Chapter 204: Illusionary Magic Array
Hua Mi felt a mix of surprise and a sense of exaggeration about the situation.
"Are you sure we're in the right place?"
"Absolutely," the witch confidently claimed, though there was an element of exaggeration in her words.
She wasn't entirely certain that this was where Hua Mi would find what he sought.
Fulin explained that the leaves she sent out merely served as sensing terminals and didn't possess true biological intelligence.
So, she could only sense unusual magical fluctuations in the area around them.
A whole tree's leaves were dispatched, pinpointing only one area with abnormal magical activity.
Moreover, its proximity to the hot spring inn aligned with Hua Mi's suspicions.
Regardless, it was worth investigating.
With the witch leading the way, Hua Mi headed northwest toward the hot spring inn.
The inn's location was favorable.
Backed against a cliff, it boasted a flat terrain, a rare natural platform in these mountainous regions.
However, the terrain surrounding the inn wasn't as accommodating.
Beyond the cliff lay rugged and challenging mountainous terrain.
Even if there were paths, they were narrow, hardly easy for villagers to traverse.
Nevertheless, this wasn't a significant problem for Hua Mi and the witch.
Moreover, their destination wasn't far from the hot spring inn.
...
Finally, the duo stopped in front of a massive boulder.
This boulder protruded conspicuously from the mountainside, appearing somewhat abrupt.
Yet, to the naked eye, it held no remarkable features.
It felt the same as any ordinary rock when touched.
Hua Mi closed and opened his eyes, his pupils immediately revealing a pale flame.
In this state, he discerned the stone's surface becoming elusive, rippling like a sleeping pond.
This was evidently an illusion.
Moreover, a sophisticated one that wouldn't be apparent without deliberate inspection for magical fluctuations.
The magical array it contained resembled an intricate circuit board, concealing any magical leakage flawlessly.
Hua Mi reached out to touch the boulder's surface.
It was rough and solid, showing no irregularities.
Though he saw through the illusion, the method to dispel it remained a puzzle.
Direct violence wasn't an option.
It might inadvertently destroy whatever the illusion concealed or block the entrance, complicating matters further.
Hua Mi attempted to release his spiritual power, akin to forcefully accessing a meditation sphere previously, trying to concentrate his mental energy and penetrate forcefully.
In essence, it was a mental clash between his power and the illusion.
In theory, if his mental strength were sufficient, he could dispel the illusion effortlessly, possibly even becoming immune to it.
However, Hua Mi couldn't directly see through this particular illusion.
Nonetheless, it didn't render him powerless; there was still a chance to "struggle" against it. Surrendering was premature.
He could employ subtle manipulation of his mental energy, consciously attempting to unravel it.
Metaphorically speaking, it was like picking a lock...
Hua Mi blocked out all distractions, focusing entirely on the illusion in front of him.
Gathering his mental strength, he formed it into a mental spear, thrusting it toward the magical array!
"..."
Much more challenging than penetrating the meditation sphere.
If breaking through the meditation sphere's defenses was difficult, this attempt to penetrate the illusionary magic array was of infernal difficulty.
It was akin to trying to pierce a hardwood plank with a needle.
Although the process was arduous, it wasn't entirely fruitless.
It was enough!
Hua Mi saw a glimmer of hope.
"You want to challenge me in mental strength?"
"His mental power has limits, but he can consume honey at any time to replenish it, which is equivalent to infinite mana.
"What do you have to contend with me?" Hua Mi, full of fighting spirit, concentrated his mental power and steadily advanced.
"Very soon, a large section has already been infiltrated!"
Just when he thought victory was in sight, something unexpected happened.
The illusion magic formation seemed to suddenly gain magical reinforcement, instantly pushing back his 'Spear of Mental Power.'
"What's going on? It can regenerate mana too?"
Hua Mi retracted his mental power, looking astonished at the rocks in front of him.
The unusual occurrence just now indicated that this illusion was extraordinary, it was 'alive,' capable of relatively intelligent adjustments and responses to external intrusions.
To put it simply, it was like when you're picking a lock, the lock isn't just static waiting for you to pick it, but constantly changing, adapting to your attempts.
"How can this be played out?" The situation was ever-changing; one must break through with their head!
This also set his mind racing.
Such a complex illusion was evidently artificially arranged.
It was highly unlikely to be the work of that flower spirit.
Initially, he thought the reason he couldn't find rare flowers might be because the flower spirit used some simple deception—enough to fool ordinary people.
But now, it seemed far from that simple.
Was the thing protected by this illusion really a flower? Generally speaking, even if it's a rare flower, it shouldn't require such elaborate measures.
The witch bestowed sentience upon the leaves to seek anomalies in the mountains.
It was only possible to determine traces of magic in a certain area, unable to precisely discern the truth concealed beneath the magic.
Therefore, what was concealed under this illusion might not necessarily be a flower.
Perhaps it was something else.
Nevertheless, it was worth investigating.
Whether it was a rare flower or not.
Being able to use such a complex illusion for protection meant it was definitely something valuable.
Hua Mi turned to the witch, giving her a look, as if asking if she had noticed anything.
Fulin understood his meaning but apologized, "Sorry, dispelling illusions isn't my forte... of course, I can try if you don't mind me potentially destroying this place."
"..."
It was evident she was eager to give it a try.
While speaking, she had accumulated a considerable amount of magic in her hands, causing distortions in the surrounding space.
Clearly, she intended to use violence against this rock.
Hua Mi immediately halted her rash behavior.
He couldn't rely on her.
To dispel the illusion here, the first step was to find a way to neutralize the illusion formation's adaptive nature.
Hua Mi took a few steps back, then observed the rocks in front of him again.
Concentrating all his mental power, he noticed that the surface of the rocks had two extremely faint magic traces extending from both sides, each connecting to two trees.
"The method to break this must be related to these two trees... by the way, isn't their growth position a bit peculiar?"
These two trees stood like two guards protecting this mountain rock, their placement provoking contemplation.
Perhaps deliberately planted here.
Perhaps, the reason the illusion could autonomously adjust lay within these two trees.
Hua Mi's mental power delved into them.
He sensed a miniature magic formation arranged inside.
Similarly, the other tree also bore a similar magic formation.
Comparing these two formations, at first glance, they were nearly identical. However, upon closer inspection, there were subtle differences in certain parts of the magic circuits in both formations.
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