The underground palace was vast. Gu Qianying and the others felt somewhat weak after the previous fierce battles and after channeling spiritual energy into Bai Yufeng.
To prevent further incidents, the group decided to rest where they were.
In their resting place, there was a particularly strange wall. Several paintings hung on this wall. These paintings were peculiar, depicting nothing but hazy, swirling masses. A certain aura also seemed to emanate from them.
Gu Qianying glanced at them and immediately felt a sense of unease, quickly averting her gaze. "What is this strange thing? Why is it placed here?" she murmured to herself, then sat down on the ground to meditate and slowly recover her spiritual energy.
The others nearby also noticed the paintings. Unlike Gu Qianying, the eerie aura within the paintings had ensnared them the moment they looked. Du Chun's eyes began to glaze over. He distinctly remembered being in the underground palace, but when he turned, he found himself in a place of blooming flowers, serene and peaceful. He sat alone, free from all worries, feeling exceptionally unburdened.
Duan Xifeng also succumbed to the illusion. In his vision, he was immensely powerful, unmatched by anyone. The world's creations were like mere ants in his grasp. Seeing this, he became ecstatic, placing his hands on his hips and roaring with laughter, "All under heaven is nothing to me! You fools, all of you, bow before me and apologize!"
His voice was sudden and jarring. Gu Qianying, who had been meditating, found his words bothersome and immediately opened her eyes. She was shocked to see a scene of utter chaos before her.
Only Ouyang Qinglin and Bai Yufeng remained conscious. They had found each other disagreeable from the start and had not exchanged many words. Bai Yufeng, his expression still cold, quickly pulled Gu Qianying closer. "I don't know. They seem to be poisoned. They started shouting wildly as soon as they entered, especially your brother."
Gu Qianying glanced at Duan Xifeng's state. He was crawling on all fours like a giant toad, attempting to reach the wall. She shook her head in embarrassment, "Heavens above!"
Ouyang Qinglin quickly identified the source of the strangeness, pointing to the paintings. "Perhaps it's related to this!" Gu Qianying released Bai Yufeng's arm and rushed forward. She sniffed the air and her brow furrowed. "This is bad. There's poison here. They must have been poisoned."
Bai Yufeng noticed his arm was empty and his eyes darkened. He stepped forward again, pulling Gu Qianying back to his side. "Talk, but why get so close?"
"Now that you know they're poisoned, why aren't you saving them? If this continues, no one will leave this place!" Ouyang Qinglin's mood plummeted. He took a deep breath. If it weren't for Bai Yufeng lacking a spiritual pill, he would have already killed this arrogant fellow.
Gu Qianying, unaware of the subtle, insidious aura, could only sigh. "You two control them. I'll handle the antidote." "Okay!" The two behind her agreed in unison, then exchanged a strange glance.
Bai Yufeng was weak and could not control everything as he once could. He realized this and deliberately moved away from Duan Xifeng, securing Xiao Yihhao and the others. Gu Qianying took out silver needles and quickly inserted them into their acupoints. After the chaos, the affected individuals finally stopped their wild behavior and collapsed due to the needles' effect.
To prevent further incidents, Gu Qianying tore down the paintings from the wall and swiftly burned them, reducing them to ashes. Without the influence of the paintings, the others' bodies finally returned to normal, and they awoke from their dreams in a daze.
Duan Xifeng rubbed his throbbing head, where a large bump had formed. Because of his extreme behavior, Ouyang Qinglin had lost patience and knocked him unconscious with a punch. Feeling the pain, he gasped, "What the hell! I had my full strength, where did they go!"
Ouyang Qinglin grabbed him, sighing. The others also realized something was amiss. Du Chun noticed the paintings were gone and, recalling his dream, quickly understood. "That thing actually has the power to bewitch people. It's quite potent!"
Gu Qianying took a deep breath and looked around cautiously. "This underground palace is too strange. We must be more careful from now on to avoid further trouble!" Everyone else, realizing their lapse in judgment, nodded in agreement.
Bai Yufeng frowned in a corner. While everyone else had recovered, Xiao Yihhao, whom he was carrying, remained unconscious. His voice weak, he called out, "Wait, he hasn't woken up yet. Is something wrong?"
Gu Qianying panicked. Logically, a child's mind, being the purest, should have found it easiest to emerge from such an illusion. But Xiao Yihhao! Her heart filled with anxiety. She felt a connection to the demonic energy that had enveloped him. Fearing what might happen, Gu Qianying grabbed Xiao Yihhao's arm to check his pulse.
But in the next moment, her arm was seized. Xiao Yihhao's eyes were terrifying. He seemed not to recognize Gu Qianying. "Who are you? How dare you touch me, I'll kill you." "I want to kill you." "Kill you." He was like a walking corpse, his eyes turning purple as he repeated the same phrase. Gu Qianying suddenly remembered that it was the night of the full moon.
Bai Yufeng was roughly pulled away by Gu Qianying and tossed towards Duan Xifeng. "It's the night of the full moon!" Gu Qianying's terrified voice echoed through the underground palace. Everyone's alarm bells instantly rang. On the night of the full moon, the demonic energy within Xiao Yihhao would erupt. When this energy flowed through Duan Xifeng, he would suffer immense pain.
As expected, after Xiao Yihhao's mind was clouded, the demonic energy burst forth. Veins bulged on his body, and blood streamed from his eyes. Xiao Yihhao could no longer distinguish anyone. All he saw were illusions, and everything transformed into demonic auras. They all wore sinister smiles. "Kill them, kill us." "Hahahaha." These figures attacked Xiao Yihhao repeatedly with their weapons.
"Ah!" Xiao Yihhao collapsed to his knees, experiencing unbearable pain and profound sorrow. "Ah! It hurts so much, so cold, so hot." His chaotic cries caused everyone present immense heartache. As the bloodline power within him shifted, Xiao Yihhao was consumed by a mixture of extreme heat and chilling cold.