You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

Everything is very "real," but precisely because it is too "real" and "lifelike," it seems particularly abrupt and...deliberate in this eerie world of paintings.

Chen Yang left the room and checked the two rooms next to it. They had similar layouts and were so clean that they seemed to be waiting for their owner to return.

The strange feeling in his heart grew stronger.

Finally, he arrived at the main room in the center of the courtyard. The door to the main room was also ajar.

He pushed open the door and entered.

In the center of the main room stood an eight-immortal table and four armchairs. On the table, a set of white porcelain teaware was prominently displayed: a teapot and four teacups.

One of the teacups still contained about half a cup of tea. The tea was clear and bright, and there was even a faint wisp of steam rising from it, almost imperceptible in the still air!
"Hot?!"

Chen Yang's pupils contracted slightly.

He immediately stepped forward, extended his index finger, and very carefully touched the outside of the teacup.

It's lukewarm! Although the temperature is very low, it is definitely lukewarm!

There are people here! Or rather, something just had tea here!
Chen Yang felt a chill run down his spine, and the feeling of being watched became stronger than ever before! He turned around abruptly, his divine sense sweeping out in all directions like a tidal wave, while shouting sharply.

"Now that you're here, why not show yourself? Hiding like this, what kind of skill is that!"

The sound echoed in the main room, causing the window frames to rattle slightly.

However, apart from his own echo, there was still no response. The courtyard remained deathly silent, as if he were the only living being in the entire world depicted in the painting.

What sank him even further was that his shout had been quite loud; Liu Yu, Huang Zhenren, and Chiyang Zhenjun, scattered throughout the courtyard, should have heard it and rushed over to investigate. However, after waiting a while, there was no movement outside the courtyard! No footsteps, no questions, nothing at all!

It's as if... the three of them don't exist at all, or they're isolated in another dimension!
"Something's not right... Is this courtyard, or rather this 'living' area, a separate trap?"

Chen Yang's eyes turned cold. The feeling of being watched was like a thorn in his back; his companion had gone missing; the lukewarm teacup... everything pointed to one possibility—the world in the painting wasn't entirely inanimate; it possessed a "spirit," or a manipulator, and it was targeting him!
"You're not coming out, are you?"

Anger surged within Chen Yang; the feeling of being schemed against and mocked made him no longer hesitate.

"Then I'll destroy your hideous turtle shell!"

He stopped trying to find or communicate and decided to force out the existence behind it in the most direct way!

Chen Yang stepped out of the main room and into the center of the courtyard. The pure and powerful Qingwei magic power within his body, though suppressed, began to circulate according to a mysterious and ancient trajectory.

He slowly raised his hands, his fingers flying, forming one intricate hand seal after another. With each seal, the aura emanating from him deepened, subtly clashing with the fixed "artistic" energy of the world within the painting.

This is neither the Qingwei Yuanjiang Great Law nor the Yin Law, but an ancient supernatural power that he obtained from the depths of the Qingwei Sect's heritage and rarely used—derived from the changes of the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends, and more inclined towards the Earthly Fiends technique that destroys rules and structures!
"Earthly Fiend - Flow Interruption!"

Chen Yang let out a low shout, completed the last hand seal, and suddenly spread his hands to the sides!
There were no earth-shattering explosions, no dazzling lights or shadows.

But centered on Chen Yang, the small courtyard space in front of him, from the ground to the houses, from the bricks and stones to the grass and trees, seemed to be drawn by an invisible, extremely sharp "boundary"!
"Tsk-!"

A sharp, teeth-grinding sound, like silk being torn apart, clearly reached Chen Yang's ears!

Before him, in the neat and elegant courtyard, a straight "crack" appeared, running through everything from the very center! The bluestone pavement was cracked, the fissure as smooth as a mirror;
The pomegranate tree is split in two from the center of its trunk, with a smooth cut; stone tables and benches, walls of the side rooms, roof tiles... everything that is crossed by this invisible "boundary" is neatly divided in two!
Even more bizarrely, the crack wasn't merely a physical phenomenon. Chen Yang could "sense" that the "space" containing this small courtyard, or rather, the "pictorial" structural rules that constituted this courtyard, had also been abruptly severed by this "flow interruption"!

The colorful "painting" energy that originally circulated and maintained the shape of the courtyard became disordered and collapsed at the crack, like a cut thread.

This time, the damage did not heal! The cracks remained, and the broken bricks, trees, and houses showed no sign of mending! Because the underlying "rules" that sustained their existence had been temporarily severed!
Almost at the same time the "flow interruption" took effect, Chen Yang seemed to hear an extremely faint "crack" sound from afar, like glass shattering or a painting being torn open.

"efficient!"

Chen Yang's spirits lifted. The Earthly Fiend Technique was clearly beyond the scope of the conventional defenses of this painted world, capable of causing real damage to its fundamental "painting rules"!

Just as he was preparing to press on and expand his gains, a hurried and weak cry for help suddenly rang out not far to his left.

"Sect Master! Help! Save me!"

It was Liu Yu's voice! It was filled with terror and helplessness.

Chen Yang immediately looked in the direction of the sound and saw Liu Yu's figure appear in the shadows of the corner of the side room on the left, which had been affected by his "Severing Flow" technique and whose wall had been cut in half diagonally!
She leaned against the dilapidated wall, her body trembling slightly, as if bound by an invisible force, unable to move. Only her face was full of anxiety and pleading as she looked at Chen Yang.

Elder Liu!

Chen Yang flashed to her side and found that Liu Yu was shrouded in a very faint, constantly twisting seven-colored halo. It was this halo that had trapped her in place and seemed to be constantly draining her spiritual power and the meager magical power in her body.

"Don't panic!"

Without hesitation, Chen Yang changed his hand seals again. He had a more effective technique to deal with this kind of energy that relied on "artistic conception" and trapped the soul and consciousness.

"Earthly Fiend - Radiant Light!"

Chen Yang pointed his fingers together like a sword, and a pure white light suddenly shone from the tip of his finger, as if it could illuminate all darkness and dispel all evil! This light was not dazzling, but it carried a warm, purifying, and protective will.

He gently pointed to the seven-colored halo surrounding Liu Yu.

"Boom!"

Like the soft sound of a bubble bursting.

The distorted, seven-colored halo, illuminated by the "Life Light," melted and disintegrated rapidly, like spring snow meeting the sun, disappearing completely within a few breaths.

As the halo dissipated, Liu Yu's body went limp and she almost collapsed, but Chen Yang caught her.

"Thank you, Master..."

Liu Yu thanked him weakly, her face still showing signs of shock.

However, before she could finish speaking, another change occurred!

Under Chen Yang's gaze, Liu Yu's body suddenly began to blur and become transparent! Like an image with a poor signal, it flickered a few times.

"Sect Master, I..."

Liu Yu also sensed something was wrong, and a look of confusion appeared on her face.

The next second, her figure vanished completely from Chen Yang's sight like a shattered bubble, leaving only a faint ripple in the space behind.

Immediately afterwards, Chen Yang received a clear and delighted telepathic message from Liu Yu in his mind.

"Sect Master! I'm out! I'm free! I'm back in that underground stone chamber, right in front of the mural! The light-based spell you used seems to be able to directly release the painting from its binding and control over the soul!"

As expected! Chen Yang understood.

The "Light of Life" technique not only dispels evil and illusions but also stabilizes the soul and reveals the true self, perfectly countering the methods used by this painted world to trap the soul. Liu Yu wasn't rescued from the painting; rather, her "soul consciousness" captured within it was stabilized by "Light of Life" and re-anchored back to her body! "Very good! Elder Liu, wait outside for a moment and help anyone who might escape. I'll continue rescuing True Man Huang and Elder Chiyang!"

Chen Yang responded with his divine sense.

"Yes! Sect Master, be careful!"

Liu Yu's voice was filled with gratitude and concern.

Having learned from his success, Chen Yang didn't delay any longer and immediately set off, releasing his divine sense to quickly search the area around the residence.

Soon, he found Huang Zhenren standing motionless like a statue by a dry well in another secluded corner, his face showing a struggle. He was also enveloped in a seven-colored halo.

"Generate light!"

A flash of white light fell, and the halo dissipated. Master Huang's figure flickered a few times and then vanished. A moment later, Chen Yang received a telepathic message from Master Huang confirming his safe escape.

Finally, he found the Crimson Sun True Lord by the stove in the back kitchen of the mansion, waving his fist at the air, his expression furious but unable to move. The method of handling it was exactly the same.

"Haha! I'm out! I was suffocating! Thank you, Sect Master!"

The rough voice of True Lord Chiyang echoed in Chen Yang's mind.

At this point, all three were safely rescued and returned to the underground stone chamber murals in the real world.

"Sect Master, aren't you coming out yet?"

Liu Yu asked with concern.

"Sect Master, this place is strange and we should not stay any longer. Why don't we get out first and then make further plans?"

Master Huang also offered his advice.

The Crimson Sun True Lord was even more direct.

"Sect Master, come out quickly! There's nothing in that tattered painting, it's really creepy!"

Chen Yang stood in the courtyard, now deathly silent except for the crack that had severed the flow of blood, and calmly responded to the air.

"You guys stay outside and keep watch while I recover. I still have some things to figure out."

This world within the painting is not so simple. Since they went to the trouble of capturing people, there should be an explanation. I want to see what's hidden here, and who's behind this charade!

His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable resolve. The damage caused by the Earthly Fiend Technique "Severing Flow" still lingered, proving that his methods could threaten the very foundation of this realm.

He is confident.

"Sect Master, be careful!"

"Take care, Sect Leader!"

The three knew they couldn't persuade him otherwise, so they could only offer their advice.

Chen Yang cut off the telepathic communication, his gaze sharpening like a knife once more.

He walked to the front of the main room, looked at the cup of tea on the table that was still warm, and then looked at the crack he had created that ran through the courtyard, and said loudly.

“I have given you a chance. If you don’t show yourself now, it won’t be as simple as just destroying a small courtyard. My next move, ‘Severing the Flow,’ will attempt to tear apart the very foundation of this entire ‘painting’! You should know that I have that ability!”

The voice echoed through the dilapidated courtyard, carrying a chilling murderous intent and absolute confidence.

This time, the silence didn't last long.

Just as Chen Yang was about to form another hand seal, the terrifying power of "Severing Flow" began to gather at his fingertips, and the "artistic conception" of the surrounding space began to tremble and become disordered—

A faint, weary sigh, tinged with helplessness, seemed to echo from every corner and every brick of the courtyard.

"Fellow Daoist...please be merciful. We...did not mean to offend you, but were truly forced into this situation."

Chen Yang paused, dissipated the power in his fingertips, and said coldly.

"Finally you've come out? Tell me, who are you? What's going on with this godforsaken place? Why did you set a trap to steal people's souls? And... what else is here?"

The woman's voice paused for a moment, as if she were making up her mind or organizing her thoughts, before it drifted out softly.

"We... are merely a few wisps of the 'Han Hai Ruins Palace,' clinging to life within this 'Remembering Image.' This image possesses a spirit; it automatically senses the aura and strength of those who approach. If it matches a certain..."

The ancient 'standard' would then capture the soul of the creature within the world depicted in the painting, trapping it with the painting's essence and drawing upon a trace of its spirit to sustain itself. It's not that we intentionally harm it; it's simply the painting's inherent nature…”

"The ruins of the Hanhai Palace? A photograph?"

Chen Yang captured the key information.

"make it clear!"

The woman's voice was filled with reminiscence and sorrow.

"This place... in an extremely ancient era, was once a magnificent underwater palace at the bottom of the vast sea, called the 'Hanhai Ruins Palace'. Later, it suffered a great calamity, the palace collapsed, and sank into the underground river of the earth's veins, almost disappearing into nothingness."

This 'memorial portrait' was created by a master painter skilled in painting and formations, using his supernatural powers to depict the splendor of the palace. It was originally intended as a memorial.

During the great calamity, this map absorbed a trace of the shattered spiritual energy of the ruined palace and some fragmented inheritance, thus generating a faint spirituality and surviving to be hidden among the ruins deep within this dark river…”

"As for the treasures..."

The woman paused, as if weighing her options.

"Over countless years, the vast majority of the treasures in the ruins have long been destroyed, vanished, or taken away by lucky individuals who stumbled upon them later. As far as we remnant spirits know, deep within these ruins, perhaps... perhaps a fragment of the palace's original treasure still remains, or rather, a remnant of its core power—"

The remains of a 'Dragon Pearl of the Vast Ocean'. This pearl was once the core of the ancient palace's grand formation and spiritual veins, possessing the ability to control a portion of the water element and suppress the earth's veins.

After the great calamity, the Dragon Ball shattered. The largest fragment should still be located deep within the ruins of the 'Zhenhai Hall,' which is also the best-preserved site, protected by the remaining restrictions.

This is probably the only thing here that can still be considered a 'treasure'. As for whether you can find it, and whether you can take it away... that depends on your luck and ability, fellow Daoist."

Listening to the woman's soft narration, Chen Yang's expression remained unchanged, but his mind raced. The Ruins of the Vast Ocean? A photographic record? Remains of the Dragon Pearl? If this information was true, then the trip would not have been in vain.

But right now, he was more interested in this elusive "remnant spirit." (End of Chapter)