Chapter 18: Illusion Technique, Venomous Bee Needle

Fist techniques and martial arts seemed more thrilling and exhilarating than spirit-summoning incantations.

But that was only true during cultivation; when people fought each other using such methods, they inevitably revealed the opposite side of passion.

—Cruelty!

When Chu Tianshu last fought the leopard-cat warrior, he had sensed something subtle; today, as he charged out of town and fought this weapon battle in the woods, his understanding deepened further.

Most of the fist techniques he knew were almost useless just now.

Aside from the weapon in hand, only willpower could create a turning point.

The line between victory and defeat was surprisingly fragile.

That swordsman must have had many sword techniques too, but never got the chance to use them before his arm was severed and his life ended.

“This is terrifying! I probably won’t die in nightmares anymore—I’ll change my next birthday wish…”

Chu Tianshu stabbed a needle into his shoulder-neck junction.

“When the day comes that I must die, let me at least have a chance to use my finest technique then.”

The silver needle took effect, stimulating his blood and oxygen flow, easing the pain in his skull, and suppressing his scattered thoughts.

Studying medicine had this advantage: you could fight and treat yourself at the same time.

After catching his breath, Chu Tianshu turned instantly, kicked up the peach-wood sword scabbard with two steps, and seized it.

The broken branches and fallen leaves beneath his feet were stirred by his accelerated stride.

Chu Tianshu charged toward the swordsman and jabbed the tip of the peach-wood scabbard into the back of his skull.

The swordsman, seemingly on the verge of death, shuddered violently when struck by the wooden blade; only then did his severed arm begin spurting copious blood.

Of course!

Even after losing his arm and being pierced through the torso, this swordsman had not fully lost consciousness—he was still controlling the muscles of his severed limb to slow the bleeding.

Whether he was preparing a final counterattack or feigning death to escape…

Chu Tianshu’s wooden blade had truly sent him to his death.

With a sharp *whoosh*, the iron sword was swiftly withdrawn, pulling free from the tree trunk and the body.

The fruit tree swayed again; the man with the sword had vanished like the wind.

The piercing wail of the bone whistle grew louder and clearer.

The plump, ruddy-faced sorcerer’s face had turned slightly purple from strain; suddenly, as if startled, he turned his head toward the left front.

“Gaaah!!”

The two dwarves guarding him screamed in unison and charged out.

As Chu Tianshu burst onto the clearing, he saw two short black shadows arc in from both sides, attacking rapidly at lower body level.

The peach-wood sword remained still; the iron sword shot out suddenly.

The dwarves’ daggers were pitch-black, dull in hue, perfect stealth weapons in the darkness.

The left dwarf, focused entirely on his dagger and his enemy’s figure, suddenly saw a flash of silver—lower than his own low vantage point.

*Snap!*

He was stabbed through the tibia of his left leg; the blade touched and retracted instantly, and he collapsed forward, momentum carrying him sliding along the ground.

The peach-wood scabbard drove down from behind, pinning him to the earth.

The talismans on the peach wood flared briefly; the dwarf’s limbs snapped rigid, stretched out in a cross shape against the ground, dead and motionless.

The right dwarf still stood, dagger raised—but he too was frozen.

Because the iron sword had pierced his forehead.

At that moment, Chu Tianshu felt his heart skip a beat.

A frantic sense of danger made him release both swords and twist his body left with maximum speed.

That twist carried him over a meter sideways.

A branch shattered; a sharp *bang* echoed through the woods.

Chu Tianshu’s focus was razor-sharp; his pupils trembled slightly, and every falling leaf seemed to drift slower.

His gaze pierced the ten-meter gap, locked firmly on the sorcerer.

He was certain: the gunshot came from beneath that large tree.

But the sorcerer standing beneath it held only the bone whistle still at his lips—no gun in sight.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Gunfire came in rapid succession; Chu Tianshu’s figure darted left and right, zigzagging violently.

His most forceful stomps and turns shattered the leaf-littered soil into shallow craters; the sudden air currents sent clumps of dirt and leaves chasing after him.

Even as he dodged, he was still charging forward.

The distance shrank from ten meters to five.

The probability of being hit by gunfire increased dramatically.

At that exact instant, the silver needles exploded outward!

Ancient acupuncture techniques even used stone needles; they were naturally not too fine. Medical silver needles of this era retained some classical design—the thickest of the forty-nine needles was nearly as thick as a wooden chopstick from a boxed meal.

Moreover, the surface of this needle had spiral grooves, primarily designed to drain pus and blood.

When inserted into flesh without abscess, such a needle caused maximum pain.

“Aaaah!!”

A scream came from beneath the tree.

But not from the sorcerer himself—rather, several feet to his side.

The air there shimmered slightly, revealing another figure—identical in appearance to the sorcerer, a thick needle driven through his chest, a gun still clutched in his hand.

He instinctively clutched his chest; by the time he realized he needed to keep firing, his gun hand had been seized from the side by another powerful, gnarled palm.

*Crack!*

The sorcerer’s hand bones were twisted apart; jagged bone fragments pierced through the skin at the wrist.

Chu Tianshu’s right hand gripped the severed hand; his left fist swung full force, smashing into the sorcerer’s temple.

The sorcerer’s skull caved in slightly; his eyes rapidly filled with blood, which overflowed and streamed down his face.

Chu Tianshu didn’t pause—he flicked his left wrist, releasing four silver needles from his sleeve, pinched between his fingers, and slapped them onto the sorcerer’s crown.

A sharp, piercing shriek erupted from within the sorcerer’s body, like a glass vessel shattering under impact.

Yin energy radiated from him, whipping Chu Tianshu’s forehead hairs into disarray.

The nearby figure holding the bone whistle—motionless until now—dissolved instantly into mist under the yin wind.

It was an illusion technique!

This sorcerer used some demonic force to instantly activate an illusionary duplicate, hiding his true body while drawing his gun.

It was an excellent tactic—but from the enemy’s perspective…

It was fucking diabolical!

After killing the man, Chu Tianshu seized his gun before letting the corpse collapse.

“So there were only six bullets total.”

Chu Tianshu stared at the gun in his hand; his racing heartbeat gradually slowed.

He had limited knowledge of firearms; he’d seen the guns in town—they required pulling the bolt after every shot. Even with coordinated volleys from trained groups, they posed no real threat to skilled fist masters.

But just now, as he was about to reach the enemy leader, he was suddenly shot from ambush.

In that instant, his mind didn’t picture the guns from town.

Instead, it recalled all the martial arts films he’d seen set in the Republican era—legendary gun masters.

The “turtle-box” twenty-shot pistols, twenty rounds in a single magazine, spare clips carried on the person, instant reloading…

If that were true, he feared continuing to dodge would only make him die faster.

That’s why he chose to gamble—dashing forward, using the timing of the gunshots to pinpoint the true body, and confronting him head-on for life or death.

“First time experiencing something like this—I still lack composure.”

Chu Tianshu resolved to learn from this lesson.

Besides, if the sorcerer truly possessed such astonishing gun skills, why hide in the woods using dark magic while watching his men die in droves?

In the small town now, without the bone whistle’s control…

The buzzing, circling venomous bees began flying uncontrollably into the fireballs, instantly burning to ash.

“Has Xiao Chu succeeded?!”

Ma the Shopkeeper’s spirits lifted; he gestured with his fingers in midair.

Three fireballs plummeted sharply toward the bandits’ heads; the venomous bees followed the fireballs, swarming among the bandits.

The fireballs then surged upward again, rising and falling erratically to avoid being struck, and whenever the bees encountered resistance from the bandits, they stung without mercy.

The bandit ranks erupted in screams; morale collapsed completely as they fled in panic, clutching their heads.

The militiamen and guards, watching the black smoke and hearing the horrific cries, were too frightened to pursue further.

A few bandits actually escaped the town—but didn’t get far before collapsing, dead from poison.

Ma the Shopkeeper walked along the path, realizing the venomous bees were even more formidable than he’d estimated.

“Reap what you sow.”

Muttering these words, Ma raised the three fireballs high, suspending them motionless in midair.

The remaining venomous bees swarmed toward the fireballs, crackling as they burned, thick smoke billowing.

Chu Tianshu saw the three plumes of smoke and flame from afar; holding sword in one hand, gun in the other, he arrived to find the ground littered with bandit corpses.

The fighting here had ended completely.

The militia guards noticed Chu Tianshu over there, whispering among themselves, their gazes filled with astonishment and awe.

Seeing Chu Tianshu seemingly lost in thought before the flames, no one dared call out or disturb him.

At this moment, Chu Tianshu, having relaxed, was not looking at the fire at all—he was gazing at the token screen hovering in midair.

The Fate bar had only accumulated about one-fifth of what was needed to return home.

The demonic spirit materials, however, had increased significantly.

【Worm-Belly Leopard Cat: Innocent man-eater, fond of its master’s household, brutally slain within the worm’s belly, its resentment runs deep.】

【Trait: Possesses human hosts, strengthens sinews and bones, induces frenzy and brutality, harbors bloodlust, enables the clumsy human form to move with the leopard cat’s agility.】

【Crocodile Pup (two): Either hunted or playing, they fell into the swamp and were swallowed by crocodiles; their heads remain intact, all seven orifices sealed, their resentful spirits persist, locked in struggle with the crocodiles.】

【Trait: Bonds to human bodies, renders skin as tough as crocodile hide, excels at swimming, can remain submerged for a full minute without surfacing, sees clearly underwater as if in daylight.】

【Century Lynx: A lynx in the mountains that has lived a century, holds a single leaf that grants access to the mysterious.】

【Trait: Can conjure a hundred or more illusory forms from its lynx descendants, all within sixty chi of the original.】

【When bonded to a human, it grants invisibility at night; the illusory forms it creates appear within six chi of the true body.】

【Note: Current materials suffice for one evolution.】

(End of Chapter)