, countless identical Qi Yus appeared before her.
On the other side, Si Qing and the others watched with shocked expressions.
"You all claim not to care about humans, but you must care about your teammates, right?" Rakshasa Heavenly Venerate looked at Yue Zhiyin. "Let's see how much you care about each other. Among these thousand Qi Yus, only one is real. You have only three chances. Choose incorrectly, and she belongs to me."
Si Qing's expression turned grim.
Rakshasa Heavenly Venerate stared at him. "I know you are soul twins, so discerning the real from the fake shouldn't be difficult for you. But this is not an ordinary world; this is the Illusionary Painting Realm. Every Qi Yu before your eyes can resonate with you."
"Your advantage will be of no use here."
After speaking, Rakshasa Heavenly Venerate let out a wild laugh.
To demonstrate his words were true, he deliberately snapped his fingers. Instantly, one of the fake Qi Yus burst into flames, screaming as she was reduced to ashes.
Si Qing gritted his teeth, but ultimately suppressed his anger and turned to Yan Hua: "Master, do you know this Illusionary Painting Realm?"
"This is a treasure left behind by Nuwa in ancient times," Yan Hua frowned. "With my current abilities, it will take some time to break through the confinement of this place."
"Don't think you can stall your way through," Rakshasa Heavenly Venerate met the gazes of An Nuo, Shao Feng, and the others. "If you delay, they will all die. Then you won't even be able to retrieve the fakes."
An Nuo clenched her fists in anger, but at this moment, she had no inclination for verbal sparring. Her attention was entirely focused on the group of Qi Yus opposite them, who looked identical, their reactions, divine power, aura, and soul scent all indistinguishable.
Yu Zhen watched An Nuo, Shao Feng, and Si Qing searching among the crowd, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
The plan to create a horde of fake Qi Yus was her suggestion to Rakshasa Heavenly Venerate.
She wanted to see.
She wanted to see how much more An Nuo, Shao Feng, and Si Qing loved Qi Yu compared to herself.