Wonderful Immortal Doctor

Chapter 1817 Shadow Lake

The pale green "vine-repelling talisman" distributed by Ye Zhenjun felt slightly cool to the touch. Its texture was neither paper nor silk, but more like the leaves of some kind of treated spiritual plant, with a delicate feel.

Chen Wanli ran his fingertips over it, and the mysterious and complex runes secretly formed a high-level magic array, containing a special kind of spiritual energy transfer.

The Immortal Physician's Scripture is all-encompassing, and Chen Wanli is also quite knowledgeable about talismans, possessing a profound understanding of the energy flow and rune structure in talisman making.

This talisman was crafted with extremely skillful techniques; the spiritual energy flowed smoothly and seamlessly where the patterns intersected, making it no ordinary item.

Although it was a pre-produced, standardized piece, the meaning of "steadiness," "cessation," and "sparseness" in each stroke was clearly discernible, indicating it was the work of a master.

According to the records in the Immortal Physician's Scripture, such talismans are considered top-grade even in the spirit world.

Its value is comparable to that of top-tier magical artifacts.

Ye Zhenjun was quite generous, casually handing out dozens of them!

This guy is a real tycoon!

Even if Chen Wanli had now cultivated his primordial spirit and returned to his original body, he would not be able to create such a large number of high-grade talismans.

We don't have that many top-tier materials, and our capabilities don't support it.

Recalling Ye Zhenjun's previous agility in drawing talismans in mid-air and instantly unleashing raging flames, Chen Wanli's evaluation of him rose even higher.

Even those who reach the initial stage of Void Refinement may not possess such formidable mastery of talismanic arts.

It should be noted that Ye Zhenjun is not at his peak right now. Thinking back to his peak, he was truly unfathomable!

Chen Wanli is now increasingly suspicious that at his peak he was a being above the Dao Integration Realm.

This makes us even more wary of this old devil!

After a brief moment of thought, Chen Wanli decided to let the golden statue find a quiet place to remain silent for the time being and not follow up.

Perhaps because he had absorbed that source power on the third floor, Chen Wanli felt that the fourth floor was somewhat similar to the third floor.

The primordial spirit could clearly sense that there was the same primordial power in a certain central direction, but it did not know the situation in that place.

Recalling the primordial power on the third floor, which allowed a Nascent Soul cultivator who was still some distance from the Divine Transformation stage to directly achieve the Divine Transformation stage with more than enough power, I am truly envious!

We can only wait and find another opportunity to explore the Golden Body.

So as not to alarm Ye Zhenjun and the nowhere-where-found Heavenly Demon King.

……

With the pale green light membrane formed by the "vine-repelling talisman" protecting him, the surrounding wooden puppets' aggressive desires were greatly reduced. Although they still followed him indistinctly in the thick fog, they no longer posed a deadly threat.

Ye Zhenjun took the lead, traversing among the towering trees and hanging vines that blocked out the sky.

The path selection may seem random, but it always manages to cleverly avoid certain areas with an exceptionally eerie atmosphere, vines that are eerily purplish-black in color, or areas entwined with pale mycelium.

He would occasionally speak up to remind them:

"Do not approach the 'variegated vine' on the left, its pollen is highly poisonous and can corrode one's elixir."

"The 'Seven Hearts Orchid' under the giant tree to the right has bloomed, and its fragrance is intoxicating. Take a detour."

The group followed the advice and indeed, their journey was fraught with danger but ultimately safe.

Chen Wanli observed silently that Ye Zhenjun's familiarity with this place was not the kind of map-like memory from numerous explorations, but rather a kind of "familiarity" with the things here.

It's like going to an unfamiliar city, walking through streets you've walked countless times, and the sense of familiarity is completely different from the place where you grew up.

During their journey, the group also collected several rare and high-grade medicinal herbs and fungi needed for making elixirs.

All of them were identified under the guidance of Ye Zhenjun, who also offered to distribute them as needed or temporarily keep them for himself. His actions were fair and impeccable.

The fear on the faces of the gods under Kuafu Chong and Fangfeng Ting's command was gradually replaced by a dependence on the "guide" and a joy at the harvest.

About two hours later, the giant trees ahead began to thin out, and the fog also thinned out a bit, but a more powerful and serene aura of soul power could be faintly felt.

Ye Zhenjun stopped and turned to face the crowd, his expression even more serious than before: "Everyone, the fourth level of the Moon Extreme Divine Platform can be called 'Myriad Trees and Forests,' which seems full of vitality, but in reality, it is far more dangerous than the third level, 'Mysterious Ice Domain.'"

Although the Xuanbing Absolute Domain devours a large number of souls, few beings at the Void Refinement level actively patrol it.

This place is different. There are likely quite a few Wood Spirit Puppet Demons with the combat power of Void Refinement and Soul Devourers with high combat power, and most of them are stationed in one area.

If we wander aimlessly like headless flies, we are very likely to stumble into their territory. Given our current state with many wounded, our chances of survival are slim.

Upon hearing this, everyone's hearts tightened.

The atmosphere, which had just eased slightly due to the gathering of medicinal herbs, became tense again.

"However..." Ye Zhenjun changed the subject, "There is always a way out. There is a special place on this level called 'Thousand Shadow Lake'."

Because the lake contains a strange power that can stimulate the illusion of the soul, ordinary soul devourers and wooden puppets are unwilling to approach it, regarding it as a dangerous place.

On the contrary, if we can maintain a proper balance, that place can serve as a temporary resting place for us.

After all, the injured need rest and recuperation; otherwise, they won't be able to handle the subsequent troubles.

"A lake that triggers illusions? Even souls would be afraid?" Kuafu Chong asked in a deep voice, his rugged face full of incomprehension.

Ye Zhenjun nodded: "Indeed. Thousand Shadow Lake contains unimaginable and immense life energy."

However, this energy is special. When it touches the soul of a living being, it will spontaneously reflect the confusion, mental block, and even the deviation in understanding the Great Dao on its path of cultivation, thus generating an illusion that is almost real.

Those who devour souls, whose souls are inherently mixed and chaotic, are easily influenced by illusions, and thus instinctively stay away.

"Wouldn't that be dangerous for us too?" Fang Fengting's face turned pale. What he feared most at this moment was that his mind would be further impacted.

"Risks and opportunities coexist." Ye Zhenjun said frankly, "Illusions originate from oneself. If one can see through the fog and look directly at one's true self, there is a very high probability that one will understand the key points and even have an epiphany of the Great Dao."

Legend has it that in ancient times, when this lake was still... well, still intact, a sage once gazed upon it and attained enlightenment, transcending a great realm in a single day! However..."

He emphasized, "However, more often than not, people are lost and have gained nothing, or are so immersed in illusions that they cannot extricate themselves. In the most extreme cases, their minds are lost and their foundations are destroyed."

The crowd listened with a mixture of longing and fear.

Leaping across a major realm in a single day? The temptation is too great!

But the consequences of a collapsed foundation are enough to chill one's spine.

Chen Wanli curled his lip. Leaping across a major realm in a single day? Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?

Ye Zhenjun took in everyone's reactions and then his expression softened slightly: "There's no need for you all to worry too much. I'm not taking you to the illusion to seek enlightenment, but just to the lakeside to give the wounded a chance to rest."

The Dragon King's eyes flickered as he stared at Ye Zhenjun: "Since Ye Zhenjun says so, you must have a way to deal with this illusion?"

Ye Zhenjun smiled slightly: "That's natural. Just follow two points: First, after arriving at the lake, suppress your divine sense and do not use your divine sense or eyes to directly explore the depths of the lake."

Secondly, one should constantly practice the technique to actively absorb and consume the life energy from the lake water that permeates the air, preventing it from accumulating excessively in the sea of ​​consciousness.

In this way, one can avoid being accidentally dragged into a deeper illusion to the greatest extent possible.

Our purpose in coming here is only to heal and recuperate, not to seek enlightenment or take risks, so naturally we have nothing to fear.

This lake is located in the northwest center. If everyone agrees, let's go there now and rest for a while.

It sounds reasonable and has specific methods.

The group felt a little relieved.

Chen Wanli's heart stirred.

The clear sense of the same origin power emanating from the golden body was heading in the northwest center direction that Ye Zhenjun had mentioned!

This piqued his curiosity, and he nodded, saying, "Very well, let's go and rest for a while!"

Led by Ye Zhenjun, the group continued their journey.

The surrounding trees grew increasingly ancient and vigorous, and some naturally formed, twisted patterns resembling ancient runes even began to appear on their bark.

The faint scent in the air, a mixture of the sweetness of grass and decay, gradually gave way to a subtle, almost imperceptible, unusual sweet fragrance. When inhaled, it inexplicably soothed the mind and body.

The tension that had built up over the days of fleeing and fighting seemed to melt away quietly without anyone noticing.

Even the most vigilant Dragon King seemed to relax slightly, and the sharp light in his dragon eyes softened a little.

Chen Wanli also felt a long-lost sense of tranquility envelop him.

But the yin and yang flames in his eyes flickered slightly, instantly alerting him.

After all, as cultivators, and in this perilous place, their instinct should be to be extremely vigilant; it would be abnormal to be complacent for no reason.

This scent has a slight effect of making one's mind wander unconsciously?

Did Ye Zhenjun not know, or was he deliberately not mentioning it?

Chen Wanli sensed it for a while longer, and the smell seemed to only relax the soul and was not a poison.

It's hard to say whether Ye Zhenjun had ulterior motives.

However, he remained wary, secretly focusing his mind to resist this silent influence.

After walking for a while, the view suddenly opened up before us.

A huge lake appeared before them.

The lake water was not crystal clear, but rather a deep and ever-changing dark red, like congealed blood, yet it shimmered with a colorful, oily sheen under the light.

It was as if countless colors were flowing and intertwining beneath the surface of the lake.

The lake was calm and still, reflecting the distorted shadows of the surrounding towering ancient trees.

The shadows overlapped one after another, constantly shifting and changing with the subtle changes in the angle of the light, truly resembling hundreds of shadows wandering in the lake. The name "Thousand Shadow Lake" is extremely apt.