Chapter 20 Heavenly Evolution Secret Realm "Because I know I'm not alone..."
“The villagers couldn’t see us at first, but when we touched the well water, they suddenly could see us and recognized us as people from the village. They asked us to come here to pray, and then we lost consciousness and felt like our bodies weren’t our own anymore.”
The members of Tianyan Sect were still shaken. They dared not imagine what their fate would have been if Fu Yunyao had not entered this secret realm.
"That's how it is. We think there's definitely something wrong with that well water! Maybe the plague in this village was caused by that well water!"
Fu Yunyao lowered her brows in thought. Was it really a problem with the well water?
The gold dust that had been on her fingertips had completely disappeared. Thinking back to the stinging pain she felt when the gold dust touched her fingertips, she wondered whether the gold dust had simply fallen off or seeped into her body. After all, such fine gold dust couldn't be completely cleaned off in one go.
She asked, "You said you lost consciousness after arriving at the temple?"
The Tianyan Sect cultivator who had been secretly observing Fu Yusheng beside her nodded subconsciously when he heard her question.
One of the disciples thought for a moment, then shook his head. "To be more precise, we lost consciousness when we said, 'Please, immortals, save our village.'"
Someone added, "It wasn't entirely a loss of consciousness. At least we still knew what we were doing. We just forgot our identity and thought we were people of this village, and that we had to appear at the temple to worship and pray at fixed times."
"And what about when there's no need for worship?"
The disciple was immediately stumped by the question, "When there's no need for worship?"
"I don't remember."
As soon as he finished speaking, the sky suddenly darkened, and the village was instantly shrouded in darkness.
Without warning, the lanterns in front of the temple lit up, their red light swaying in the darkness, appearing exceptionally eerie.
Fu Yunyao and Fu Yusheng exchanged a glance and walked out of the temple.
On the street, the red lanterns in front of every household were lit up, and even the stone bricks on the ground were stained with a blood-red hue.
The disciples of the Tianyan Sect felt cold sweat breaking out on their brows.
Someone pointed forward with trembling hands.
"You...you all look...look ahead!"
The village entrance was crowded with people, surrounding the well. Everyone held a bowl and devoutly drank the well water, as if they were performing some kind of mysterious ritual.
Among them, some had red rashes all over their skin, while others had festering skin so bad that a piece of rotting flesh would fall off with the slightest movement.
The pieces of meat fell into the bowl of water he was holding, but the man didn't seem to care. He swallowed the water mixed with his own rotten flesh.
"vomit--"
One of the disciples of the Tianyan Sect could no longer hold back and began to retch while leaning against the wall.
This sound attracted the attention of the people gathered around the well. They all looked over and saw that there was no white in the eyes at all; they were completely black.
They released their bowls, the sound of them shattering echoing through the village.
As Fu Yunyao watched the group of villagers walking stiffly toward them, she almost drew her sword, Rangchen, but was stopped by someone on the side.
She frowned and looked at him.
Fu Yusheng gently shook his head, his gaze soft.
He said.
"They had no reason to die."
He pulled her by the wrist and led her back into the temple.
The Tianyan Sect disciples beside them also retreated, and some couldn't help but curse under their breath, "Damn it, what is this thing? Could it be that we were in this state when we lost consciousness?!"
A sudden gust of wind arose, lifting the curtain that covered the statues inside the temple. Fu Yunyao turned her head and saw that the statue, which had been looking down with a compassionate expression during the day, now raised its eyes and a smile appeared on its lips.
The villagers continued to approach, and the smell of decay permeated the air.
"This constant retreat isn't a solution!" a disciple of the Tianyan Sect lamented.
"But we can't actually fight with mortals!"
"Do they even look like normal mortals now? If we don't make a move, they're the ones who should make the first move!"
The villagers were closing in, and their hands, still covered with a piece of meat, were about to touch Fu Yunyao's veil.
As the sword was drawn, a chilling aura spread throughout the temple.
Before she could raise her sword, the hand reaching out to her was blocked by a sword that was still sheathed.
Fu Yusheng spoke slowly, his voice tinged with laughter.
"I'm sorry, she doesn't like you."
As soon as he finished speaking, he flicked his wrist, sending the villager flying.
The disciples of the Tianyan Sect, wielding unsheathed swords, forced back the villagers who tried to approach.
Fu Yunyao looked down at the sharp blade of the Chen sword in her hand, her mind filled with confusion.
The disciples of Tianyan Sect were on the verge of collapse. "This can't go on. We can't hurt them. They have no scruples. If they get close and bite us, we're finished!"
"To think that I, a dignified sword cultivator, could one day be unable to even draw my sword, I truly wish I could shatter this illusion with a single strike!"
He complained, but still paid attention to the force of his blows. The villagers who were knocked back stood there stunned, and after a while they rushed forward again.
Because of the chill emanating from the sword blade, no villagers were willing to approach Fu Yunyao.
Amidst the flickering lights, the moonlight, which had been obscured by clouds, finally shone down.
The moment the moonlight fell on the villagers, their attacks stopped.
"This is……"
Before he could finish speaking, the villagers resumed their actions, startling the Tianyan Sect disciples so much that their hair stood on end.
only……
The villagers abandoned their attack on them and instead began tearing at the other villagers around them, with rotten pieces of flesh flying everywhere.
Amidst the chaos, Fu Yunyao stood in the only corner unaffected.
Among the villagers, she saw the woman she had met at the boy's house earlier that day. Like all the villagers, she was stiff and had dark circles under her eyes.
She was small and thin and unable to fight back against the other villagers; she was pushed to the ground.
Fu Yunyao thought calmly.
Perhaps tomorrow, among the rotting bodies lying in the streets, her voice will be heard.
"Don't bite my mother!" came the boy's innocent and indignant voice.
He appeared out of nowhere and stood in front of the woman.
The villagers, who had completely lost their minds, paid no attention to the child who had suddenly appeared and opened their mouths to bite him.
Fu Yunyao didn't want to pay attention to it until she saw a figure in plain clothes appear among the villagers, with a touch of red on her wrist.
He held the boy in his arms, intending to leave with him, but stopped at the boy's whimpering pleas and stood protectively in front of the woman.
Spring Returns Sword was not drawn, yet it easily blocked the villagers. The villagers were shaken back, paused for a moment, and then rushed forward again.
Fu Yusheng was trying to figure out how to escape with the child and his mother when a bone-chilling pain struck his spiritual veins, causing him to pause in his defensive actions.
The Spring Return Sword in his hand trembled incessantly, vaguely showing a tendency to return to the sword's core.
Fu Yunyao stood in the temple, watching the child tightly protected in his arms under the moonlight. Taking advantage of the moment when he paused, the mentally unstable villagers rushed at him in a frenzy.
At that moment, even time seemed to stretch on.
She seemed to see a young man casting a spell to protect the child in his arms above the South China Sea, exposing himself to the overwhelming demonic energy. He even managed to safely send the child back to shore just before he fell into the deep sea.
Fu Yusheng felt helpless. Sure enough, his sword heart was damaged, and even his natal sword was unwilling to fully cooperate with him.
The Spring Return Sword emitted a buzzing sound and disappeared from his palm.
The villagers' roars drew closer. He sighed softly, and a wisp of spiritual energy flickered at his fingertips. Even faster than his movement was a shadow of icy blue sword.
The sword flashed, leaving behind specks of frost, and forced the villagers back.
Fu Yusheng looked up and saw the person he had been longing for standing in front of him. She turned her head slightly, and the sword energy stirred her veil, revealing her gentle eyebrows and eyes, as well as the complex expression in her eyes.
Amidst the frost covering the ground, he finally met her gaze again, just as he had hoped.
The Tianyan Sect disciples on one side, who were still worried about Fu Yusheng, suddenly forgot where they were when they saw the girl who suddenly appeared in front of them.
They looked at each other and murmured.
"That movement technique, that swordsmanship..."
Even the way he sheathed his sword was exactly the same as that of the former Sword Master Rangchen.
The villagers stood there for a long time. This time, instead of tearing each other apart, they slowly dispersed.
Some people walked stiffly back to their rooms, some lay on the street with numb expressions, and some went into the temple and knelt on the ground.
Fu Yunyao looked at the statue in the temple. The statue's eyes, raised high, held half compassion and half a smile.
"Don't be afraid, everything will be alright."
Hearing the sound, she turned around.
Fu Yusheng squatted down in front of the boy, tied a red string around his wrist, and gently comforted him.
She withdrew her gaze and slightly lowered her brows.
Long ago, that person also tied a red string around her wrist with his own hands, and he told her...
"Yes, I've always been here."
Indeed, it was a long time ago.
What are you thinking about?
Fu Yusheng comforted the boy and walked to Fu Yunyao's side again.
Her eyes flickered. "You probably guessed it already, that child is the Kunwu Sect Master."
"yes."
"I thought you must hate him."
She pointed out that the Kunwu Sect Master was the prime suspect in breaking the seal on the Demon Realm, and also the indirect culprit who caused him to become what he is now.
"Even if I hate him, I wouldn't go so far as to harm a child who is just an illusion." He chuckled.
Moreover, I am actually quite grateful to him. If he hadn't orchestrated my discovery of the secret of the Dust Sword, I might never have known the extent of your suffering over the years.
Fu Yunyao looked at him again, "So, even an illusion is worth risking your life to save?"
"Yun Yao." His eyes held a smile, appearing especially gentle in the moonlight, "because I know I am not alone."
Fu Yunyao was stunned, her delicate eyelashes trembling slightly.
He spoke again, "I stopped you just now because they are mortals. Even if they are just an illusion, if you hurt them, you might get entangled in karma, which would be detrimental to your sword cultivation."
Fu Yunyao was surprised by his explanation and paused again. After a while, she smiled and said softly, "I'm not a cultivator, so I'm not afraid of karma."
"Then let's say it's because I'm scared."
Bathed in the first rays of the rising sun, his clothes swayed slightly, and his smiling voice carried the spirit of youth.
"Look! These villagers are back to normal!"
The voice of a disciple of the Tianyan Sect came from outside, attracting the attention of the two people at the door.
Fu Yunyao looked at the statue in the temple again; it still had its eyes downcast and its expression was sorrowful.
"Immortal, please save our village!"
The villagers prayed, their voices pleading.
A disciple of the Tianyan Sect waved his hand in front of the villagers, but they seemed not to notice and just kept repeating it.
"Immortal, please save our village!"
"Huh, they can't see us anymore?"
Fu Yunyao lowered her brows in thought, "What if this plague itself is just an illusion?"
They repeated the same thing: kneeling before the idol to pray during the day, gathering at the well at night, drinking the hallucinogenic water, tearing at each other, the wounds becoming infected and turning into rotting pieces of flesh, which resulted in wounds that resembled a plague.
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