Reborn As A Villainous Cannon Fodder

Chapter 463: Ch 463 – The Dream’s End

6/17

“The Liuli Illusion Realm is treacherous, every year, several disciples lose themselves within its depths…”

“Everyone, please know your limits. Don’t push beyond what you can handle.”

After the Liuli Sect’s back mountain realm opened, the presiding elder stood before the crowd, hands clasped behind his back, delivering his solemn warning.

Behind the elder, twenty or thirty young disciples scattered into loose groups.

This was the biggest difference between the Liuli Illusion Realm and other secret Realms, this secret realm wasn’t open to outsiders, and even the sect’s own cultivators showed little interest in it.

Back when Yino was playing the game in his previous life, he’d sensed that the Liuli Sect seemed reluctant to promote their back mountain secret realm. Even the sect’s own elders never encouraged their disciples to enter the Liuli Illusion Realm seeking opportunities.

Now, years later, Yino found himself back at the Liuli Illusion Realm’s opening ceremony. The cold, sparse atmosphere brought back memories of the game’s plot.

The Liuli Illusion Realm was essentially the dying dream of the Liuli Sect Master.

As they say, “don’t air your dirty laundry in public”, no wonder Liuli Sect didn’t want to advertise this secret realm.

Thinking about this, Yino couldn’t help but stretch lazily.

“Ruoning, I’m terrible with illusions. Once we’re in the Illusion Realm, I’ll be counting on you to help me navigate.”

He turned the conversation to the blue-haired girl beside him.

Ruoning nodded obediently. Though this was her first time entering the Liuli Illusion Realm and she felt completely out of her depth, Chaerin had given her a special tutoring session just last night, explaining all the details of the realm.

Simply put, this secret realm seemed to test a cultivator’s talent for illusion techniques.

And as the name suggested, Ruoning possessed the Innate Mystical Sound Holy Physique

Which has another name (Innate Liuli Holy Physique), her talent seemed to resonate with this very realm.

Chaerin had said she had a destined tribulation. Even if she backed down this time, she’d eventually have to face the Liuli Illusion Realm anyway.

But the silver lining was that with Yino’s company, Ruoning wouldn’t have to face her destined trial alone!

At this thought, Ruoning clenched her fists:

“Yes, I’ll do my best to be your eyes!”

“Good. Let’s head in.”

With the realm’s teleportation gate already open, Yino nodded calmly while stealing a glance at the white fox girl standing at the back of the distant crowd.

Meanwhile, Ruoning tugged at Yino’s arm, asking curiously:

“By the way, isn’t Yuebai coming with us this time?”

“She has other things to handle. She’ll catch up with us in the realm eventually.”

“Oh~ That’s too bad~ But at least we get some rare alone time!”

Hearing this, Ruoning cast one last regretful look at Yuebai, then swept away her earlier worries and cheerfully grabbed her beloved’s arm.

In the distance, the white fox girl watched the duo enter the realm first, her mood the opposite of Ruoning’s.

So unfair!

Why did that airheaded Ruoning get to be pampered like a little princess by Yino, while the smarter, stronger me had to swallow my pride and team up with Xumo?

Really, fortune favors fools?

Damn it.

….

A couple days ago, when Yino had taken Yuebai on a date in the back mountains to explain the Liuli Illusion Realm’s rules, she’d thought he was planning to bring her along for some serious action in the realm.

But today, at the realm’s opening, Yuebai finally realized, he’d explained the strategy to make her spy on Xumo! He even wanted Yuebai to intervene at critical moments to keep Xumo from dying halfway through.

Monitoring Xumo was one thing, Yuebai had been traveling with him for years anyway.

What really annoyed her was that she’d already completely fallen out with Xumo. Now, deliberately following him into the realm meant she’d definitely get a dose of his cold mockery!

“I have to ask…”

“At this point, what the hell are you still following me for?”

In the first Liuli palace after entering the realm, Xumo suddenly stopped and shot a vicious glare at the white fox girl trailing behind the group.

For a moment, their eyes met, catching Yuebai off guard.

She’d wanted to say “don’t flatter yourself, I couldn’t care less about following you,” but the words stuck in her throat. Arguing and bickering seemed pointless now.

Yuebai had outgrown her proud, headstrong phase.

If not for Yino’s plan, she wouldn’t even bother arguing with Xumo, it was too much trouble…

“This secret realm tests a cultivator’s illusion mastery. Without me, you’ll die in this vast Illusion Realm sooner or later.”

After a moment of silence, Yuebai chose a different kind of honesty.

She wasn’t lying, whether it was the Celestial Master’s plan or Yino’s request, they’d all given her similar orders to [protect Xumo’s safety].

However… Whether Xumo would believe her willingness to help was another matter entirely.

“Laughable. Yino sent you to spy on me, didn’t he?”

Xumo sneered coldly. Now that they were in the realm without the sect elders’ constraints, he no longer hid the malice in his heart, mocking her openly.

At his words, Yuebai’s lips twitched slightly, unable to argue.

Actually, according to Yino’s instructions, over the past six months, Yuebai should have been all smiles with Xumo at the Liuli Sect, rebuilding their master-disciple relationship to earn his trust.

But even though Yino didn’t mind Yuebai’s relationship with Xumo…

Yuebai herself couldn’t get past that barrier in her heart.

She’d grown to despise Xumo more and more. She resented how he’d abandoned her and fled in that ancient hall. She couldn’t stand that her disciple was a coward who couldn’t measure up to a single hair of Yino’s…

Yuebai had her own bottom line.

She couldn’t force herself to smile at a traitor anymore.

So over the past six months, Yuebai hadn’t followed Yino’s requests. She’d started giving Xumo the cold shoulder at the Liuli Sect, which made him suspicious and drove a wedge between them.

However… Yuebai hadn’t told Yino the truth about any of this.

Her story to Yino was that Xumo was the ungrateful one, even though she’d clearly forgiven his betrayal, he still suspected something between her and Yino. No matter how she explained, Xumo kept hurling insults at her, which led to their current falling out.

To Yuebai, the actual truth didn’t matter anymore.

After all, Yino would kill Xumo eventually. When that time came, Yuebai could play the victim and cry to Yino about all the grievances she’d suffered at Xumo’s hands, earning some favor in return.

“Think whatever you want. If you find me annoying, I can leave right now.”

With this thought, Yuebai’s seductive eyes looked at him like he was already a corpse, naturally losing any desire to argue seriously.

She didn’t want to be around Xumo anyway.

Since he was being so ungrateful, Yuebai could easily find some excuse to abandon the mission. Later, she’d say something about Xumo trying to set her up, how she barely escaped, and that’s how she made it back to Yino’s side.

“Tch, quit the fake concern about me. I don’t need your protection!”

At the front of the group, Xumo also sneered coldly, walking toward the palace depths without looking back.

That direction…

As expected, just like Master said.

“Xumo, you should remember the warning I gave you before. Getting too close to the Crimson Prince will cost you eventually.”

Standing in place, Yuebai called out one more warning.

As her words fell, Xumo just glanced back with a mocking smile.

Tsk, If it weren’t for Master, who’d care if you lived or died…

Yuebai snorted coldly. Though she sounded indignant, her heart actually held a trace of joy.

After all, it wasn’t that Yuebai was shirking her duties, Xumo didn’t want her following him.

This way, Yuebai had an excuse to find Yino!

“Master~ Master~ You have to stand up for me~~”

Walking along the path to catch up with Yino, the white fox girl hummed the coquettish lines she’d already planned. She wove through the crowd from behind, her white-marked feet and nine fox tails fully exposed, no longer hiding her fox demon nature.

… … … …

“Brother Ye, didn’t you say you weren’t coming to the Illusion Realm?”

In a secret chamber corner of the liuli palace, Yino looked at a certain man who shouldn’t be behind him and raised an eyebrow.

The so-called Liuli Illusion Realm was actually a massive palace standing in another dimension.

This palace had an intricate structure, divided into chamber after chamber internally, resembling a honeycomb-like maze when viewed from above. Players entering the secret realm would all start in the palace’s central hall.

As a veteran player of Fallen Immortal from his previous life, Yino naturally remembered which direction to take through this maze.

So after awakening in the hall, he’d followed the crowd to begin exploring the maze.

The first floor’s hall had three different types of teleportation gates leading to secret chambers: [Trial], [Death Match], and [Unknown].

Most young disciples chose the conservative [Trial] option, while Yino and other confident disciples chose [Death Match].

In the second floor’s secret chambers, after completing the corresponding challenges, they could explore three new teleportation gates with different attributes deeper in the chambers.

These chamber gates were all marked with different attributes and a string of riddle-like hint words.

Through this layer-by-layer exploration and branching, Yino naturally got separated from the other cultivators in the chambers.

Yino proceeded according to plan, constantly exploring toward the dream’s end.

However… In the game, there was no character named Ye Huai in the Liuli Illusion Realm.

And more troublesome was that this Ye Huai seemed to have been following Yino from beginning to end.

“Brother Yino is being too formal. I’m here on my master’s orders, specifically to assist Brother Yino.”

Ye Huai smiled faintly.

Yino turned to look at him, his last trace of patience gradually wearing thin.

“Is that so? Aren’t you here to collect evidence and expose my true nature as an evil cultivator to Ye Chaerin?”