Chapter 377: The Illusory Realm

As the scenery before his eyes blurred and faded, Wei Ziyang's ears suddenly fell silent, as if all sound had been drawn away.

The moment the sound was withdrawn, the scene before his eyes, after a brief tremor, finally reappeared.

It was still the streets of Xiangu County, only the entire street was empty, without even a single shadow of a person.

The Xiangu County city before his eyes had actually seemed to become a ghost town.

"This is..."

Although Wei Ziyang was caught in an anomaly, his mind remained clear.

"It is a Divine Soul Illusion!"

"I have been captured by an illusion; my Divine Soul has entered an illusory realm!"

Wei Ziyang suddenly heard a burst of noise; the sound was ethereal, as if it had come from a very distant place, and it vanished in an instant.

Wei Ziyang walked slowly to the place where the sound had originated, staring intently and deep in thought, trying to find a breakthrough point to shatter the illusion before him.

But by the time he reached that spot, the sound had dissipated; there was only an old courtyard wall covered in moss.

Just at this moment, the empty streets of Xiangu actually began to snow...

No sooner had Wei Ziyang noticed the snowflakes falling than he was shocked to discover that the entire world had turned a sheet of silver white.

The entire Xiangu street was even more deathly silent; Wei Ziyang's feet crunched as they stepped into the snow, making a creaking sound.

He had only walked a few steps when he suddenly discovered a person lying in the snow by the side of the street.

That person was buried under a thin layer of snow, lying face down in the snow; it was unclear whether they were dead or alive.

Wei Ziyang's gaze flickered, and he walked over slowly; he discovered that the snow beneath the person suddenly revealed a patch of bright red blood the moment he approached.

Although he knew he was in an illusion, out of curiosity, Wei Ziyang turned the person over.

After turning them over, he saw a somewhat rusty wood-chopping knife stuck in the person's chest.

For some reason, the handle of that wood-chopping knife made Wei Ziyang's chest ache.

"This... wood-chopping knife?"

Wei Ziyang looked at the person's face, and a long-buried memory suddenly surged into his heart.

He had already remembered who this person was.

This person was the first person he had ever killed in his life!

That year he was thirteen! This person was a rascal in the village; that day, when he returned from chopping wood, he happened to run into this person breaking into his home, wanting to bully his mother. In a fit of rage, Wei Ziyang stabbed the rascal to death with one knife.

The matter blew up, and the person's relatives clamored to report it to the officials; in a panic, Wei Ziyang fled the village.

Wei Ziyang continued to walk forward along the empty street. Suddenly, he saw seven or eight corpses hanging from a withered tree by the side of the street.

Wei Ziyang immediately recognized an old man among them wearing a Master's robe!

That was a manor he had led men to rob after he became an outlaw. That night, he and his brothers killed every man, woman, and child in the manor!

Wei Ziyang walked further ahead, and every person he had killed appeared one by one on both sides of the street.

This snow-covered street was like a corridor of time marking the slaughters of his life.

Wei Ziyang's footsteps stopped there; he doubted whether he had the courage to walk to the end of this street...

Does a person truly have the courage to look back at the sins of their own life?

Does he?

Just at this moment, the snow-covered street before his eyes suddenly collapsed and disintegrated, the illusion dissipated, and a real world emerged once again behind the crumbling illusion...

The sound in his ears suddenly became chaotic; it was the reverberation of a real, messy world...

Wei Ziyang abruptly discovered that he was still standing beside the broken carriage, and a pitch-black Profound Iron Arrow had just fallen before his eyes.

Tian'er's headless bloody corpse lay not far away; it seemed some time had passed, as the pool of blood flowing from Tian'er's headless corpse had already spread to his feet.

Wei Ziyang turned his head and saw a ragged youth standing on a courtyard wall not far away; he held a bow in one hand, and the bowstring was still vibrating.

The one who killed Tian'er was clearly this person!

When Duan Rong heard the eagle's cry and looked up, he saw four figures leaping down from the circling Cloud-Feather Mad Eagle above his head.

Those four people seemed to have employed the Thousand-Catty Drop, suddenly accelerating in mid-air and crashing down like a meteorite breaking through the sky!

At that very instant, Duan Rong moved his mind and dispelled the Divine Soul Illusion that had captured Wei Ziyang!

The reason Duan Rong dared to strike at Wei Ziyang and Ge Qinglei before the Sect's reinforcements arrived was because he had calculated in his heart that he believed he could capture Wei Ziyang using the Divine Soul Illusion.

During his three years in the Endless Great Mountains, besides achieving the True Qi Realm Great Perfection, Duan Rong had also achieved the second tier of the Divine Soul Illusion, the Firefly Bewilderment!

Without this technique, how could he dare to strike at Wei Ziyang!

This person, after all, held the title of Total Altar Dharma Envoy; there is no such thing as an undeserved reputation. Duan Rong had already had some contact with the Filthy Blood Sect and knew deep down how profound the waters of this sect were. Furthermore, as one of the five Total Altar Dharma Envoys, how could Duan Rong not be wary?

In fact, Duan Rong's original plan was for Xiao Yu, Ximen Kankan, and the others to withdraw after killing Ruan Fengshan!

As for Wei Ziyang and Ge Qinglei, with his current strength, he could not kill them for the time being!

But just at this moment, the Sect's reinforcements arrived!

Since the Sect's reinforcements had arrived, Wei Ziyang and Ge Qinglei could be left for them to handle!

Duan Rong seized the opportunity and dispelled the Divine Soul Illusion, because continuously using the second-tier Firefly Bewilderment to capture Wei Ziyang's Divine Soul was also quite draining for Duan Rong.

The moment Duan Rong dispelled the Divine Soul Illusion, Wei Ziyang struck a palm toward him; that palm was as red as blood, and roots of blood vessels were coiled and wriggling on its surface...

Duan Rong leaped and retreated in a certain direction!

Wei Ziyang's gaze was vicious as he pressed forward, his palm still striking toward Duan Rong's face!

With the two of them in mid-air, Duan Rong could even faintly smell the nauseating stench of blood emanating from the bloody hand Wei Ziyang was striking toward his face.

Just at this moment, a figure suddenly appeared behind Duan Rong; that person grabbed Duan Rong, pulled him away, and then struck out with a palm, meeting Wei Ziyang's palm in mid-air!

"Boom!" came a muffled sound!

The two retreated backward, each landing gracefully!

The moment Wei Ziyang landed, he realized that three people had already surrounded him in a pincer formation.

And that ragged youth stood far behind the three of them.

Just now, when the eagle shrieked, he was still caught in the Divine Soul Illusion and had not noticed at all that someone had descended from the sky.

A total of four people jumped down from the Cloud-Feather Mad Eagle.

Another person was already locked in combat with Ge Qinglei not far away! The threads of blood oozing with pus on Ge Qinglei's body were being shattered into clumps by that person's strikes.

When Duan Rong dodged that palm strike from Wei Ziyang just now, he had used his Divine Sense Envelopment to specifically choose the direction of the person falling from the Cloud-Feather Mad Eagle!

Among the three people surrounding Wei Ziyang, one had a slender build and wore a moon-white Daoist robe; he appeared to be less than thirty years old.

This person was named Jiang Zhe, and he was the leader of this Sect support operation.

Jiang Zhe turned his head to look at Duan Rong and said, "Are you Duan Rong?"

He was quite surprised by Duan Rong's ragged clothes and messy, grease-stained hair.

Just now, while on the Cloud-Feather Mad Eagle, they had all seen this person drawing his bow and firing, one arrow for one corpse, as fast as a shooting star!

One by one, the blood corpses had their heads exploded and were scattered all over the streets!

Even though they were all cultivators of the Qi Refining Realm, they were still amazed for a moment!

Duan Rong also glanced at Jiang Zhe; this was the person who had pulled him away just now and taken Wei Ziyang's palm strike head-on! The reason Duan Rong had chosen the direction of his fall was because this person had the highest cultivation realm among the four who arrived! The Second Layer of the Qi Refining Realm!

Duan Rong cupped his fists respectfully and said, "Senior Brother, I am Duan Rong."

The so-called "politeness costs nothing," and Duan Rong had been extremely respectful from the moment he arrived.

Jiang Zhe nodded slightly and asked, "Where is the Total Altar Dharma Envoy?"

"That person is the Total Altar Dharma Envoy, Wei Ziyang!" Duan Rong said, pointing at the man they had surrounded in the center.

"Good!" Jiang Zhe shouted, "Follow me to take down this villain!"

Xiangu County was located in a remote area, and Jiang Zhe and his group had gotten a bit lost, which was why they were a few hours late.

At this moment, what Jiang Zhe worried about most was whether being a few hours late would allow the Total Altar Dharma Envoy to escape.

If the Total Altar Dharma Envoy were to escape under their watch, how could he report back to the Sect?

Now, hearing Duan Rong say that the person before them was the Total Altar Dharma Envoy, Jiang Zhe was overjoyed; although they had arrived a few hours late due to getting lost, they had finally avoided a major disaster!

With Wei Ziyang and Ge Qinglei being handled by the Sect's Qi Refining Realm experts, Duan Rong left that area and fixed his gaze on Xiao Yu, Ximen Kankan, and the others.

He saw Sun Qian holding a Judge's Pen and Ruan Fengshan holding a Green Water Blade; both of them had threads of blood floating and wriggling all over their bodies.

Both of them had achieved the Third Layer of the Filthy Blood Divine Art; although they were surrounded by Xiao Yu, Ximen Kankan, and the other four and could not escape, Xiao Yu and the others could not injure them for the time being. Their full-force attacks were almost entirely gathered and neutralized by the blood threads floating and wriggling around the two men.

Xiao Yu bit her lip, and the blade in her hand became increasingly fierce. She had exerted all her strength, but it was still difficult to break through the defense of the blood threads floating around Ruan Fengshan.

Just at this moment, Duan Rong suddenly stood not far away!

Xiao Yu's expression shifted when she saw Duan Rong.

Ruan Fengshan and Sun Qian's hearts leaped wildly, and their expressions changed instantly!

Just a moment ago, Duan Rong had been like a god of slaughter, drawing his bow and nocking an arrow, shooting and killing Wei Tian right in front of Wei Ziyang, and then, arrow after arrow, like shooting stars, he had slaughtered all the brothers in Xiangu County!

Therefore, when Ruan Fengshan and Sun Qian saw Duan Rong standing not far away, their faces turned deathly pale!

Xu Dian had also reached the Third Layer of the Filthy Blood Divine Art, and the place where he had been hiding in disguise was the closest to here; he was the one shot and killed by Duan Rong's arrow!

How could the two of them block that arrow from Duan Rong, which was like a ghost demanding a life?

At this time, Ruan Fengshan already knew that the person who killed Bai Rong last night must have been Duan Rong! He just really hadn't expected it!

Three years ago, at the Yuanshun Escort Agency, he had witnessed Duan Rong's changes over the course of a year, and he had never doubted Duan Rong's talent and character! He knew that three years later, Duan Rong would definitely be even more formidable!

Previously, when guessing the identities of Duan Rong and Xiao Yu, he had speculated that Duan Rong must be an Outer Sect Disciple!

But at this moment, he realized that he had still vastly underestimated Duan Rong!

In three years, Duan Rong had actually mastered such a formidable archery technique! This was truly inconceivable and far beyond common sense!

Archery was known as the most difficult Martial Technique in the world! Except for children of noble families with a family tradition, only a madman would choose to study archery!

Just as everyone saw Duan Rong, Duan Rong had already drawn his bow and nocked an arrow, and the Black Python Bow in his hand was instantly pulled back like a full moon!

At this moment, it was as if Ruan Fengshan and Sun Qian had stopped breathing.

"Duan Rong..."

Ruan Fengshan wanted to say something more, but the bowstring in Duan Rong's hand went "Boom" like a muffled thunder, and the Black Iron Arrow, wrapped in an airflow, flashed past.

Sun Qian's head exploded instantly, while the Judge's Pen in his hand was still dancing!

The Black Iron Arrow shattered Sun Qian's head, yet its momentum did not diminish as it shot toward Ruan Fengshan at his side!

Ruan Fengshan's scalp felt as if it had been electrocuted, suddenly going numb!

Two birds with one arrow!?

The blood threads wriggling and floating around Ruan Fengshan suddenly gathered, but they were shattered the moment the Black Iron Arrow pierced through!

Having consecutively pierced through two layers of Third Layer Filthy Blood Divine Art blood threads, the momentum of the Black Iron Arrow weakened slightly!

Ruan Fengshan's eyes were fierce; his True Qi surged, and he used all his strength to slash his Green Water Blade at the Black Iron Arrow shooting toward him, intending to knock away the Black Iron Arrow, which seemed to be at the end of its flight!

But with a "Clang," the Green Water Blade in Ruan Fengshan's hand actually struck the Black Iron Arrow!

A spark flew out!

The web between Ruan Fengshan's thumb and forefinger split open, his wrist fractured instantly, and the Green Water Blade in his hand flew out of his grasp!

Struck by this blow, the Black Iron Arrow tilted slightly and pierced into Ruan Fengshan's shoulder!

Ruan Fengshan's face was deathly pale and covered in sweat; blocking this arrow from Duan Rong had clearly consumed a great deal of his energy!

After firing this arrow, Duan Rong turned and walked away!

With this arrow, he had killed Sun Qian and crippled Ruan Fengshan! The remaining cleanup would be left to Ximen Kankan and Xiao Yu and the others.

Moreover, Duan Rong had left Ruan Fengshan alive specifically so that Xiao Yu could kill him with her own hands and avenge her father herself!

Everyone looked at Duan Rong's back, all of them stunned. They had originally known Duan Rong was formidable, but when it came to actual combat, the gap was just too large.

The four of them had joined forces to surround and attack for a long time without achieving any success! Duan Rong had taken out one and a half of them with a single arrow! And they were all wondering, had Duan Rong intentionally left half a life in Ruan Fengshan?

Sitting in the teahouse not far away, Yang Zhen, who was watching the battle from the window, was as if turned to stone.

The scene of Duan Rong, like a god of slaughter descended to the world, drawing his bow and nocking an Arrow to shoot down the Tainted Blood Remnant, was truly too shocking; it pierced straight through his heart!

If the Duan Rong of three years ago was a mountain difficult for him to surmount, then the Duan Rong of three years later was already a deity!

Three years ago, a trace of jealousy still remained in his heart, but at this moment, in Yang Zhen's heart, there was only the urge to prostrate and worship!

A field mouse will only loathe a hawk, but it would never dare to loathe the heavens!

Duan Rong turned around and fixed his gaze toward the side of Jiang Zhe and the others.

He saw that in just a short while, Ge Qinglei had already had his two arms and two legs severed, and was pinned to the ground by a pitch-black Long Sword piercing through his shoulder!

His arms and legs were scattered all around, the Tainted Blood wriggling!

The Tainted Blood all over Ge Qinglei's body was also wriggling like pus and blood, but he had not yet died, gasping for breath with a pale face.

Duan Rong's eyes flickered slightly; the Tainted Blood around Ge Qinglei's body was not weak, and his Profound Iron Arrow could not even pierce the defense of his Filthy Blood Divine Art, yet in just this short moment, he had already been pinned to the ground and lost his combat ability!

Truly a powerhouse of the Qi Refining Realm!

But when Duan Rong's gaze moved past Ge Qinglei to look at the battle further away, his eyelids trembled.

He saw four figures surrounding Wei Ziyang, attacking from front and back!

Air currents burst and splashed, and wherever they passed, sand flew and stones rolled!

Four powerhouses of the Qi Refining Realm!

Yet Wei Ziyang, fighting four against one, was not at a disadvantage at all!

Moreover, at this moment, Wei Ziyang was no longer human, but a demon god!

He saw that Wei Ziyang was entirely crimson; his muscles, skin, and clothes had all vanished, and his entire person was formed by the coiling and condensing of Tainted Blood!

And beneath that densely coiled and wriggling Tainted Blood, a skeleton frame glowing with a crimson red was faintly visible!

"This is...!?"

Wei Ziyang's Filthy Blood Divine Art had clearly reached some kind of inconceivable state. Although he had not yet formed a Blood Infant to carry with him like the Filthy Blood Sect leader Fu Yi, he was clearly completely different from the ordinary members of the Filthy Blood Sect!

This state of the Filthy Blood Divine Art was something Duan Rong had not only never seen, but had also never read about in any book.

(End of this chapter)