Han Li merely glanced sideways at it and paid it no further attention, continuing on his way.
Yet as Han Li walked further down the corridor, the ethereal music from beyond grew ever louder, and the white cranes that had been dancing aloft now flew to both sides of the passage, spreading their wings and crying out in long calls.
Moments later, amid the celestial melody, all the cranes suddenly writhed and transformed into young girls dressed in palatial robes of various colors.
Every one of these girls appeared to be only sixteen or seventeen, yet each was strikingly beautiful, brimming with the vitality of youth. They swayed their slender, boneless waists and smiled softly at Han Li.
Their bright eyes were brimming with tender affection, as though Han Li were the lover they adored beyond all measure.
Then the music shifted, becoming languid and tender, suffused with the feeling of a lovers' tryst beneath the moon, drawing out feelings long buried deep within one's heart.
Han Li's expression flickered upon hearing it, but his heart immediately hardened like iron and stone. He ignored the girls' whispered sweet nothings on both sides, his face as impassive as ever.
After walking several dozen zhang, the sounds at Han Li's ears abruptly changed again, giving way to tones of grief and sorrow.
The girls' gazes shifted in kind. They ceased their swaying dances, and one by one their faces took on expressions of melancholy, transforming into boundless resentment. They gazed at Han Li with heartbroken sorrow, as though in that very instant he had become the faithless lover who had shattered their hearts — the kind of sight that naturally stirred pity and tenderness in anyone who beheld it.
"How interesting!" Han Li laughed, actually watching the girls' sorrowful expressions with great fascination as he walked along, looking every bit like a spectator enjoying a show.
Han Li knew full well that since the Paramount Illusion was ranked after the Ghost Mist and the Path of Ice and Fire, it certainly could not rely on mere little tricks like these — there had to be other means at play.
Sure enough, seeing that even this failed to make Han Li pause for a single moment, the celestial music began to emit suggestive, intoxicating sounds that quickened the pulse. At the same time, the girls outside flashed with rosy light and instantly aged seven or eight years, becoming voluptuous and stunningly beautiful women.
These peerless beauties each wore flushed faces and fiery eyes, continuously performing provocative gestures. One by one they shed their gauzy palace robes, revealing their naked, fair-skinned figures — every one of them voluptuous, brimming with a temptation that could drive men to madness. The breathy moans that escaped their crimson lips were even harder to resist than the demonic music from beyond, stirring the hidden desires buried at the bottom of any man's heart.
Han Li was stunned for a moment, but once the Great Development Technique circulated briefly through his mind, his expression immediately returned to normal.
Even if a real person had deliberately employed seductive arts against him, he would not have cared — how could such crude illusions possibly catch his eye?
The beautiful women along the corridor grew ever more brazen in their movements. Some pressed their hands to their ample chests while shooting flirtatious glances at Han Li, others ran their hands along their own bodies as they swayed their willowy waists, and still others paired off and embraced each other, beginning their intimate display for all to see…
Han Li watched until his eyes were dazzled, clicking his tongue in amazement here and there. But with the Great Development Technique guarding his mind, he simply treated it as a rare spectacle and enjoyed watching.
Next, the women's appearances shifted again, transforming into every type of beauty imaginable — the dignified and elegant noblewoman, the passionate and fiery temptress, the pure and endearing young maiden, the cold and proud virtuous woman — each with a different charm, each radiating a distinct aura. It was as though every peerless beauty in the mortal world were being put on display one by one.
A faint smile hung on Han Li's face, but wherever his gaze fell, it was cold as ice — not the slightest hint of being moved.
After a full hour of strolling, Han Li finally reached the end of the corridor, his eyes having feasted to their fill.
Before him stood a flat-roofed black palace, its grand doors and walls all constructed from blocks of dark black brick.
Through the towering gates, which stood over a dozen zhang high, the interior was pitch-black without a single glimmer of light, giving off an extremely eerie feeling.
At the very moment Han Li caught sight of the black palace, the licentious sounds and the bewitching women along the corridor vanished without a trace. Outside was once again the vast, boundless expanse of white clouds — everything had returned to how it had been when he first entered the corridor.
Han Li showed no surprise. On the contrary, as he gazed at the black palace, a trace of solemnity crossed his face, and his pace unconsciously slowed.
Before he had even drawn close to the black palace, a thick stench of blood assailed his nostrils.
Han Li furrowed his brow and stared at the palace once more.
Only then did he realize the structure was not purely black, but rather a ghostly hue of black tinged with a sinister red, as if the entire edifice had been solidified from a torrent of hot blood and then blackened, exuding an aura of profound evil.
With arms crossed over his chest, Han Li stood before the palace gates, head bowed in contemplation.
Though he had never sought out anyone to inquire about the specific details of the Realm of wondrous Illusions, just by the appearance of this hall, he could be certain it held a trial of one's fears and other such negative emotions. For him, this was a matter he could not face with the same composure as before.
He was well aware of where his own mental state might hold weaknesses.
He was no fearless hero, nor a sage hiding great wisdom behind a foolish exterior. At best, he was simply a clever and calculating mortal. If he truly were to witness some unbearable sight, a momentary impulse could easily cloud his mind, and that would be disastrous.
It seemed that this time, he would have to rely on the assistance of the Bodhi Beads to get through.