Lingyuan Immortal

Chapter 955 The Crimson Sun Shatters Illusions
The hall above the high platform was completely silent.

Apart from a few exceptionally sharp-eyed or highly skilled individuals who were still intently observing, all the guests held their breath, their eyes wide open, their gazes a complex mix of shock, greed, covetousness, and disbelief.

"Turning stone into gold! It really is the legendary art of turning stone into gold! Does such a power to seize the very essence of heaven and earth truly exist in this world?!"

"This old servant... actually possesses such supernatural powers? This is not enlightenment, it is clearly altering the nature of things and reversing the universe!"

Liu Yan withered his finger and immediately withdrew it, then silently took a step back, as if what he had just done was merely brushing away a speck of dust. His withered face showed neither sorrow nor joy, nor the slightest ripple of emotion.

"Hahaha!"

Liu Lin laughed loudly, put his hands behind his back, and looked around at the crowd: "I wonder if any fellow practitioners would like to step forward and verify the authenticity?"

"I'll give it a try!"

The monk in the wide robe who had previously presented the blue stone stood up and strode over to the golden "strange stone".

He paced around the gold and stone several times, then reached out and repeatedly stroked its surface, feeling its heavy texture and warm, lustrous sheen.

Suddenly, a glint flashed in his eyes, and a golden light appeared on the edge of his palm. With a swift movement, he cleaved the stone in two as easily as cutting rotten wood!
"Keng!"

The broken piece of metal fell to the ground with a dull thud, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the fresh break.

Everywhere you look, there is pure, clear, and radiant gold. This stone has been completely transformed into real gold from the outside in!
"Fellow Daoist, have you identified them all?" Liu Lin asked with a smile.

The astonishment in the robed cultivator's eyes was hard to conceal. He solemnly cupped his hands and said, "It is absolutely true, undoubtedly top-grade pure gold!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present was astonished. No one could remain seated and they all rushed forward, eager to witness this miracle of creation.

Just as everyone was marveling at the gold and stone and couldn't help but step forward to touch it, a piercing cold laugh broke the atmosphere.

"Ah!"

Zhong Zhenjun sat upright in the seat, his crimson robe sleeves fluttering slightly, his face bearing undisguised sarcasm: "What a brilliant 'turning stone into gold'! What a deceptive trick to fool the eye!"

His voice boomed, instantly drawing everyone's attention: "Fellow Daoists, do not be deceived by appearances. This is not a work of creation, but merely some low-level 'illusory gold techniques'!"

"The Art of Illusory Gold?"

Everyone frowned, their gazes shifting between the red-robed Taoist and the broken stone.

"Does Lord Zhong have any proof?"

If it truly is the art of illusionary gold, then the fact that it can be made so realistic is enough to prove that the master and servant's skills are quite remarkable.

The red-robed Taoist could not accept this outcome. He had intended to use the two of them to establish his authority, so how could he instead help them gain fame?

He glanced at the composed Liu Lin, sneered, and immediately stretched out his right hand. A cluster of tiny, highly refined flames, almost pure purple in color, suddenly leaped from his fingertips—his natal fire, which he had cultivated to perfection and was used to break through illusions and deceptions!

"Everyone, just look!"

He flicked his finger, and the cluster of pure purple flames shot like lightning towards a corner of the golden, gleaming broken stone.

The moment the real fire touched the gold, it did not melt the gold into liquid as everyone expected. Instead, it was like a spark falling into water, making a soft "hiss" sound and producing a faint, almost invisible wisp of gray smoke.

More importantly, the brilliant golden color of the small area that was scorched by the real fire quickly faded away like a tide, revealing the dull and unremarkable raw stone underneath!
The faded edges were crystal clear, contrasting sharply with the dazzling gold around them, like a perfect disguise being torn open.

"this--"

Everyone exclaimed in surprise: "It really is an illusion!"

The red-robed Taoist smiled smugly and said loudly, "Can you all see it? This thing is still a stubborn rock in essence. It is just covered with a layer of exquisite 'golden element illusion energy' to imitate the shape, texture, energy and light of gold, just to deceive people's eyes."

"Such illusions may fool ordinary mortals, but how could they fool us cultivators who seek the Dao? Let alone show them off at this Dao-discussing banquet!"

Upon hearing this, many people in the room felt their faces burning.

Although it is said that it cannot be hidden from cultivators who seek the Dao, they were indeed unable to see through the mystery just now.

The robed monk who provided the stone, in particular, was so ashamed and angry that he wished he could disappear into the ground. He could only glare angrily at the culprit who had made him lose face in public...

When his "illusion" was exposed in public, Liu Lin showed no embarrassment or anger. Instead, a playful glint flashed in his slender phoenix eyes, and a strange smile even appeared on his lips.

"Zhong Zhenjun has excellent eyesight! As expected of someone who specializes in fire magic, he can see things very clearly!" Liu Lin clapped his hands in praise, his tone so sincere that it seemed like he was genuinely complimenting him.

He changed the subject, his tone laced with a lazy provocation: "However... Zhong Zhenjun only broke through half."

Under the astonished and uncertain gazes of the crowd, Liu Lin slowly extended his right hand, pointing towards the corner of the stone that had been scorched away by the true fire, revealing a grayish-white stone texture. His five fingers hovered in the air, and he retracted them in a wisp of motion.

In an instant, the gray-white stone, its golden light faded, softened like molten wax and began to flow like mercury.

It was no longer a stubborn rock, but had transformed into a pool of viscous liquid that shimmered with a faint metallic glow.

Under Liu Lin's guidance, this strange liquid meandered like a snake, detached from the tabletop, and defied common sense to float in the air, twisting, stretching, and shaping.

Everyone held their breath and watched as the liquid rapidly condensed in the air, transforming in the blink of an eye into a small golden sparrow with shimmering feathers and flowing golden light, lifelike and poised to take flight.

This golden finch was not an illusion; it had clearly defined feathers, sharp beak and claws, and even its eyes moved nimbly as it let out a clear and melodious chirp!

The little golden sparrow circled once on Liu Lin's fingertip, then landed lightly on the edge of a wine glass on the table, tilting its little head as if curiously observing the scene.

"What the old servant pointed out was indeed covering the stone embryo with 'golden essence illusion energy' to imitate the appearance of gold. This is the beginning of 'transformation'. Between reality and illusion, it is indeed an illusion."

Liu Lin walked out of his seat, his smiling eyes looking at Zhong Zhenjun: "However, Zhong Zhenjun's true fire burned away that illusory outer layer, but it also happened to... refine the impurities in the stone embryo and extract its essence."

"I, Liu, am not talented. I merely borrowed the fire of the True Lord and followed the trend to give this exquisite 'Stone Marrow Gold Essence' form and spirit, transforming it into this little sparrow."

"This is 'turning the illusory into the real,' though it's not turning stone into gold, it's still a minor skill of creation, please forgive my amateurish attempt..."

Having said that, he bowed respectfully to all four directions, and it was precisely this humble posture that made the effect even more awe-inspiring. The red-robed Taoist's eyes flickered, and he could not hide a trace of surprise in his heart.

He naturally didn't believe that a mere cultivator at the initial stage of the Dao Inquiry realm could truly master the legendary "turning stone into gold" technique, or even touch upon the Dao of "creation and enlightenment."

However, what I saw before me did not reveal any flaws at the moment.

"There must be flaws, but this rogue cultivator has managed to deceive us for a while. He does have some skill..."

He pondered for a moment, but did not show any panic.

Since he dared to challenge this person to establish his authority, how could he have been completely unprepared?

While everyone was gathered around examining the golden sparrow, the red-robed Taoist priest had a slight thought, and a perfectly round stone bead quietly rolled from his sleeve into his palm.

The red veins on the stone bead are clearly visible, resembling a red-glowing eye.

This is the "Ceremony Eye" that has been enshrined in the Fire God Palace for thousands of years. It has been refined to the point of divine power and has endless wonderful uses. One of them is to see through the true and illusory nature of spiritual mechanisms.

With his cultivation level, activating this treasure would make deciphering a mere golden sparrow a piece of cake.

He gripped the stone bead tightly in his right hand, and a faint red line immediately snaked upwards from his palm, disappearing into his eyes.

When I opened my eyes again, the scene before me had quietly changed.

Liu Lin remained calm and composed, while Liu Yan stood with his hands at his sides, as if nothing concerned him.

The little golden sparrow lingered on the wine glass for a moment, then, seemingly bored, it gently pecked at the wine in the glass, and immediately transformed into a tiny golden ray of light, flapping its wings and flitting around the room.

Everything seemed real, yet he clearly saw that within Liu Lin's right hand, hidden in his sleeve, there appeared to be a golden talisman gleaming...

In an instant, a sharp light flashed in the red-robed Taoist's eyes, clearly indicating that he had seen through the essence of the matter.

"Hmph, such a trivial skill, yet you dare to show off your limited abilities before an expert?!"

This time, he didn't waste any more words, and didn't even give everyone much time to react. He decided to deliver a thunderous blow and completely crush the opponent's arrogance.

He slammed his hand on the table in front of him, stood up abruptly, and his crimson Taoist robe fluttered without wind. A scorching and domineering aura that seemed capable of burning everything instantly spread out!
He pointed his right hand like a sword, and the fire at his fingertips was no longer a tiny flame, but instantly condensed into a terrifying fireball the size of a human head.

The fireball was filled with dark red magma-like light and surrounded by blazing white lightning. It was the "Crimson Sun Burning Void Thunderfire", one of his most powerful and secret divine abilities. It was used to break evil illusions and could even burn away the source of evil!
"break!"

The red-robed Taoist's voice was like thunder, and the fireballs at his fingertips, like meteors, slammed down on the little golden sparrow that was still soaring.

This sudden scene stunned everyone, but they quickly recovered and moved to retreat.

Tao Feng's expression darkened, and he became increasingly dissatisfied with the red-robed Taoist. However, since the Taoist had already made his move, he had no choice but to wave his sleeve, triggering the restrictions on Wanfu Terrace in preparation to seal off the aftershocks.

The moment the fireball made contact with the golden sparrow, there was no sizzling sound of melting gold, but instead a deafening boom, as if a thunderbolt had struck a stubborn rock.

The golden sparrow, invaded by lightning and fire, could no longer withstand the forces from both inside and outside. With a series of teeth-grinding cracking sounds, it collapsed and turned into fragments of stones and dust of varying sizes scattered all over the ground.

The "turning stone into gold" technique was clearly connected to the mind of the caster, Liu Yan. The illusion was so violently torn apart that the essence of the technique was severely damaged.

His withered body was struck as if by a heavy blow, trembled violently, and his face turned ashen instantly. He coughed up a mouthful of dark red blood, his breath rapidly weakened, and he swayed precariously, barely managing to stand on instinct.

And he wasn't the only one; Liu Lin's body also trembled violently, and he let out a muffled groan.

The composure and languor on his face vanished instantly. Although he was slightly stronger than the old servant and still had the strength to wave his sleeve to disperse the scorching aftershocks, he was still shaken so badly that his blood and qi surged, his face was extremely ugly, and even turned pale. His gaze toward the red-robed Taoist was filled with fear and resentment.

The red-robed Taoist stood with his hands behind his back, the aura of thunder and fire around him slowly receding, but the overwhelming power to incinerate everything remained. He looked down at the disheveled Liu Lin and his servant, his voice booming and echoing throughout the hall:
"What kind of turning stone into gold? What kind of divine intervention? It's nothing more than using the technique of extracting and grafting spirit to steal the golden energy of magical treasures, mixing it with one's own essence, blood, and soul, and forcibly attaching it to a stubborn rock to create a fake golden appearance and deceive people!"

"This technique may seem flashy, but its foundation is weak, like building a tower on sand!"

He pointed to the pile of rubble on the ground and the blood-spitting, listless Liu Yan, his tone full of disdain and a lecture:
"For the sake of momentary glory, you are willing to deplete your very essence and use such flashy but impractical techniques. Once you encounter a truly powerful individual who can perceive the power of the source, they will break through your defenses with ease and you will suffer a backlash from the techniques, bringing shame upon yourselves!"

"Such behavior is not the way of the righteous path. How can one be worthy of a seat in the highest hall?"

He glanced around, his gaze sweeping over the faces of those who had just looked on with greed and amazement, a warning in his eyes.

"Fellow practitioners, take this as a warning. The cultivation of the Great Dao is based on a solid foundation, while supernatural powers are secondary. Do not let such illusions cloud your mind."

The words of the red-robed Taoist were like heavy hammer blows, striking everyone's hearts.

Looking at the scattered rubble and dust, at Liu Yan, who was coughing up blood and looking ashen-faced, at Liu Lin, whose face was ashen and who was barely suppressing his anger, and then feeling the terrifying aura of thunder and fire that had not yet completely dissipated...

The entire platform fell silent. The previous amazement, envy, and greed of the crowd all turned into deep awe for the red-robed Taoist.

Seeing through the essence at a glance, the attack is as powerful as thunder, not only breaking the spell instantly, but also directly and severely damaging the caster's essence.

This keen insight, this decisiveness, this overwhelming strength... it truly reveals the power of the intermediate stage of the Dao Inquiry realm!

Liu Lin stared intently at Zhong Zhenjun, his eyes filled with resentment, but he knew that the situation was beyond his control.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging blood and anger, and awkwardly cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Tao Feng, his voice dry and hoarse: "Master Tao, Fellow Daoist Fu, my servant and I... have made a fool of ourselves today! My old servant is seriously injured, please forgive us for taking our leave first!"

After saying that, he didn't wait for Tao Fengbian's response. He helped Liu Yan, who was almost unsteady on his feet, and under the complicated gazes of the crowd, he lowered his head and hurriedly left the main hall with unsteady steps. His back view looked extremely disheveled and flustered.

Seeing this, Yan Rongmu and Fu Danian were anxious. Although the master and servant in front of them were "faking it", they were still three times more powerful than ordinary cultivators. Moreover, the Dao discussion meeting was just around the corner. How could they let such an help slip away from them?

"Fellow Daoist Liu—"

Before the two could speak, Tao Fengbian, as if he had foreseen it, reached out and stopped them, gently shaking his head and saying in a low voice, "Just appease them privately. Forcing them to stay will only backfire..."

Yan and Fu suddenly realized what was happening. After exchanging a glance, Yan Rongmu quietly got up, left his seat, and went after them...

……

(End of this chapter)