Chapter 317: 326 Ten Thousand Ancient Sorrows

The smell of alcohol and the firelight reflected off one another, making the atmosphere increasingly thick. Even the green-clad man's questioning was softened by the light and shadow, as if they were having a heart-to-heart talk face-to-face.

The red-haired man's gaze gradually began to blur, and he murmured, "Yinhuo Township... Yinhuo Township..."

He imagined something, and the flames on his body dimmed somewhat, gradually extinguishing to reveal skin that had suffered not the slightest damage.

Suddenly, his expression changed, his gaze became fierce again, and the flames flared up with a 'whoosh'.

He opened his mouth to say something, but the green-clad man opposite him already said, "No, it is not called Yinhuo Township; it should be called Zhou Xiang."

The red-haired man's eyes widened, his eyelids splitting, and he shouted, "That's right, Zhou Xiang! Zhou Xiang! You still remember this name?! You are still fit to mention this name? Because of your dereliction of duty, Zhou Xiang was ravaged by the Yin Calamity and turned into Yinhuo Township! Then it suffered an even greater catastrophe, and the entire village was wiped out! It was clearly your fault, you caused us to scatter and wander, becoming like stray dogs. And you still mock me... mock my hair!"

As he roared, the power of his anger made his red hair stand on end, as if flames were burning.

However, at the same time, the layer of true flame on his body dimmed instead, gradually disappearing. And the powerful flames around him that he called 'Lihuo' were also gradually withering. Only the forest disaster fires sprayed out by the alcohol were burning fiercely.

The green-clad man's voice was slightly distorted along with the flames.

"Since you are from Zhou Xiang, you naturally also have the surname Zhou."

"Of course my surname is Zhou!" The red-haired man was furious, holding the Lihuo Sword high. Flames enveloped the blade, forming a half-body Vermilion Bird image at the tip. The flames turned into blood-red feathers, and the momentum became even more dangerous.

"This YoungMaster does not change his name when he walks, nor his surname when he sits; I am Zhou Chengzhi, the Zhou Family Eldest Son! My home was in Zhou Xiang, and right in front of the door were five large pine trees! I was born there, grew up there, plowed fields and herded cattle there, picked fruit from the trees, and caught fish in the water! Until it was wiped out in one fell swoop... Bah! It was you lot from the Land Inspection Division who eat and do nothing who caused it!"

Carrying his full heart of fury, he slashed forward with his burning sword. With one sword strike, it was already a sea of fire!

In the sea of fire, that green-clad man turned and fled. Seeing him submerge into the sea of fire, ignoring even the flames, he disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye. Zhou Chengzhi, however, did not want to let him go, grabbed his sword and shouted, "You stop right there! You think you can run after poking at your YoungMaster Zhou's sore spot? I swear before my deceased fellow villagers that I will kill everyone who harmed us, and the first will be you lot from the Land Inspection Division! Die—"

He shouted, slashing his sword toward the direction where the green-clad man had disappeared. The hem of the green-clad man's garment flashed in the tongues of fire, then appeared on the other side.

This time, he was not wearing green, but red, also like a mass of burning flame, almost blending into the firelight. But Zhou Chengzhi had already locked onto him; he would recognize him even if he turned to ash, so how could he be confused by 'green' or 'red' colors? He roared again and slashed out a sword strike as if venting his anger.

Just like that, he kept swinging his sword, each strike more fierce than the last, with brilliant sword moves emerging one after another, chasing and hacking at that enemy. While hacking, he roared loudly. Except for him, everything around was very quiet. The opponent no longer provoked him with words, only constantly shuttling through the flames, always able to disappear the moment before his sword fell, and then appearing again. The burning of the flames was also very quiet, without the previous crackling sounds; perhaps it was because the fuel had already burned out, leaving only pure flames.

He shouted and hacked, as if he did not know fatigue.

"What is he doing?"

Tang Zhao was a bit puzzled. The red-haired man had been motionless for a long time ever since he released that sea of Lihuo flames.

Midway, he seemed to want to make a move for a moment, raising his sword as if to slash down. At this time, Chi Deputy Envoy stood in front of him and shouted, "Zhou Xiang!" The opponent immediately froze like a wooden statue, and then remained hesitant until now. One could only see him staring at the flames, muttering to himself, and no one knew what he was saying.

Could it be...

"Also an illusion?"

Tang Zhao suddenly understood. Just before coming here, he had also fallen into that Spirit Official's illusion and had to 'struggle' for a while before breaking free. He had been summoning his Sword Art and making various speeches to attack the heart, but perhaps in the eyes of outsiders, he also looked like he was making inexplicable movements and muttering to himself, like a fool.

Was Chi Deputy Envoy also using a Sword Art to create an illusion?

If so, his illusion should be stronger than that Spirit Official's. Because the illusion of that so-called King Cheng used light and shadow phantoms to confuse the senses, thereby stirring the inner heart and creating an illusionary realm. That is to say, the illusion Tang Zhao saw was not just in his heart; there were also phantoms outside. To outsiders, he was at least walking around in a crude ghost-wall, not standing still in place.

Chi Deputy Envoy's sword did not need to create sound and light illusions first; it only needed to be slightly infused with the smell of alcohol to directly cut into the heart in one step, immediately stalling the opponent's actions. As an illusion, it could be called a unique skill.

Chi Deputy Envoy lowered his sword tip but did not return the sword to its sheath. His gaze fixed on the red-haired man, clearly still using his Sword Art, and he said, "It doesn't count as a proper illusion; it is an obsession."

Tang Zhao asked in surprise, "Obsession?"

Chi Deputy Envoy said, "A Sword Art that stirs up obsession. The deeper the obsession, the easier it is to drown in it. As soon as I saw him, I knew he was the type whose obsession had turned into a demon. I kept looking for a chance to strike him; there is only one chance, but one time is enough to kill."

Saying this, he laughed self-deprecatingly, "Still young, after all. He wants the whole world to know about such things. People of our age, who have hurdles in their hearts that they cannot overcome, only have nightmares in their sleep; we wouldn't let others know. How can one tell an enemy about such flaws of the soul?"

Tang Zhao was silent. He was luckier; he only had a 'future he wanted to reach', not an 'untouchable past'. He said, "Is the obsession 'Zhou Xiang'? How did you know?"

Chi Deputy Envoy's expression darkened slightly, and he said, "He said himself he came out of Yinhuo Township. I have gone to Yinhuo Township to recruit talent for the past two years and have seen many young people like him. There are too many who hide sickness in their hearts, so how could I not understand? On the contrary, the elderly have mostly resigned themselves to fate; they aren't very crazy, just numb. As for Zhou Xiang... I know how many Demon Caves there are in Yunzhou, how many Yinhuo Townships have been created, and how many people have been harmed. Combined with his accent and the color of his hair, how could I not guess it?"

For a moment, he showed an expression of sympathy mixed with complexity, but immediately restrained it and said, "My Sword Art can also be broken by oneself. Because in the illusion, obsession can turn into tangible objects that can be killed. If one can break through the obsession and cut it away, one's state of mind and strength will instead be greatly improved."

Tang Zhao thought to himself: This doesn't sound like a Sword Art for fighting enemies, does it?

Chi Deputy Envoy seemed to guess what he was thinking and smiled, "It can also be used on oneself. If you want to try it later, I can give you a sword strike. It is very beneficial for tempering the state of mind."

Sure enough, this was actually a Sword Art for self-cultivation. The same Sword Art, used in different situations, has vastly different effects. Using it on an enemy versus using it on one's own people is merely a difference in timing.

Chi Deputy Envoy said, "If you truly cannot kill the obsession, drinking a cup of wine and forgetting your troubles is also a way to get by. The original intent of the 'Ten Thousand Ancient Sorrows' Sword Art is also this."

Tang Zhao said slowly, "To share with you ten thousand ancient sorrows. This Sword Art name is interesting."

Chi Deputy Envoy said, "Isn't it? This was my first Sword Art, and it was also the Sword Art that saved me."

Tang Zhao was startled, feeling secretly surprised in his heart: This was actually his first Sword Art? Just as Chi Deputy Envoy himself said, the first Sword Art is very important; it not only reflects the mood and thoughts at that time but also points directly to the Sword Intent. Because Chi Deputy Envoy's Sword Image is the smell of alcohol, and he was always drunk in the past, Tang Zhao had thought his Sword Intent was something like 'drunkenness' or 'heavy drinking'. He did not expect that, looking at the Sword Art, this Deputy Envoy's sword might contain deep meaning.

Perhaps it is a heartless sword.

A so-called heartless sword does not mean the sword has no heart, but that the Sword Intent and Sword Image are separated, ten thousand miles apart. Ordinary people, when hearing or even thinking about why this Sword Intent can match this Sword Image, cannot guess what the Sword Guest who realized the sword thought of at the time.

"This kid's obsession is very deep; we could even leave him here, which is equivalent to imprisonment. But just in case he has an epiphany and manages to survive death, we had better take him down." As Chi Deputy Envoy spoke, he waved his hand, and Tang Zhao saw a row of small green insects crawling up along Zhou Chengzhi's already dry skin.

"Green Ants?"

Tang Zhao recognized it as soon as he saw it; he had seen this move before. When he was holding a post at the Jichun City Land Inspection Division, he had gone on a mission with Chi Deputy Envoy and had seen him use Green Ants as scouts for reconnaissance. He did not expect it to also have the effect of harming enemies?

Seeing the Green Ants crawl up, Zhou Chengzhi was completely unaware and suddenly shouted loudly, "Father? You're back?"

From his perspective, the surrounding flames had already extinguished, and the scenery changed, becoming what he was familiar with.

Thatched cottages, small bridges, and flowing water—it was exactly the small town where his family lived. His house was right in front of the town, with three tiled rooms and a small courtyard, and five large pine trees in front of the door, green all year round.

Standing at the door for a long time, pine needles fell on his head. Even though everything was as familiar as could be, Zhou Chengzhi still felt dazed, and suddenly realized in his heart: That's right, I've come home.

My home has always been here; how could I not recognize it? I had been wandering outside for too long, my local accent had changed, and I didn't even dare to recognize my home?

Walking into the door, he saw his mother burning firewood in the stove. Seeing him return, she smiled and said, "The big boy is back? Dinner will be ready in a moment, you sit down first. Are you tired?"

Zhou Chengzhi sat down naturally on a small stool, chatting idly with his mother, but his gaze was nailed to the door.

Before long, an old man carrying a fish basket entered the door. Zhou Chengzhi was overjoyed, stood up and said, "Father, you're back? You really are still alive!"

The old man stiffened, grabbed a stool and shouted, "What are you saying, you little bastard? Cursing your old man to death, I'll beat you to death first!"

Zhou Chengzhi jumped away nimbly, grinning, "Don't be impatient, old man, isn't it good that you're not dead? Your son hopes you live to be a hundred."

The old man chased him to beat him, and Zhou Chengzhi ran around the courtyard. Finally, his mother got up and said, "Stop messing around, hurry up and eat."

The two then stopped, moved their stools to the table together, and his mother held a large bowl of white rice, giving it to his father first, then to Zhou Chengzhi. Zhou Chengzhi was full of joy and reached out to take it—

Boom—

In the distance, a huge flower rose from the ground.

That flower was too large; in the blink of an eye, it grew taller than a mountain, its petals opening and closing like a giant mouth filled with sharp teeth.

It's here!

Zhou Chengzhi looked up, his pupils constricting.

The monster from his dreams had appeared again!

Why would it appear here?

Could this place be a dream as well?

The flower branches were like sharp claws, reaching out to wrap around a villager and stuff them into the flower head; the petals closed like a Venus flytrap, and bright red blood dripped from the gaps...

"Son, run!" his parents pulled at him together.

Zhou Chengzhi stood where he was, not moving even as his parents tugged at him, a layer of blood-red mist covering his eyes as he pointed at the giant monster flower and screamed: "Why have you come again? Why do you still come? Why couldn't you wait, wait for me to eat a mouthful of food... why won't you even let me eat a mouthful of food?"

"I won't accept this, why is it my family again? Damn heavens—"

"Bang—"

Suddenly, his vision went black, and he collapsed face-first to the ground.

"Let's go." Chi Deputy Envoy withdrew his Sword Sheath; he had not activated Green Ants just now, but instead knocked Zhou Chengzhi unconscious after he started screaming, then placed Zhou Chengzhi inside a Prison Cage Art Tool. "It's over. Let's go find Lao Xing. There's nothing interesting here."