Chapter 140: Priorities

Such stubborn words were indeed quite fitting for the Flowing Butterfly's personality, but talk was talk, and she did not dare to be the least bit careless. It was true that the location chosen by the Blue Lotus Sect was exceptionally secluded, and ordinary people would certainly find it extremely difficult to track down. Over the years, however, the major sects of the Central Plains had invariably dispatched men to search for its whereabouts. Even through blind charging and stumbling, quite a few people had reached this place. Yet, after so many years, what of it? Were they still unable to discover the true location of the Blue Lotus Sect? Perhaps this was entirely due to the credit of the illusion. The Flowing Butterfly was already deep within it at this very moment, and furthermore, she had entered without even realizing it, which in turn attested to its formidable power.

Spiritual energy suddenly burst forth from her meridians, enveloping her entire body. As the spiritual energy stirred the air currents, it even formed a small shield that surrounded her. The external spiritual energy naturally sensed this intense change and continuously crashed against the shield. Although the sound was faint, if one concentrated, it could still be heard quite clearly. The sensation was akin to ice grains pelting against a weapon, sounding exceptionally crisp and sharp. Though the impact was not overwhelmingly strong, the inward-pressing sensation still caused her figure to tremble slightly.

Of course, in the interweaving of these two forces of spiritual energy, the Flowing Butterfly clearly held the upper hand. After all, the distribution of spiritual energy within the illusion followed a strategy of alternating between slow and rapid currents. Spanning several miles in length and breadth, neither the inner nor outer layers were overly intense; the goal was precisely to achieve a constraining effect. If anyone entering failed to detect the presence of this spiritual energy, they naturally would not put up any resistance, and before they could even walk halfway to the center, they would already be submerged within the illusion. Such people were generally those with extremely meager martial arts skills or none at all. Naturally, these individuals were of no concern to the Blue Lotus Sect; not to mention being unable to enter, even if they somehow managed to get in, they posed no significant threat. As for those capable of detecting it, they would naturally act like the Flowing Butterfly, mobilizing their own spiritual energy to resist. Moreover, as they advanced step by step toward the center, the spiritual energy they needed to contend with would grow increasingly stronger. By the time they reached the central point, the timing would be just right: the spiritual energy within the illusion would form an extremely powerful vortex at that moment, drawing the person's own spiritual energy into it. In this way, it was equivalent to fighting against oneself. One might ask, who on earth possessed the ability to defeat themselves? This was the very reason why, for so many years, no one had ever been able to cross this layer of illusion to find the domain of the Blue Lotus Sect.

Naturally, none of this posed a difficult problem for the Flowing Butterfly. No matter what it was, as long as it existed in this world, it would inevitably have a breakthrough point, and this Sumeru Illusion was naturally no exception. As long as one reined in their own spiritual energy at the spot where the spiritual energy vortex formed and allowed the body to revolve within that vortex, one could successfully traverse the swift layer and enter the interior of the illusion. The crucial factor was mastering the precise timing for releasing and retracting the spiritual energy. If retracted too early, one would be affected by the slower-paced spiritual energy; if retracted too late, one would already be swept into the swift vortex, and once the spiritual energy was drawn in, it would be too late to react. Therefore, the true difficulty of this illusion lay in choosing this exact point. Even though the Flowing Butterfly had long since known the specific location, she remained extremely cautious at this moment; she could not afford to slip up at such a critical juncture and fall into someone else's scheme.

"Why has such a heavy fog suddenly descended? The weather here is truly bizarre; I can't even see people anymore!" What lay before the Flowing Butterfly was precisely this scenery, and Han Tanyi was naturally no exception. Having grown up in the mountain forests, fog was a common sight for him, but it usually occurred only in the dead of night. He had truly never witnessed such a thick fog descending so soon after sunset. Filled with incomprehension, he could not help muttering to himself. Of course, the true situation was understood by Shui Linglong better than anyone else. Hearing his voice, the woman could not help thinking to herself: "That so-called Flowing Butterfly, upon leaving the Bright Moon Manor, didn't return to the Qilian Mountains, yet insisted on following us. Could it be she harbors some ulterior motive, or is she doing this for the sake of Tanyi? Never mind what her true intentions might be; let me test her first. Once she plunges into this illusion, she will naturally confess everything clearly. However, I must still be careful and make sure Tanyi doesn't spot any flaws!"

Having made up her mind, Shui Linglong did not hesitate. Her spiritual energy instantly dispersed, enveloping both herself and Han Tanyi, and she matched her actions with a reply: "It's always like this here. Don't be fooled by the mountain forest; right beneath these mountains lie hot springs, and their flow is quite vast. As soon as the sun sets and the mountain's temperature drops slightly, the heat from the hot springs evaporates the moisture contained within the mountain, naturally forming this kind of fog. There's nothing strange about it. Mother, knowing beforehand that we were returning, has already withdrawn the illusions previously deployed here. You only need to calm your mind and spirit and follow closely behind my footsteps!"

Her words sounded so profound and mysterious that for a moment, Han Tanyi did not know how to doubt them. He could only follow Shui Linglong's instructions. Concentrating his hearing, he could indeed hear two sets of footsteps echoing one after the other around him, with one clearly sounding much lighter than the other. This matched the characteristics of the two women. Although the Flowing Butterfly knew some martial arts, compared to Shui Linglong, she was visibly inferior by a margin. Moreover, this was the territory of the Blue Lotus Sect, and Shui Linglong naturally felt as if she had returned home; everything was familiar and effortless, leaving no cause for concern. The only one who made him somewhat uneasy was the Flowing Butterfly, who was visiting for the very first time. At this thought, Han Tanyi paused slightly in his stride and said with a hint of concern: "Butterfly, be careful. Just follow our footsteps and don't get left behind!"

No one answered this remark. Although Shui Linglong had the ability to vibrate the air to produce some footsteps, she had no way of imitating the Flowing Butterfly's speaking tone. Yet this mattered little; at the very least, Han Tanyi had no inclination to suspect anything. For one thing, the Flowing Butterfly was naturally an arrogant person who rarely deigned to speak to others, so maintaining such a silent posture given her personality was nothing out of the ordinary. Secondly, given Shui Linglong's strength, if she truly intended to harm the Flowing Butterfly, even if he stood on the latter's side and fought with all his might, he might not necessarily gain any advantage. Since Shui Linglong had not made a move all the way here, she certainly would not perform actions that would put him in a difficult position at such a crucial moment.

To speak the truth, the pace of the three was not very fast. After all, with their vision blocked, they naturally had to tread carefully. For the Flowing Butterfly, this could hardly be considered a bad thing; although she knew where the slow and fast currents intersected, she had only heard of it from others after all, and since this was her first time here, she still needed to be cautious. The slower her movements, the more acutely she could sense the changes. Yet doing this was not entirely without drawbacks: the longer she had to protect herself with spiritual energy, the greater the consumption would be. Furthermore, as they penetrated deeper, the oppressive feeling pressing in from all directions became increasingly pronounced, to the point where she faintly felt she could barely endure it.

"Let's see how much longer you can hold on. I never expected this young girl to possess such formidable skill; she might even be a bit stronger than Tanyi. Very well, if you didn't have this level of cultivation, you wouldn't be worthy of taking a stroll through my illusion!" This illusion had originally been cast by Shui Linglong herself, feeling very much like a spider's web. Anyone who entered this illusion was like prey falling into a web; how could the predator fail to sense it? Not only the Flowing Butterfly's location, but even her current physical state could be clearly gauged by Shui Linglong. Little did Shui Linglong know, however, that at this very moment, not only was the Flowing Butterfly well aware of the ingenious nature of this illusion, but in a distant corner nearby, there was also someone standing completely motionless, watching all of this.

"What must come will eventually come. I simply didn't expect that even you would end up being dragged into this in the end. If I had a choice, I would rather you were the daughter of an ordinary family. Although such a life might be a bit plain, you wouldn't have had to wade into these murky waters and plunge yourself into a bottomless abyss from which there is no escape. Speaking of which, it is I, your mother, who has failed you!" At this thought, the lips beneath the purple veil sighed softly, and her expression took on a somewhat desolate air. However, this expression came and went quickly. With a slight upward twitch of the corners of her mouth, a trace of a smile naturally surfaced, as if she had recalled something joyful: "So be it, so be it. If this is the destiny between us mother and daughter, then the time for release has arrived. I shall assist you right now, first—"

"First what?" Before she could finish her sentence, she heard a faint sound of footsteps coming from behind. Though light, it was still quite distinct, immediately followed by an old man's voice asking with some bewilderment. Even though she knew who had arrived, Shui Lianhua's heart still skipped a beat, and the words she was about to utter were instantly swallowed back. Pausing slightly, she calmed her mind. Protected as she was by the veil, no flaws would be revealed anyway. As she turned her figure around, that voice sounded again, full of curiosity: "What is this about the destiny between mother and daughter? I think you've overdone your little act. Let me, an old man, remind you to pay attention to your own identity. Don't let playacting turn into reality and stir up some disaster!"