398: Illusion Array

After Xun Xiuyuan heard these words, he slightly raised an eyebrow.

A look of obvious astonishment flashed across his eyes. Driven by intense curiosity, he pressed, "Can the cosmic core actually undergo mutation? That is truly unbelievable."

True Person Yuan Ling gently nodded, his tone revealing a mixture of helplessness and regret:

"Mutated cosmic cores do exist, but this kind of mutation doesn't hold much practical value.

Because they cannot perfectly fuse with Cultivators, in most cases, practitioners prefer to choose cosmic cores from the eleven Systems that can be successfully integrated.

As for these mutated cosmic cores, due to their inherent limitations, they are often regarded as useless and are not valued."

Xun Xiuyuan frowned deeply, clearly finding the issue perplexing. After a moment of thought, he asked:

"Are you suggesting that these mutated cosmic cores simply cannot be fused into a practitioner's body to perform their proper function?"

True Person Yuan Ling shook his head slightly and patiently explained:

"It's not that they absolutely cannot be fused. It's just that fusing an ice-system universe core doesn't offer much difference in effect compared to fusing a water-system cosmic core. Most practitioners choose the water-system because, comparatively, fusing the ice System is not only more dangerous but also a much more difficult and unpredictable process."

Xun Xiuyuan seemed to develop a strong interest in this topic. Like an intensely curious child, he continuously posed questions:

"In that case, is it possible to fuse both the water-system and ice-System cosmic cores? Would such a Fusion bring about greater power?"

This question clearly caught True Person Yuan Ling by surprise. He paused, evidently contemplating the possibility of the matter.

"I once obtained a wind-System cosmic core after a long struggle, but I couldn't fuse it."

True Person Yuan Ling did not directly answer Xun Xiuyuan's question, but instead slowly recounted his own experience, seemingly hinting at some profound underlying principle.

A bright light suddenly flashed in Xun Xiuyuan's eyes, and he eagerly asked:

"Where is that cosmic core containing wind-System energy now? Could I try to see if I can fuse with it?"

Xun Xiuyuan knew very well that the System he possessed had extremely powerful Fusion capabilities, and his main laws encompassed all elemental attributes. Regardless of the type of mutated cosmic core, its attribute would definitely not exceed the scope of those eleven main laws.

"That item was dealt with long ago," True Person Yuan Ling replied casually. "It didn't really have much practical value. It was better to exchange it for cosmic stone."

Hearing True Person Yuan Ling's reply, Xun Xiuyuan couldn't help but feel helpless, sighing inwardly.

Subsequently, the two ended their brief conversation and focused their attention on searching for the entrance to the Dangerous Land on the Ice Mountain. Their goal was to rescue Jiu You, who was trapped inside.

However, although they had meticulously searched the entire Ice Mountain, they still failed to find the location of the Dangerous Land's entrance.

True Person Yuan Ling frowned, looking quite confused: "This shouldn't be happening. The energy fluctuations emanating from the Dangerous Land are completely different from the outside world. Why can't we detect even the slightest trace?"

"Could someone have set up a powerful Formation here," Xun Xiuyuan tentatively suggested after hearing True Person Yuan Ling's self-muttering doubt, "cleverly hiding the entrance to the Dangerous Land?"

True Person Yuan Ling heard this and slowly nodded, a hint of helplessness in his tone: "If that's the case, then we are in trouble. The scope of this Ice Plain, along with this Ice Mountain, is unimaginably vast. Trying to find an entrance meticulously concealed by a Formation in such an environment is like searching for a needle in a haystack."

A bright light suddenly flashed in Xun Xiuyuan's eyes, and he proposed:

"Let me try and see if this place leads to the Jiu You Secret Realm."

As soon as he finished speaking, he took out the secret realm key that emitted a mysterious light from his chest. The light on the key flickered, looking very enigmatic.

Seeing this, True Person Yuan Ling couldn't help but exclaim in admiration:

"Jiu You's comprehension of the Law of Space has reached an incredible Realm. Just by looking at this key, one knows it is extraordinary, and it is still effective even in the Cosmic Abyss."

Xun Xiuyuan nodded in agreement. The constantly flickering energy light on the secret realm key was proof of its close connection with the Jiu You Secret Realm.

As the secret realm key was activated, Xun Xiuyuan's figure instantly vanished from the spot, as if he had never been there.

This time, the moment he stepped into the Jiu You Secret Realm, Jiu You's wisp of Divine Sense immediately appeared.

Jiu You's gaze was sharp as he examined the thin layer of frost on Xun Xiuyuan, a playful smile curling his lips:

"It looks like you came specifically to rescue me? I must say, the speed of your strength improvement is truly astonishing. Even if my main body were here right now, I might not necessarily be your opponent, right?"

Facing Jiu You's teasing, Xun Xiuyuan did not take the bait, only responding with a hint of helplessness:

"Don't celebrate too early. We still haven't found the entrance to the Dangerous Land. Without an entrance, we naturally can't help you break the Secret Realm's Seal."

However, the smile on Jiu You's face remained bright, showing no trace of worry:

"Even if a powerful Formation truly exists, there is no need to worry too much. The highest point of the Ice Mountain is where the entrance to the Dangerous Land is located. That area is limited in scope, so we will surely find a way to break it, won't we?"

Hearing this, Xun Xiuyuan nodded silently, said no more, and turned to leave the Jiu You Secret Realm.

Jiu You watched Xun Xiuyuan's receding figure, secretly feeling fortunate: "It's a good thing I left behind this Secret Realm Space back then. Otherwise, escaping might not have been an easy task."

Inside a cold and lonely space, the disheveled Jiu You looked around. The corpses of strange beasts covering the ground silently recounted the hardships and difficulties he had endured over the years.

He muttered to himself: "Am I finally leaving this damned place? I've been cooped up for too long! Phantom Poison Universe, just you wait!"

Having been framed by the Phantom Poison King and trapped here for thousands of years, the hatred in Jiu You's heart had accumulated to an insurmountable degree. At this moment, he had long since cast the Mortal World aside, holding only one thought: once freed, he would head straight to the Phantom Poison Universe to exact blood for blood!

Standing atop the Ice Mountain, Xun Xiuyuan and True Person Yuan Ling solemnly examined the mountain peak, which appeared completely normal.

After pondering for a moment, Xun Xiuyuan finally spoke: "If it truly doesn't work, we can only resort to brute force to break the Formation.

The Phantom Poison people have extremely profound attainments in Soul cultivation. I suspect a highly intricate Phantom Formation has likely been set up here."