Chapter 100: The Imaginative Illusion Sect

A cascade of snow-white hair, flowing straight down to the waist, danced in the breeze. The entire body was clad in exquisite silver armor, and half of the strikingly handsome face was covered by a silver mask. Those deep, playful eyes locked onto Shen Duo, as if they had found a particularly intriguing prey.

It was clear that the man before her was in an armored state, evident from his strange white hair.

Annoyed by the man's intense gaze, Shen Duo raised her long sword, her cold face set in determination. She filled the blade with a pale azure sword aura, then unleashed a powerful "Wind-Cleave Technique," swinging the blade like a steel knife aimed straight at the man's face.

The man’s obsidian-like eyes narrowed, showing a hint of puzzlement. With a slight movement beneath him, he deftly evaded the unstoppable sword strike.

“Sword intent! Aren’t you supposed to be an Illusionist? Then why do you have a divine beast— a five-tailed fire fox—by your side?” The man fired question after question.

Shen Duo rolled her eyes in silent exasperation, unwilling to engage him. Who was the one who launched an unprovoked attack? Now he wanted answers? Where in the world did such good fortune exist?

Fight or leave—there was no room for nonsense.

Pressing her lips together, Shen Duo said nothing. In her mind, she commanded the five-tailed fire fox to join the attack: “Cut him down!”

The man hesitated for just a moment before wielding his sword again. Using the same technique, he noticeably improved his response, while a scorching solar flame surged toward him simultaneously.

He immediately formed a transparent purple spiritual light shield around himself, firmly protecting his body.

Luo Jingbai’s solar flames collided helplessly against the spiritual light shield, unable to breach it, causing no damage.

Luo Jingbai was stunned; this was the first time his invincible solar flames had no effect.

The man before him was an Illusionist of only one star rank. Luo Jingbai, as a divine beast, could easily hold his own against him. Yet, his solar flames were utterly ineffective against the man’s spiritual shield. Could it be that the contract spirit beast armored with him was of a rank not far below his own?

Even the usually unflappable Luo Jingbai began to sweat.

The man nimbly dodged left and right in the air, evading Shen Duo’s attacks.

Then, with a curious gaze, he fixed his eyes on her again. Shen Duo, angered by his stare, unleashed a flurry of sword strikes infused with intent—the “Wind-Cleave” and “Swift-Speed” techniques—seeming to strike without consuming sword aura. The man dodged her attacks while still observing her movements.

Luo Jingbai, standing by Shen Duo’s side, was equally helpless against this man.

After several rounds, sweat appeared on Shen Duo’s brow. Although the sword aura’s holy light energy could be converted endlessly, her physical stamina was still being drained.

The man hovering in the air seemed to be watching a monkey show. Shen Duo met his gaze with a cold expression, panting heavily.

“Interesting. Your sword aura is truly inexhaustible,” the man said with a smile.

So this man’s earlier evasions weren’t mercy but a test.

A raging fury ignited within Shen Duo’s heart. Suddenly, she leapt onto the five-tailed fire fox’s back. Coordinating perfectly, Luo Jingbai arced through the sky as Shen Duo’s sword, filled with azure sword aura, transformed into a massive golden blade, carrying a devastating force as it swung toward the man.

The man merely shifted his body slightly, as though already calculating the blade’s trajectory.

But this time, he was sorely disappointed. The blade suddenly twisted away from its original path, striking toward the man’s current position. There was no time to evade.

He summoned his spiritual light shield, preparing to absorb the blow.

The enormous golden blade, alive with a seemingly sentient sword intent, struck the shield.

At the moment of contact, the tranquil night was shattered by a tremendous explosion.

In the next instant, a faint, almost imperceptible crack appeared on the transparent spiritual shield. That slender fissure rapidly expanded, and the shield shattered into fragments, collapsing completely. The purple shards dispersed into the air.

Seizing the opportunity, Luo Jingbai’s solar flames surged upward. The man faltered briefly, clearly unprepared for a mere Sword King like Shen Duo to break through his shield. In that brief moment of distraction, Luo Jingbai had already singed half of the man’s ostentatious silver hair.

Luo Jingbai let out a satisfied snort.

The man quickly recovered, his purple spiritual aura swelling fiercely. The silver hair, scorched moments before by the solar flames, instantly restored itself, much to Luo Jingbai’s vexation.

Clearly, Shen Duo’s breakthrough strike had ignited the man’s bloodthirsty warrior spirit.

No longer holding back, he excitedly raised a purple spiritual light orb and hurled it at Shen Duo. She stood atop Luo Jingbai’s back, who nimbly leapt and dodged the attacks.

The man frowned, staring curiously at Shen Duo. Unconvinced, he asked, “You’re a Sword King, yet you don’t know how to fly using your sword?”

If Shen Duo had the time, she would have slapped this relentless pursuer twice. What a sore spot to bring up! If she truly knew the sword arts, would she have needed to painstakingly study at the academy? She hadn’t yet seen a single swordsman use sword flight! She wasn’t that gifted!

The situation shifted abruptly, with the man now relentlessly attacking Shen Duo while Luo Jingbai scrambled to evade his strikes. Shen Duo stood steadily on Luo Jingbai’s back, beginning to harbor doubts herself.

The man wielded sky-level illusion techniques, each powerful but consuming tremendous spiritual energy. A sky-class Illusionist could only unleash a few before running dry. Yet this man launched attack after attack without pause. Could he possess a treasure that provided endless spiritual energy?

Shen Duo began to scrutinize his every move. Their battle resembled a game of hide and seek, one attacking, the other dodging. From afar, in Normans City’s outskirts, the bizarre scene was unmistakable.

An armored Illusionist chased a Sword King relentlessly. Purple spiritual light orbs rained down, gouging deep craters into the once smooth countryside.

Bored, Shen Duo yawned. Yet the man behind her showed no sign of fatigue, thoroughly enjoying their cat-and-mouse game.

It seemed this Illusionist’s mind was rather eccentric.

Shen Duo couldn’t afford to waste any more time. Finally, unable to endure it further, she shouted back, “Stop! I have something to say!”