Nan Songzi’s eyes widened as he stared at the female cultivator before him. Though the face remained as dazzling as ever, her expression and demeanor were utterly unfamiliar. He struggled to suppress his tumultuous emotions, clutching his abdomen, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.
“You’re not Tao Rong!”
“Tao Rong? Are you talking about her?”
The voice of the woman in purple had changed as well. Her tone, slightly nasal and low yet pleasant, carried a unique metallic timbre, reminiscent of clashing steel.
She smiled and extended her hand. With a sudden ripple in the air, a bl00dstained head appeared in her grasp, swaying slightly. The face, though grotesquely twisted by fear, was unmistakably identical to hers.
The sight of the purple-clad woman holding a severed he*ad was too bizarre, shocking everyone present by the lake into silence.
Murong Qingyan quickly turned her face away, letting out a soft sigh.
Nan Songzi’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets. Though he was no stranger to cruelty, he had never carried a severed head of his enemy around like a trophy.
Who was this woman?
His thoughts mirrored his question, which he blurted out. However, the woman in purple merely tilted her sharp chin at him and said:
“A eunuch like you dares to ask?”
Only then did Nan Songzi realize the wound in his lower abdomen was likely fatal.
When this dawned on him, he became frantic. Surging emotions overwhelmed him, as though his head might explode. Outwardly, though, he burst into raucous, almost hysterical laughter. His body shook uncontrollably; every muscle, bone, and fiber seemed to escape his control. He had to flail about wildly to release the unbearable tension.
As a cultivator, he had experienced similar phenomena before. “A Qi deviation? How could I suffer a Qi deviation?”
At first, Nan Songzi thought it was due to a flaw in the demonic technique he practiced. But he quickly dismissed the notion. He realized the problem wasn’t with him but with the “Great Void True Talisman” he had swallowed. Waves of heat radiated from it, spreading through his limbs and bones, filling his senses with a strange, intoxicating aroma.
“This… This is…”
The purple-robed woman glanced at him and chuckled. “Relax. This time it’s not Bewildering Stem Fragrance but the purest ‘Fleeting Dream’!”
Her low voice seemed to flow through the air, the metallic undertone becoming sharper, like a saw lodged in Nan Songzi’s throat, silencing him completely.
Nan Songzi wasn’t a fool. By now, he understood that this woman must have been lurking nearby long before. Most likely, she had killed Tao Rong during his brief escape and return, taking her form to deceive both him and Murong Qingyan.
Thinking back, her actions of caressing her face and hands after acquiring the talisman explained everything.
Panting heavily, Nan Songzi pieced together many things but couldn’t fathom one question: How had she acquired ‘Fleeting Dream’? Even Murong Qingyan couldn’t obtain it, so how did this woman come by it?
“‘Fleeting Dream’ is collected from the East Sea. It’s not exclusive to Flying Soul City,” Murong Qingyan explained, stepping forward to shatter his last vestiges of hope.
A name, buzzing ominously in his ears, obliterated all remaining illusions.
“East Sea Rakshasa Sect!”
Murong Qingyan continued, “Let it be known—this is a Daoist envoy of the East Sea Rakshasa Sect…”
Before she could finish, the purple-robed woman interrupted, “Just a teacher of a branch sect now.”
She didn’t wait for further introductions and smiled at Nan Songzi. “Remember this well. My Daoist title is Chi Yin. If you want revenge in your next life, don’t forget it!”
The Rakshasa Sect!
As a disciple of the Jade Cleansing Alliance, Nan Songzi was well aware that the Rakshasa Sect was a colossal faction based on the East Sea neighboring the alliance. While it couldn’t match the alliance’s grandeur of countless sects united, the sect’s techniques were bizarre and sinister. Their deity was said to possess boundless divine powers, often manifesting miracles through avatars. Even the greatest figures in this realm had to show deference to them.
Thus, even a powerful sect like Flying Soul City, backed by the Jade Cleansing Alliance, could only share control of the East Sea with the Rakshasa Sect without conflict.
For such a dominant sect to possess a bit of “Fleeting Dream” was unsurprising.
Realizing this, Nan Songzi let out a burst of wild laughter, extinguishing the last flicker of hope within him.
As the saying goes, “Those who court disaster cannot escape.” What should have been an excellent opportunity had turned into utter ruin.
‘Fleeting Dream’ was indeed a rare and devastatingly potent poison in this world, known for inciting heart fire and damaging the soul. Yet, had he utilized his Myriad True Qi properly, he wouldn’t have been entirely defenseless.
It was his obsession with the Great Void True Talisman that blinded him. Eager to claim merit, he had employed an imperfect demonic technique and foolishly swallowed the talisman. The internal and external forces clashed, leading to uncontrolled heart demons and Qi deviation. Worse, the poison was locked within his body, leaving no means of purification.
Looking at the woman’s expression across from him, even she seemed slightly surprised by the outcome!
As the thought settled, Nan Songzi roared deeply, his body, already swollen, expanded further. His eyes lost all distinction between whites and pupils, turning completely bl00d-red.
The two female cultivators immediately sensed that something was wrong. The purple-robed woman flicked the short sword that had just slashed Nan Songzi’s abdomen. It transformed into a dazzling streak of light, aiming straight for his head.
Nan Songzi raised his left arm to block, and with a sharp tearing sound, the sword light cut through flesh and bone, nearly severing his entire arm. However, it only managed to stop short. Bl00d mist erupted, and the short sword lodged in the wound, trembling but unable to move further.
Completely ignoring the injuries ravaging his body, Nan Songzi’s bl00d-red eyes captured every figure on the lake, imprinting them firmly into his soul. He then let out a sinister laugh. At the sound, both female cultivators simultaneously retreated.
With a muffled “boom,” Nan Songzi’s body expl0ded into a cloud of fragments—bl00d mist, pulverized flesh, and shattered bones flying in all directions. The surrounding red mist thickened ominously. From the blossoming gore, shadowy phantoms surged out, carrying intense demonic Qi and launching a fierce assault on everyone by the lake.
Without a word, Murong Qingyan turned and flew toward Meng Wei and Yu Ci. The purple-robed cultivator, however, snorted coldly, tracing several swift patterns in the air. The shadowy phantoms froze, aimlessly circling before falling upon each other in a chaotic frenzy of self-destruction.
This delay allowed the red mist above to spiral upward, condensing into a dim streak of light that fled southward across the horizon.
“A soul escaping its body?”
The purple-robed cultivator sneered. “Does he really think abandoning his physical form will exempt him from the effects of the ‘Fleeting Dream’?”
While she mocked, Murong Qingyan shielded Meng Wei and Yu Ci before the shadowy phantoms could strike. Without Nan Songzi’s control, the malicious entities were ferocious but not overly difficult to handle. They were quickly eradicated.
Meng Wei, heavily injured by the “God-Slaying Thorn,” appeared unscathed outwardly. When Murong Qingyan came to her aid, she softly expressed her gratitude, though her demeanor remained composed. To her, helping friends was a matter of course, not something to be overly celebrated.
Murong Qingyan nodded in acknowledgment, then glanced toward Yu Ci, who was still half-submerged in the water, staring dazedly at the purple-robed figure.
Yu Ci had been staring for a long time, finding nothing familiar about the figure before him.
But what had she just called herself?
Chi Yin?
Murong Qingyan dismissed the young man’s distraction, assuming he was still shaken by the earlier events. Smiling, she extended her hand. “Junior Brother, are you alright?”
Yu Ci, still somewhat absent-minded, took her hand and allowed her to pull him onto the surface of the water. Instinctively, he activated a movement talisman, enabling him to stand lightly on the water’s surface.
“Such smooth talisman techniques,” Murong Qingyan praised, letting go of his hand. Only then did Yu Ci notice the lingering softness of her touch. He hesitated briefly but was interrupted by Meng Wei’s soft voice.
“What about Nan Songzi?”
“If he thinks abandoning his body will spare him from the ‘Fleeting Dream’, he’s destined for despair,” Murong Qingyan replied coolly, her mood evidently not great.
However, her radiant face soon lit up with a smile. “Come, Junior Sister Meng, let me introduce a friend to you. You’re neighbors now, after all…”
“No need for introductions. You must be Meng Wei, the ‘Flawless Sword’ of the Discipline Hall at the Rifting Earth Sect. I’ve long admired your reputation.”
The voice of the purple-robed woman echoed across the lake, crisp and resonant. “I am Chi Yin, a master of the Mysterious Moon Sect from Cliff City, currently residing under your sect’s jurisdiction. I look forward to your guidance.”
Despite her words, her demeanor remained indifferent, even distant, devoid of any hint of submission.
Meng Wei, always proper and courteous, responded with equal aloofness, offering a polite, “Master Chi Yin.”
Murong Qingyan found their interaction odd but quickly understood. Smiling wryly, she tapped her forehead. “How thoughtless of me! Your two sects have been at odds recently.”
Her gesture—beautiful and slightly exasperated—was surprisingly endearing.
Even Yu Ci, weighed down by his own thoughts, couldn’t help but glance at her and silently praise her ability to ease the tension.
But his attention quickly returned to the scene before him.
He noticed that the light around the approaching purple-robed woman was subtly distorted. In the blink of an eye, her figure blurred and transformed, revealing a taller woman with phoenix eyes and long brows. Though her appearance had changed, her aura remained unmistakable.
“The Illusory Rakshasa Technique truly lives up to its reputation.”
Murong Qingyan’s admiration was evident, and even Meng Wei had to concede its brilliance.
Yu Ci, however, pressed his lips tightly together, one thought dominating his mind: ‘It’s been a long time, Immortal Chi Yin!’
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