Under One Person: My Inner Realm Connects to All Worlds!

Chapter 200 The World in the Painting
"All phenomena are empty, but cause and effect are not."

"The artist's obsession, the wishes of all beings, and the vital energy of extraordinary individuals converge, along with special materials and opportunities, making the illusory real and the fantastical true. This object before us is a living mural."

"First, there was a world in the painting constructed by an extraordinary painter, and then the murals came to life, giving birth to celestial maidens and spirits."

Han Yun's eyes were sharp as he scrutinized the celestial maidens on the murals, who seemed ready to descend at any moment.

The painting is the result of the artist's painstaking efforts. Once the eyes are painted, the spirit of the painting is captured. After being worshipped, the painting becomes a spirit and a fairy in the painting. Similar records can be found in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.

In modern painting techniques, there are two schools of tradition, namely, Shentu and Mihua, which emphasize different aspects.

Shen Tu excels at freehand brushwork, instantly painting all kinds of beasts and creatures for painters to command; Mi Hua excels at meticulous brushwork, depicting reality and color, accumulating over many years to create a masterpiece of his own.

However, neither focuses entirely on freehand brushwork nor meticulous brushwork; they touch upon both.

However, all that remains now is the Wang family's divine painting; the secret painting school has disappeared, but the method of creating a world within a painting has not become a thing of the past.

As far as Han Yun knew, the Wang family still possessed this method, but how they obtained it was unknown.

Furthermore, this mural in front of us probably nurtured these spirits and demons a hundred years ago, and then someone sealed them away with another mural.

These spirits and demons have been starving for a hundred years. Once the lid is lifted, they will probably be eager to absorb the innate energy of humans to replenish themselves.

It's like hunting, like a pitcher plant.

This is an elaborate trap, using unparalleled beauty as bait to lure those with greedy hearts and burning desires. Those two foreigners just now walked right into the trap, becoming the nourishment for this mural.

As if to confirm Han Yun's words, the strings of the pipa in the arms of a celestial maiden playing music on the mural seemed to move without wind, emitting a very faint, yet deeply touching, delicate tremor, carrying a hint of languor and allure after a hearty meal.

The Mirror Spirit's aura rippled slightly, and it frowned, saying, "It does indeed possess a mind-draining power, causing dizziness and disorientation. Master, what should we do? We can't just let it stay here and continue to harm people, can we?"

"Disposal?"

Han Yun smiled, but his eyes sharpened. "Of course, it needs to be dealt with. However, it shouldn't be forcibly destroyed from the outside."

He stepped forward, his robes fluttering gently in the chilly night air of the cave, his gaze meeting that of the celestial maiden in the center of the mural, a woman of dignified elegance whose eyes held the deepest, most unfathomable depths.

"You wait outside. I want to see what kind of evil spirits are stirring up trouble in this painting."

After speaking, Han Yun gathered a point of clear light at his fingertips, drew a mysterious talisman in the air, and gently touched the mural.

hum!
The mural rippled again, its radiance even more intense than when it had swallowed the two foreigners. The images of the thirty-six celestial maidens instantly came to life, their eyes sparkling, smiles playing on their lips, their graceful dances seeming as if they were about to burst forth from the mural at any moment.

A suction force ten times stronger than before suddenly came, and Han Yun did not resist, but instead let the suction force envelop him.

In an instant, he felt his body lighten, as if he had been thrown into a bizarre and colorful vortex.

The surrounding scenery changed rapidly, and it seemed as if there was ethereal music in my ears, or the sound of laughter, and a rich and exotic fragrance lingered around my nose.

When he calmed himself down and looked around again, he found himself in a completely different world.

It was no longer a dark cave in the desolate Gobi Desert, but a magnificent palace.

Carved beams and painted rafters, resplendent in gold and jade, surrounded by swirling clouds and mist, with exotic flowers and rare herbs blooming everywhere. In the distance, ethereal mountains rise and fall, while nearby, a jade pool ripples gently. Occasionally, colorful phoenixes fly overhead, leaving behind a string of clear chirps.

Dozens of celestial maidens, their robes flowing and their faces exquisitely beautiful, moved about among them, some frolicking, some playing music and dancing. Every movement was captivating, every glance full of affection. The colorful ribbons and shawls surrounding them seemed to come alive, swaying and dancing, shimmering with light.

Everything here is so perfect it's unreal, so luxurious it's breathtaking, so full of decadent temptations, like paradise.

However, under Han Yun's keen observation, this glamorous facade was riddled with flaws.

Upon closer inspection, those magnificent palaces and pavilions are nothing more than murals with heavy colors and archaic brushstrokes, carrying a stiff and rigid feel.

The so-called celestial mist was actually a mixture of various wishes and desires. The smiles of those celestial maidens were as perfect as masks, but deep in their eyes lay a cold emptiness and greed.

This is a cage woven from beautiful dreams.

"My dear~"

"What a handsome young man!"

Come join us for some fun!

Several celestial maidens spotted Han Yun and immediately surrounded him with charming smiles. Their delicate hands reached out to touch his arms, their breath sweet and fragrant, carrying a mesmerizing magic.

Han Yun slightly turned his body and calmly avoided the situation.

A glance around revealed that Mark and Jason, the two foreigners who had been sucked into the mural earlier, were also there.

Their appearance at that moment was both pitiful and comical.

Mark, dressed in an ill-fitting, oversized ancient musician's robe of unknown origin, was clutching a heavy golden lute and playing it desperately. His fingers were already bloody and mangled, but his face was filled with a fascinated and ecstatic smile, as if he felt no pain at all.

Jason, dressed in a strongman's outfit, was carrying a huge wine jar and staggering behind a dancing celestial maiden.

That day, the woman's skirt fluttered in the wind, and she laughed like a silver bell from time to time. Jason was like a spinning top being whipped, desperately chasing after her, until he was foaming at the mouth from exhaustion, but his eyes were equally unfocused and fanatical.

Their vital energy is being rapidly drained and absorbed into this illusory world, becoming nourishment to maintain this painted illusion. At this rate, they will soon be exhausted and their bodies and souls will perish.

"They certainly know how to enjoy life."

Han Yun sneered, but showed no pity for the two. What did it matter if more greedy thieves like them died?

The smiles of the celestial maidens around them gradually faded, their eyes turning cold and sharp. The beautiful celestial music began to change tune, mixed with sharp, discordant noises. The magnificent palace scene also began to distort and ripple slightly.

Why is my lord displeased?

"Does it mean you think we haven't served you well enough?"

"Wouldn't it be better to stay here and enjoy eternal bliss?"

The celestial maidens' voices were no longer alluring; instead, they carried a hollow echo and a subtle threat. Their figures began to overlap and sway, as if they might reveal some terrifying true nature at any moment.

Han Yun stood with her hands behind her back, surveying this illusory paradise, and declared loudly: "It's easy to paint a picture of skin, but difficult to carve its bones. Using the greed, anger, and ignorance of all beings as ink, you have painted this prison. You demons and monsters, do you even deserve to call yourselves celestial maidens?"

"Besides, if you really wanted to seduce me, shouldn't you have shown yourself in person? Using these illusions is just too insincere!"

(End of this chapter)