After Can ng Daoist nodded in agreent, Yang An followed him toward the Quiet Chamber, while Pan Shi frantically rushed off to get the other disciples.
Just a few steps later, Yang An followed Can ng Daoist into the Quiet Chamber.
The mont he entered, he imdiately noticed sothing was wrong.
Pan Yu was sitting limply on the floor, but an invisible, distorted layer seed to ripple around her.
Even though Pan Yu was right before his eyes, he couldn’t sense her presence, as if the space she occupied was completely empty.
Yang An was shocked by this phenonon. It was just as Can ng Daoist had said—anyone who got too close to Pan Yu would likely be pulled into the illusion.
If Can ng Daoist hadn’t been there to protect him, he wouldn’t have dared to get any closer.
Just like Pan Shi before him, Yang An followed Can ng Daoist’s guidance and sat cross-legged behind Pan Yu.
But the mont he sat down, Yang An felt sothing invisible gradually drawing closer.
Though there was nothing before his eyes, he suddenly felt isolated, his awareness of his surroundings growing steadily weaker.
At that mont, seeing he was ready, Can ng Daoist channeled his Mana and tapped a finger on the back of Yang An’s neck.
Yang An felt a sudden coldness on the back of his neck. Then, everything before him twisted in an instant, and he plunged into a deathly silent darkness.
...
When Yang An opened his eyes again, a gentle breeze drifted past.
The chill that seeped into his lungs jolted him fully awake.
’This place is...’
He looked around, and as he took in his surroundings, his breathing involuntarily quickened.
In the gloom of the night stood rows of old residential buildings, stretching as far as the eye could see, silent and eerie.
No lights illuminated the streets or buildings. Only the faint moonlight filtered down, barely lighting the ground.
The deep, hazy shadows cast by the trees and buildings under the moonlight gave the entire complex a strange, dreamlike atmosphere.
The area was exceptionally desolate. Not a soul was in sight, and all the windows were shut tight, as if the entire complex had fallen into a deep slumber. Only the quiet night wind and the moonlight drifted through, bringing with them a biting chill.
In the distance, a few long-abandoned buildings were visible. They looked jarring and strange, and bathed in moonlight, they seed even more bizarre, as if a grotesque aura enveloped the entire complex.
’Have I... co back?’
Yang An stared at his surroundings, slightly dazed.
He took in the familiar atmosphere, the familiar modern scenery, the familiar buildings and streets.
It felt as if he had been away for a very long ti, yet everything also felt strangely foreign.
Sighing softly, Yang An quickly ca to his senses. This wasn’t reality. It wasn’t the real world.
This was the Illusion Realm. He was now inside the illusion trapping Pan Yu.
Still, seeing these familiar sights at last soothed a lingering regret in his heart.
The whole reason he had wanted to enter was to catch a glimpse of everything he once knew. Now, he was content.
Yang An composed himself and considered his next move.
Since he had appeared here from the start, it ant Pan Yu was likely here as well. His objective was now simple.
’Find Pan Yu and get her out!’
He tested it, and just as Can ng Daoist had said, he was completely unable to use his Mana here.
He couldn’t even sense the existence of Mana, as if he had suddenly beco an ordinary person. Even his Bone Relic Buddha Radiance and at Burial Talisman were unusable.
’In that case, I have to find Pan Yu as quickly as possible before danger strikes. Otherwise, if I get into trouble, this mortal body won’t be able to handle it.’
Yang An observed his surroundings again. Rows upon rows of residential buildings stretched out endlessly.
’No wonder Pan Shi was completely lost when he ca in here.’
’If you aren’t familiar with this kind of place, finding Pan Yu among so many buildings would be nearly impossible.’
However, this wouldn’t stump Yang An. After all, unlike Pan Shi, he ca from a world just like this.
’I definitely can’t shout here. Pan Yu probably wouldn’t hear or be able to respond anyway.’
’Otherwise, no matter how unfamiliar Pan Shi was with this place, he would have thought of making a noise to get her attention.’
’He must have tried, but he ultimately failed!’
After a brief analysis, Yang An quickly reached a conclusion.
It ant he had to search for Pan Yu as quietly as possible. Otherwise, he might attract sothing unknown and be forced to leave.
’In that case, there’s only one way left!’
Yang An scanned the residential complex, then broke into a run.
Soon, he finally spotted what he was looking for on one of the buildings.
’It was... a security cara!’
It was common knowledge that residential complexes, new or old, were usually equipped with security caras. And to ensure the safety of the residents and their property, there was always at least one guardhouse.
If there were security caras, it ant there had to be a central monitoring station in the guardhouse or sowhere nearby.
His familiarity with this sort of place really made finding Pan Yu twice as easy.
’First, find the guardhouse. If I can check the security footage, I might find a clue about Pan Yu’s whereabouts.’
’As long as I can find a lead, the rest will be much easier.’
Yang An quickened his pace, searching through the complex. After a good while, he finally found the entrance and exit, and there he discovered the guardhouse.
The surroundings were shrouded in darkness and were frighteningly quiet.
Yang An slowly approached the guardhouse, crouching and moving along the wall until he reached the window. He then peeked through the glass to look inside.
He confird by the dim moonlight that no one was inside, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
He cautiously walked to the guardhouse door, reached out, and gently turned the knob.
CLICK!
The knob turned and the door ca unlocked, letting out a distinct tallic scrape.
Yang An tensed up. He scanned his surroundings to make sure nothing had happened, then cautiously pushed the door open and slipped inside the guardhouse.
The guardhouse was sparsely furnished. Against one wall were a bed and a wooden table, while another desk held a security monitor with a mouse connected below it.
’Huh? No power?’
Yang An tried pressing the monitor’s power button, but there was no response.
He looked around the guardhouse and noticed that all the wiring was bundled together, leading to a circuit breaker box high on a corner wall.
Yang An opened the breaker box and, by the dim light, quickly found the circuit switch for the monitor’s outlet.
Careful not to touch any other switches, Yang An reached out to flip just the one for the monitor’s outlet.
But just as his hand reached out, he paused and glanced toward the guardhouse window.
It was perfectly quiet outside. There was no unusual movent under the fading moonlight, but after a mont’s thought, Yang An still walked over and drew the curtains.
FLICK!
With a soft flick from the breaker, the monitor screen behind Yang An suddenly lit up with a blinding glow.
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