novelraw Chapter 1288 - 1287 - Illusion is Reality
Chapter 1288 - 1287 - Illusion is Reality
Annabelle had tuned out everything after she began inscribing. She felt so much better than she had in the last millennia let alone since Lind returned.
She had been happy he was alive. She admitted that to herself. His dying saving everyone was what she feared even when her heart was broken. She hated what he had done but did not want him to die.
The closure of rejecting him helped as well. It made her take a long hard look at herself and what she wanted. She loved her family but things could not go back as they once were.
Nothing could make that happen.
When her Sisters and children and grandchildren came to help her, she realized she had isolated far too much. She was not meant to be alone!
She did not want to replace Lind, nor find a partner at all. She was content to simply be herself for now.
Each revelation shattered chains and healed scars on her soul. Her inscription flowed like a profound Maester. She was pushing herself far beyond anything she had ever attempted.
Direct attacks had resulted in nearly losing Ethry and Chu. The 2 dragons were in bad shape but would recover. Their barriers, while strong against Radiant Tiers, could not stand up to the strange Trio.
Would she keep sacrificing people to buy time for Lind or the Frey Clan to send reinforcements?
No!
She was not some fragile flower! She was an Immortal Realm cultivator! She had walked the path on her own two feet. If nothing else. Lind had never asked her to simply stand behind him.
He had encouraged her to experiment and to expand her knowledge however she wished. A warm smile played on her face as a much younger Lind and Annabelle were cheering in Cimmeria when her illusions tricked a peak Diamond Tier while she was only a Stone Tier!
His faith had let her push the envelope back then and now she wanted to prove all that had come before was her own! She faced her own tribulations and overcame them. She pursued her love of formations to the point no expert could teach her anymore.
Even the powers that survived and had legacies she could study gave her nothing anymore. Now, it was like her mind had waited for her to understand it was time to move forward again.
Elemental Qi flew through her meridians and fused with the crystals, beast core fragments, and inscribed lines on the formation plate. It was finely decorated to the point the individual arrays could no longer be made out.
Swear was flowing down her temple as her sapphire and golden hair became slick with it but she never wavered.
Finally, the last array connected and the plate lit up!
Her mind suddenly became aware of cracked walls around the main gate as Fey, Cyntilla, Shoti, and the rest were throwing everything at the Trio that had breached the barrier.
It was only buying time.
She tried to stand up, only to find her legs weak. She was exhausted?! How?! Her dantian was entirely empty of elemental Qi. Her Laws had improved but were still in desperate need of consolidation.
She had reached the peak of the mid Radiant Tier!
"QING!" She tossed her silver formation plate and the golden haired beauty caught it. No more words were need as she and Kora, still relatively in the best shape, infused their Qi into it.
Nothing happened but Annabelle knew why.
[Help Qing and Kora infuse the plate. It can take all elements!] Her words made Tal and Lysanna sprint to the pair. Others moved that were strictly supportive types or too weak to help directly.
The group focused and a storm of Qi flowed into the plate.
It finally lit up and began to float on its own. Annabelle touched it with her mind for the final release.
[BREAK!] The air rippled before everyone collapsed. It was not just inside the castle but all around it for hundreds of kilometers. Thankfully, the area was clear save for one person that did not pass out.
Annabelle had no time to tell who it was as she had to take over the formation.
Her mind wanted to shut down but she was the creator. She would not succumb or everyone would die! The flow of Qi changed the world around her.
The castle vanished as a very familiar cityscape sprawled in front of her. A pure river of light was made by reflecting the noonday sun next to the forest that gave way to the mighty city in the distance.
Compared to Immortal cities, it was quite small, barely a town, but in the current world, it was at the peak of power. The floating structures made her nostalgic.
Her previous exhaustion quickly left her and made her smile. There were only 3 other figures with her. Even with her power of formations, their bodies remained cloaked from head to toe.
They slowly got up and looked at her. She felt a tremor of fear but it faded as they could no longer move.
[[[This is futile. You will die and all the rest will follow. There is nothing you can do to harm us.]]]
The stale voices made her suddenly tear up.
"I do not know who you were nor how long you have been sealed away inside those things, but I hope in your next lives, you are allowed to be happy." They ignored her as they began to exert their power far above hers but Annabelle waved her hand.
A shift suddenly occurred and black clouds began to gather. The Trio froze as a familiar aura washed over them. The Wrath of Heaven!
It was also incredibly powerful! What was going on?!
"Heaven and Earth are fairly tolerant in the Celestial Fields, but in the mortal realms it is very strict. Do you know where you are now?" The Trio looked at her and for the first time seemed confused.
[[[It is only an illusion.]]]
They were not wrong. It was an illusion but that was not the point. Her illusions had always been said to be indistinguishable from reality. She had not made a formation to trick her enemies.
She had made a formation to trick Heaven and Earth!
She had pulled them into as close to a Divine Memory as she could create with her current power. She already knew the power of memory was far more than anyone truly understood as a cultivator improved.
She did not know the concept behind true Divine Memory of course, but she did know how to bring a memory to life. She had used it often enough to show her children and grandchildren her old homes and life.
Those were ephemeral and easy to distinguish from reality, but the tastes in the breeze, the whisper of the leaves, and the babble of the river were all alive!
[[[Imposs—]]] The Trio tried to exert their will only to suffer a severe backlash. Their bodies began to steam as Qi was forcefully pulled out of them!
A single distraction was all it took for the differential to take hold!
Sky Realms could not come down from the Floating Isles above the 1st Tier because the Qi would be forced out of their bodies. How much more effective would it be on Immortals?!
Power built above as lightning flashed in the black clouds. It was a crimson color! Death had come!
The Trio tried to do anything but it only made it worse! The powerful aura of Heaven and Earth slammed down onto them and stopped them cold.
Lightning blasted open the earth around them and limbs were sent flying. Elemental Qi then exploded the arms and legs separated from the bodies. It was a brutal thing to see as their Immortal bodies tried to resist death but it did not matter.
Before Heaven and Earth, even Sovereign Tiers were ants!
Annabelle felt exhaustion begin to creep in but she held on. If she slipped even for a moment, the Trio could recover with ease back in the 3rd layer.
She had to let it play out!
One of the Trio finally fell apart and a bluish form briefly appeared. It was a young woman!
She only glanced at Annabelle in gratitude before the lightning scattered her. Even Immortal Souls were not welcome in the mortal realms!
After that, the other 2 also died. One was a man but the other was a child! A family. A whole family was turned into those killing machines!
Once she was sure it was over, she let go of her control. The memory of her awakening near Cimmeria flickered briefly but then it stabilized. She was confused until a small sphere of light appeared in front of her.
{Do not do that again. For his sake, we give you this warning.}
She had no need to ask what was speaking to her and nodded before the castle reappeared around her. It was wrecked but no one was harmed. The lighting was real, after all. She had not made that from her illusion.
She collapsed but with a smile. Just as her eyes closed, there was a glimmer of emerald but she was unsure if it was real or just her mind seeing old memories.