Chapter 122: Chapter 122: Luminous Phantom Fish

Chen Yunfei was worried about the team members up above, but it was clearly too late.

Just as Chen Yunfei finished speaking, the sound of splashing water echoed from behind them again.

A bad feeling washed over them all. They turned to look, and sure enough, the team members who had remained on the shore were swimming over in a single file line.

A sense of helplessness filled them, and Lu Jingyu could only turn to Xu Qingsui for help.

Xu Qingsui immediately began to release her spiritual power to awaken the newly arrived team members.

After waking, the team members all looked around in confusion, not understanding what had happened.

Some were the first to spot the underwater Zone 9 and thought they had left the instance.

After Lu Jingyu explained the situation, they all looked around in astonishment.

Now that everyone was here, there was no longer a need to hold back.

Lu Jingyu stared at the Zone 9 before them, took a deep breath, and said, "We have no other choice. Let’s go in and take a look together!"

"Everyone, stick close to the team. The situation inside is unknown, so do not fall behind. There’s also an unidentified Spiritual Mutation, so you all need to be on your highest alert."

After receiving their orders, Lu Jingyu had the team advance in a fan-shaped formation.

This was to ensure everyone remained in each other’s line of sight, allowing them to better keep an eye on one another.

With all preparations complete, Lu Jingyu led the team into ’Zone 9’.

The Zone 9 in the deep sea was no different from the one where they lived.

If they weren’t all on guard, someone would surely have thought they had returned home.

And the more this was the case, the more uneasy Lu Jingyu became.

Xu Qingsui was right by his side. He couldn’t help but say to her, "This place is too strange. I’ll have to trouble you to use your Spiritual Power to monitor our surroundings, especially for that illusion-casting Mutant."

"I’ve got this!" The three simple words made Lu Jingyu feel much more at ease.

The group moved slowly, delving deeper along the streets. The familiar scenery filled everyone with a strange sensation.

Gradually, a dazed look began to spread across many of their faces.

By the time Xu Qingsui noticed, the once-orderly formation was already starting to break apart.

Xu Qingsui’s heart leaped in alarm. ’Another illusion! Even I almost didn’t react in time.’

Seeing the team members turn one by one, ready to head off in different directions, Xu Qingsui grew anxious.

She hastily released her spiritual power, but with so many people, she simply couldn’t cover them all.

As she watched those she couldn’t reach wander farther and farther away, Xu Qingsui had no choice but to refocus her spiritual power.

But it was like robbing Peter to pay Paul; she was just continuously depleting her spiritual power with little to no effect.

Xu Qingsui panicked. ’If this keeps up, I’ll exhaust my spiritual power and still solve nothing.’

"System, what should I do now?"

At this critical juncture, Xu Qingsui could only turn to the Golden Octopus for help once more.

[These people have been affected by the illusion and have lost their self-awareness. If Host wishes to awaken them, the most direct method is to shatter the illusion, or, in other words, dispose of the Mutant creating it.]

The Golden Octopus’s words were a wake-up call for Xu Qingsui.

’The team’s condition is because of that Spiritual Mutation, but...’

She had been on high alert the entire time, constantly releasing her spiritual power to sense the surrounding area.

Yet, this entire time, she hadn’t detected the slightest hint of a dangerous presence or any trace of the Mutant.

’Is that Mutant just too powerful? So powerful that even I can’t detect it?’

"What’s the deal with that Mutant? Why can’t I detect it?"

[The target is just an ordinary Spiritual Mutation. It has some unique traits, but its power is not enough to overwhelm you, Host. The reason you haven’t detected it is mainly because you’ve been too cautious. Your tense state of mind has caused you to overlook certain openings.]

[Friendly reminder: regardless of the situation, only a stable spiritual power can perceive everything clearly.]

The Golden Octopus vanished after it spoke, leaving Xu Qingsui with a single, perplexing sentence.

’Is it because my mind has been stretched too thin?’

’But in a situation like this, how could I possibly dare to relax?’

The thought that a single lapse in attention could cause a team member to stray from the group made Xu Qingsui’s head feel like it was about to explode.

But the Golden Octopus had only left that one sentence, pointing to only one path forward.

She could feel her spiritual power growing weaker. Once she could no longer keep robbing Peter to pay Paul, everyone would scatter anyway.

Xu Qingsui steeled herself and decided to give it a try.

She withdrew all of her spiritual power. Even as some team members wandered down side paths, she paid them no mind.

She calmed her mind, closed her eyes, and began to perceive her surroundings.

At first, Xu Qingsui’s mind was still in turmoil, with irrelevant images constantly flashing through her head.

She repeatedly tried to clear her mind, to empty her thoughts. After what felt like an eternity, she felt as if she were the only one left in the world.

She was suspended in this world, drifting with the currents.

After another unknown period, a glimmer of light suddenly appeared in the dim, colorless world.

But the glimmer flickered on and off, making it difficult to grasp.

But she had a gut feeling that if she could just grasp that glimmer of light, everything would be alright.

This premonition grew stronger, and the light became clearer along with it.

When the light grew to a blinding intensity, Xu Qingsui snapped her eyes open.

She immediately found herself staring into a pair of colorful, fist-sized pupils.

Her heart clenched, and Xu Qingsui quickly backed away, putting distance between herself and the eyes.

As the distance between them grew, she was able to see the full form to which the eyes belonged.

It was a large, multicolored fish. In most respects, it looked like any other fish. The only difference was a tube extending from its dorsal fin, with a large, lantern-like glowing orb hanging from the other end.

"What is that thing?" Xu Qingsui couldn’t help but gasp in amazement.

The Golden Octopus appeared again and explained, [This is a luminous phantom fish. It’s the creature that bewildered those people and lured them into the deep sea.]

"So this is the culprit?"

[Correct!]

With that confirmation, Xu Qingsui knew what she had to do.

At that moment, the luminous phantom fish also sensed that something was off about Xu Qingsui.

It realized this woman had somehow escaped its illusion and could now see it.

The lantern on the luminous phantom fish’s dorsal fin began to flicker, attempting to lure Xu Qingsui back into its illusion.

Xu Qingsui noticed the lantern’s change. For a moment, her eyes glazed over, but in the next instant, they snapped wide open.

She stared at the lantern, her eyes narrowing slightly. "So that’s the key to the illusion. If I destroy that thing, the illusion should disappear with it!"

At that thought, Xu Qingsui immediately began to gather the Thunder Attribute in the palm of her hand.

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