Heavenly Dao Child

'The Dao name that my teacher had granted me was 'Tranquil Heart', it was as if she was being sarcastic about me, my talents that I was born with never allowed anyone to be tranquil, they saw what I wished them to see, they felt what I wanted them to feel, with my powers I can shroud the reality with whatever I wish it to be.

With such powers came my arrogance and with arrogance came to my downfall, I had surpassed my teacher a long time ago and thought myself invincible but my downfall came in when I had ventured into the Tomb of an Ancestral immortal, I was poisoned very badly.

Hence here I now lay waiting for my death as the poison eats away at my core crippling me, me the once The Great Yin-Yang Lord at peak level, whose name brought reverence to the masses.

But, even if I die I refuse to fade away as such I leave behind my legacy for those who can acquire it.

In my tomb, what you see does not exist but what you don't exist,

What you smell cannot be smelled,

The up may be down,

The right may be left,

The back may be front,

while light maybe dark..

Remember my words as you venture forth for if you stay behind for more than nine days you will face a fate similar to me.'

Ismene sighed as she spoke, "So an illusionist, huh, most of us do not practice such exotic means of cultivation."

Ryuu frowned as he spoke, "True but from those words were inscribed on the stone slab I think we can safely deduce that the person had a Divine body."

"But most importantly.", with that Cezary interjected as he continued to speak drawing everyone's attention, "The tomb belongs to a Peak Yin-Yang Lord, someone way above a puny Celestial's level."

Rudie gulped as he spoke, "Maybe we should give up for now and try it in the distant future."

Hu Rougang sighed as she spoke, "It is too late for that look down."

As they looked down they found half of their body has disappeared as Hu Rougang continued with a sigh, "We are already ensnared within an illusion anyone who is able to break free try and save others."

With that they disappeared from each others' sight, a few minutes later Ryuu found himself standing inside a poorly lit narrow corridor with a door in front of him.

Ryuu blinked before he closed his eyes as his KI churned inside him but unfortunately he was unable to break hold of the illusion ensnaring him.

Ryuu did a quick turnaround and found a wall behind him, as such he quickly investigated them as he mused out loud with a frown on his face, "This seems like corridor made up of stone, I can break them easily but I do not believe it would be wise as I do not know what is on the other side so I think I should press forward."

With that he took a few steps towards the door only for the distance to not decrease at all as such he quickened his pace and soon he found himself moving at his maximum speed but alas his effort turned to be fruitless as the door not only stayed out of reach but the distance increased as well.

Ryuu turned around only to be taken aback as he spoke with disbelief in is voice, "No way, the wall is just behind me, then how… I…", suddenly Ryuu's eyes widened as an idea formed in his head.

Ryuu turned to face the door but instead of moving forward he took a few steps back, the just like before the distance remained same as such he increased his speed as he moved backwards and the door began to move closer and closer towards him to the point he could touch and no sooner did he manage to touch it he found himself being flung out of the corridor into a cavern with a large fire burning at the middle of it.

Ryuu rose into the air as he tried to find a way but it turned out to be futile as there was no way in or out of the cave.

'Is this really an illusion? So powerful, most importantly how did he manage to do it.'

Ryuu suddenly had the urge to slap himself as he spoke with a groan, "Of course the being is way stronger not to mention the various treasures that he might have, how stupid of me but most importantly I have never incorporated illusions in my fighting style and never studied about them so what should I know."

'Only the blind will see,

The deaf will here,

and senseless might feel the way out.'

Ryuu's brow furrowed for a moment as he mulled over the clue as he spoke with a huff, "It is so simple."

He looked up towards the roaring fire as an array began to spread circling it, and upon its completion the fire was surrounded by a silver colored dome, which soon blocked its heat, then its crackling sound and finally it turned completely opaque cutting of the light.

As soon as it was done the entire cave was plunged into darkness, when all of sudden the walls began to glow as it took the shape of large honey combs.

'They all look like doors but which one to take.'

Ryuu closed his eyes as he stood motionlessly when all of a sudden his ears picked up sounds of water trickling and then he could feel a soft breeze.

His eyes open wide as he looked towards one of the door as a smile blossomed on his face, 'I found the door out of this place.'

Before he could react the tree suddenly morphed and took a shape mimicking him as Ryuu whispered out loud, 'Oh oh I know what is going to happen now.'

And true to his fears his doppelganger let out an ear piercing scream as it dashed towards Ryuu to attack him.

Meanwhile for Ismene the entire experience was a nightmare, covering her ears with her hand she walked through a burning city with tears streaming down her face as she repeated, "It is an illusion, it is an illusion", over and over again.

A rotten egg hit her forehead as a very familiar figure stood in front of her, a figure that she knew quite well, a figure that no longer looked as beautiful as before but a half burned rotten corpse.

"How dare you live when all of us died that day? How dare you laugh and be happy? How dare you look so beautiful when I have become so hideous? How dare you? How dare you?"

Ismene could no longer tolerate it as she broke into a run while various insults and demeaning words were hurled by the half rotten and burned corpses.

"Little bird is that you, little bird."

A familiar voice came to her ears, a voice that she knew all too well a voice she still remembered from all those years ago making her breath hitch.

Her parents stood with the bright warm smile on their face their arms open wide, Ismene for a moment was transported back to her child as she dashed into the embrace of her parents.

Ismene let out a sob as her parents gently ċȧrėssed her head as her mother spoke with the same kindness that she knew, "Now you can join all of us in after life, I knew you would choose death to stay with us forever."

Ismene's eyes widen as she instantly moved away from them only to see her parents had morphed into burnt rotten corpses as a murmur rose from around her, "Join us, join us."

The ground parted as hands of corpses started to drag her into the earth while the other corpses surrounded her chanting for her to join them in death.

Venkat was facing a different dilemma, since he was a child he was raised as a monk, and during his entire life he had tempered to no longer be distracted by the various aspects of life.

He walked through the most hedonistic, depraved and debauched city that had existed but he paid no mind to anything around him.

No matter the age, sėx, race of a person around him, no matter the sight and sounds, the acts of joy, of cruelty nothing fazed him as they only sound that entered his ears were that of the sutras that he chanted along with the soft clacking of his wooden sandals and the only sight was the goal that he was working hard to accomplish.

In another area Cezary had gone berserk the reason for that was simple, an illusion of his beloved sister had told him that he was pathetic weakling as such she no longer can trust him, and the end result seemed to be devastating as he massacred any or all beings created through illusions.

Meanwhile Ryuu had seen better days his armor even though it might have been intact was unable to protect him properly as his doppelganger seemed to have been completely copied every technique he knew but unlike him, his doppelganger seemed to have unlimited stamina and KI.

"This is unacceptable I lose to a mere copy of mine, I refuse."

Ryuu roared out in anger as he once again engaged with his enemy with renewed vigor to defeat his enemy.

'Faster, faster I have to be faster than him, stronger than him.'

Ryuu's muscles protested, his bones ġrȯȧnėd but he did not give up as he tried parried his opponent with his spear before slashing with his sword followed by a thrust from his spear, but his doppelganger simply phase through it.

When all of a sudden a severe pain erupted in his brain while a roar of a dragon came with his spear thrust while his sword cut through the doppelganger that tried to through his attack and soon fell apart under Ryuu's frenzied attack.

Ryuu's body shook and trembled as he raised his hand to look at his weapon especially his sword as a memory of conversation came with Antariskh came to his mind.

"My good brother it is great that you have reached the Sword God realm but tell me this, is that the end of the road?"

Ryuu frowned as he spoke, "What do mean by that big sis?"

Antariskh sighed as she spoke, "The entire history of cultivation is simply breaking through the limits, and you having reached the Sword God realm, so is there nothing else to do, and will you stop now?"

"But, I was taught since I was young that there is nothing else beyond that."

"Oh dear brother you have so much to learn just because you created a glass of water that has been asked to you, does it mean you will simply give a plain looking glass, can you not find a way to decorate it."

Ryuu's eyes widen as he spoke, "Decorate but how?"

Antariksh simply smiled at him as she spoke, "That is a journey that you will have to take alone but here is a small question to, what is a purpose of a weapon?"

"Weapon is meant to attack, no matter the reason for, be it for protecting or for cruelty the true purpose of the weapon is only to attack."

Antariskh simply smiled as a lazily swiped her fingers in the air as a tear appeared as she spoke, "I hope one day your skills with sword be sharp enough to cut through space itself."

Back at present the area surrounding Ryuu broke with a sound similar to glass shattering as Ryuu murmured with a tired smile, "I cut through space itself sis I cut through space."

With that Ryuu fell on what seemed to be a large lake made up of dense pure white almost jelly like substance, and as Ryuu lost his consciousness he slowly sank into its depths.