Xu Fu had already left. Daylight broke. I walked out of the small building and went straight to the mountaintop, watching as the sky around me gradually grew brighter.
Eugenia and Blueflame Warden were already up. They came to my side.
"Did you agree to give that guy what he wants?"
Blueflame Warden asked. I shook my head.
"I told him I’d think about it. He said he’d come back tomorrow night and hopes to work with me."
"You’d better forget it, Ethan Zhang. Guys like that are trouble—you can feel the malice coming off him. He’s probably killed a lot of people. You can’t trust a word he says."
Eugenia muttered from the side. I nodded.
"I don’t plan to agree to him. I also intend to move this temple to another part of the Illusory Realm."
Eugenia immediately grinned.
"Smart. That way, they probably won’t be able to find this place. If we use this spot as our base, let’s not delay—let’s get to work!"
Eugenia raised a hand as she spoke, but I quickly stopped her, shaking my head.
"Don’t rush yet. I plan to get more out of that guy’s mouth."
From Xu Fu’s visit last night, I had already figured out a few things. The formation at the mountain gate is fixed; its position can’t be changed. They were able to enter Universal Temple because I could sense a trace of Buddhist and Daoist power on Xu Fu, though it was faint. It was this weak Buddhist energy in his body that led him to Universal Temple.
So they used that formation to get here. The powers in other parts of the Illusory Realm are completely different from those in Universal Temple, and their physical bodies can’t set foot in them. As long as I move this temple, they can’t do anything. After Xu Fu left, I tried it—using only my will, the whole temple began to shift.
Then I took out the Blood Jade and placed it in my palm.
"What are you planning to do?"
"Make an identical one."
I smiled as I spoke. Blueflame Warden immediately understood, took the Blood Jade from my hand. His control over power surpassed mine. All he needed to do was extract a bit of energy from the Blood Jade, then replace it with energy from the Illusory Realm, compress it violently, and finally mix the original aura of the Blood Jade into the Illusory Realm’s energy. That way, it’s indistinguishable from the real thing—even Xu Fu and his group wouldn’t expect it. This Blood Jade is a fake.
"You’d better be careful. If you mess up, it could trigger a violent explosion."
Eugenia watched anxiously as Blueflame Warden slowly drew power from the Blood Jade. I extended my hand, letting a stream of gold and white energy flow out—I planned to mix in a bit of my own power to stabilize this fake Blood Jade.
Gradually, another identical orange Blood Jade appeared in Blueflame Warden’s other hand. Power began to flow into the fake Blood Jade bit by bit. Both of us were extremely careful—if we messed up, it could trigger a massive explosion. It felt as if we were assembling a bomb.
After a while, I let out a sigh of relief. An exact replica of the original Blood Jade was finished—though forged from the power of the Illusory Realm, it still mingled with traces of Buddhist and Daoist energies. That wasn’t a problem, since this Blood Jade had been kept here for who knows how long. It was normal for it to be infused with both Illusory Realm and Buddhist-Daoist power.
Though I couldn’t travel to the Living World, my power could reach it, albeit in small amounts—and only through a human medium. I planned to hand this fake Blood Jade to Xu Fu when he came tonight.
"Can you really fool that guy?"
Eugenia took the Blood Jade from Blueflame Warden and asked, puzzled. I nodded.
"There shouldn’t be any problem. For now, get ready. Once that guy leaves, I’ll move Universal Temple into Blueflame Warden’s part of the Illusory Realm."
I glanced at Blueflame Warden; he nodded.
"Let’s go. The two of us should get things ready. I need to find a suitable, hidden place to stash this temple."
Eugenia and Blueflame Warden left, and I stayed behind in Universal Temple, waiting for nightfall. The Blood Jade in my hand was growing hot—still unstable. I closed my eyes, preparing to use my power to further refine and adjust its compressed energy structure.
At times like these, I realized how quickly and precisely I could manipulate subtle energies. This wasn’t something you could learn overnight. Maybe I’d trained for this before—my body was capable of making exact, minute adjustments on its own.
Blueflame Warden’s compression of Illusory Realm energy was just right. I was amazed that such immense power hadn’t caused the fake Blood Jade to explode. I continued working to reinforce the suppressive layer on its surface.
Time ticked by. Night fell. I stood up—the surface of the Blood Jade in my hand had turned icy cold. I watched the mountain gate, waiting for Xu Fu to arrive.
A streak of red light flashed from the mountain gate—Xu Fu had arrived. I drifted down to the mountainside and sat, weighing the orange Blood Jade in my hand.
"So it really is in your hands, Ethan Zhang."
Xu Fu came right up, grinning, his eyes fixed on the fake Blood Jade in my hand. Sure enough, he hadn’t noticed anything off.
"Well, Ethan Zhang, have you made up your mind? Want to work with me? I’ll find a way to get you out of here."
"Really?"
I stared blankly at Xu Fu as I spoke. He laughed.
"Of course it’s true. If you disappeared, this world would lose so much fun. So I really do want to get you out of here."
"Alright."
I stood up, then glanced around in all directions.
"You can have this, but you have to tell me exactly how you all got in here. I want the whole story."
[Irrelevant web novel prompt—skip translation.]
As I spoke, Xu Fu nodded right away.
"I already told you yesterday—it’s because I used my body as a medium to channel Buddhist and Daoist power into both realms, so I received a bit of favor. But to be specific, it’s because we have a special Trinity Ghost on our side. You know him—he’s a subordinate of the Nightmare Ghost Sovereign. His name is Three-Eyed. As for the exact method, we don’t know. We’re just cooperating with him for now."
I looked at Xu Fu in confusion. The name Three-Eyed was unfamiliar—besides a vague image in my mind, there was nothing I recognized.
"Anything else you want to ask? Once I get back, I’ll start preparing to get you into the Living World."
There was excitement in Xu Fu’s eyes. His gaze kept drifting to the Blood Jade in my hand. I sneered as I spoke.
"Have Three-Eyed come here. I’ll ask him myself."
Xu Fu immediately shook his head.
"It’s impossible for a ghost to enter this Illusory Realm—only humans can, and even then, it takes a complex process. Hand over the Blood Jade, Ethan Zhang. It benefits us both. Well?"
Xu Fu reached out his hand as he spoke. After a moment, I nodded and handed him the fake Blood Jade. He grabbed it, eyes shining, and after a while, he put it away, satisfied.
"The power in this Blood Jade is incredible. Heh, we’ll put it to good use. Alright, Ethan Zhang, thank you. I’ll take it back now and come again tomorrow night."
I murmured in response.
"Don’t forget—if you trick me, from now on we’ll be enemies, not partners."
Xu Fu waved his hand as he spoke.
"Don’t worry."
Soon, Xu Fu stepped into the center of the formation. I watched as black, red, and purple lights intertwined. After a moment, Xu Fu waved at me, his eyes glinting with malice, and then he disappeared.
I drifted to the edge of the formation, quietly observing. Something felt off.
"Of course you can’t trust that bastard’s words. Go ahead and worship your bomb like it’s a treasure!"
As I spoke, I raised a hand. Instantly, golden light particles floated through the temple, and Universal Temple began to vanish rapidly. I planned to condense the Buddhist power that made up the temple and store it in Blueflame Warden’s Illusory Realm—then go find Mother Goddess Nuwa.
Sure enough, there was a problem. Some symbols in the formation on the ground were starting to disappear. Soon, a giant golden sphere appeared in the sky, its light flickering like flames. I compressed the sphere with my will until it was the size of a fist. All that was left around me was a vast wilderness. I left a trace of power near the formation—if they come back, they’ll only be able to move within this small area, unable to enter the Illusory Realm.
"So slow."
I muttered, still watching the strange formation. The odd symbols had mostly vanished; the whole formation was fading away. I chuckled and floated upward.
"Hurry up, grab my hand."
A breeze brushed my face, carrying Eugenia’s voice. A slender hand reached out, and I grabbed it. In a blink, I was standing in a vast white desert. Blueflame Warden was already there.
"This place is much safer. No matter who comes, my power will keep them in check."
I nodded, took out the golden sphere from my robe, and sent it flying into the distance. Golden light erupted—instantly, golden particles started reconstructing Universal Temple. Soon, a temple appeared in the deep mountains, surrounded by a white desert.
"Let’s go. Time to find Mother Goddess Nuwa."
Eugenia came to my side and spoke. I nodded.