“H-hug?” The Illusion God thought there was something wrong with her ears; otherwise, how could she hear such a ridiculous phrase?
She was a heavenly-grade artifact, there was no need to elaborate on the past when her seal had not yet been lifted… But now, she had regained everything and returned to the pinnacle of artifacts.
She was the last heavenly artifact in the world, an artifact forged from her master’s Dao bones, capable of transforming the appearance of all things in the world. Aside from the Nine Divine Artifact that could reach the heavens, there was no artifact more noble than her.
Now, her proud master, the former emperor of the ancient realm, actually wanted her to hug a small ant whose cultivation had fallen to the Transformation stage? It must be an illusion, a hallucination!
Once upon a time, even the lofty Divine Dragon and Phoenix had to personally wash her body! The Illusion God stood frozen in place.
Tang Muxi thought she hadn’t heard and urged again, “What are you dawdling for? Quickly hug Master’s arm! Don’t let her doubt!” The Illusion God’s expression fell.
“What’s wrong?” Wen Fei, caught up in the moment, didn’t notice the Illusion God’s disguise and had no suspicion that the girl in front of her was not her obedient disciple. Seeing her stop, she thought she had forgotten to say something.
The Illusion God stood still with her back to her, but her eyes grew colder.
“Hurry, hurry, go hug, go hug! I usually get this close to Master, so if you’re going to imitate me, don’t make any mistakes!” Tang Muxi noticed Wen Fei frowning and grew increasingly anxious. “Don’t you listen to me?” She even felt a bit wronged.
The Illusion God pressed her lips together.
After a moment, Wen Fei saw her “disciple” suddenly turn around, smiling as she hugged her arm. “It’s nothing, I’ve been neglecting Master lately and feel guilty, so can I hug for a while?” So that was the reason.
At least she had a bit of conscience.
Wen Fei couldn’t help but smile, reaching out to ruffle her hair. “Being spoiled is fine, but don’t let your Senior Sister see, or she’ll get jealous, and you’ll be in trouble.”
The Illusion God smiled a couple of times, obediently agreeing, but her eyes were filled with exhaustion.
Spoiled? She wanted to curse.
Walking through the long corridor, they arrived at the guest room door. The Illusion God indeed obediently let go and stepped forward to push the door open.
“Master, please come in.” Polite and courteous.
Wen Fei was surprised; why was her disciple so well-behaved today?
Nodding slightly, she stepped inside.
The guest room was not as spacious as the main room, but it was exquisite. Coincidentally, it was cold in winter, and after lighting the stove, it was very warm, much more comfortable than her own room.
In the center was a wooden table placed on a wooden platform, surrounded by soft cushions, requiring them to remove their shoes to sit.
On the wooden table were exquisite soup dishes, steaming with enticing aromas.
When she arrived, Jiang Yin had already been there, gently savoring tea while holding a porcelain cup.
Recalling the unpleasantness from last time, Wen Fei’s smile faded slightly as she elegantly walked over to sit down.
Originally, she didn’t want to pay attention to the other person, but when she caught a whiff of the refreshing lotus fragrance in the tea, she couldn’t help but speak up. “Eldest disciple, you have quite the interest, using the extreme cold pond water to brew tea. It’s freezing outside; aren’t you afraid of getting sick?”
This water was clearly from the Qiluo Green Lotus pond.
Tang Muxi had taken her as a master, and Jiang Yin, as her Senior Sister, was naturally also a disciple. Wen Fei usually wouldn’t address her this way, knowing they didn’t get along. But today, she deliberately called her that to assert her seniority and provoke Jiang Yin.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yin’s mouth twitched, and she set down her tea cup with a faint smile. “Thank you for your concern, esteemed elder. Fortunately, my junior sister cares for me and specially fetched water for tea, so there won’t be any issues. But esteemed elder, you should take care of yourself at your age; don’t let the cold wind get to you and leave you with aches and pains.”
Old… esteemed elder? At her age?!! Wen Fei’s previously calm smile completely vanished, but thinking about her niece visiting later, she held back from retorting, coldly snorting and slowly eating the warm food.
The two of them were at odds, and if it were usual, Tang Muxi would definitely intervene with some jokes, but now that she had been replaced by the Illusion God, she naturally wouldn’t interfere.
The Illusion God had never tasted these dishes before. After sitting down, she felt a bit curious, stirring the soup with a spoon and bringing a small spoonful to her nose to sniff it.
It smelled fragrant. However… after a meal, where should the food go? Her little head was filled with great confusion.
Tang Muxi, who was hiding nearby, saw the Illusion God’s actions and hesitated for a moment before magically following her train of thought, also falling into a subtle confusion.
Before this one bow and one person could figure out this strange question, Jiang Yin sensed something was off.
“Tang… Muxi, what are you doing?” The Illusion God froze for a moment, feeling a bit nervous. “Nothing! Just thinking!” Saying this, she quickly put the soup from the spoon into her mouth to avoid raising suspicion.
It was fragrant, smooth, and melted in her mouth, with a soft and glutinous texture.
So this is the taste of “congee.”
The Illusion God swallowed it down, feeling a mass of spiritual energy wrap around it in her “stomach,” slowly breaking it down and merging into her body as pure power.
This meal was made by Tang Muxi, using only spiritual plants, spiritual meat, and spiritual rice. After consumption, it would transform into power without leaving any impurities.
The Illusion God liked it very much, and her long-tormented mood improved slightly as she gently smiled.
Jiang Yin keenly caught her reaction, and the strange feeling in her heart grew stronger.
Something was wrong; something was definitely wrong.
Her gaze fell on the newly refined jade talisman around the Illusion God’s neck, and this oddity almost reached its peak.
“Who are you?!” She suddenly stood up, questioning sharply.
Even though the other person had a very strong aura of Tang Muxi, there was an acute sense of incongruity.
Although her junior sister was foolish and occasionally did absurd things, she would never act this strangely. From the very beginning, she had been silent, ignoring both her and the Master, which was absolutely abnormal.
Tang Muxi, hiding in the shadows, was startled. This Floating Immortal Island belonged to her, controlled by the dome jade, so as long as she wished, no one could discover her whereabouts.
But now Jiang Yin had actually sensed something was off! The illusion of a heavenly-grade artifact was ineffective against her? The Illusion God was also incredulous but still remained calm, saying, “Senior Sister?”
“Don’t call me that! You’re not her!” Jiang Yin was vaguely angry, summoning the Imprisoning Demon Sword, her entire body radiating a fierce aura.
Usually, the Imprisoning Demon Sword was closest to Tang Muxi, even more so than its actual owner.
Now, brought out to confront the person before her, it showed no signs of resistance at all.
Jiang Yin was even more certain that this person was not Tang Muxi.
Wen Fei, seeing her suddenly erupt, quickly shielded the Illusion God behind her. “What are you doing?! Are you crazy, pointing a knife at your junior sister?!” Jiang Yin had disguised the Imprisoning Demon Sword, and Wen Fei did not know it was the Imprisoning Demon Sword, but she could feel an unprecedented sense of dread emanating from the dark blade, her heart filled with horror.
Jiang Yin, however, remained unmoved, her sharp gaze fixed on the Illusion God, wishing she could pierce her through.
She was not her junior sister; where had her real junior sister gone? When had she been replaced? What was the purpose of the instigator? In an instant, countless doubts flooded her mind, and the unknown fear made her increasingly uneasy.
The Illusion God was speechless; upon seeing the Imprisoning Demon Sword, she immediately knew she had been exposed.
The Nine Divine Artifact was forged by the heavens, having a strong affinity for their master, so it naturally would not fail to recognize her as a counterfeit.
“Master, what should I do now that I’ve been seen through?” She gave up struggling and directly cast her gaze to an inconspicuous corner.
Wen Fei looked in the direction of her voice. Despite her current perfected state of divine transformation, she could not sense anything amiss.
However, in the next moment, the space suddenly trembled slightly, and a figure appeared out of thin air in the originally empty corner.
Wen Fei looked at the Tang Muxi before her then at the “disciple” behind her, and for a moment, she was thrown into confusion. “What… what is going on?” Who am I, where am I? Why are there two disciples? Jiang Yin said nothing, but upon seeing the real Tang Muxi appear, the Imprisoning Demon Sword in her hand suddenly radiated a submissive emotion, and she slowly began to relax.
She put away the dagger, also retracting her imposing aura, and casually glanced at Tang Muxi.
Although she didn’t speak, everyone understood her meaning: give me an explanation.
Tang Muxi swallowed hard, chuckled a couple of times, and waved her hand at the Illusion God. The Illusion God obediently transformed back into a bow and floated back into Tang Muxi’s hands.
Wen Fei gasped in disbelief, “That was the Illusion God?!” How had she not noticed this ability before? Moreover, even she hadn’t sensed anything unusual! Was this really at the Earth level? Suddenly, an absurd thought crossed her mind. Wen Fei paused, her voice heated as she asked, “Has it recognized you as its master?”
Although she didn’t believe it herself, after years of use, Wen Fei was well aware of the Illusion God’s powers. The sudden emergence of unknown power could not be attributed to her oversight. Thus, only one explanation remained: the long-sealed binding had been broken, the Illusion God had recognized its master, and its power was no longer restricted, returning to the Heaven grade!
Heavenly artifacts, the highest existence, unattainable.
Tang Muxi humbly replied, “After this bow absorbed my blood, the seal inexplicably broke.”
She didn’t mention the part of the Illusion God’s memory, not because she wanted to avoid suspicion, but because it was the Illusion God’s privacy. She didn’t want to overstep its will and disclose it to others, even if that person was her beloved master.
Wen Fei opened her mouth, realizing she couldn’t say anything.
For a moment, her heart was filled with envy, shock, and even a hint of jealousy.
But as her complex emotions swirled, they ultimately settled into calmness.
She had long understood her disciple’s talent; although surprised now, upon reflection, it felt only natural.
The Illusion God had been with her for a century, a tenth of her lifespan, and if she were fortunate enough to break through to the Great Ascension, it would be a fifteenth.
After such a long time without breaking the seal, it could only be said that she indeed had fate but no fortune, and could not blame others.
“Congratulations,” Wen Fei softly wished.
Tang Muxi chuckled a couple of times in response, then tilted her head, blinking at Jiang Yin.
Jiang Yin lazily lowered her eyelids, pinching her fingers, and asked, “Is Junior Sister done talking?”
Junior Sister? A jolt ran through Tang Muxi’s body.
Tang Muxi’s heart skipped a beat, and she couldn’t help but take a half step back, trying to explain, “Um, that’s how it is, there was no malice, I just wanted to test the effect…”
“Senior Sister understands,” Jiang Yin slowly stepped forward, pressing her fingertip against Tang Muxi’s soft lips, stopping her from continuing.
Jiang Yin was very close, her fingertip applying a gentle pressure, neither too light nor too heavy, but impossible to ignore. Tang Muxi felt a bit flustered, her long eyelashes fluttering with her eyelids.
Understood? And then? Soon, the answer to her question emerged.
Jiang Yin leaned close to her ear, her warm breath brushing against it, speaking softly, “You’ll be punished when we return tonight.”
