Zhang Chen and the Great Freedom Celestial Demon had differing opinions. Zhang Chen believed the Spiritual World before them was real, while the Great Freedom Celestial Demon doubted Zhang Chen’s ability to see through the Illusion Realm, believing that the two of them were entrapped within an illusion, even plotting against Zhang Chen.
Amidst the vast yellow sand, Zhang Chen walked from night into day and from day back into night. After traversing for a whole half month, he finally spotted an oasis in the distance.
"This time entering the Spiritual World feels strange and bizarre. I’ve been here for half a month and haven’t returned yet. Fortunately, the passage of time in the Spiritual World doesn’t match that of the Material World, so I’m not sure how much time has passed outside. But there’s no need to worry, because if time is truly up, Fox Fairy Nannan will surely wake me." Zhang Chen walked through the yellow sand, his heart at peace. The Spiritual World was inherently full of wonders, so he wasn’t concerned about the passage of time.
The moon hung low in the sky, and a streak of purple gas emerged from the east, dispelling the obscurity between heaven and earth. Zhang Chen left a shallow trail in the yellow sand.
"There’s an oasis ahead!" Zhang Chen’s eyes brightened as he gazed at the tall trees.
"This is unbelievable." The Great Freedom Celestial Demon stared at the distant oasis, a feeling of disbelief in his heart and a look of incredulity in his eyes.
According to his understanding, since the two of them were trapped in an illusion, they naturally should be ensnared by the endless yellow sand illusion until their spirits collapsed, eventually dying trapped within it. But now, what was this oasis before them?
It’s known that the more complex the scenery created, the easier it is for the illusion to be unraveled by others. How could there be a change? It requires hundreds or even thousands of times more effort to create an oasis in an illusion than a desert.
Zhang Chen was unaware of the Great Freedom Celestial Demon’s doubts. As he saw the oasis ahead and the sunrise about to emerge, he quickly increased his pace and hurried toward the distant oasis.
Just as Zhang Chen was speeding toward the oasis, he suddenly stumbled, nearly falling to the ground.
"Ouch~"
A wailing sound came from under the yellow sand Zhang Chen had just passed over.
Zhang Chen quickly steadied himself, turned his head to look, and saw the sand wriggling as a silhouette emerged from it. Though the figure was mostly covered in sand, the outline clearly showed a human shape, and it was a child.
"There’s someone in the Spiritual World?" Zhang Chen was stunned. He suddenly recalled what the Fox Immortal had said—that countless creations existed within the Spiritual World, and Spirit Medicine could take human form...
"Is my luck changing? Encountering Spirit Medicine while walking?" Zhang Chen quickly turned back, swiftly pulling away the yellow sand, then froze:
"Is this Spirit Medicine? This is clearly a person! And a young one at that!"
The young boy was wrapped in tattered animal skin, lying quietly in the sand. His body was scorching hot, in a state of high fever, and his breathing was so faint it seemed he might take his last breath at any moment.
The boy’s face was pale, his lips cracked and peeling layer by layer, sweat continuously streamed from his body, soaking the surrounding sand, leaving him utterly dehydrated.
And on the boy’s face, a large footprint remained—a footprint distinctly left by Zhang Chen as he had just walked by.
"There are people in the Spiritual World?" Zhang Chen looked at the young boy, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
"The Emperor!!!" Upon seeing the young boy’s face, the Great Freedom Celestial Demon couldn’t help but gasp in shock, an expression of disbelief and a look of having seen a ghost.
"What are you shouting about?" Zhang Chen turned to look at the Great Freedom Celestial Demon, a questioning glance in his eyes. The Great Freedom Celestial Demon suppressed his horror and hurriedly explained, "I almost mistook him for the Great Medicine Transformation, thinking he was an Earth Spirit Medicine, which caused my outburst."
"It doesn’t seem like a Great Medicine; it should be a person." Zhang Chen examined the young boy for a while. The boy’s face had been scorched by the sun, covered in dead skin, making it hard to discern his appearance. But Zhang Chen, mastering the Blood Control Technique, could still tell the young boy before him was not a Great Medicine; pure vital blood flowed within him.
"Even my physical body has appeared in the Spiritual World, and countless creatures have surfaced in the desert. If another person appears, it seems quite normal." Zhang Chen gathered fresh water, gently pouring it into the young boy’s mouth, while simultaneously forming ice to cool him down.
Meanwhile, the Great Freedom Celestial Demon’s eyes were fixated on the young boy before him, showing an expression of disbelief as if he had seen a ghost, utterly stunned, his mind racing with countless thoughts, entrapped in severe self-doubt: "Is this damned place really an illusion? No way! This guy has never seen the Emperor, how could the Emperor appear in the illusion? And he hasn’t been to the last epoch’s time-space, how could scenes from that epoch appear in the illusion?"
Whether crafting an illusion in the mind or outside, illusions are manifested based on one’s thoughts and visions.
In other words, if Zhang Chen fell into an illusion, this vision must be related to his thoughts and imaginations.
Thus, the Great Freedom Celestial Demon was deeply conflicted, filled with self-doubt, his eyes brimming with disbelief. He vigorously rubbed his eyes, then his eyes spun, fixated on the young boy, overwhelmed by his thoughts.