Chapter 404: Is This an Illusion?
Bai Yu Mo’s fight didn’t last very long. Unlike the Phantom that kept its strength at just 10%, her sword talent was more about her terrifying ability to learn—like a sponge on steroids.
In the heat of battle, she quickly identified her weaknesses, stealing the opponent’s techniques and experiences like a sneaky thief, her power growing by leaps and bounds. From initially dodging and parrying, she slowly started to even the odds, then pushed ahead, and finally beat her opponent into submission until victory was hers.
When her longsword pierced the Phantom’s neck, the fight was over. The black phantom dissipated into nothingness, and the final trial appeared before her.
Without hesitation, Bai Yu Mo strode forward.
But this time, she didn’t face a new enemy. Instead, a wave of dizziness washed over her. When she snapped out of it, she found herself much smaller—like a kid again—and tied to a bed, as if she had returned to that day when her bones were dug out.
Where was this? Could it be… the day her bones were excavated?
“b*stard!”
Suddenly, a furious shout rang out. The man holding a dagger beside her was suddenly knocked flying, crashing against the wall and falling into unconsciousness.
“Is this an illusion?”
Bai Yu Mo seemed to realize something. Usually, these trials would block her senses to prevent her from noticing too quickly. But because Bai Feng was so skilled at illusions herself, she had gained a certain resistance—and a fair bit of familiarity—making her quick to sense that something was off. She immediately guessed she was trapped in a phantom.
Then, just as she remembered, her shackles were undone, and she saw Bai Feng—whom she had once misunderstood.
Faced with her most profound regret, if it had been her old self, she might have refused to leave even if she knew it was an illusion. Who wouldn’t want to drink the bitter potion of regret and go back in time?
But now, she could control herself.
Looking at Bai Feng, a faint smile appeared on her lips. “Thank you, brother.”
With that, she snapped her fingers, and the illusion cracked all over like shattered glass, until it was completely destroyed.
She slowly opened her eyes and found herself on a bed, as if she’d just woke up from a very long dream.
Yet she quickly realized she was still within the illusion.
“Is this a double illusion?”
Bai Yu Mo furrowed her brow in confusion. She gradually sat up on the bed and tried to break the illusion again.
But when the illusion shattered, she woke up once more—still on the bed.
She clenched her fists subtly, frustration bubbling up. She really didn’t want to go through that again—and again.
Taking a deep breath, she stood up and walked toward the door. When she stepped outside, she noticed time had advanced a few days.
“What exactly does this mean?”
She couldn’t figure out how to pass this trial, not even with a clue.
After pondering for a moment, she decided to break the illusion once more—and woke up on the bed again.
As she had observed before, each awakening pushed the timeline forward by several days, and Bai Feng’s attitude toward her was subtly changing.
Looking at Bai Feng, who had begun to avoid and distance himself from her, her fists clenched tighter—not at Bai Feng, but at herself. Her reaction was like ripping open a healing wound and pouring salt into it.
“Calm down. Getting angry won’t help…”
Bai Yu Mo took several deep breaths, her heart already hinting at something.
“Could it be that this trial is about mental state?”
She placed a hand over her chest and felt the anger within. With that anger, she realized she still wasn’t ready to face those past memories.
But what should she do? Let go? Impossible—she knew she couldn’t just forget that easily.
And this was an illusion. Even if she wanted to mend the past, it was meaningless here. The more she tried, the deeper she’d sink.
She kept thinking, but because of this, she failed to notice what was ahead—a sudden bump at the corner.
A little dark thing dropped from the sky. She reacted quickly, instinctively catching it before it hit the ground.
She looked at the ugly little clay figurine in her hand, lost in thought.
“Yu… Bai Yu Mo, are you okay?”
Hearing Bai Feng’s voice, she looked up. A faint smile reappeared on her face. She shook her head: “It’s nothing. Thank you, brother.”
Suddenly, Bai Feng’s expression changed to panic—what’s wrong with Bai Yu Mo? Is she possessed by a ghost?
But Bai Yu Mo didn’t care about that. She stared at the clay puppet in her hand and softly said, “Break.”
Instantly, cracks spiderwebbed across the scenery once more.
But this time, it didn’t shatter instantly. Instead, the cracks stayed—like some force was forcing it to stay held together.
She didn’t feel confusion or disappointment. Instead, she carefully turned and handed the small clay figurine back to Bai Feng and without a word, turned to leave.
No matter how much a thing is pieced back together, it’ll never be the same—just like that broken little clay figurine in reality.
She slightly bowed her head, gently touching the ring on her finger. The usual preachings about not dwelling on the past, looking forward, flooded her mind. But her current feelings weren’t about that. She just wanted to return to Bai Feng’s side. Besides, if she truly wanted to make amends, she should first go find Bai Feng—and not hide in this fractured illusion, wallowing in the past.
This time, the scene with all the cracks couldn’t hold, and it shattered completely.
Bai Yu Mo gazed at the starry sky and the star road beneath her feet. She slowly exhaled and then quickly moved toward the end of the star road trial, becoming the first cultivator to succeed.
Yet she didn’t choose the inheritance of Yun Zhongjun. Although the immortal’s legacy was precious, it didn’t suit her or Bai Feng. Instead, she picked the second-best reward: a storage ring filled with rare materials.
