“You dare harm my beloved? I’ll kill you! Kill! Kill! Kill!”
At this very moment, Yun Zeng was consumed by boundless killing intent. The Ancient Ancestor Blood within him surged like a roaring furnace, crackling with immense power. This was Ancient Ancestor Power! After all, Yun Zeng was the Son of the Shenwu Emperor, Tianye. In moments of life-or-death crisis, his Ancient Ancestor bloodline would erupt with terrifying might—a power utterly beyond the imagination of the Charm Sect’s Old Ancestors!
Yun Zeng looked down at Liu Ruyan in his arms. Her exquisite face held a hint of grim determination, tinged with a tragic beauty. She was burning her soul! “Ruyan!” Yun Zeng roared, his voice thick with anguish.
The Illusionary Space around them was now showing cracks, its intricate Dao Patterns fracturing. He could see clearly now! This was indeed an illusion woven by the Charm Sect!
With a thought, Yun Zeng conjured a Long Dress onto Liu Ruyan’s form. Her breathtaking figure—those long jade legs, her ample curves, her delicate, fair skin—still stirred a primal heat within him. But! At this critical moment, he had a far more urgent task.
He bit his tongue, then pressed his lips to Liu Ruyan’s, transferring three drops of his Ancient Ancestor Essence Blood directly into her throat. Instantly, Liu Ruyan’s body underwent a terrifying transformation! This was Ancient Ancestor Essence Blood—a treasure that, if released into the outside world, would ignite a bloody storm! Over countless years, Yun Zeng had only cultivated ten such drops within himself. He had given three to Liu Ruyan! Why? Because her condition was dire. Burning her soul and body had dimmed her Dao Foundation, and her aura was fading into oblivion.
Yun Zeng infused the three drops of Ancient Ancestor Essence Blood into Liu Ruyan’s body, mouth-to-mouth, directly halting the momentum of her Soul Combustion! Liu Ruyan’s bloodline was undergoing a drastic change, a faint trace of Ancient Ancestor’s Momentum already manifesting within her!
Moments later, Yun Zeng slowly rose. With a thought, a set of Brocade Robes materialized around him. Holding Liu Ruyan, he activated a secret treasure Ju Shou had given him. It was an Ancient Long Sword, within which a Sealing Restriction held the power of a High-rotation Myriad Phase Realm cultivator! He was only a One-rotation Myriad Phase Realm cultivator himself; wielding this sword would undoubtedly incur severe backlash. But it had come to this! There was no other way!
“Zheng!” Yun Zeng’s body trembled as the Ancient Long Sword in his hand erupted with a heaven-shaking hum. He lowered his head and kissed Liu Ruyan’s forehead. “This Spirit Sword has no name yet. From now on, it shall be called the Cloudmist Sword—for the clouds, and for the mist.”
The next instant, Yun Zeng’s Spirit Sword slashed down towards the illusion before him. “Chii!” A heaven-reaching River of Sword Qi burst forth, tearing through this corner of the world! Sword breaking myriad laws! However, the entire Charm Sect was currently a colossal illusion, its very star a phantom. Though terrifying, this single strike only tore a small corner of the illusion. Before Yun Zeng, countless threads of light appeared, each one shimmering with divine radiance—the very support structures of the illusion! A grand illusion woven from a thousand threads! But at the very least, he was now awake.
Clutching Liu Ruyan, Yun Zeng began to furiously unleash sword qi! “Chii! Chii! Chii! Chii!” One sword strike after another!
At the same time, in a hidden chamber within the Charm Sect, numerous Old Ancestors sat cross-legged. At this moment, all of them spat out a mouthful of essence blood. “Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!” They had all suffered severe backlash!
A grey-robed old woman frowned. “What? Is Yun Zeng’s resistance truly so fierce?”
Another black-robed elder, his white beard trembling, reformed his Spirit Seals. “He is, after all, the Son of the Shenwu Emperor. It’s only natural he’d possess some life-saving tricks!”
The grey-robed old woman glanced towards Liu Ruyan’s cave dwelling. “I can’t see anything.” That area had long been shrouded by Liu Ruyan’s endless Sealing Restrictions! Because, when constructing this colossal array, the formation around Liu Ruyan’s dwelling had been personally arranged by her! This was the true Array Core, designed to facilitate the Dreamland of Intimacy between her and Yun Zeng. The Wushan Intimacy, a phantom dream, every detail had to be perfect, or Yun Zeng would notice! This was what Liu Ruyan had told the Old Ancestors, and they had readily agreed. To this day, they remained oblivious to what was truly unfolding within.
At this, the grey-robed old woman gave a wicked smile. “Could it be that Ruyan and Yun Zeng’s ‘activities’ were a bit too vigorous, making the illusion hard to sustain?”
The black-robed elder let out a chilling laugh. “Naturally, I’d prefer Yun Zeng to ‘take’ Liu Ruyan. How can there be such a thing as gaining something for nothing? Ruyan has pulled that trick far too many times. This is Yun Zeng we’re talking about!”
At his words, the other Old Ancestors paused, then looked at the black-robed elder. “Are you saying… you secretly modified the array?”
The black-robed elder cackled. “Of course! Within this illusion, Liu Ruyan won’t be able to escape unscathed; Yun Zeng will take her directly. There must be a ‘bloody’ outcome. Once Yun Zeng has possessed Liu Ruyan, whether we can truly control him or not becomes irrelevant! Our Charm Sect will simply ride the rising tide of his power! Heheheh…”
The other Old Ancestors burst into laughter. “Excellent! Excellent! You truly think of everything!”
Indeed. Liu Ruyan was scheming against the Charm Sect. But how could they not scheme against Liu Ruyan in return? The older, the wiser! This time, to support Liu Ruyan’s plan, the entire Charm Sect had expended nearly half its accumulated resources! And now, the Old Ancestors themselves had consumed a great deal of their own power! But as long as Liu Ruyan could secure Yun Zeng, the Charm Sect would dominate the Second Star Ring. They didn’t harbor Liu Ruyan’s fantastical ambition of directly entering the First Star Ring. That chasm was not something one could simply cross with effort! As long as this succeeded, they stood to gain immensely, with no risk of loss.
With this thought, the Old Ancestors’ faces twisted into cunning smiles. “Everyone, continue to sustain this illusion! The resistance from Liu Ruyan’s dwelling is growing fiercer!”
Meanwhile, Yun Zeng was relentlessly slashing with his Spirit Sword! He had descended into a frenzy! Rage and killing intent burned like wildfire within him. He had no idea he had fallen deeper into Liu Ruyan’s trap. Yun Zeng hadn’t noticed the Charm Seed Flower Liu Ruyan had planted within him, growing steadily. If he were to discover it now, he could still nip it in the bud. But with each successive strike, his adoration for Liu Ruyan only deepened. The Charm Seed Flower ascended, transforming into an invisible, untraceable entity, completely hidden within his body.
Though Liu Ruyan lay unconscious, every single one of Yun Zeng’s actions was still within her meticulous calculations.
“Chii! Chii! Chii! Chii!” Sword qi, like a river of stars, continuously hacked at the illusion array! Because Liu Ruyan’s dwelling was the Array Core, Yun Zeng’s relentless assault on this spot forced the entire illusion to constantly erupt with power to maintain its core. This cost Yun Zeng a significant amount of time!
But soon, Yun Zeng completely lost his patience! Liu Ruyan was still unconscious, her life hanging by a thread! He immediately resorted to Burning Soul! “Boom!” Terrifying flames erupted around him! The next instant, Yun Zeng unleashed the most dreadful sword strike he had ever conceived! Chii! The illusion array shattered instantly!
“Boom! Boom! Boom!” In the Charm Sect’s hidden chamber, the numerous Old Ancestors suffered severe backlash, all sent flying and left on the verge of death.
Yun Zeng’s divine sense swept out, instantly locating the Old Ancestors. He tore through the void and charged towards them, roaring, “Die! All of you! Aaaargh!”