“How could we possibly turn on each other?”
As Qin Tang spoke, his voice gradually trailed off.
“Calamity, calamity...” He frowned deeply, as if remembering something.
“Calamity...” He muttered the words over and over under his breath, and the sky above the plaza darkened ominously.
The blue phantoms attacking the cultivators began to mutate.
A thick darkness seeped out from within them, staining the reflections with an ink-black hue in an instant.
These ink-black reflections were far more vicious and deadly than their blue predecessors.
In the blink of an eye, most of the struggling cultivators were slain. Only a handful remained, clinging desperately to life.
Yet Qin Tang had not snapped out of his trance. He continued to mutter under his breath.
The plaza grounds began to shake violently. Dark clouds pressed down from above. Lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled.
Even the cultivators who hadn’t been attacked by reflections and were only observing from the sidelines began to sense the danger.
But facing Qin Tang, who had fallen into this disturbed state, none dared act recklessly.
For a moment, no one knew what to do.
Just then, Li Fan slowly walked up to Qin Tang.
He carried a gourd of wine, patted Qin Tang on the shoulder, and offered it to him.
Smiling calmly, Li Fan said quietly, “Senior Brother Qin, have a drink.
“Don’t dwell on it. There is no calamity.”
Qin Tang turned his head. He sniffed, instinctively accepted the gourd, and took a deep swig.
Then he looked at Li Fan somewhat blankly. "No calamity?"
Li Fan nodded with certainty and repeated, "That's right. There is no calamity at all."
Qin Tang's eyes gradually brightened, and he muttered repeatedly, "No calamity, no calamity, no calamity..."
"Hahaha, you're right! There is no calamity at all!"
After a long while, Qin Tang laughed loudly and finally returned to normal.
The strange phenomena in the area also disappeared, and the atmosphere once again turned calm and serene.
Seeing this, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief, casting grateful looks toward Li Fan.
At that moment, Li Fan's mind stirred. He had detected two strands of faint, almost imperceptible killing intent locking onto him.
Though these two strands of killing intent were extremely weak, Li Fan's perception was exceptionally sharp; he couldn't possibly be mistaken.
They had originated from none other than Sikong Yi and Baili Chen!
Li Fan pretended not to notice but secretly locked onto them with Formless Killing Mechanism in return. He just held back from activating it.
The brief interlude quickly passed, and the battle between the cultivators and the blue reflections ended.
In the end, only two fortunate souls survived.
Qin Tang looked gently at the surviving cultivators. "The trials have ended. You may go."
The bewildered cultivators opened their mouths to speak, only to watch as each other's figures gradually faded and slowly disappeared from the plaza.
Soon, Li Fan was the only cultivator left.
Qin Tang looked at Li Fan, a complex emotion flashing through his eyes.
"Why haven't you left?" he asked.
Li Fan smiled frankly. "Senior Brother, you still owe me a jug of good wine."
As if surprised by Li Fan's response, Qin Tang was taken aback for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"Right! I still owe you a jug of good wine!"
His expression suddenly shifted, turning serious as he looked at Li Fan.
He extended his right hand, lightly tapping Li Fan’s brow with his index finger.
"This technique, the Cloudwater Dream Illusion Art, is the culmination of my life's research, a unique creation born of my blood, sweat and tears. I hope you do not let it fade into obscurity!"
A moment later, Qin Tang withdrew his finger.
Li Fan’s figure also slowly began to fade.
Once again, Qin Tang remained alone in the vast plaza.
Just as it had been for thousands of years.
"Senior Uncle... Master... Senior Sister..."
Qin Tang looked around at his surroundings but found nothing.
So he took another drink.
***
Li Fan gradually regained consciousness.
Before him stood a towering gate, inscribed with the words "Cloudwater Palace."
In front of the gate stood a stone statue.
It was broken, battered, and covered in scars.
Its heart seemed to have been pierced straight through, leaving a gaping hole
From the statue’s blurred features, one could faintly make out the resemblance to Qin Tang.
Li Fan quietly observed the statue for a moment, then took out a wine gourd from his storage ring.
He gently placed it before the statue.
Then, activating the Shadow Stalk Art, he sped off in the direction Formless Killing Mechanism had locked onto.