Swallowing the starry sky, my clones can evolve infinitely.

Chapter 247 The Path of Illusion

The temple was a unique little world, with some white jade tables and scrolls of unknown material on them.

Each scroll emanates a corresponding Dao fluctuation, subtly connecting with the arcs of the rules of this world, forming various extraordinary phenomena.

"Quite a collection," Shen Mu thought to himself.

The number of Divine Realm Venerables in this realm far exceeds that of the Divine King powerhouses of the Origin Continent. If we include the Divine Realm Venerables who have fallen over the past years, the number is even more incalculable.

Therefore, the level of divine king-level techniques is not considered very precious in this realm.

Not to mention an ancient family like the Chiwu clan, even a family like the Liyang clan, which once produced a Divine Realm Venerable, has the five Divine Kings of the "Liyang Five Veins" lineage.

Shen Mu's gaze swept across the scrolls, which numbered about two hundred. Each scroll should represent a method for reaching the God-King realm.

It's just unknown how it compares to the highest lineage of the Void Extreme Sect.

Shen Mu gently raised his hand, and a soft, invisible force spread out, slowly unfurling a scroll.

"Hey!"

A fierce bird cry resounded, and a wave of intense heat spread out, causing the temperature inside the temple to rise exponentially.

A phantom image was projected, and beneath the boundless sky, a fiery red demon god roamed, its body radiating boundless flames, carrying the power to incinerate the heavens, and looking down upon all things.

"The innate divine art of the Demon God Fire Cloud Sparrow corresponds to the scorching branch of the Fire Intent."

This is also a legacy of the Great Dao of Fire, a bloodline technique of a being at the God-King level.

In this realm, after a demon god advances to this level, their bloodline will also undergo a transformation, and their bloodline supernatural powers will also change a second time.

This demon god's inherited divine technique, called Fire Cloud Flame, once had the feat of incinerating three Venerable God Realm experts. Later, it was killed by a God Realm ancestor in the history of the Chiwu Clan.

According to records, this happened more than 200 million years ago. At that time, the Chiwu clan was still prosperous and had not fallen to the point of living in a remote corner of the northwest.

"More than two hundred inheritances... more than half of them are related to the Great Way of Fire."

Shen Mu shook his head slightly, continuing to sense the fluctuations emanating from these inheritances. "The Great Dao of Fire, the Great Dao of Light, the Great Dao of the Sun… Hmm? This is pure fluctuation of will!"

Shen Mu sensed the fluctuations emanating from each scroll of inheritance, and finally his gaze fell on three scrolls that were radiating fluctuations of will.

Although the Divine Realm Venerables of this realm are not weak, they have not developed any secret techniques for utilizing willpower.

At least in Shen Mu's experience, he had never heard of any ability that could be called a will-based attack; most of them were pure illusions or soul attacks.

Shen Mu first picked up the scroll of pure willpower secret technique and slowly unrolled it.

The content recorded above is indeed very rough, merely some simple methods of using willpower.

For Shen Mu, who had already witnessed the Lieyuan Technique and possessed profound expertise in its application, it was simply beneath his notice.

He gently put down the scroll, shook his head, and sighed inwardly, "Such a crude willpower technique is only about the same as the Mind Thunder Technique of the Beast God."

Then, Shen Mu picked up the scroll containing the secret techniques of the soul.

This is a soul defense secret technique called "Incarnation of All Spirits".

"Some of the more interesting parts can be quite rewarding if you study them a little more."

"But... that's all there is to it."

This soul-based secret technique can only be considered a god-king level method. It does not have a complete branch of the Great Dao. It requires the comprehension of four branches of the Great Dao, including the spirituality of thought, in order to fully master it.

Its actual effect is not weak either; it can split one's own soul, which is a good way to save one's life for most god-kings.

However, Shen Mu didn't think much of it.

"I hope this final installment of the legacy won't disappoint me."

The three scrolls, which are about the transmission of the soul, emit waves of varying strengths.

The worst one is that secret technique of using willpower, which only emits a few shallow fluctuations of willpower.

The most profound one is this last scroll, which has an extremely strong illusionary and captivating atmosphere, and the surrounding operating rules are all 'deceived' in some way.

hum!

The secret scroll slowly unfurled.

As soon as it was opened, a powerful surge of Dao energy rushed out.

"The Illusionary Dream Sutra...that's a nice name."

Shen Mu's gaze fell on the main text of the inheritance.

"The complete three branches of the Illusionary Realm Path?"

"It's actually a Heavenly Venerable Realm, which is the second level of the God King Realm."

Shen Mu was slightly surprised.

Because I have sensed that among the more than two hundred scrolls that the Chiwu clan has preserved, the highest level is the inheritance of the second level of the God King realm, which is the inheritance of the Great Dao of Fire.

As for the inheritance of the ultimate realm of God-King, there wasn't a single one. Although the Chiwu Clan is considered an ancient family, its lineage had been severed once, so its resurgence is already quite remarkable.

"I never expected that this Dream Heart Sutra, which doesn't have a very strong Daoist flavor, is actually a second-level Divine King inheritance."

The Illusionary Dream Sutra contains three major branches of the Illusionary Path: the Illusionary World, the Bewitching Illusion, and the Falsehood Becomes Reality.

This lineage of illusionary worlds focuses on the field of illusionary evolution.

This illusionary realm is not simply a realm of illusion, but a power to distort the five senses, belonging to one of the basic branches of the Illusionary Path.

The Illusionary Path is actually the Illusionary Great Dao that Shen Mu previously comprehended; it is a branch of the ultimate path of illusion.

The specific effect is to make Shen Mu's illusion more powerful. The deeper Shen Mu's understanding, the more realistic his illusion becomes, and the stronger its ability to deceive becomes, making it even more difficult to break free.

Both of these paths are fundamental branches of the Illusionary Path. Regardless of which source world the Illusionary Path is in, it contains both branches.

What surprised Shen Mu the most was the next branch, "Practicing from Fake to Real".

Because in the Illusionary Path of the Origin Continent, there are only seven branches, and there is no branch called "Cultivating the False into the Real." There is only one similar branch, which is "Transforming the Real into the Illusory."

In this realm, within the Ultimate Illusionary Path, there are a total of sixteen lineages, including seven lineages of the Illusionary Path of the Origin Continent.

Therefore, "Practicing the False into the Real" and "Turning the Real into the Illusory" are listed as the two branches with the strongest boost to combat power in the ultimate illusionary path of this world.

"Practice Makes the Fake Real" means, as the name suggests, that it can turn the illusory into the real.

The wounds inflicted on the enemy in the illusion are reflected in the real world.

Imagine that when an enemy is stabbed by a sword in a fantasy world, they will feel the same pain and injury in the real world, and it may even be more severe than in the fantasy world.

"Turning the virtual into the real" is the opposite of "making the fake real." Although they seem to be similar abilities, their fundamental principles are different.

This ability, needless to say, is to turn real harm into illusion, as if it were a dream, and upon waking up, one has not suffered any harm at all.

"Haha, I didn't expect such a pleasant surprise."

"First, master this lineage, and then try to integrate the mysteries of the 'Dream Heart Sutra' into my own 'Supreme Heart Tribulation'."

From his early childhood, when Shen Mu was studying secret techniques, he pursued the idea that those who learned from him would live, and those who imitated him would die.

Once you've mastered any secret technique, analyze it thoroughly as much as possible, and then integrate the true secrets within it into your own techniques.

This is no exception today.

Speaking of which, Shen Mu's Supreme Heart Tribulation was gradually improved over a long period of time after it was created, without any large-scale changes.

Perhaps this is an opportunity for the Supreme Heart Tribulation to transform.

As Shen Mu immersed himself in studying the contents of the "Dream Heart Sutra," wisps of illusory Dao fluctuations spread out.

Gradually, the faint sound of sacred chanting could be heard from inside the temple.

As time passed, the ethereal chanting grew clearer and clearer, its faint sound even reaching outside the temple.

Outside the temple, the expressions of the two royal servants guarding the place changed slightly.

"Seventh Brother, have you heard any chanting?"

An elderly servant with graying hair looked at his companion beside him. The companion, known as the seventh, was also an old man, but he looked slightly younger.

"The sound of chanting? Is there? Second brother, you must have misheard."

The seventh brother asked in confusion, while looking around warily.

"Could I have misheard?" The second brother looked uncertainly at the temple gate behind him.

The gates remained tightly shut, but the chanting seemed to emanate from within the temple.

It wasn't that he misheard; it was just that his comprehension was higher, and he sensed the Daoist essence of Shen Mu's Illusionary Dao.

For him, this might be a tremendous opportunity.

……

In the blink of an eye, nearly three years have passed.

For ordinary people in this world who can live for thousands of years, three years is not a long time.

Especially for a Divine Realm Venerable, even a slight understanding takes more than three years.

Boom!

On this day, the temple gates roared, and the countless red crow carvings and secret patterns engraved on them lit up with a dazzling crimson glow.

call out!

A dazzling crimson glow shot into the sky, dyeing half of the sky a deep crimson.

As a sacred place for the royal family, the Temple of Heaven always produces extraordinary phenomena every time it is opened. Therefore, countless members of the Chiwu royal family know that Shen Mu has emerged from seclusion!

"Thank you both for your hard work."

Shen Mu, dressed in white, appeared out of thin air and quietly thanked the two royal servants outside the gate.

The two men quickly replied, "It is our duty, and we dare not take credit for it."

"Your Excellency, the Ancestor once said that after you emerge from seclusion, you should immediately visit the Ancestral Tower for a discussion."

Shen Mu nodded slightly: "Has something important happened?"

Upon hearing this, the two old servants naturally dared not conceal the truth.

"That's right. The Venerable One's inauguration ceremony will invite Venerable Ones from many surrounding dynasties to attend. Even the Imperial Dynasty will send Divine Realm beings as envoys."

"There are probably dozens of Venerable Ones gathered in the capital now."

Shen Mu gazed in one direction of the imperial city and chuckled, "What do you mean by dozens of people? It's clearly over a hundred."

"Are there this many people attending the ceremonies of guardian deities in other countries as well?"

Faced with Shen Mu's question, one of them quickly replied, "Normally this wouldn't happen. This old servant once heard the Fourth Prince say that all the gods of all nations admire your legendary war god status, which is why there's such a commotion."

Not long after, inside the ancestral pagoda.

"Senior Yan!" Shen Mu looked at the old man.

Just three years later, when Shen Mu saw the old man again, he could sense that the weak life force in the old man had suddenly become intense.

However, this blazing vitality is merely a facade; inside, it is already filled with decay and rot.

It seems that some special secret method was used to bluff. If Shen Mu had not comprehended the various meridians of the Dao of Life, he might not have been able to see through it.

Chi Wuyan said solemnly, "Venerable Mu, the Venerables from various countries have come to test us."

"A test?"

Chi Wuyan nodded slightly: "There is a banquet tonight, which will be attended by venerable figures from various countries. They want to see you, who have just emerged from seclusion."

Shen Mu nodded slightly, a clear light shimmering in his eyes: "Don't worry, Senior Yan, I know what I'm doing."

……

That night, deep within the palace, in a magnificent ancient hall.

This most solemn hall was filled with an extremely intense atmosphere.

In an instant, the entire operating rules of the Chiwu Imperial Capital were disrupted by a series of strange phenomena, and various perfect realms in the sky were secretly clashing.

As Shen Mu and Chi Wuyan arrived at the banquet hall, the gazes of the dignitaries from various countries all focused on them.

"That young man... is he the legendary God of War?"

"It doesn't seem to be any different."

"Hehe, someone will test them."

Among the dignitaries of various countries, those who were on good terms were exchanging messages, and all their eyes were fixed on Shen Mu.

Boom!

Suddenly, a vast and perfect world unfolded.

In the sky above the imperial capital, a boundless starry domain and a sword domain brimming with malevolent energy simultaneously appeared.

In the crowd, the guardians of the Tianyue Dynasty and the Xingyao Dynasty stood up at the same time, making no attempt to conceal their powerful auras.

The sharp sword intent seemed capable of severing everything, while the dazzling starlight appeared to fall from the sky.

The gazes of many venerable figures fell in shock upon the two guardian venerable figures of the Tianyue Dynasty and the Xingyao Dynasty.

"These guardians of the Xingyao and Tianyue dynasties are far too audacious! To actually make a move in this kind of setting, are they planning to completely sever ties?"

"However, this is also a good opportunity to see just how strong this newly risen Venerable Shen really is."

The many venerable ones communicated with each other telepathically, and one by one they began to watch the drama unfold.

"Hmph, Xingyao and Tianyue Dynasty have always been eyeing Chiwu Kingdom covetously. This probing is probably for ulterior motives."

"But if Venerable Shen really has the strength, he might make this situation even more interesting."

Chi Wuyan's expression changed slightly: "Although Venerable Shen Mu is powerful, he relies on the power of his bloodline and has not comprehended the true Perfection Realm."

"It seems that this old man still needs to move around a bit."

Just as Chi Wuyan was about to pay the price and launch a counterattack, Shen Mu's voice rang out.

"Please take your seats, everyone."

Shen Mu's voice seemed to stir the souls of everyone present, as if extraterrestrial demons were murmuring in their hearts.

Everyone present saw a boundless illusion: a colossal god with a thousand hands and a thousand eyes appeared between heaven and earth, with stars above his head and the earth beneath his feet. All things were insignificant in front of him.

At this moment, the two Venerable Ones who had made the initial attempt stood frozen in place, their eyes filled with endless shock and reverence, unable to extricate themselves from the illusion.

"How is this possible? They actually countered those two old guys from Xingyao and Tianyue Dynasty in an instant."

"This sonic illusion technique... is terrifying," another Venerable muttered to himself.

"It's actually the Path of Illusion. It seems that apart from the Immortal Palace, there is no other lineage of the Path of Illusion in our Northwest Continent."

"What is the origin of this legendary war god?"

A venerable figure stared wide-eyed, his heart filled with shock: "Could it really be as the rumors say, from that mysterious Eastern divine dynasty?"

The magnificent hall fell silent as everyone looked at Shen Mu, each person remaining quiet.

A sense of oppression welled up in the hearts of the venerable ones from various countries.

At this moment, the leader of the Ancient Heng Dynasty spoke first, breaking the heavy atmosphere.

"Venerable Shen truly lives up to his reputation as a legendary war god; his strength is extraordinary. I am Gu Yun, the Fourth Elder of the Offering Hall of the Ancient Heng Dynasty. I have long admired Venerable Shen's name, and it is an honor to meet you today. May I ask where Venerable Shen comes from?"

(End of this chapter)