Chapter 1025: The Young Girl

Standing atop the mountain, Qin Sang was surprised to find an immense cliff before him. The path had ended.

A broken cliff was hardly an obstacle to an immortal cultivator. Qin Sang could easily have flown across with his sword, but reason warned him not to be reckless.

In the dense mist ahead, mountain shadows loomed faintly between illusion and reality. It seemed like a range of mountains, but it might not be real at all. A rash move could easily send him into one of the Thousand-Mountain Array’s traps, plunging him into true danger.

The Sky-Eyed Butterfly circled him, observing the surroundings through its divine ability, but detected nothing unusual. After a moment’s thought, Qin Sang decided to retreat.

He descended the same path, cutting down several ferocious beasts along the way, and soon returned to the mountain’s base. Turning toward the other real mountain, he stepped forward without hesitation.

Along the way, ferocious beasts appeared frequently, the experience almost identical to the previous mountain.

When he reached the summit, the same scene appeared again. The path ended once more.

After leaving the canyon, every fork in the road split into three paths—two real, one false—and each ended in a dead end.

Frowning, Qin Sang looked around and reflected on his journey, his expression thoughtful. It seemed the true exit could only be found between these three peaks.

For those well-versed in illusion arrays, this was manageable. A remnant array could never be flawless; with enough time and effort, one could analyze its structure, find the exit or locate a weakness, and proceed with far less danger.

But cultivators unfamiliar with illusion arrays and lacking countermeasures could only force their way through with brute strength.

In that case, no matter how powerful they were, the efficiency of breaking through would be abysmal, consuming far too much time and energy in this trial.

"Ferocious beasts appear and vanish unpredictably, and truth and illusion constantly shift. Does that mean the third peak must be an illusion?" Qin Sang murmured to himself.

He returned once again to the foot of the mountain. This time, he noticed new changes in the illusion array. The ferocious beasts born of the array were slightly stronger than before. Clearly, the longer one lingered, the stronger the opponents became.

He quickened his pace and reached the foot of the third mountain. The Sky-Eyed Butterfly revealed that this mountain was illusory, but upon closer inspection, he found that within illusion there was still a trace of reality.

After a brief hesitation, Qin Sang stepped toward a cliff and took a single step forward.

Wind brushed past his ears. The mist remained thick, yet the scenery changed. He heard a rustling sound and looked around to find himself in a dense forest surrounded by towering ancient trees.

The jungle was dark and damp, and in the distance came the overlapping roars of ferocious beasts. This time, there was no clear path ahead. If he wished to find the exit, he could only rely on himself.

Using the Sky-Eyed Butterfly’s divine ability to observe, Qin Sang chose a direction and set off. He adjusted his course several times before finally discovering a path hidden between illusion and reality.

With the Sky Eyes divine ability, traveling through the Thousand-Mountain Array is far easier than for anyone else.

Qin Sang thought with relief.

Without delay, he increased his speed. The illusion array was not static. Some areas lacked beast attacks but were filled with hidden traps and strange mechanisms.

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Still, with the Sky-Eyed Butterfly and his own strength, none of the array's tricks managed to trouble him much, and his journey remained relatively smooth.

As time passed, Qin Sang gradually grasped some of the illusion array’s patterns. After all, when refining the eighteen devilish banners, he had studied Yuanshen Sect’s

Fragmented Records of the Taixuan Array

and thus had a fair understanding of spiritual arrays.

Even without the Sky-Eyed Butterfly, he could have deduced the correct path, though it would have taken far longer. Crossing countless ridges and ravines, Qin Sang arrived upon a floating peak.

He frowned, staring ahead, muttering to himself, "I wonder how much longer it will take to pass through the Thousand-Mountain Array. The illusion grows stronger the further I go. The Sky-Eyed Butterfly is beginning to struggle, sometimes needing time to distinguish truth from falsehood. It seems I must also start analyzing the array myself to aid it..."

From the distance came the continuous roars of beasts. Such sounds were common within the Thousand-Mountain Array, yet Qin Sang sensed something unusual. His eyes narrowed as he fixed his gaze in that direction, surprise flickering across his face.

"Someone seems to be fighting a ferocious beast over there?" He was intrigued. Someone had advanced even faster than he had, arriving here first.

"Since the Dongji Alliance's disciples can track Su Nu’s position, other factions likely have similar methods. These people are the best among their peers. Working together makes the trial far easier than facing it alone. It seems like I can't lower my guard." Murmuring to himself, Qin Sang withdrew his gaze and flew swiftly down the mountain.

Deep within the forest, a young girl was locked in battle with a fox-shaped ferocious beast. The fox was the size of a calf, with sharp fangs and a vicious nature.

The girl’s movements were graceful and light, her body fluttering like a colorful butterfly. She waved her flowing sleeves, leaving behind strands of misty white vapor that circled around her and the beast. The mist looked harmless, weightless as clouds.

The beast sensed no danger and attacked even more ferociously. Two more strands of mist drifted from the girl’s sleeves, wrapping the surroundings in a hazy veil.

Then the girl leapt backward, distancing herself from the beast. Her red lips parted as she spoke crisply, "Bind."

Whoosh, whoosh...

Before the word had faded, the mist abruptly changed. Its soft, airy form condensed into countless white threads that shot toward the beast.

In an instant, the ferocious beast was tightly bound like a silkworm cocoon. The girl’s hands shifted through a series of seals. Cracking sounds came from within the mist, followed by a spray of blood.

When she finally dispersed the mist, the beast lay dead. After slaying it, the girl took a deep breath. There was no joy on her face.

"My calculations are failing more often. I haven’t found the exit and instead keep falling into traps. Even the beasts I encounter are getting stronger. Who knows what lies ahead? If this continues, I’ll miss out on opportunities..." She sighed softly and brushed her fingers over the Life Talisman her grandfather had given her, anxiety flickering in her eyes.

At that moment, the young girl’s ears twitched slightly. She suddenly raised her head, gazing toward the depths of the forest. Clutching her Life Talisman tightly, her figure flickered and silently leapt onto a nearby treetop, holding her breath and steadying her aura.

"Someone’s there?" Her expression grew tense.

The dense mist blocked her vision, yet she could tell that the sound of the beast’s roars was unusual.

She realized that the commotion from her battle just now had not been small and might have exposed her position.

Thinking of this, the girl immediately moved away, intentionally putting distance between herself and the approaching figure.

However, she soon noticed that the newcomer was not heading toward her at all but rushing straight in another direction with remarkable speed, hardly pausing along the way.

The girl was quietly astonished. That person’s behavior was strange, as if he was not making any calculations at all.

If he was not some reckless brute, then he must be someone deeply familiar with the Thousand-Mountain Array, able to see through illusion and reality at a glance. But anyone who could reach this place could not possibly be a fool.

"Is he that powerful?" The girl’s heart wavered in uncertainty, and then, all of a sudden, the commotion from that direction vanished.