Chapter 248: Entrapment

Darcel, Aniela, and Masami didn't try to make any sudden movement in their entrapment of trees. 

Now, if they still wanted to leave this mist, it was quite literally impossible. At this point, the trio fathoms they were probably teleported to some random location.

For a brief moment, their eyes glanced up to the skies. They haven't done so in the hazy white mist since it would've just been useless. But, even as the mist was barely prevalent here, it still was nearly impossible to see above them.

Numerous enormous trees were splitting all the way into the skies, and their overly large wide branches covered up nearly all of the scenery. 

Darcel, Aniela, and Masami could silently click their teeth as flight wasn't an option now.

Turning their attention back to the ground, the trio all began to wonder just what on earth they're going to do now. 

If it was when they first entered this hazy white mist, then Darcel, Aniela, and Masami would've considered that lack of dangerous energy in the area as a good omen.

But, after those combusting white leaves, the trio wasn't so keen on believing they're safe from sudden danger. 

Darcel put his deep thoughts on trying to figure what to do next. 

But as Masami thought more about these white leaves, her eyes suddenly snapped towards Aniela.

Masami stared intently into Aniela's face, and the white-haired girl wasn't even perturbed by her stare. The way Aniela had so easily solved that mystery with the white leaf still replayed in Masami's head.

She pointed a finger straight at Aniela, asking her, "Alright. Before we deal with whatever this tree mess is, how the hell did you spot that leaf out from that impossible to see mist and all those identical-looking leaves?"

Though Masami appeared to be coming off with a bit of hostile envy, she was actually genuinely curious about Aniela's process. Her Nine Tail fox bloodline is heavily associated with illusions and anything of the trickery art.

Yet, she couldn't sense any illusion or fakeness while in the hazy white mist. 

Aniela gave a simple smile at Masami's intent gaze. She calmly told her, "Hehe~, it's not that much of a complicated process for me. My Light energy….it had sensed that leaf had, well, a different energy source from all other leaves."

Now both Darcel and Masami cast an intent, curious gaze at her. Neither of them knew that Aniela was keeping this ability all locked up. 

Masami felt even more inquisitive on just how her Light energy could achieve that, but her bloodline had remained silent.

While Darcel had initially thought she was just using telekinesis and relied on that beastly intuition she used several times in the past. Though, as he thought more about it, there hasn't been any time in recent memory that Aniela used that great intuition again.

His attention was taken out of his thoughts when Masami started to say, 

"Your Light energy can sense out a different energy source….well, actually." Her tiny brows scrunched in confusion. "I don't think I've heard of cultivators using Light energy that much….if at all. Well, anyway, the point is, can you teach me how to do that? Or is it specifically related to your soul source? My bloodline allows me to be highly proficient with illusions arts."

Aniela rubbed her chin a bit, pondering over her question. Though she had a natural instinctive reaction to using her Light Energy. She did have to adjust her mind so she could perform that trick with her Light Energy.

And thinking more of it, Aniela reckoned she could give Masami pointers on how she should focus her mind. 

"Weell….I guess I could show you how you should adjust your mind. But! You have to be seriously focused, no distraction at all!"

"Heh." Masami loudly snorted, almost like she was offended. "Even I can focus for that long." 

Darcel smirked a bit at their light interaction. He had then walked between the girls and began lightly petting both girls' soft, lushes hair.

His hands gently ran through long, smooth hair, causing a slight shiver of pleasure to course down both girls' spines. 

He had then told them in a praising tone, "Either way, good job on both of your parts. I was essentially useless throughout that entire section, and you two carried me."

Though it wasn't apparently prevalent now, Darcel still knows each of their mental states is still deep in the slums. But this wouldn't stop him from showing affection and possibly even raise the girls' downtrodden spirits more.

"Hmm~, you do enough, Darcy." Aniela warmly cooed under his touch, feeling a bit more hopeful like Darcel wanted. 

"Hmph~." Masami tried to hold in how much she was enjoying as she wanted to appear with a braver mindset. Though, the small hums of enjoyment still leaked from her mouth. 

While Masami's foxtails and fox ears instinctively twitched in enjoyment, she began to gaze her eyes around their endless tree entrapment.

With an increasingly curious look, she asked out loud, "So what now? I don't see any pathway out of here. And judging by what we experienced just before, this is undoubtedly some ridiculous puzzle.

Darcel had taken his hands off both girls' heads as all three of them turned serious. 

Almost instantly, Darcel fell into a slight trance. His mind cut off any distraction, trying to find any small fakeness in the area.

Without Darcel being aware, Masami and Aniela began to slowly trail off on their own together. They were discussing their predicament among themselves but still kept close to Darcel's general range.

As Darcel was in his trance, his eyes locked on one of the endless trees. 

He slowly trailed up to that tree, expecting any slightest sense of danger. But even when he got within an inch from the tree, no dangerous sensation pricked on his body.

Feeling a bit of caution, Darcel carefully placed his hand on the trunk of the tree. Upon immediate contact, his eyebrows wrinkled. There was something strange about the tree that promptly jumped out to him.

Darcel lifted his head up and turned his attention towards the girls. A slight glint shimmered within his pupils, seeing that both of them didn't dare to recklessly get close to any tree.

It was reasonable safety measures, but Darcel knows it's unwarranted. 

"Aniela, Masami. Go up and feel one of these trees too. Don't worry, nothing dangerous will jump out at us."

"Eh?" Aniela and Masami stopped, raising mildly surprised squeals. 

They turned their gaze over to Darcel, and their eyes widened a bit, seeing that he was literally touching a tree. His expression was severe and didn't leave much room for discussion. 

Aniela and Masami matched each other's gazes before simply shrugging. Since it's already a failed proof, they saw no reason to refuse.

Still, Aniela and Masami were cautious when complying with Darcel's request. At the same time, they both slowly touched random tree trunks, unsure what they were going to feel.

And when their hands fell on the tree trunks, both Aniela and Masami wrinkled their eyebrows. 

"This….this is just soo odd. How could this be? It's completely hollow on the inside despite being so enormously large!" Aniela spoke in slight awe.

As the trio was high enough up in cultivation realms, when they now touch anything related to nature, they could feel the lifeforce exuding from it. 

When Darcel and Aniela had first entered the True Soul Core realm, they had gained this ability from comprehending the richness of Spirit Qi.

And as Masami was already at the peak of the Innate Core realm, it also became a natural ability for her. 

This is why feeling these trees felt so incredibly strange. There simply wasn't any lifeforce in these trees! It was almost like they were just mere thuds made by someone. 

But, the texture, the quality of these trees felt one to one with any other genuine tree. Without them feeling out the lifeforce, the trio simply would've believed these all were real trees. 

Darcel thinks more about it and decides to test something. Spirit Qi began to form around his fist, causing a slight swirl in the air around it.

He had then struck his Spirit Qi coated fist towards the hollow tree, violently striking against it. 

'Bang!' 

What Darcel was expecting was for the hollow tree to simply snap in half from his mighty fist.

But instead, he felt like he struck against some powerful magic metal! 

His eyes narrowed on the tree trunk, and there wasn't even a single scratch on it. 

'Hmmm….' Even more questions spawned in Darcel's mind. Though he's in an incredibly weakened state, his base Spirit Qi fist could smash large boulders to powder with extreme ease. 

Darcel already knew it would be useless to try and attack the tree with some greater attack since the results would most likely be the same.

'So if I can't even scratch them….then….hm….' Darcel thought to himself and knows that there isn't anything nondestroyable in their world. As long you have enough power, anything could be destroyed.

Moreover, Darcel could quickly tell this just had to be some kind of trick. Besides the lack of lifeforce, there wasn't any form of energy or power seeping through these trees.

And right then, an idea streaked into his mind. 

At this point, Aniela would've just sensed with her Light energy if any of these trees had some sort of energy source or if they were an illusion.

It was then Darcel thought, what if the mist adapted to that? 

Because of Masami's fox flames, they had eventually encountered white leaves that could instantly burn a part of their bodies like acid. And Aniela so easily sensed through the illusion. 

So Darcel thought, what if all of this was just a different kind of illusion they simply can't sense at all.