Chapter 352: These People Are All Fake

Everyone who entered the mist had fallen into a massive crisis.

On Du Jinsong and Zhang Ximing's side, they were doing their best to attract all the unconscious exorcists, which conversely made Su Yan the most relaxed person there.

Although she had not actively joined the fray, her attention remained fixed on those people.

Gradually, Du Jinsong and Zhang Ximing began to run low on stamina; they had even prepared themselves for the worst-case scenario.

At that moment, Su Yan's voice finally rang out, "Brother Du, Brother Zhang, stop."

"Huh?!"

The two men, who were in the middle of a fierce battle, both showed expressions of confusion upon hearing her shout.

If they stopped now, they would be left at the mercy of their opponents.

Seeing that the two still hadn't stopped, Su Yan increased her volume, "Stop! Stay where you are!"

This time, Du Jinsong and Zhang Ximing heard her clearly. Although they didn't understand why Su Yan was issuing such an order, they chose to trust her.

The two stopped their attacks almost simultaneously, but they also simultaneously prepared to be completely "submerged" by these mindless exorcists.

However, in the next second, something inconceivable happened. The people who had been attacking them frantically also froze at the exact same time, as if a pause button had been pressed.

One second.

Two seconds.

Looking at the hideous faces inches away, Du Jinsong didn't even dare to breathe heavily.

Zhang Ximing was the same.

Su Yan had completely verified her suspicion. She continued, "Slowly walk toward me. Whatever you do, do not touch them."

The two nodded and carefully avoided the people around them.

A moment later, they successfully reached Su Yan's side.

"Su Yan, what exactly is going on? Why aren't they attacking us anymore?" Du Jinsong's face was bloodied, though they were only minor injuries.

He knew Su Yan must have seen something.

Sure enough, Su Yan provided them with a clear answer: "If we don't actively attack them, they won't attack us either."

Zhang Ximing and Du Jinsong were both stunned.

Is that how it is?

Though it felt unbelievable, the current situation explained everything.

"So as long as we don't provoke them, we'll be fine?" Du Jinsong confirmed once more.

"Yes." As Su Yan spoke, she walked toward the nearest person.

Du Jinsong and Zhang Ximing had no idea what she was doing, so they quickly followed at her side to ensure her safety.

Su Yan stared intently at the person's face, scrutinizing every detail from top to bottom without missing a single thing.

"They should still be alive, right?"

After all, these were so many human lives.

Before Su Yan could answer Du Jinsong's question, Zhang Ximing couldn't help but remind them, "I wonder what they actually encountered to end up looking like this. We'd better be careful."

Du Jinsong nodded repeatedly; he was right.

Since these exorcists had become puppets, it was possible they could end up like this too.

Before Zhang Ximing's voice had even faded, Su Yan made a move that nearly caused the two men's hearts to leap out of their throats.

She reached out a finger and poked the person's face.

Du Jinsong wanted to stop her, but it was too late. Fortunately, nothing strange happened.

"So that's it," Su Yan murmured.

"What else did you see?" The expressions of the two men grew tense simultaneously.

Su Yan's expression visibly relaxed. "They aren't real exorcists."

Du Jinsong:...

Zhang Ximing:...

The intelligence of these two was considered above average within the Special Operations Team, yet they couldn't understand a single thing Su Yan had just said.

Su Yan did not explain; instead, she replaced her answer with action. She pulled a talisman directly from her Qiankun Bag and recited the incantation.

"Illusion, Break!"

The talisman glowed with a golden light. In the next second, the puppet exorcists in front of the three vanished without a trace.

Du Jinsong and Zhang Ximing were agape; at this moment, they finally understood.

"Th-they were all fakes?"

"How is that possible? When we were fighting them just now, the blows were real!"

Su Yan could completely understand their current feelings. "There must be something special about this mist and the sealed formation that allows illusory things to be materialized. Furthermore, because these phantoms are extremely intelligent and are all exorcists we recognize, it makes us subconsciously assume their consciousness has been seized. The strange movements and expressions of mindless exorcists naturally make them easy to overlook."

"And the most ingenious part is that these phantoms change according to the strength of the person fighting them. Otherwise, there's no way these people could have been a match for you."

This was also one of the reasons she had spotted the flaw. In close combat, Zhang Ximing's strength was undoubtedly among the top tier; even if these people were truly being controlled, they couldn't have held their own against Zhang Ximing for this long.

As she explained, she marveled inwardly.

The ancestors of the Zhou family truly had a knack for this; not only did they set up such a complex formation, but they even calculated human nature into it.

It took Du Jinsong and Zhang Ximing a full ten seconds to fully digest what Su Yan had said. They were utterly awestruck, followed by a profound sense of relief at having survived.

"Su Yan, we really owe it to you for seeing through this. Otherwise, we would have been worn down to death here."

This was by no means an exaggeration. Since these were all illusions, they would be endless; in the end, the only ones who would die of exhaustion would be them!

Su Yan felt nothing of note regarding Du Jinsong's praise.

"So, does that mean we've passed the trial?" This was what Zhang Ximing cared about most, and he even felt a hint of anticipation.

Su Yan shook her head. "If we had passed, we should see the exit immediately. But right now, aside from those people disappearing, nothing else has changed. So, we haven't passed yet."

Zhang Ximing showed a look of disappointment. "I wonder what those Zhou family ancestors are actually doing. Setting the trials to be this difficult—do they want to temper their descendants, or do they want to wipe them all out?"

It was originally just a grumbling remark, but Su Yan took it to heart. Her gaze beneath the black cloth flickered slightly, as if she were pondering something.

At that moment, an anomaly suddenly occurred within the Qiankun Bag, which even Du Jinsong and Zhang Ximing immediately noticed.

Su Yan's expression changed. "Something happened to Lanlan's side."

When they had parted ways, she had given Ma Chulong and Ma Chulan one emergency distress talisman each, and now, it was Ma Chulan calling out to her.

Hearing that the Ma family was in danger, Du Jinsong and Zhang Ximing did not dare to delay.

"I'm afraid they've encountered those same phantoms," Du Jinsong said as he sprinted forward.

Su Yan said nothing; clearly, she had thought of the same thing.

(End of Chapter)