The Rich Cultivator-Chapter 299. Entering the Mysterious Village

The group sat in tense silence, each member lost in their own thoughts. Tyler and the others consumed their Aura Pills and Prana Pills. Without natural Aura or Prana in the Abyss, these pills were their only way to maintain their strength. It had been over a week since they had arrived at this mysterious floor, a place where reality and illusion blended seamlessly.

Their objective remained unchanged—to find a way into the strange village without succumbing to its illusion.

"Do we really need to save him?" one of the grandmasters suddenly asked. "We just need to drag him to the spatial passage, right?"

"But we don’t know where the spatial passage is," another grandmaster countered. "Divine sense doesn’t work inside. If we go in blind, we might get swallowed by the illusion before we even find it."

"And how exactly are we supposed to drag him out?" someone else added. "The moment we step inside, we’ll start turning into illusions too."

"We don’t need to fully integrate," the first grandmaster argued. "The moment our bodies start changing, we grab him and pull him out before it’s too late. As for the spatial passage, we’ll use the compass to navigate."

The compass still pointed toward the village—their next Abyss floor passage was inside.

Grandmaster Silver took a deep breath and proposed, "Speed is everything. We go in, check a specific spot, then run back out before the illusion takes hold. We repeat the process until we find the passage."

"Sounds like an average plan," Grandmaster Ayla, a woman who had shared a night with Tyler, remarked.

Silver turned to her. "Do you have a better suggestion, Grandmaster Ayla?"

Ayla shook her head. "No. And honestly, we don’t seem to have any other options."

Silver looked at Tyler. "Boss, what do you think?"

Tyler exhaled sharply. He thought the plan was reckless, but they had run out of alternatives. "It’s risky," he admitted, "but let’s do it."

Since Silver was the one who suggested the plan, he volunteered to go first. He grabbed the compass, took a deep breath, and disappeared into the village.

Everyone watched closely as he reappeared inside, sprinting forward without hesitation. He ignored the obstacles—after all, they were just illusions for now. But then he suddenly stopped, turned around, and this time, he made sure to avoid the obstacles as he ran back toward the group.

Silver looked at them. "My speed is reduced inside. I could only make it to the fourth house before I started slowing down. I also felt the objects around me."

He raised his hand which was illusory but it slowly turned back normal.

Tyler sighed. "Looks like the plan failed. If you couldn’t go further, I doubt anyone else can."

"We don’t need to walk there," Silver pointed out. "Once we find the exact location, we can just jump from the sky."

"It’s okay if we can’t rescue Grandmaster Xing," he continued. "According to the contract, his family will be compensated."

"That’s cold," Ayla remarked, frowning.

"I’m just stating the facts, also it’s abyss death is everywhere." Silver replied without emotion.

Tyler lifted a hand, silencing them. "Enough. First, we locate the passage. Everything else comes after."

Tyler and his team had spent the last few days tirelessly trying to locate the passage leading to the next Abyss floor. With their divine sense rendered useless, they had resorted to the only method available—trial and error.

"We’ll run into the village from every direction to see if we can find the passage," Tyler suggested, scanning the surroundings.

The grandmasters nodded in agreement. One by one, they took turns dashing into the village from different entry points, ensuring they escaped before being fully consumed by the illusion. It was a risky plan, but it was their only chance.

After several attempts, Grandmaster Silver returned with a triumphant smile on his face. "I found it."

Tyler immediately turned to him. "Where?"

Grandmaster Silver pointed toward the lake behind the village. "Just run straight through that broken well and go toward the grayish hut in the middle."

Tyler narrowed his eyes. "And we can reach it just by running?"

Grandmaster Silver nodded confidently.

Tyler exhaled. "Alright, everyone, get ready. We move once Grandmaster Silver has recovered."

A few minutes later, the group stood near the village border, ready for their final dash. Mana, deciding it was too risky, retreated into Tyler’s body, remaining hidden in his spirit space.

Tyler was held by Grandmaster Silver, while Mathilda was supported by a female grandmaster. With a silent signal, the group vanished into the village.

They moved swiftly, ignoring the illusions of villagers and obstacles. The more they advanced, the more their bodies began to turn half-illusory. Soon, they could interact with the environment, touching the very objects they had previously passed through.

"Where’s the passage?" Tyler asked impatiently as they neared their destination.

But Grandmaster Silver remained silent.

Tyler immediately felt a sense of foreboding.

"Retreat!" he shouted.

But before he could act, his hand suddenly slipped from Silver’s grip.

"An escaping charm?" Silver muttered with a sinister smile. "Do you really think you can escape a grandmaster?"

Tyler’s heart pounded. Silver had betrayed them.

Without hesitation, Tyler activated a speed-boosting charm on himself and sprinted toward the lake.

The other grandmasters realized something was wrong.

"What are you doing, Silver?!" one of them yelled.

"Run! Silver is trying to trap us all inside!" Tyler shouted back.

Chaos erupted.

Silver unleashed his domain to lock Tyler in place, but the remaining grandmasters quickly Activated their domain to protect him. They fought back, resisting the oppressive force of the domain.

It seems like Silver has been hiding his strength. He is at pinnacle of Grandmaster level.

Meanwhile, Grandmaster Ayla and the other female grandmaster who was holding Mathilda had reached the edge of the village.

Just as they were about to cross the border and escape—

Another domain activated.

A surge of energy threw Mathilda backward, straight into the heart of the village.

"Mathilda!!!" Tyler’s eyes widened in horror.

Without thinking, he reversed course and ran toward her, completely ignoring his own safety.

The remaining grandmasters, caught off guard, found themselves overwhelmed. The two female grandmasters who had been aiding them suddenly turned against their allies, launching coordinated attacks.

Silver’s domain struck like a crashing wave, sweeping up the struggling grandmasters and flinging them deep into the illusionary village.

Tyler barely managed to escape the impact, his mind racing. There are three traitors?!

The realization struck him like a hammer. Silver wasn’t the only one—Ayla and the other female grandmaster had been working with him all along.

Tyler clenched his teeth, gripping the unconscious Mathilda in his arms. His body was turning illusory. Mathilda, still unconscious, was rapidly fading into the illusion as well.

"No," Tyler growled.

He activated multiple speed charms, pushing his body beyond its limits. His figure became a blur as he ran in the opposite direction, away from the village.

He had almost reached the boundary when—

His foot caught on a rock.

Tyler’s balance wavered.

The next thing he knew, he was falling—

Straight into a mysterious river that hadn’t been there before.

Mathilda tumbled beside him.

The cold, ethereal water engulfed them both. Tyler gasped, struggling against the sudden pull dragging him downward. His consciousness wavered.

Darkness swallowed him whole.

---

Outside the Village

Grandmaster Silver’s body shimmered for a brief moment before morphing into something else.

His once-human form transformed into a tall, silver-haired elf.

The two female grandmasters, still standing by his side, followed suit—both of them morphing into twin silver-haired elven women.

Their deception was complete.

"The mission is finished," Silver said with a satisfied smirk. "Tyler White won’t be a problem for Princess Silvia anymore."

Ayla let out a dramatic sigh, placing a hand on her hip. "Aww... But he was really good in bed."

The other twin scoffed. "Sister, you need to stop sleeping with every handsome guy you see."

"You wouldn’t understand, you should have tasted him. Do you think he have already did Princess Silvia?" Ayla said wistfully.

Silver rolled his eyes. "Enough. Princess is pure maiden, Don’t talk about her. Let’s head back to the Elven Kingdom. We’ve done our part."

"Oh my... Are you gonna trying to marry her? With her status, you can become one of her husband." Ayla said while smirking.

Grandmaster Silver who looks young smiled, "I will definitely become her consort."

"Oh... Before that do you wanna taste my body?" She asked.

Grandmaster Silver dodged and said, "I don’t wanna get killed by your curse. Every man you fuck dies ..." He said as he glanced at the village where Tyler disappeared.

The temperature dropped and the both sisters are staring at him as dead man.

"Say that again..." Kyla , sister of Ayla said with murderous expression.

"Leave it sister. He is stating the truth." Ayla shook her head.

"Better watch your mouth." Kyla warned.

The three elves disappeared , leaving behind the illusionary village that had claimed Tyler Mathilda and the remaining Grandmasters.