Martial Arts Overlord-Chapter 565 - 563: Illusory Trial

Seeing the radiant, multi-colored beams at the end of the stairs, Luo Feng activated his Teng Dragon’s Step, his form transforming into a streak of light as he glided toward the end of the steps.

WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH... As soon as he stepped out of the stairway passage, a loud howling wind erupted in his ears. Luo Feng looked up to see a gigantic cavern ahead.

The width of the cavern was immeasurable, divided in half by a dark, vast river.

Atop this dark river sat three stone bridges, each approximately four to five hundred feet long and thirty feet wide, commanding an imposing presence and radiating a brilliant, multi-colored light, their beauty indescribably stunning yet mysteriously deceitful. What was more astounding were the countless swirling cyclones all over the dark river, connecting sky and earth, roaring and churning like enraged dragons, forming a natural barricade.

It’s beyond belief... Looking at the violently churning cyclones, Luo Feng’s eyes widened in shock. To witness such a spectacular sight underground was truly a testament to the miraculous handiwork of gods. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Taking a deep breath, Luo Feng headed toward the dazzling stone bridges.

By the dark river, a dozen or so people had congregated—all young Martial Artists who had been present in the hall previously. Luo Feng eyed the crowd. Xu Tao of the Breaking Wave Sword was there, but Luo Lie was nowhere to be seen; Luo Feng presumed he had already crossed the bridge.

Just then, Xu Tao and a young man donning a sword stepped toward the stone bridge together. The instant their feet touched the stone bridge, they both slowed down significantly. Xu Tao furrowed his brow and moved onward, while the young man wielding the sword wore an expression of agonizing struggle. After walking about a hundred meters farther, the sword-wielding youth abruptly stopped, his eyes bulging as he stared ahead, veins pulsing on his face as if he had witnessed something terrifying.

"AH!" The sword-wielding youth suddenly screamed, turned, and fled. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the stairway passage.

What just happened? Luo Feng was completely befuddled.

A round-faced girl standing nearby turned her head, and upon seeing Luo Feng, a flash of surprise lit her bright eyes. She then turned fully towards him, smiled sweetly, and said, "Xiushui Domain, Jade Sword School. My name is Ye Xiaoshuang."

Luo Feng paused momentarily, a smile appearing on his face. "Purple Sun School, Luo Feng."

"So it really is you!" Ye Xiaoshuang’s eyes sparkled with a peculiar glint as she smiled. "My sister said you were extraordinarily brave and no ordinary person. It seems she was right. Not many in the Six Southern Domains would be able to maintain their composure when facing Luo Lie, the Killing Star."

Your sister? Luo Feng raised an eyebrow.

Ye Xiaoshuang placed her hands behind her back, a cute dimple appearing at the corner of her mouth as she giggled, "My sister is none other than ’Fragrance Without Shadow’, Ye Siyi – head of the Ten Great Young Experts."

Ye Siyi... Realization dawned on Luo Feng. He looked up to see Xu Tao had successfully traversed the dazzling stone bridge and vanished on the other side. He asked, "What’s going on with this stone bridge?"

Ye Xiaoshuang explained, "This is an illusion. I guess it’s meant to test a Martial Artist’s conviction. Those with weak minds won’t be able to cross."

I see. Luo Feng nodded.

Other Martial Artists also started to set foot on the stone bridge. Some crossed successfully while others, much like the previous sword-wielding youth, were scared into screaming and fleeing.

"Hmph, a bunch of fools. They know it’s an illusion, yet they still try to cross the stone bridge!" a square-faced young warrior sneered. He walked to the edge of the dark river and leaped into the air, intending to cross the river directly using Qinggong.

"Seven Cloud Strides!" In mid-air, the square-faced warrior shook his arms, his feet treading on flowing light as he took seven consecutive steps through the air, like a giant bird, charging towards the cyclones with lightning speed. Just as he was about to enter the cyclones—

CRACK! A streak of lightning appeared, striking his Protective Gang Energy directly.

"AH!" The square-faced warrior shrieked in agony as he was thrown forcefully onto the riverbank. His clothes were in tatters, black smoke spewed from his mouth, and his fate was uncertain.

"Serves him right for trying to be clever! This is the Wind Extreme Yin Thunder Array, one of the seven deadly formations of the Purple Extreme Palace. Unless one is an expert at the fifth level of the Spiritual Rotation Realm, it’s impossible to pass safely!" Ye Xiaoshuang, who was well-studied in various formations, made a face at the fallen square-faced warrior. "Luo Feng, let’s cross too," she said, turning to him.

"Okay." Luo Feng nodded, and the two of them briskly headed for the dazzling stone bridge.

Upon reaching the gleaming stone bridge, Ye Xiaoshuang’s expression turned serious. "Luo Feng, the illusion here is extraordinary. Once inside, you must hold fast to your convictions. Don’t let the illusion confuse you. Otherwise, no matter how powerful you are, you may fail."

"Alright," Luo Feng agreed. Deep down, he was not overly concerned. Having grasped the Grand Momentum, capable of severing illusion from reality, he knew that even if he couldn’t dispel the illusion entirely, it couldn’t deceive him.

Lifting his feet, Luo Feng calmly strode towards the multi-colored stone bridge. Ye Xiaoshuang took a deep breath and followed.

HUM! The instant his feet touched the dazzling stone bridge, the scenery before Luo Feng’s eyes changed dramatically. The cyclones, the stone bridge, and the underground cavern all disappeared. He was surrounded by a boundless battlefield.

Martial Artist corpses were strewn everywhere. Some were beheaded, some disemboweled, others hacked into pieces, with fresh blood flowing wantonly. Looking up, he saw countless warriors in the distance, locked in a desperate battle against Underground Demons and disciples of the Demon Sect. Every moment, countless individuals fell with blood-curdling screams, painting the earth a lurid, eye-stinging red. The rich, metallic stench of blood was nauseating.

Even though he knew this was all an illusion, Luo Feng couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath.

"HUMANS..." A low growl echoed from the sky. In the distance, several dark figures turned their gaze toward Luo Feng. Their faces were hideous, their bodies entirely black, and they bore long, massive, fleshy wings on their backs.

Sky Flying Demons! Upon seeing these dark figures, Luo Feng’s mind reeled in shock. The Sky Flying Demons were a particularly formidable type of Underground Demon, possessing bodies like steel, immense strength, and a terrifying, almost divine appearance. They had wings and, upon reaching adulthood, could achieve Aerial Flight! An adult Sky Flying Demon possessed cultivation at least at the first level of the Spiritual Rotation Realm. Combined with their innate immense strength and robust physiques, human Martial Artists of the same realm were rarely their match.

"DIE!" Eyeing Luo Feng, a bloodthirsty light flashed in the eyes of the four Sky Flying Demons. With wings spread wide, they howled and charged.

WHOOSH... Every beat of their wings stirred up a violent gale that seemed to warp the very colors of the sky and earth. Faced with four Sky Flying Demons, an ordinary Martial Artist at the second level of the Spiritual Rotation Realm would likely shriek in terror and flee.

However, facing the charging Sky Flying Demons, Luo Feng’s gaze remained unusually calm. He understood the purpose of this illusion. It was a test of a Martial Artist’s spirit; to turn and flee out of fear meant immediate disqualification.

A cold light flashed in Luo Feng’s eyes. He activated the Grand Momentum and, instead of retreating, advanced, launching a punch at the four Sky Flying Demons.

BUZZ... The energy of his punch rippled out. The four Sky Flying Demons vanished instantly, and Luo Feng snapped out of the illusion, only to realize he had merely taken three steps forward.

WHOOSH... He exhaled slowly. Glancing sideways, he noticed Ye Xiaoshuang three steps away. Her bright eyes, usually sparkling, were now wide and unfocused with terror. Her delicate face was pale, and fine beads of cold sweat dotted her smooth forehead.

"NO...!" she screamed, suddenly turning to flee.

The Martial Artists who had yet to step onto the stone bridge watched this and shook their heads. Another one had failed.

At this moment, a hand suddenly shot out; Luo Feng grabbed hold of Ye Xiaoshuang, who was lost in the illusion.

"WHAT?!"

"HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!"

The nearby Martial Artists were utterly astounded, especially the few who had just crossed the bridge; they were dumbfounded. The illusion on the bridge was incredibly powerful. Just maintaining a sliver of sanity to cross was difficult enough, yet Luo Feng could save someone else, as if the illusion didn’t exist for him at all.

Although Luo Feng had grabbed Ye Xiaoshuang, her mind was completely ensnared by the illusion, and she immediately began to struggle intensely. Frowning slightly, Luo Feng pulled Ye Xiaoshuang into his arms. Holding her soft, warm body, he executed the Teng Dragon’s Step, speeding like lightning across the rainbow-colored stone bridge.

This sight left the nearby Martial Artists speechless, unable to express their profound shock. Even the ’Killing Star’ Luo Lie had taken nearly half an incense stick’s worth of time to cross the bridge. Yet Luo Feng had only taken the span of three breaths!

Upon leaving the rainbow-colored stone bridge, Ye Xiaoshuang immediately snapped out of the illusion. Opening her eyes, she looked around in confusion. Realizing she was in Luo Feng’s arms, her cute, round face flushed crimson. Waving her small, fair hands, she stammered, "Luo... Luo Feng... you... you... I..."

Luo Feng gently set Ye Xiaoshuang down and calmly stated, "You were caught in the illusion."

Ye Xiaoshuang was taken aback. Recalling what happened after stepping onto the stone bridge, her face grew redder. She looked up at Luo Feng and asked, "Did you carry me over?"

Luo Feng nodded. His mind was on the assessment rankings, so he said, "I must press on. Farewell!" With that, he activated the Teng Dragon’s Step and dashed deeper into the cavern.

Ye Xiaoshuang stood rooted to the spot. Coming to her senses, she stood on her tiptoes, waving her small, fair hands vigorously at Luo Feng’s departing figure. "Luo Feng, thank you..." She only lowered her hand when his figure disappeared from view. Looking back at the rainbow-colored bridge, she exhaled softly, puffed her cheeks, and murmured, "Just as my sister said, he’s no ordinary person..."

The underground cavern was unbelievably vast. Even with Luo Feng executing the Teng Dragon’s Step, he couldn’t see the end even after running for a good ten minutes, as if it were an entire subterranean world. To close the gap with Luo Lie and the others as quickly as possible, Luo Feng pushed his speed to its absolute limit, continuously overtaking other Martial Artists.

SWISH! As he passed a huge rock pillar, a sudden piercing sound came from his side, and a wave of cold Sword Qi shot towards him like a venomous snake.

Ignorant fool! Luo Feng smirked coldly. Without even looking back, he projected his Protective Gang Energy, instantly shattering the Sword Qi. At the same time, he stomped his foot onto the ground.

BOOM! With a loud crash, a rock pillar about twenty feet thick snapped in the middle.

"AH!" A scream erupted from behind the rock pillar as a young swordsman, his face etched with alarm, tried to flee into the distance.

"Stay," Luo Feng declared indifferently, his palm slicing downwards through the air like a blade.

CHH! A thick stream of Saber Qi, nearly ten meters long, whistled out.

"Fierce Tiger Ascends to the Sky!" Sensing the Saber Qi, the swordsman’s expression changed drastically. Gripping his sword with both hands, his figure seemed to transform into a fierce tiger, the sword its fang, as he thrust upwards from below.

SPLAT! The swordsman’s attack was instantly shattered. A jet of blood spurted from his throat, his face frozen in disbelief as he fell backward.

Luo Feng retracted his aura and walked over to the corpse. He found three storage rings on the body and couldn’t help but smile wryly. This person had likely been preying on other assessment candidates, hiding here to rob them, but had unfortunately run into him.

Truly, men die for wealth, and birds for food... Shaking his head, Luo Feng swept away into the distance.