mental obstacles
Li Da stood stiffly at the door, soaked to the bone, his tattered clothes stained with dark red blood, which stood out starkly in the dim light.
Rain dripped down his hair and the hem of his clothes, forming a small, muddy puddle at his feet.
Yun Wei's pupils contracted slightly, a faint wisp of spiritual light flowed from her fingertips, and an invisible sword intent quietly gathered in her heart.
She was filled with doubt and suspicion: This person was clearly dead, so how could he have walked back on his own?
"Bang--!"
With a loud crash, the already crumbling wooden door shattered, and amidst the flying wood chips, a figure in black robes burst in, instantly sweeping away Li Da, who was blocking the doorway.
"Yunwei, come here!" Xie Lanchen's cold shout and his sword arrived almost simultaneously.
The young man held his sword horizontally in front of her, the tip of the sword pointed intently at the figure struggling to get up. His chest rose and fell slightly from the rapid movement, and his breathing was a little rapid.
The faint light at Yun Wei's fingertips suddenly went out. She raised her eyes and coldly looked at the young man's back that stood in front of her. The former senior sister, the leader of the sword path, why did she need anyone else to protect her? Even if she was now only a remnant soul residing in this Lonely Goose Sword, with less than one-tenth of her cultivation, she, Yun Wei, was by no means someone to be slaughtered or someone who needed to be protected by him.
"Who? Who's outside? Is it my son...is it my son back?" came the panicked, trembling voice of Old Mrs. Li from the inner room, followed by the rustling sound of someone getting up.
"Mother..." Li Da, who was in the corner, was swayed by the fierce sword, and his figure became somewhat illusory. However, he seemed unaware and still struggled to raise his head, making a hoarse, dry, and inhuman call towards the inner room.
Old Mrs. Li stumbled out, her gray, long-blind eyes anxiously "looking" towards the source of the sound, her withered arms groping haphazardly in the air: "Son! Is that you? You've really come back?"
Yun Wei's heart sank, realizing the situation was dire. This Li Da was no living being; he was surrounded by an aura of death. Old Lady Li was merely a mortal, and blind at that. If they approached rashly, the danger would be unpredictable. Thinking of this, she subtly moved her feet, intending to step forward and stop him.
Just then, a cold hand unexpectedly grabbed her wrist.
"Don't move." Xie Lanchen's voice was extremely low, almost whispering in her ear, his breath cool and icy. "Old Mrs. Li can't take any more stimulation, so restrain her son first."
Yun Wei paused, turning her head to look at him. The flickering lamplight cast shadows on the young man's face, making his features appear even more profound. He was actually considering the feelings of an ordinary old woman? Could it be because of their earlier argument?
She suppressed her doubts and did as she was told. But Li Da didn't react at all, still staring blankly in his mother's direction, completely unaware of the two of them.
No… He is neither a corpse nor a ghost, neither a soul nor a spirit, and is not afraid of ordinary magical attacks. He seems to be formed from an obsession. This has far exceeded the scope of ordinary evil spirits.
At this moment, Old Lady Li's withered hand grasped her son's cold, stiff arm, trembling as she repeatedly stroked his cold, muddy, and congealed blood-stained face. Cloudy tears streamed down her face as she murmured, "It's good that you're back...it's good that you're back...I knew my son would come back...he would come back..."
The scene before them, a "reunion" between a human and a ghost, was unsettlingly eerie. Yun Wei thought to herself. An ominous atmosphere permeated the entire village. If Aya, who was exploring alone, were to encounter something similar, the consequences would be unimaginable. The most urgent task was to find her immediately, ensure her safety, and unite the three of them to break this deadlock.
Thinking of this, she gave Xie Lanchen a wink, signaling him to leave. The young man's fingers, which were gripping her wrist, stiffened slightly before releasing them, and the two silently slipped out of the house.
Outside, the rain had stopped sometime earlier. Looking around, one could see dim, flickering lights shining from behind the windows of every house, one after another. Strangely, however, there seemed to be countless subtle yet continuous whispers all around, making one feel uneasy.
Yunwei looked her over, her brows furrowing tightly.
"Xie Lanchen," she began, her voice as cold as ever, "can you hear any voices in this village?"
The boy listened intently for a moment, his face growing increasingly grim. “Every household… there are whispers, muttering and babbling, indistinct yet omnipresent.”
It seems this wasn't her imagination.
Yun Wei said no more. She lightly touched the slippery, muddy ground with her toes and landed on a nearby thatched roof without disturbing a single blade of grass. Almost at the same time, a gentle breeze swept by her side, and Xie Lanchen landed on another slightly higher roof ridge not far away.
The two stood several feet apart, their eyes briefly meeting in mid-air. There seemed to be a flicker of tension in the young man's eyes, a tension concerning her safety that he hadn't yet fully concealed, but he quickly looked away, reverting to his usual gloomy and cold demeanor, as if that glance had been merely her imagination.
The two leaned down in perfect unison, simultaneously casting their gazes upon the brightly lit courtyards below. Yun Wei's mind stirred, and her spiritual sense probed the nearest house. Through the gaps in the loose roof tiles, the scene inside was clearly reflected in her "eyes":
A middle-aged man wearing a dirty, coarse cloth jacket paced back and forth mechanically within the narrow windowpane, his steps restless and heavy, each stiff turn appearing incredibly rigid, like a marionette.
"Why...is she not done yet...Where's the midwife...Go check quickly...Why isn't she done yet..." Intermittent, anxious murmurs accompanied by footsteps repeated over and over.
Yun Wei coldly shifted her gaze, directing her spiritual sense towards another window further away, which also emitted a dim, yellowish light.
A young woman is facing a blurry bronze mirror, raising and lowering her arm, holding a wooden comb, repeatedly combing her hair, the comb teeth never actually touching the hair strands, just futilely moving in the air.
"Isn't it beautiful enough... Husband... Why... Why haven't you come home yet... Why..." she said resentfully.
At the village entrance, the old man, still wearing a tattered straw raincoat, sat under the low eaves of his house, holding a tattered old book with blurred words by the dim light of a small oil lamp, his lips moving rapidly and silently.
Similar actions are playing out everywhere. Reading, waiting for childbirth, longing for return, weaving... Every "person" is like a wound-up toy, tireless, driven by their strongest obsessions in life, endlessly cycling through this small space.
"We've finally caught you!" Just then, a girl's clear but slightly disgruntled voice came from below.
Yunwei and Xie Lanchen looked down at the same time.
Nangong Ya stood in the middle of the alley, hands on her hips, tilting her head and raising an eyebrow as she glanced sideways at the two people on the rooftop. "What are you secretly plotting up there? So sneaky! Are you trying to ditch me and go it alone?" Her tone was arrogant, but her eyes were scrutinizing. "Hmph, without me, you won't be getting out of this mess so easily!"
“Aya,” Yunwei spoke softly, gracefully descending from the rooftop, her robes fluttering slightly, “Have you discovered anything?”
Upon hearing this, the girl's usual smile vanished, replaced by a solemn expression: "I originally wanted to go to the back mountain to investigate the source of that unusual fluctuation, but before I even got close, I was blocked by an invisible barrier." She pointed in the direction of the back mountain, "That barrier is very strange, incredibly tough, and we can't get out."
Yun Wei's eyes flashed, and based on what she had just seen, she had already made a guess.
Is it 'mental obstruction'?
As the senior disciple of the Guiyun Sect, she was knowledgeable and well-versed in all kinds of demonic methods and strange tales. At this moment, she quickly matched the name with a certain barrier in her memory.
Nangong Ya immediately nodded, "Yes!" Seeing Xie Lanchen beside her frowning, clearly not understanding, she rolled her eyes at him irritably, "Alright, alright, are you the only one who doesn't understand? Listen carefully! I'll only say this once!" She cleared her throat and spoke rapidly, "Before a person dies, if their obsession is too deep, their remnant soul is easily drawn by this thought, lingering in the mortal realm and unable to enter reincarnation. This obsession is the 'anchor' that traps them. And the demons lurking here are clearly well-versed in this, and their methods are extremely insidious and ruthless."
She pointed down at the brightly lit houses and the stiff figures moving within them, "It uses some secret method to forcibly imprison and amplify the deepest obsessions of these villagers in life, turning them into invisible chains that tightly bind their souls within their already dead bodies, preventing them from being reborn or from liberation. These souls and their distorted and amplified obsessions depend on each other and become entangled with one another. In the end, all the obsessions and soul power of everyone come together to form a huge and special barrier—this is the 'obstacle of thought'."
"That demon deliberately damaged our carriage and lured us into the village, its purpose being to trap us all in this 'mental barrier'." Yun Wei continued, her voice cold and clear, succinctly revealing their predicament. "If we forcefully break through the barrier, these people bound by their obsessions will immediately be annihilated; if we don't break through this barrier, the life force and spiritual power of the three of us will be slowly absorbed and devoured by this 'mental barrier,' ultimately becoming nourishment for that demon."
This demon treats human life as worthless, toying with the pain of life and death; her heart is despicable, and she must eliminate her as soon as possible.
"Where is the demon's true form?" Xie Lanchen asked in a deep voice, his hand resting on the hilt of the Lone Goose Sword. This was the key; only by finding the source could they deliver a fatal blow.
Upon hearing this, Nangong Ya spread her hands and gave him an even bigger eye roll: "...Do you think I'm some kind of fortune teller who can predict the future with a snap of my fingers? The aura of that demon is elusive, moving east and west, and it seems to have merged with this village and this massive 'mental barrier,' making it indistinguishable from it. In the current situation, even a true immortal would probably have a hard time finding its trace immediately."
Yun lowered her eyes, her mind racing with thoughts: To preserve these lost souls, allowing them to find release and be reincarnated, she must first slay the demon that controls everything. However, the demon has already possessed the entire village. If she forcibly destroys the village, the people's bodies will crumble, and their souls will have nothing to cling to, instantly dissipating. If she preserves its form, the demon can continuously draw power from these trapped people; they are hesitant to act decisively. How can she achieve both?
Xie Lanchen pressed his sword and pondered, a hint of ferocity flashing between his brows: "Is there really no way to break this?" The young man was used to using the sword in his hand to cut down all obstacles, and the feeling of being bound hand and foot made him extremely uncomfortable.
Before Yunwei could speak, a sudden change occurred.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The door was violently smashed open, and the fragile window frame was torn apart and pushed down.
An old man reading dropped his treasured old book, a man about to give birth knocked over tables and chairs, and a woman waiting for her husband's return to dishevel her carefully styled hair. At that moment, the entire village seemed to come alive. They emitted strange, unintelligible "hoho" sounds, surging forth from all directions and corners, crooked yet incredibly swift, rushing towards the location of Yunwei and her companions.
The boy reacted quickly, drawing his Lone Goose Sword with a clang. The sword energy crisscrossed, repelling several villagers who attempted to attack Yunwei.
Yun Wei watched his back as he stood in front of her without hesitation, and a thought stirred within her. How many times had she slain countless demons with her sword, all to prove to everyone that women could be just as capable as men? Why should Xie Lanchen protect her so cautiously? Even though the situation was now against her, she refused to be the one being protected.
She stood half a step in front of Xie Lanchen, facing the surging crowd like a tidal wave.
Nangong Yaxing's eyes widened as she looked at the two who were locked in a fierce battle. She stomped her foot in anger and said, "Fine! You two! You're fighting without me in the game?" Before she finished speaking, she had already caught several silver needles that shimmered with a cold, eerie blue light between her fingers.
"Remember, do not destroy the bodies of these villagers," Yun Wei said in a cold voice, instructing the two. "Those are the only places where the souls of the dead can reside. If their bodies are destroyed, they will immediately be scattered and become the very thing that demon wants."
She knew Xie Lanchen too well; the young man was ruthless and heartless. If she didn't remind him, he might choose the most thorough method for the sake of efficiency.
Upon hearing this, the young man frowned in displeasure. The Lone Goose Sword in his hand flashed with a cold light, its tip trembling slightly as it unleashed sharp sword energy, sending the dozen or so villagers at the forefront staggering backward, their bodies and horses tumbling over. His swordplay remained ruthless, yet he always remembered Yun Wei's admonition: wherever his sword struck, he would only use skillful force to repel the attacker or cut the flesh to temporarily alleviate the pain, never taking their lives.
Xie Lanchen pursed his lips, his brows furrowed, clearly frustrated by this restrictive fighting style. He couldn't help but speak coldly, "How can we break this stalemate with such a restricted approach?"
Yun Wei didn't even turn to look at him, only coldly glancing at the villagers under his sword who, though repelled, still felt no pain and surged forward again. What controlled these people was their obsession; the most urgent task was to check the mental barriers that were trapping them.
Thinking of this, Yun Wei quickly formed a hand seal in front of her chest, and a cool, pale blue light flowed from her palms, rapidly gathering. Even though she was only a remnant soul, her every move still carried the aloof and composed demeanor that belonged to the senior sister of the Guiyun Sect, looking down upon all living beings.
"seal up!"
Before her sharp rebuke had even faded, an intense chill had already swept outwards from her palm like a tidal wave. Centered on her, the biting cold rapidly spread outwards in a ring, instantly freezing the damp mud into a layer of glistening frost. White mist rose and spread along the ground, and the surrounding temperature plummeted to freezing point, with breath turning into fog.
The figures that were rushing forward suddenly stopped, each maintaining a ferocious, lunging posture. Their legs, from the ankles down, were firmly locked in place by the suddenly solidified thin ice, unable to move forward an inch. They could only wave their arms in vain, emitting unwilling "hoho" sounds.
Nangong Ya's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but clap her hands in amazement: "So strong? Yun Wei, as expected of you!"
Yun Wei let out a soft breath, fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. She glanced at the villagers still struggling in the ice, and the figures still surging in from afar, and said coldly, "They can't hold on for long. The ice can only temporarily slow their movements. Let's go quickly."
Before she could finish speaking, Xie Lanchen had already sheathed his sword, his movements swift and decisive. The young man stepped forward and, without a word, grabbed her wrist again, this time with greater force, his fingertips even trembling slightly. His gloomy gaze swept over her slightly pale face, his tone harsh: "Since you know you can't hold on, don't try to be brave next time." Without waiting for Yun Wei's reaction, he pulled her away.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Nangong Ya hurriedly followed when she saw this.
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