Chen Kuang stood in the room, fully alert, his guard up.
As Wen Si had said, he had only one moment, just one instant. Because this time, the Demon Sword encountered someone who was not its original host, which meant the illusion wouldn't immediately reset upon contact.
But the Demon Sword, having failed to possess the host it wanted, would inevitably try to kill him.
And since Chen Kuang was now half a core component of the illusion, his death would still cause a reboot.
However, this reboot would come with a delay, an opening.
Most importantly, the Demon Sword that appeared in the illusion was the true incarnation of the Demon Sword!
Though not the real body, it was connected to it.
Because this illusion-formed Demon Sword could actually reshape the illusions, otherwise, the Great Void Illusion Realm wouldn't have bugged out.
It was through this brief contact with the Demon Sword that Wen Si could use his own Dao to force a change of host.
This wasn't unconditional, Chen Kuang just happened to meet the requirement.
He had entered the illusion with the Langhuan Fragment, and due to its similar properties, had become half of the illusion's foundation, essentially a fake host.
The Demon Sword didn't accept him, but it couldn't reject him either.
In a way... it was he who was parasitizing the Demon Sword.
Of course, if it were just about transferring the Demon Sword to another host, it would only mean one more victim trapped in the illusion.
What made Chen Kuang different was that he had already split his consciousness, one part in the illusion, the other still in the real world.
That part of him remained unaffected, forever lucid.
Something no one else could do!
If he could capture the Demon Sword within the illusion, and become its host, then he could seize the initiative and trap the Demon Sword inside his own mind!
That was Wen Si's plan, to force the Demon Sword to bow, and voluntarily submit to a host.
A once-and-for-all solution!
...
"Buzz, splash..."
Wen Si opened his palm. The small fishing boat reappeared in his hand, water rippling around it like a floating mirage as a tiny fishing lantern flickered and floated down between Chen Kuang and the little princess.
Wen Si said quietly, "Junior brother, please board the boat."
In an instant, a ripple of water washed through the room, it was as if they were plunged into surging waves. The sound of paddling and water splashing echoed all around.
Chen Kuang's vision swirled. In the next moment, he was seated in that same boat once more.
Dense fog blanketed the lake. Ahead, a fisherman pushed the pole, cutting through the water, sending waves rippling outward. The boat drifted toward an unknown destination.
The lantern flickered ahead, glowing dimly and brightly by turns as small sparks fell.
Chen Kuang reached out to touch the flickering flame.
Its surface was cold and sticky.
A faint metallic tang of blood rose to his nose, then grew sharper, becoming painfully real.
"Mr. Chen, careful!"
Chu Wenruo's voice cried out beside him.
"Great Void Illusion Realm... Wujian Purgatory... sun and moon in the same sky... a twisted reflection of this world..."
Someone sang in a soft, dreamy tone. The voice was beautiful and surreal, like a serene lullaby whispering in one's ear.
Chen Kuang looked up sharply and found himself face to face with a pale, flawless woman's face.
Her eyes were pitch black and when their gazes met, she curved her lips into a breathtaking, dreamlike smile.
What he held was no longer a flame, it was a long, cold sword.
The blade was hollow, shaped like a long, narrow eye and the center sat a red gem, like a pupil, gleaming as though alive, as if it could rotate and gaze back at whoever looked upon it.
This was the Demon Sword, Wujian!
At the final moment, just before Su Huaiying could be taken, Chen Kuang had dashed forward and become its host instead.
The blade in his hand sliced open his palm as his blood dripped down the steel, making the already eerie sword seem even more sinister.
Whoosh!
The rotting corpse before him turned to stone the moment he grasped the Demon Sword, then crumbled to sand in the blink of an eye.
Gone, just like dust in the wind.
"Buzz-"
Chen Kuang felt the sword vibrating in his hand. Then, it turned into a streak of red light, lunging toward his brow!
An overwhelming surge of killing intent followed.
The Demon Sword had sensed his purpose, it wanted him dead!
"Perfect timing," Chen Kuang thought, taking a deep breath.
At that instant, waves surged again in his ears. The only thing visible was the distant flicker of the fishing lantern.
The illusion of waves and mist rewrapped the entire world.
That red light never could pierce his forehead, it was trapped midair, encased within the lantern's flame.
Chen Kuang held the flame gently in his palm.
"Draw the sword!"
Wen Si shouted, his voice booming like thunder.
Chen Kuang clenched his hand, plunging it through the crimson fire and gripping the sword hilt within!
Then, with steady force, he began to pull the long sword from the illusion, inch by inch!
He couldn't draw it quickly.
The Demon Sword was resisting with everything it had as faint screams and wails echoed from every direction, pleas, curses, the sound of souls writhing.
All of them pierced his mind like needles, making his skin crawl and panic rise.
The Demon Sword's shape began to twist and change.
One moment it became a stream of water, sliding through his fingers.
The next, it turned into countless mangled limbs reaching out from the void, dripping with black mire, clawing at his arms and torso, trying to drag him into a bottomless hell.
Then suddenly, it turned into a familiar, blood-soaked human head, its eyes wide in rage, its mouth silently mouthing words..
His own mother.
A blurry face from his past life, long buried in his deepest memories, now stared at him with hate and grief...
"Focus! Do not let go!"
Wen Si's voice cut through the chaos as ripples spread outward. The hallucination flickered and broke, restoring clarity for a breath.
Then it began again, more twisted than before.
Chen Kuang braced himself. He knew, this was the final trial.
The Demon Sword was attacking his spiritual consciousness directly.
And more terrifying, it could peer into the deepest, darkest corners of the heart.
However...
Chen Kuang's mental strength far surpassed that of ordinary people. Even the old master, Huo Hengxuan, had confirmed that he possessed the spiritual resilience of someone with innate wisdom.
His will was unshakable. The illusions, no matter how vivid, only caused him a brief moment of confusion.
He steadied himself, gripped the Demon Sword firmly, or rather, the thing that should have been the Demon Sword, and repeated an old trick.
He released three fingers, firmly focused.
Then he flicked the blade.
"Zheng-"
A note of sound, like an ancient zither string vibrating, rang out.
It was clear and pure, like wind wafting through pines.
Moonlight rose overhead as divine clarity shone through the dark void.
His mind cleared and the illusions evaporated.
Only the sword remained, twisted, eerie, but solid and cold in his hand.
Seizing the moment, Chen Kuang yanked it free.
The lantern flame winked out while Chen Kuang exhaled sharply and took two steps back, still holding the Demon Sword.
He turned to Su Huaiying and their eyes met. He opened his mouth to speak yet suddenly saw her body collapse, like a poorly assembled toy.
Her parts rolled away like puzzle pieces, disappearing into nothingness.
Chen Kuang froze. Then turned to see that the others, Qincuo, Chu Wenruo, Shen Meinan, were all frozen, then collapsed the same way.
All before even the very sky collapsed.
This was what true destruction looked like..
The illusion, constructed from Su Huaiying's consciousness, shattered entirely.
This was the reboot process.
Only... there was no reboot this time.
Previously, each time the illusion reset, their consciousness had already "died," so they'd never seen this.
Now, watching it unfold, seeing the cracks appear, the world unravel and come apart, was utterly shocking.
The pieces of the illusion disintegrated.
From the gaps, a pitch-black darkness seeped in.
The darkness grew and then began to collapse inward.
The entire illusion was imploding.
Chen Kuang stood alone in the wreckage of this world, exhaled, and closed his eyes.
His two consciousnesses began to synchronize.
At the same time, his status bar quietly refreshed.
...
"He's awake! Mr. Chen, you're finally awake!"
Chu Wenruo's voice trembled with joy. She leaned in so close he could smell her delicate orchid-like fragrance, brushing his cheeks like the wind.
Confirming that he was conscious, she hurriedly adjusted his blanket and ran out to summon the others.
Chen Kuang fully opened his eyes.
The ceiling was unfamiliar, but... also familiar.
He was in his room at the Chen Residence.
But... how had he ended up in a coma?
He blinked and looked down.
All his limbs were intact, they had no sign of injury.
He felt... excellent..
His spirit and body were full to the brim. Only his Tower Ascension Realm cultivation was slightly unstable, his Spiritual Energy still shifting around.
Inside his consciousness, however, stood a mist-shrouded tower. Two stone steps appeared in the clouds, leading upward into the unknown.
This was the Tower of Ascension.
Twelve steps to heaven.
A passage from mortal to immortal.
Chen Kuang had been at the Tower Ascension: First Step, but thanks to his passive Destruction and Rebirth, which triggered when the Demon Sword tried to kill him, he had now advanced to the Second Step.
That was proof enough that this was no dream.
He wasn't in an illusion anymore.
However, there was an even simpler way to confirm it.
He glanced to the bottom right corner of his vision, and saw the system update:
[You have subdued the Demon Sword "Wujian" and gained the passive skill "Sword Heart": Your heart is one with your sword. Any sword in your hand becomes an extension of your will.]
Only then did Chen Kuang finally relax.
If the golden finger said so, then there was no doubt.
And the passive "Sword Heart" was as overpowered as it sounded, it let him instantly master any sword he picked up.
Naturally, as of right now, it was already in effect.
The invisible Demon Sword now hovered obediently in a pitch-black void within his consciousness, fully manifested, facing the other Chen Kuang.
This space was the true source of the illusion.
It had a name: Wujian's Abyss.
The reason no one had found the Demon Sword's whereabouts over the past thirteen years was precisely because, whenever it was left unhosted and adrift in the outside world, it would hide itself within this space.
This space came with a Divine Ability of its own, called "Sun and Moon in the Same Sky".
The illusions derived from within could replace reality itself. The price however was the collective willpower of all living beings.
Which was exactly why the illusion had to last long enough and involve enough people.
Only when the beings within the illusion amassed sufficient wishforce could it overturn the real world.
Moreover, for small objects, the Demon Sword's Divine Ability could directly distort and reshape them, it was an utterly defiant power.
Now that the Demon Sword had accepted its new master, this space and also its Divine Ability naturally belonged to Chen Kuang.
Which was undoubtedly a good thing.
But something... Just didn't feel right.
Originally, it was expected that the Demon Sword wouldn't yield so easily. It was supposed to resist him for some time, trap him in illusions, wear down his will and slowly grind him into submission.
Yet now, it seemed as though the Demon Sword, sensing its own defeat, had simply... self-destructed.
In other words, it had voluntarily collapsed the illusion before the transfer of ownership, and did not regenerate another one afterward.
But that also meant, the illusion would now exert its influence, replacing reality.
"Tch..."
Chen Kuang's eye twitched as he flipped out of bed, pushed the door open, and stepped outside.
From the moment he replaced Su Huaiying and became the Demon Sword's host, to the Martial Saint Pavilion's siege, there had been a blank in the illusion's timeline.
So how would that missing memory be filled?
"Screech-"
As he flung the door open, Chen Kuang froze.
The entire Chen Residence was... intact!
He stood in shock, taking two hesitant steps forward.
The Eastern Wing still looked about right, thanks to Shen Meinan's mystical Spiritual Treasure, it should have remained largely untouched.
But the outer walls had definitely been at least partially destroyed.
And more horrifying, the rest of the Chen Residence, which should've been flattened in the battle with Bai Fen, was now fully restored.
White walls, black tiles, a household of nobility.
Chen Kuang leapt up onto the roof and looked around the place.
The entire surrounding town was also intact.
Morning mist swirled through the streets. A few sparrows flitted past in a rustle of wings. The scene was peaceful. Serene.
Not like in the illusion, but better than the illusion.
Chen Kuang stared blankly at the world before him, utterly dazed.
Until a loud, anxious voice rang out below:
"What are you doing up there?! Come down right now! You just woke up, you shouldn't be moving around!"
Chen Kuang looked down.
There stood a girl in a pale yellow dress, hopping mad like a puffed-up little bird. Her twin ponytails bounced with little bells that jingled merrily, brimming with energy.
He took a deep breath and jumped down from the rooftop.
Qincuo walked up to him, frowning. "What's wrong?"
Chen Kuang hesitated, momentarily unsure of how to even answer.
Just then, Chu Wenruo walked in, carrying Su Huaiying.
Chu Wenruo was gently patting the child's back, looking worried as she glanced at Chen Kuang:
"It's strange... this child's been so quiet lately. Could she have strained her throat?"
Chen Kuang looked at Su Huaiying.
She turned to face him with a blank expression, eyes full of despair.
They stared at each other.
He blinked.
She blinked back.
The little soup bucket cleared her throat and said seriously, "Mother, I just don't like talking anymore."
Chu Wenruo looked puzzled. "Don't like talking? Talking isn't a hobby, dear. Everyone talks."
"Exactly because everyone talks, not talking becomes special."
Su Huaiying said solemnly, "Most silent types are experts. I want to be one too."
Chu Wenruo was stunned for a second, then relaxed and chuckled:
"Alright, alright. Our little Ying'er is going to be a top-tier expert in the future."
The sudden silence of her daughter had made her uneasy.
But now, she felt reassured. This was still the same quirky girl, full of bizarre ideas, strange but adorable.
Chen Kuang exchanged another glance with Su Huaiying.
He saw the helplessness in her eyes.
Good... so she still remembers it all too.
He smiled. "Our little princess will definitely become a top-tier expert. Maybe even stronger than me."
He stepped forward and ruffled her hair.
Su Huaiying felt his warm hand on her forehead yet it made her slightly uncomfortable.
Though she now had the body of a four-year-old, in an ordinary household, still young enough to pee by the roadside, her mind was very much adult.
Especially in the later stages of her reincarnation, after she chose the path of emperorship, she'd faced endless hardship, hardened her heart, and learned to express nothing outwardly.
Now she had to act like a child again, naturally she felt awkward.
Which was why she didn't want to speak much.
But to keep her mother from worrying, she would slowly shift her behavior.
After all, with her current background, she could just pass it off as being precocious.
As for Chu Wenruo adjusting, she'd just have to endure it.
But Chen Kuang, he knew this truth.
Yet he still treated her like a total child...
Su Huaiying looked up to see him grinning slyly.
Tch. He's doing it on purpose.
She turned her gaze to Chu Wenruo, whose shy smile and pink cheeks were impossible to miss.
Instantly, she understood, he was trying to craft a happy family scene.
Its so obvious what he was up to.
She snorted internally but didn't actually object.
Though he was full of schemes, he had indeed risked his life to protect her and her mother, time and again.
This time, she had witnessed it herself.
In the illusion, when he said, "Just sacrifice me instead," Su Huaiying had been deeply moved.
There was a way to solve everything by sacrificing someone else, but he chose himself instead.
She knew how hard it was for herself to reach that kind of resolve, so she understood exactly how precious it was in him.
The road to restoring Liang was long.
How many people could truly be relied upon?
Even in illusions, she'd been betrayed again and again.
To have someone truly trustworthy was rare beyond belief.
The sixty-four rounds of enlightened attempts proved that Chu Wenruo wasn't fickle. She simply met the right person.
And for her, that person was Chen Kuang.
He was a perfect match.
Chu Wenruo needed someone to lean on too.
The only issue was... this guy seemed a little too popular with women.
Su Huaiying's eyes drifted to Shen Meinan, especially at the way she clung tightly to Chen Kuang's arm, and that overly powerful front-facing defense system of hers.
She frowned.
Then looked at Chu Wenruo.
Then back at Shen Meinan.
And confirmed, Shen Meinan had the advantage.
She was not just taller, but with that petite waist and disproportionate impact as well.
This is... way too much, right?
The little Slop Bucket wore a look of pure incomprehension.
She couldn't help comparing herself.
But in the illusion, perhaps due to constant hardship and poor nutrition, even by age twenty she had remained... well... utterly average.
Of course, that helped in military logistics and discipline so she'd never cared about it.
But now, facing this fifteen-year-old girl who shattered her worldview, she couldn't help but care.
Shen Meinan was fussing over Chen Kuang's health, stuffing him with all kinds of restorative pills.
Suddenly, she noticed someone staring.
She turned, alert, only to see Chu Wenruo's daughter. That cute little dumpling was staring at her with round eyes.
Shen Meinan relaxed but then got confused.
Why was this little thing staring at her?
She looked down.
Ah. The longevity lock on her chest.
Could it be... she wanted to play with it?
No way! This was her life-lock, and it even had Shen Xingzhu's divine clone attached to it.
She'd make the little one, a similar toy later.
Putting that aside, she turned back to Chen Kuang, her eyes shining:
"You're really going to be famous now. Killing a Moon-Embracing Realm expert from Martial Saint Pavilion head-on while still in Innate Realm... that's no joke. You were controversial when you entered the Canglang Evaluation, but now you slapped them all in the face! You'll definitely rise in the rankings!"
Chen Kuang thought to himself: So far, that part hadn't changed.
But if the Chen Residence was intact, then the battle must've happened elsewhere.
Shen Meinan grew dejected:
"The first time we met, I was thinking of giving you the Initiation Token. Now it seems I was overthinking it."
"You don't need any token. If those sects find out you're still unaffiliated, they'll kill each other just to recruit you."
She muttered, "When you said you'd take first in the Canglang Evaluation, I thought you were joking. Who knew... you might really do it."
Then she looked tense.
"Just... please don't register under the name 'Shen Meinan,' okay? I'm begging you!"
Chen Kuang blinked. "Wouldn't it be more satisfying to defeat your sister under your name?"
How strange. She had laughed so hard about it before, but now that it seemed possible, she was panicking.
Shen Meinan quickly waved her hands and said, "The people on the Canglang Evaluation are mostly battle maniacs, especially the top ten. The ratio is ridiculously high. For a genius like you who emerged out of nowhere, you're exactly the kind of opponent they love challenging the most."
Her tone grew heavy, "Challenges like that might be called friendly sparring on the surface, but they always go all out. Those are the kinds that most often end in death!"
"If you enter the Canglang Evaluation under my name, I'm dead for sure! I'm so weak, I couldn't fight them off even if I wanted to!"
"I'm too young to die this early!"
Chen Kuang: "..."
So that's what you were worried about?
He stifled a laugh and offered a solution:
"That's simple. I'll just stick with you. If anyone comes looking for a fight, you say, 'I, Shen Meinan, ranked number one on the Canglang Evaluation, never draw my blade lightly.'"
He posed dramatically and said,
"'If you want to challenge me, beat my junior brother Chen Kuang first. Only those who defeat him are qualified to face me.'"
"This way, they'll still end up fighting me, and your problem's solved."
Shen Meinan was stunned and fell into thought.
"...That actually sounds... reasonable?"
And then she seriously started considering it...
Chen Kuang shook his head in amusement and looked at Qincuo, giving her a knowing glance.
Qincuo immediately stepped forward and said,
"The patient needs rest. Let's move to the main hall for now."
Everyone, who had been giddy with emotion, suddenly realized that crowding around like this wasn't exactly good for someone who had just regained consciousness.
They gave a few more words of concern before reluctantly leaving the room.
Once the others had dispersed, Chen Kuang said,
"Maybe the battle earlier hurt my spirit a bit, my memory's fuzzy. Could you tell me in detail what happened?"
Qincuo was absolutely loyal and asked,
"Where should I begin?"
Chen Kuang thought for a moment and cautiously said,
"Start from... when I got possessed by the Demon Sword."
Qincuo nodded and began recounting things in an orderly manner.
According to her, after Chen Kuang took Su Huaiying's place as the Demon Sword's host, he fell unconscious for a while and they were forced to hide in the wilderness in fear and uncertainty.
But two days later, he just woke up on his own.
Chen Kuang instantly realized: That must've been when the "One Split Mind" passive triggered.
That allowed him to escape the illusion and avoid being consumed by the Demon Sword, not only that, he even became its master.
From there, events played out roughly as expected. But since Su Huaiying didn't fall unconscious, they didn't have to stay in the Chen Residence.
The Martial Saint Pavilion's target was Chen Kuang. To draw them away, he went to the Eastern Court Lake to confront them head-on.
That was why the Chen Residence remained untouched, but the water level of Eastern Court Lake dropped by a full foot!
The rest played out as he recalled: storming the Prefectural Governor's office, sacrificing three heads to the Dragon King, and the involvement of his Senior Brother and Master, everything aligned.
And after the battle, he "fell unconscious from his injuries" and had only just woken up now.
"You offered up the heads of the Prefect, the Enlightenment Envoy, and the Gang Leader to appease the Dragon King. That brought a clear sky and saved nearly ten thousand lives in Jishao Prefecture," Qincuo said solemnly.
"The noble houses are trying to learn more about you and are already planning to build you a life-sized shrine. I had the Chen family keep your identity secret to prevent unnecessary attention."
Chen Kuang, who was now being treated like a savior, felt a chill run down his spine and his scalp tingle.
So it wasn't just the memories that had been replaced, an entire timeline had been overwritten!
The intact Chen Residence, the townspeople restored from the dead, the actual drop in Eastern Court Lake's water level, these were changes in the real world.
That meant the illusion didn't just rewrite memories, it could overwrite reality itself!
Even Qi Sibai, who could see the threads of destiny and had tracked the Demon Sword for three years, never realized this...
No, Chen Kuang shook his head.
He couldn't blame Qi Sibai.
When reality itself was rewritten, even Qi Sibai's memories would be altered.
If something really happened, then that was destiny, it couldn't be challenged.
Only those who broke free from the illusion could retain their original memories.
But that also meant, they'd see a world utterly different from what they knew. A fake world that had become reality.
And if they remained clear-headed... it would be the ultimate cruelty.
Chen Kuang suddenly had an absurd thought.
Maybe those who killed themselves after being affected by illusions, weren't victims of confusion.
Maybe they killed themselves because they finally understood.
Because when they thought they had returned to reality, they found the world they knew, all the people they loved, had been completely replaced.
That was what drove them mad..
Chen Kuang silently stared at the Demon Sword floating before him.
In that pitch-black expanse, the red gem embedded in the Demon Sword glowed eerily, like it was silently observing everything.
What exactly is this "Wujian's Abyss"?
Why can it alter reality to such a degree?
The power of this Divine Ability... had already surpassed the Saint level.
And Jie Kun, just how did he forge such a cursed thing?
Chen Kuang now felt as though he was carrying a ticking time bomb.
"...By the way, speaking of Qi Sibai, wasn't it his life's destiny to track the Demon Sword? Haven't I... just destroyed his fate?"
"...Crap. If he's lost his life purpose, he's not gonna just 'see the light' and disappear, right?"
Chen Kuang suddenly grew anxious and asked Qincuo, "Where's Qi Sibai?"
He headed back inside, threw on his robe, and finally placed the Dragon Gums Zither into his newly acquired storage pouch, no more wandering around with a musical instrument like a traveling bard!
He strapped on Mist-Flower Silk, then strode outside.
Qincuo replied,
"He left earlier today with two others back to the Envious Fish Hermitage. Said it was urgent. He left word that if you wake up in time, you should come say goodbye."
"And your Senior Brother also left a message: if you ever decide it's time to leave, he'll come see you off."
...
Mt. Tai, Martial Saint Pavilion.
A towering statue of a burly elder stood before a grand pavilion. With flowing beard and long blade in hand, he had an awe-inspiring gaze that radiated silent majesty.
This was the Martial Saint, Mu Zhao.
Before the statue sat a massive incense burner, brimming with burning incense sticks, from which streams of smoke curled upward, wrapping the statue in clouds, making it seem like a celestial figure.
And if one looked closely, they'd notice the statue breathing the smoke.
The incense would enter through its nose and drift back out its lips. Each cycle made the statue's eyes brighter, its aura more serene, so much so that people felt compelled to revere it instinctively.
Next to the statue was a seemingly modest blank stone stele.
Though far smaller than the statue, the stele shimmered occasionally with mysterious text that vanished just as quickly.
Beneath it was a ten-thousand-foot cliff, with a hundred chains hanging down into the clouds, and countless people climbing them, struggling to reach the top.
Some slipped and fell, vanishing into the abyss below.
But those who made it to the stele would first bow deeply to the Martial Saint's statue before staring reverently at the stele.
This world recognized four sacred mountains:
The first is Xunmi Mountain of the Northern Plains: 18,000 feet tall and a natural barrier between regions, it towers into the heavens, a true pillar of the sky!
The second, Liberty Mountain: The home of the Sage and, where peach blossoms bloom, the highest peak of knowledge in the world.
The third is Void Chamber Mountain: The final resting place of the Sword Saint, where the divine blade Tai A still rests at his side, it is said to be the pinnacle of the sword.
And lastly, the fourth: Mt. Tai: Home of the Martial Saint Pavilion, surrounded on all sides by cliffs, it marks the very peak of martial cultivation.
Here, the martial Saint who dominated the world had erected the Stele of the Dao, a public beacon for all.
"All who ascend this mountain may inherit my teachings and glimpse the pinnacle of martial arts."
Within the stone stele lay a fragment of the Martial Saint's Dao Resonance.
Those who could grasp it found untold fortune. Most ended up joining Martial Saint Pavilion in gratitude of it.
For them, this was the holiest sanctuary of martial arts.
But now, this sacred place was in complete uproar.
"Impossible! Three Moon-Embracing Realm masters sent to kill a Qi Opening Realm,and two of them died?! And the other heavily wounded?!"
The Pavilion Lord, Wen Hongsheng, a Master Realm cultivator known as the "Martial Turtle Among Scribes," could no longer keep his composure.
He leapt from his seat, staring at the messenger in disbelief.
They weren't outsiders, they had full knowledge of Chen Kuang's true strength.
Which made this result all the more insane.
A Qi Opening Realm cultivator, supposedly boosted only temporarily by Huo Hengxuan's support, had killed three Moon-Embracing Realm elites?!
Huo Hengxuan was dead! His support should've disappeared!
But instead of weakening, Chen Kuang had only grown stronger?!
These weren't weaklings who force-fed themselves pills, they were solidly built Moon-Embracing Realm experts!
And they were destroyed by a random rogue cultivator?! What even is this world?!
Wen Hongsheng was seriously questioning life.
His cultivation of inner peace failed him completely.
The subordinate cautiously added,
"Pavilion Lord... latest intel says he's at the Tower Ascension Realm now."
Wen Hongsheng took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, face dark:
"What difference does it make? Qi Opening or Tower Ascension, they still shouldn't be able to kill Moon-Embracing Realm cultivators. Let alone two of them!"
What should've been a guaranteed mission turned into a disaster.
Two high-level cultivators were lost while chasing a nobody, this was a serious blow to the Pavilion.
The subordinate asked,
"Should we still maintain the bounty?"
Wen Hongsheng growled,
"Double it! Raise it to Moon-Embracing Realm level. Someone will help us strike him down."
His gaze was cold. Though he didn't say it aloud, what he meant was that the dark sects would step in.
He still couldn't believe that Chen Kuang did it alone.
Someone had to be helping him!
"...But it doesn't matter. No matter how ridiculous he gets, he won't survive the Martial Saint."
After a pause, he muttered,
"Chen Kuang colluded with a great demon. He may have consumed a demon core and fallen into the path of half-demons. That's the only way this makes sense."
"But if that's true, he must've suffered backlash and is likely severely wounded.. The Martial Saint Pavilion will hold for now. Raise the bounty to triple Moon-Embracing Realm. We'll reassess after observing."
"Understood."
Wen Hongsheng took a deep breath. "Is the Divine Incense ready?"
"Yes. Shall we proceed?"
He nodded. "Let's go. The perfect vessel has arrived."
"Though the Martial Saint cannot leave seclusion, he can descend into a suitable body."
They reached the window.
Far below, a dark-skinned boy in a green headwrap was scaling the chains, his cultivation was barely at the Qi Opening Realm.
The boy reached the stele and bowed fervently.
Wen Hongsheng pointed towards him.
"That one. Bring him to me."
...
Back at the Envious Fish Hermitage.
"Brother Chen, you finally made it."
"If you'd taken any longer, I would've left."
Chen Kuang opened the door and saw Qi Sibai clasp his hands in greeting.
He returned the salute and saw that Qi Sibai had already packed up. He raised an eyebrow.
"In such a hurry?"
Qi Sibai's expression was grim.
"News just came in. Prince Qi of the Zhou Dynasty was defeated at Xunmi Mountain and captured by the Night Barbarians. The Northern defense line... has fallen."
"Their army is marching south toward the heartlands. All major sects are rallying to defend against the invasion. The Heavenly Observatory Division has been summoned as well."
Chen Kuang looked at Zhou Yanwei: "Prince Qi... that's your brother?"
Zhou Yanwei nodded solemnly.
Chen Kuang glanced at his face and nearly quipped, "No need to hold back, if you're that happy, just laugh out loud."
But the moment didn't feel right, so he swallowed it.