NABC Chapter 163 Breaking the Illusion
Chapter 163 Breaking the Illusion
His feet seemed nailed to the ground, unable to move an inch. He watched her dance gracefully in the sea of flowers, every movement light and beautiful, as if she were dancing with the petals. Her laughter was as clear and melodious as silver bells, echoing in the sea of flowers and striking Jiang Jingzhi's heart.
A feeling of excitement he had never experienced before welled up in Jiang Jingzhi's heart. His cheeks flushed slightly, and his breathing became rapid.
At this moment, Xu Xiaoxiao was trapped in a completely different illusion.
She found herself suddenly back in her original world, standing at the door of her familiar home. The original wood door, the white walls—everything was just as she remembered.
A strong feeling of longing welled up in her heart, and tears involuntarily blurred her vision.
With trembling hands, she pushed open the door and stepped inside. In the living room, her parents were sitting on the sofa, watching TV and chatting happily.
Their faces remained kind and youthful, just as they had before the accident.
"Dad! Mom!" Xu Xiaoxiao cried out excitedly, her voice trembling with tears.
Hearing the shout, Mom and Dad turned around and saw Xu Xiaoxiao standing at the door, their faces lighting up with delight.
"Xiaoxiao, you're finally back!" Mom stood up, walked quickly to Xu Xiaoxiao, and hugged her tightly.
Xu Xiaoxiao hugged her mother tightly, tears streaming down her face. "Mom, I missed you so much!" she said, choking back sobs.
Dad came over and gently patted Xu Xiaoxiao's shoulder, saying, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."
The family embraced and wept, immersed in the joy of their reunion. Xu Xiaoxiao greedily felt the warmth of her parents; at that moment, she felt like the happiest person in the world.
But a voice inside Xu Xiaoxiao kept reminding her that her parents were dead, this wasn't real, wake up...
Jiang Jingzhi knew it was all fake; his junior sister wouldn't look at him with those affectionate eyes. It was just his imagination.
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the pounding in his heart, and began to circulate his spiritual power, trying to break the illusion.
His gaze gradually hardened, and the sword in his hand gleamed with a cold light. He shouted and swung his sword in all directions, the sword energy crisscrossing, attempting to sever this illusory world.
As he attacked, cracks began to appear in the surrounding scenery, like a shattered mirror.
Xu Xiaoxiao was still immersed in the joy of reuniting with her parents and was completely unaware of the strangeness around her.
Seeing this, Jiang Jingzhi was extremely anxious. He knew that if Xu Xiaoxiao continued to immerse herself in the illusion, she would be in danger.
He exerted all his strength and increased the speed of his attack. Finally, the illusion shattered completely, and the surrounding scenery returned to the appearance of the Enchanted Forest.
Ignoring his own exhaustion, Jiang Jingzhi rushed to Xu Xiaoxiao's side, grabbed her shoulders, and shook her violently. "Xiaoxiao, wake up! This is an illusion! Wake up!" he shouted.
Xu Xiaoxiao was awakened by Jiang Jingzhi's shout, her eyes still filled with a hint of confusion and reluctance.
When she saw the river view before her and the gloomy forest around her, she finally realized that everything she had just seen was an illusion.
Tears welled up in her eyes again, her heart filled with loss and sorrow.
Seeing Xu Xiaoxiao's heartbroken expression, Jiang Jingzhi felt a pang of sympathy. He gently embraced her and comforted her, "Xiaoxiao, don't be afraid. It's all over now. It was just an illusion, not real."
Xu Xiaoxiao leaned against Jiang Jingzhi's chest and sobbed, "Senior Brother, I miss Mom and Dad so much. I thought I would never see them again."
Jiang Jingzhi gently patted Xu Xiaoxiao's back. Although he couldn't understand who her parents were, he knew they must be people his junior sister valued. He wasn't good at comforting people, so he could only hug her and tell her that he was always there for her.
Xu Xiaoxiao looked up at Jiang Jingzhi with teary eyes. Her senior brother's embrace felt warm; she had family now too.
Xu Xiaoxiao wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, and said, "Thank you, Senior Brother. Let's continue. I won't be fooled by illusions anymore."
Jiang Jingzhi smiled and nodded. The two composed themselves and continued walking forward. The fog around them grew thicker and thicker, like invisible high walls that trapped them. Even the ground beneath their feet became soft and muddy, making each step extremely difficult.
As they walked, a seemingly calm swamp suddenly appeared ahead. The surface of the swamp was covered with a thick layer of green moss, which shimmered with an eerie glow under the mist.
Jiang Jingzhi paused, his expression grave as he reminded her, "Xiaoxiao, be careful. This swamp is strange. Don't rush forward." Xu Xiaoxiao followed closely behind him, her eyes full of vigilance, and nodded.
As they carefully made their way along the edge of the swamp, huge ripples suddenly appeared on the calm surface of the swamp.
Immediately afterwards, a huge tentacle suddenly stretched out from the swamp and lashed out at Xu Xiaoxiao.
The tentacles were incredibly thick, covered in a sticky black slime, and emitted a nauseating stench.
Jiang Jingzhi reacted extremely quickly. He shouted "Watch out!" and pulled Xu Xiaoxiao behind him. He swiftly swung his sword at the tentacle.
With a clang, the tentacle collided with the sword, producing a metallic sound, and the enormous impact made Jiang Jingzhi's arm go numb.
Before they could even catch their breath, several more tentacles emerged from the swamp and surrounded the two of them. These tentacles, like agile pythons, twisted and coiled around them, searching for an opportunity to attack.
Jiang Jingzhi's gaze was firm. While wielding his sword to defend against the tentacles' attacks, he shouted to Xu Xiaoxiao, "Xiaoxiao, find an opportunity to attack its weak point. I'll hold them off!"
Xu Xiaoxiao took a deep breath, suppressing her fear. She gripped the sword tightly and scanned her surroundings quickly, trying to find a weakness in the monster.
Suddenly, she noticed a huge bulge in the center of the swamp, which seemed to be the source of all the tentacles.
"Senior Brother, I think that's its true form!" Xu Xiaoxiao shouted.
Jiang Jingzhi looked in the direction she pointed and nodded slightly. "Okay, I'll cover you, you rush over and attack!" After saying that, he increased the intensity of his attack, his sword wielding itself so tightly that the tentacles were forced to stay away.
Xu Xiaoxiao seized the opportunity and dashed toward the center of the swamp. However, just as she was about to reach the monster's body, a tentacle suddenly emerged from the swamp beneath her feet and tightly wrapped around her legs.
Xu Xiaoxiao gasped in surprise, lost her balance, and fell to the ground.
"Xiaoxiao!" Jiang Jingzhi was extremely anxious upon seeing this. He rushed towards Xu Xiaoxiao without regard for anything else, frantically slashing at the tentacles that were binding her with his sword.
But there were just too many tentacles; as soon as he cut off one, a new one would sprout out.
Xu Xiaoxiao struggled desperately, trying to break free from the tentacles' restraints. Her hands groped haphazardly in the mud, and suddenly, she touched a sharp stone.
Overjoyed, she grabbed a stone without hesitation and slashed it hard at the tentacle wrapped around her leg. The tentacle, in pain, abruptly released her.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xu Xiaoxiao stood up and continued to rush towards the monster's main body. Under Jiang Jingzhi's full cover, she finally reached the center of the swamp.
She raised her sword high and, with all her might, thrust it towards the monster's true form.
With a "plop," the blade pierced the monster's body, and a stream of black liquid gushed out.
The monster let out a shrill scream, and all its tentacles began to writhe wildly.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jiang Jingzhi launched a final attack. His sword, imbued with sharp sword energy, left deep wounds on the monster's body. Finally, the monster's struggles gradually weakened, and it collapsed completely in the swamp.
They were covered in black slime and mud, looking utterly disheveled, but their eyes gleamed with the light of victory.
"Senior Brother, we succeeded again!" Xu Xiaoxiao said wearily, but a relieved smile appeared on her face.
Jiang Jingzhi smiled and nodded. "Yes, but there are still many dangers in this Enchanted Forest. We can't let our guard down."
After resting for a while, the two stood up, brushed the dirt off their bodies, and continued walking deeper into the forest.