Chapter 447 - 230: Abnormal Change, Delivery

Chapter 447: Chapter 230: Abnormal Change, Delivery

Zhang Junyi was completely baffled:

"Us? Fighting side-by-side? In the Minor Dragonmeet? But we weren’t even in the same group..."

Xie Yuan frowned and said suddenly,

"You’re not Zhang Junyi!"

Zhang Junyi froze for a moment, then frowned as well.

"I am Zhang Junyi, the genuine article. Brother Zhang, have you... encountered an illusion?"

Hearing this, Xie Yuan saw that the figure didn’t dissipate and that their conversation flowed without any inconsistencies. It seemed he was a real person.

But he still didn’t dare to trust him completely, and said warily,

"That’s right. I was separated from my senior brother and just encountered an illusion of you, Brother Zhang. I was almost deceived."

"An illusion of me?"

Zhang Junyi’s expression was odd, but then a sheepish smile appeared on his face.

"It seems my performance at the Minor Dragonmeet left quite an impression on you, Brother Zhang. Hehe, you flatter me! And I wasn’t even using my full strength. It was nothing, really."

"..."

Xie Yuan suddenly felt that this guy was, in all likelihood, the real deal.

Zhang Junyi laughed smugly for a moment before composing his expression and saying with some seriousness,

"Brother Zhang, were you staring down at the bottom of the lake? Don’t look!"

Hearing Zhang Junyi’s question, Xie Yuan’s subconscious reaction was to look down, just like how the first reaction to hearing "Don’t think of an elephant" is to immediately picture one.

Fortunately, he stopped himself in time and frowned.

"Daoist, you mean to say these illusions..."

"Come from the bottom of the lake."

Zhang Junyi said in a low voice,

"I went through the same thing at first. But the Daoist arts I cultivate allow me to see through falsehoods, so I was undisturbed and not deceived by it."

"But the strangeness of this lake must lie at its bottom, where the source of the illusions also resides. As long as you don’t stare at it, you should be fine for the time being."

Xie Yuan nodded slowly, looked at Zhang Junyi, and suddenly asked,

"How can you prove you’re not an illusion?"

Zhang Junyi smiled, drew his Peach Wood Sword, and slashed forward.

A roaring water dragon made of Clear Qi shot out, thundering forward ten zhang and churning the surrounding lake water into a froth of bubbles.

After unleashing the attack, he gave his sword a flashy flourish before sheathing it on his back.

"An illusion can’t do that."

Sensing the undeniable power of the Xuanzhen Sect’s Cultivation Technique, Xie Yuan gave a slight nod.

Although a more advanced illusion could also replicate a Cultivation Technique so perfectly it seemed real, and there was still a possibility that he himself had entered an Illusion Realm without knowing it, the chance was slim. If that were the case, this place would be completely inescapable.

This Zhang Junyi didn’t seem to be acting. Xie Yuan was ninety percent convinced. He then asked,

"Do I need to prove myself?"

"No need. I can tell the difference between real and fake."

Zhang Junyi said proudly, secretly clasping his hands behind his back.

Xie Yuan nodded, his brow furrowed.

"Daoist Zhang, you are a true disciple of the Xuanzhen Sect, a member of one of the world’s top orthodox sects. I trust you. My senior brother told me that our positions shouldn’t change after we came down here, which is why we entered this lake-within-a-lake together. But after we arrived... I can’t find him."

Zhang Junyi frowned.

"I heard the same thing, so how could this happen? But... it seems like our positions haven’t changed? No, wait, I don’t think this was the direction I was facing before..."

Seeing that Zhang Junyi didn’t have an answer either, Xie Yuan pondered for a moment and asked,

"Daoist Zhang, do you still have your Jade Pendant?"

Hearing the question, Zhang Junyi paused, felt for it, and then sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness, it’s still here. Hey, Brother Zhang, your Jade Pendant..."

Xie Yuan shook his head.

"It’s gone."

"This..."

Zhang Junyi’s pupils contracted.

The Yao family never said what to do if you didn’t have your Jade Pendant to get back!

He touched his Jade Pendant, felt it for a moment, and shook his head.

"This thing can only be used by one person. It can’t be shared."

Xie Yuan expressed his thanks.

"Thank you for your kind intentions, Daoist Zhang. This place is truly not as simple as it seems."

Zhang Junyi sighed.

"Did you lose it by accident, Brother Zhang?"

"No, I was extremely careful from the very beginning. I did not lose the Jade Pendant myself."

Xie Yuan replied, shaking his head.

"You didn’t lose it yourself..."

Zhang Junyi slowly furrowed his brow.

"Then the Yao family is targeting you? Why? Is it because you took Yao Tianchuan’s spot?"

"Perhaps."

Xie Yuan didn’t know the real reason either.

Zhang Junyi, however, was indignant on his behalf.

"Hmph, the Yao family is truly despicable. When I get out of here, I’ll be sure to settle this score with them! Don’t worry, Brother Zhang, I’ll help you get out!"

Xie Yuan was moved by Zhang Junyi’s chivalry. Though he wasn’t yet at his wit’s end, and the two of them actually had a prior connection, Zhang Junyi didn’t know him as ’Zhang Mountain.’ The fact that he was still willing to step in and help a stranger filled Xie Yuan with admiration.

"Daoist Zhang, you are truly a great hero of our time!"

The moment Zhang Junyi heard these words, he felt a wave of pure bliss wash over him, as if every pore on his body had opened up in comfort. He nearly offered his own Jade Pendant to this smooth-talking fellow on the spot.

"Not at all, not at all... hehe."

Zhang Junyi scratched his head and chuckled for a bit before getting back to the topic at hand.

"Brother Zhang, if you’re looking for an exit, I’m afraid... you’ll have to go deeper."

"Is going up not an option?"

"I just tried going up, but the light seems to be perpetually on the horizon, forever out of reach of the water’s surface. I think if there’s an exit here, it has to be in the core of the lakebed."

Zhang Junyi said gravely.

Xie Yuan nodded slowly, agreeing with his analysis.

However, according to him, the illusions came from the lakebed, and the source of all the strangeness in Jianzhen Lake was likely there as well. The closer they got, the more dangerous it would be.

’Should I just dive straight down...?’

Just as Xie Yuan was pondering this, he suddenly felt a disturbance in the water from a distance.

He and Zhang Junyi turned their heads at the same time and saw a water dragon surging rapidly toward them.

A man stood atop the water dragon’s head, his expression arrogant and his presence imposing. He was holding a faintly glowing blue pearl. His eyes immediately locked onto Xie Yuan, and he let out a wild laugh from afar.

"Hahaha, I’ve found you!

"Qin Zhenyang has been dealt with, so there’s no one left to protect you! Today, you will definitely... Zhang Junyi?"

Xie Yuan silently shifted his position, revealing Zhang Junyi behind him. The man’s expression flickered with shock and uncertainty.

"Impossible! How could you two have run into each other?"

Zhang Junyi poked his head out, his eyes flashing as he looked at the pearl in the man’s hand.

"The Water-Stabilizing Pearl?"

A slow grin spread across Xie Yuan’s face.

"And a Jade Pendant... looks like we’ve got a delivery."