Chapter 123: Are You a Devil?

"How long have we been inside?" Ji Yin asked again.

"It should be about two hours by now," Ji Yun estimated.

"The formation in this section shifts every six hours. We have about four hours left before it changes," Ji Yin mused thoughtfully.

"If this entire place is an illusion, the formation might not shift at all." Xuanyuan Ji left his words hanging, successfully piquing everyone's curiosity, including Ji Yin's.

Xuanyuan Ji continued, "Time here might not flow the same way as it does outside. We may not be able to leave these illusions until we break the spell entirely."

A time illusion?! The thought struck Ji Yin like a bolt of lightning.

In an environment created by a time illusion, time is frozen—a cage that lasts for eternity.

Back when she was at Liusha Star, she hadn't yet reached the level of power required to freely cast a time illusion. If Xuanyuan Ji hadn't mentioned it just now, she never would have considered it.

Could their luck be so poor that they were trapped in a time illusion?

"If that is the case, we must hurry inside and find a way to break it," Ji Yun said, his tone growing urgent. He had come to Zhiyun Mountain under imperial orders.

The group immediately followed Ji Yun as he pressed forward.

Xuanyuan Ji did not move, and Ji Yin had no choice but to follow him obediently. Mo Chuan followed closely behind Ji Yun at the front of the pack.

Xuanyuan Ji and Ji Yin walked at the very back. With so many people between them, Ji Yin and Mo Chuan could not even catch a glimpse of each other.

"Do you like Mo Chuan?"

"Do you know about illusions?"

Both questions were asked at the same time, but the subjects were worlds apart.

"Answer my question first," Ji Yin insisted.

"In Kunlun, there are some ancient texts. I happened to stumble upon them, which is how I learned a little bit."

"Alright, it's your turn to answer," Xuanyuan Ji immediately retorted.

"I do like him!" Ji Yin replied straightforwardly.

Xuanyuan Ji felt a tightness in his chest, and the surrounding air seemed to grow colder. He suddenly quickened his pace. Ji Yin fell a step behind, only to be dragged forward by him.

"What a jerk!" she thought, clenching her hands and trying to keep up with his stride.

"How much do you like him?" Xuanyuan Ji couldn't help but ask. He clearly didn't want to know, but he couldn't help himself.

"I only asked you one question, and you've asked me two. That's not fair! If you want me to answer your questions, you have to pay a price!" Ji Yin held out her hand to him.

"What kind of price?"

Ji Yin immediately unfastened the Phoenix Feather and placed it into Xuanyuan Ji’s hand, a faint smile on her small face. "Master, I've noticed that the power of the Phoenix Feather is sometimes strong and sometimes weak. It seems to contain your soul power, and I accidentally discovered that this soul power can give me a helping hand! The soul power inside is very weak now—could you..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but she knew Xuanyuan Ji understood.

*Accidentally discovered?* Her choice of words was truly precise.

Xuanyuan Ji held the Phoenix Feather. There was still some soul power left on it; it seemed she hadn't drained it all for her own use this time, but had left some behind. He could clearly sense that her own soul power had grown—breaking through to the third stage should be no problem for her. It seemed this trip to Zhiyun Mountain had yielded her quite a harvest.

Xuanyuan Ji tucked the Phoenix Feather away without paying the "price" Ji Yin had requested.

"Don't you want to know the answer to that question?"

"No," Xuanyuan Ji replied coldly. "Your affairs have nothing to do with me."

Ji Yin: "..."