Colourful clouds drift gently, their fragrance lingering faintly.
Celestial music hums softly, its divine charm flowing endlessly.
Beside me is a radiant-horned white deer, grazing quietly, its eyes gentle and warm.
In the distance stands a majestic celestial palace, shimmering with golden light.
What a splendid immortal scene!
“Bloody hell!” Lu Zheng blurted out, “Has the metaverse already come to life?”
The Blissful Heavenly Maiden’s Enchanting Realm feels more like an advanced illusion, but this painted wall truly draws in one’s mental energy, creating a spiritual world.
Isn’t this just like playing a game?
And…
Lu Zheng was astonished to find that the flow of time in the painted wall world was incredibly fast, almost ten times that of reality, somewhat like a dream technique.
A fleeting dream of twenty years.
Lu Zheng felt his thoughts in the painted wall world were also much quicker. “I wonder how vast this world is, and whether my spells from outside still work here?”
As he pondered, Lu Zheng suddenly heard voices nearby. With a swift gesture, he cast an invisibility spell.
“Swish!”
With a soft sound, Lu Zheng’s figure vanished from this world.
“Huh? I thought I heard someone talking just now. I assumed it was a fellow immortal strolling here, and I wanted to invite him for a game of chess.”
“You must have misheard. Isn’t there only a white deer here?”
Two white-haired elders emerged from the woods, looking around. Without turning back, they continued walking in that direction.
“Let’s go find the Three Friends of Clear Stream. It’s been days since we last met, and today is perfect for a visit.”
The two moved swiftly, like the wind, and were soon gone.
…
Seeing them disappear, Lu Zheng did not dispel his invisibility spell.
Hmm, this painted wall world is quite fascinating.
Lu Zheng touched his body, feeling that this world seemed to craft a virtual form based on the mental energy invested, and it even allowed the use of true energy and spells.
His real body outside carefully sensed itself and found nothing amiss.
“Young Master Lu?” Du Yuru asked with some concern.
“Don’t worry, I’ve already entered. Wait until I find them,” Lu Zheng nodded, then shifted his perspective back.
Back in the painted wall world.
Still invisible, Lu Zheng moved forward, heading toward the golden-gleaming celestial palace.
Since Madam Du and her daughter had entered, lacking his invisibility skills, they would likely be noticed and taken to the celestial palace for questioning… right?
As Lu Zheng approached the palace, he saw clear springs and streams, pavilions and towers, purple bamboo and green pines, misty clouds and colourful dew.
Along the way, he encountered two white cranes strolling leisurely, a blue ox resting by a rock.
He also saw several women in palace gauze dresses playing and laughing, and a few sages in green and white robes drinking and playing the zither.
None of them noticed Lu Zheng, and he did not disturb them. The closer he got to the celestial palace, the more people he encountered.
“Someone has entered the immortal realm!”
“Didn’t they say the realm has been sealed for over a hundred years? How could someone come in?”
Lu Zheng turned to see two women, one in purple and one in pink, heading toward the palace.
“I heard it’s two women. Sister Peony has already taken them to Tianyi Hall to meet the Divine King.”
“Let’s go see. I wonder if the Divine King will keep them here.”
Lu Zheng blinked, then silently followed the two women, his steps soundless, as they entered the celestial palace grounds.
The surroundings grew more crowded with buildings, green tiles and jade pillars, halls and corridors, with silver-armoured immortal soldiers stationed about and gold-armoured guards patrolling.
After passing several palaces, a plaza appeared before Lu Zheng.
The painted wall depicted the white jade plaza before the celestial palace, but its artistry paled in comparison to the real thing.
The plaza spanned over a hundred yards, surrounded by water corridors, with carved railings and jade steps. In the centre stood shady green trees, with tables bearing fruits, tea, and wine. At the far end was a white jade platform.
A richly dressed middle-aged man sat high on the divine platform, with dozens of distinguished men and women seated below. The dancing celestial maidens had stepped aside, revealing two nervous figures in the plaza’s centre: Madam Du and her daughter.
As Lu Zheng followed the two women into the plaza, Madam Du and her daughter had just finished explaining their origins.
“Divine King, my husband remains outside the celestial palace. Please, in your mercy, allow my daughter and me to leave,” Madam Du pleaded, bowing.
The Divine King, stern in appearance but kind in expression, replied, “Since you two could enter my celestial palace, it is fate. Leaving is a trivial matter, so do not be anxious.”
“Thank you, Divine King! Thank you!” Madam Du bowed repeatedly, pulling Du Yueyao to do the same.
“Let our esteemed guests offer seats to these two and serve them the finest immortal brew,” the Divine King said with a smile. “Time in the celestial palace flows differently. A year here is less than a month outside. Rest here for a night, and only a quarter of an hour will pass outside.”
Several celestial maidens stepped forward, guiding Madam Du and her daughter to sit. Fresh fruits and jade cups were placed before them.
Then, one maiden raised a cup, another poured wine, and the clear, sparkling liquid filled the cups, which were handed to Madam Du and her daughter.
“Drink deeply!”
“Thank you, Divine King!” The two raised their cups to drink.
“Bang!”
“Bang!”
With two soft sounds, the jade cups fell to the ground. Lu Zheng suddenly appeared behind them, saying, “You must not drink this wine.”
“Young Master Lu?”
“Young Master Lu!”
The two women turned abruptly, startled and overjoyed to see Lu Zheng.
“Another outsider!”
“This one knows spells! A strange person!”
The crowd in the plaza exclaimed, rising from their seats and cautiously eyeing Lu Zheng.
The Divine King’s expression shifted, his eyes fixed on Lu Zheng. “Who are you?”
Lu Zheng did not answer, only saying, “You laced the wine with a mental curse. Treating ordinary mortals like this is rather low, don’t you think?”
Lu Zheng dared to reveal himself because he had seen through the Divine King’s true nature.
First, using his breath-concealing and invisibility spells, he had gone unnoticed by anyone.
Second, to deal with Madam Du and her daughter, the Divine King could not directly cast spells and had to resort to a curse in the wine, suggesting his power was limited.
So…
The wonder of this painted wall world likely lies beyond the wall itself, doesn’t it?
“Such audacity!”
The Divine King’s eyes narrowed, his expression solemn. With a stern shout, he declared, “Ignorant mortal, defying divine might, you deserve death!”
As his words rang out, the immortal realm shifted. Winds roared, white clouds scattered, stars twinkled above, and the ground trembled below.
Lu Zheng: ???
The next moment, the Divine King clenched his fist, and Lu Zheng felt his body tighten, as if gripped by an invisible hand.
