Chapter 89: Achieving the True Meaning of the Blood Moon Blade: Blood Moon Illusory Slaughter

「Huh?!」

Jiang Ye was about to rise and leave.

But he looked at the corpses on the ground, and the blood dripping from the blade’s tip.

After completing the Blood Moon Blade, he suddenly gained a sudden insight.

He closed his eyes and slowly raised the blade.

This slash was not aimed at any target—only held aloft, facing the hazy moon above.

The blade trembled slightly, emitting a faint hum, as if resonating with something.

In a daze, the world before him began to twist.

He stood in an endless void, with a colossal blood-red moon above him.

The moon was crimson as blood, filling half the sky, its light staining the entire world a strange, dark red.

Beneath the blood moon lay a mountain of corpses and rivers of blood.

Countless bodies piled into mountains, blood flowed into rivers.

The faces were those of his fallen enemies.

The five bandit chieftains of Heifeng Village, the cultivation-energy attendant from the Sun family, the elderly Sun clan elder with withered blood qi...

They lay still beneath the blood moon, as if waiting for something.

Jiang Ye walked through the mountain of corpses and rivers of blood, blade in hand.

His feet sank into sticky blood, his nose filled with the stench of iron, yet his heart remained utterly calm.

Every life he had taken, every slash’s killing intent, had coalesced here—becoming this sea of blood, this blood moon.

「So this is it.」

He murmured, lifting his gaze to the blood moon.

Within the moon, a shadow mirrored his own posture—raising the blade, focusing, poised to strike.

That shadow was himself.

And it was his blade.

The Blood Moon Blade does not kill with its edge—it kills with intent!

A flash of insight, like the light of the blood moon, pierced his mind.

【The Blood Moon Blade is the ultimate of slaughter! When the blade is drawn, intent follows; when intent moves, illusions arise!】

【What the opponent sees is not blade-light, but the blood moon! What he feels is not sharpness, but killing intent!】

【Once the blade is released, the illusion is already formed—before the blade reaches flesh, the heart is already pierced!】

【Your talent is extraordinary. Amidst the mountain of corpses and rivers of blood, you entered the blade and grasped its true intent—Blood Moon Illusory Slaughter!】

The system’s voice echoed in his mind, cold yet tinged with eerie solemnity.

「Blood Moon Illusory Slaughter?!」

Jiang Ye snapped open his eyes, a flicker of strange light passing through his aged gaze.

Before him still lay the two headless corpses; the silver moon in the sky still cast its usual clear glow.

Yet the curved blade in his hand had changed utterly.

The blade’s form remained unchanged, but along its edge now glowed faint crimson light, like blood slowly flowing along the cutting surface.

It was not true qi, nor physical force—it was the solidified essence of blade intent.

Host: Jiang Ye

Lifespan: 70/150

Strength: Golden Core Realm (Early Stage)

Destiny: Ascending the Path to Divinity【Effect 1: Extraordinary Comprehension!】

Cultivation Method Acquired: Great Sun Heavenly Flame Qi Condensation Method (Beginner, 328/1000)

Martial Arts Acquired: Five Animal Fist (Mastery), Blood Moon Blade (Mastery), Golden Body Cultivation Technique (Beginner, 896/1000), True Fire Eye Cultivation Technique (Beginner, 18/1000)

True Intent Acquired: Tiger Walks Like Illness, Spirit Monkey’s Thousand Transformations, Startled Deer Leaves No Trace, Wind-Riding Soaring Sky, Blood Moon Illusory Slaughter

Jiang Ye glanced at the system panel and nodded slightly.

This trip to the Sun family was truly worth it.

He had gained another true intent.

At that moment.

「Huh... huh...」

A harsh, frantic gasping came from nearby, sharp and terrified, piercing the silent courtyard.

Jiang Ye turned toward the sound and saw a man in the attire of a steward, face pale with terror, panting as he ran toward him.

He wore silk robes and had a fair complexion—it was Sun Fu, the Sun family’s steward.

He had been away on errands that night and narrowly escaped death.

But upon returning to the estate, he sensed something was wrong.

The once-bustling Sun estate was now eerily silent.

As he wondered, he heard Sun Yu’s desperate cries echoing from deep within the courtyard—he rushed over to investigate.

And then he saw the horrifying scene before him.

A gray-clad, white-haired old man stood holding a blade, radiating a suffocating chill.

At his feet lay a headless corpse—the familiar robes, the familiar figure...

It was Sun Yu!

Sun Yu, the second young master of the Sun family, was dead!

「You... you!!！」

Sun Fu shot a terrified glance at Jiang Ye, too stunned to even scream—he turned and bolted on instinct.

He ran as fast as he could, cursing his parents for giving him only two legs.

Jiang Ye did not pursue.

He slowly raised the gleaming curved blade in his hand, its tip aimed at Sun Fu’s fleeing form.

He did not strike.

The next instant.

Sun Fu, who had just taken a few steps, suddenly felt the world around him vanish.

The moonlight dissolved, the courtyard dissolved, everything dissolved.

All that remained was an overwhelming expanse of crimson red.

The red was thick as paste, surging from all directions, drowning him, swallowing him whole.

「What... what is this...」

Sun Fu was utterly stunned.

He looked up, dazed.

The silver moon hanging high in the sky had become a colossal blood moon.

The blood moon was crimson as blood, filling half the heavens, its light staining his body a strange, dark red.

His eyes widened in terror—he realized the blood moon was descending from the sky, growing larger, closer, like a mountain crashing down upon him.

Escape? Where could he escape?

The blood moon covered the entire sky, enveloping the whole world.

He could not avoid it—he could only watch helplessly as the blood moon crashed down.

Thud!

A muffled thump.

Sun Fu’s body slammed onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

His body bore no wounds, no blood, no cuts.

Yet the life in his eyes had vanished—replaced by hollow emptiness.

His frozen expression still bore the terror of his final moments.

Jiang Ye slowly sheathed his blade, glanced at the corpse at his feet, then at the curved blade in his hand. A satisfied expression surfaced on his aged face.

This... was Blood Moon Illusory Slaughter!

The blade had not been drawn—yet the intent had already struck.

To cut intent is to cut the man!

He sheathed the blade, turned, and walked calmly into the night.

The next day, dawn barely broke.

The core district of Fucheng still lay shrouded in morning mist.

The stone pavement was damp and slick; shops on either side remained closed, save for a few early vendors setting up stoves at street corners, wisps of smoke curling upward.

The deeper he walked, the wider the streets became, the more imposing the houses—vermilion gates, high walls, eaves soaring like wings, radiating a wealth and grandeur utterly distinct from ordinary markets.

Jiang Ye walked slowly to the front of a magnificent mansion and halted.

Chen Mansion.

The vermilion gate stood over ten feet tall, its bronze nails gleaming; above the lintel hung a blackwood plaque inscribed with two gilded characters—「Chen Mansion」.

The characters were bold and powerful, their strokes sharp as blades, radiating the quiet confidence of an ancient clan.

Two stone lions, lifelike and fierce, crouched on either side, gazing down upon all who passed.

"No wonder they're one of the Three Great Families— even their gate is so imposing."

Jiang Ye nodded silently to himself.

He stepped forward.

As he approached a few paces, the two guards at the gate noticed him.

One of them glanced over him, showed no hint of disdain despite his plain attire, and hurried forward with a courteous smile, clasping his fists:

"Old sir, may I ask what brings you to the Chen residence?"

The most important trait for a guard at a wealthy household is sharp judgment.

Though the old man before him wore plain, even shabby clothes, his bearing was unmistakably that of someone far from ordinary.

"I've come to purchase some herbs from the Chen family."

Jiang Ye wasted no time; he pulled out his Elder token from his robe and handed it over.

The guard accepted it with both hands and looked down.

In the next instant, his face changed drastically.

Shock and reverence flooded his eyes; he bowed slightly, his tone now reverent, almost subservient:

"So you're a distinguished guest from the Tianqing Sect! Elder Jiang! Forgive this servant's dull eyes—I failed to recognize you at once. My apologies for the oversight; I beg your forgiveness, Elder!"

As he spoke, he held the token with both hands and respectfully returned it to Jiang Ye.

"Elder Jiang, please, come right in!"

The guard led the way eagerly, stepped aside, and pushed open the heavy vermilion gate to usher Jiang Ye inside.

Jiang Ye gave a slight nod, stepped over the threshold, and entered the Chen residence.

"Elder Jiang, please rest here for a moment."

A steward led Jiang Ye to the reception hall and respectfully invited him to sit.

The reception hall was spacious and bright, elegantly furnished, with several masterful calligraphy and painting scrolls on the walls, exuding the refined heritage of a scholarly family.

The steward personally brewed a cup of tea for Jiang Ye; the aroma curled upward—clearly fine tea.

Yet his face carried a hint of apology as he lowered his voice:

"Elder Jiang, I sincerely apologize. A major incident has occurred in Fucheng; the clan master and several elder family members are in urgent consultation. You’ll have to wait a little longer."

"Oh?"

Jiang Ye raised an eyebrow, lifted his teacup, took a sip, and asked casually: "What major incident happened in Fucheng?"

The steward glanced left and right, confirmed no one was nearby, then leaned closer, lowering his voice even further:

"Elder, you may not have heard—the 'Head-Cutting Demon' that was rumored to be roaming Fucheng... has appeared again."

He paused, a flicker of fear in his eyes: "This time, the Sun family was struck."