Chapter 103 Just a Pawn 22
[No matter how many illusions you encounter, you two will always be mortal enemies.]
Haoming's words became a curse-like fact.
Xuanwei soon discovered that once he entered the illusion, he and Aque would become mortal enemies.
Obsessions are often inseparable from hatred. Xuanwei died at Xunque's hands time and time again, almost as if atoning for his sins. The injuries to Aque's soul were inextricably linked to him. If doing so could make amends for what happened back then, Xuanwei would do it willingly.
only……
After being stared at by that hateful and murderous gaze for a long time, he couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. If A Que's soul were restored, if A Que remembered all the things in the past, would he look at him with the same gaze as in the illusion?
Would A-Que want to kill him?
...
Meanwhile, Ren Yi was also having a difficult time.
Having experienced so many illusions, Ren Yi not only failed to retrieve the system fragments but also killed Xuan Wei time and time again, leaving him somewhat numb.
Is he really okay?
Ren Yi vaguely sensed that the world's consciousness was watching him closely, ready to kick him out at any moment.
He went to someone's house and beat up their own son several times.
Ren Yi thought about it and realized that his situation was not good.
The system believes the problem lies more with the chosen one; [It's clearly a problem with the character he's using! It has absolutely nothing to do with the host!!]
It suspected that this chosen one was deliberately making things difficult for its host!
Within this small world, there are also cultivators in the mortal realm. The illusion Ren Yi entered this time is set against the backdrop of a mortal cultivation sect.
His identity is Xue Zhao, the disciple of the Chun Jun Sect's leader.
Xue Zhao was taken in and pampered by his master from a young age, but in reality, he was merely a raw material for his master to forge a divine sword. He diligently cultivated within the sect, cautious in his words and actions, fearing even the slightest misstep that might tarnish his master's reputation. In the end, however, he was pushed into the forging furnace by his master, whom he regarded as a father. His flesh and blood became the firewood, his bones the sword's spine, and even his soul was imprisoned within, transforming him into a peerless, malevolent sword that devoured its master.
Logically speaking, Xue Zhao's soul had already become the sword spirit, so it's unclear how Xuanwei managed to extract it from the sword and construct this illusion.
Ren Yi vaguely recalled that Youyuan seemed to have swallowed a sword back then. However, there were always many souls imprisoned in weapons, so Ren Yi did not delve any deeper into the matter.
Although they were all remnant souls, Xue Zhao had existed as a sword spirit for so many years, and the strength of his soul was incomparable to the remnant souls of ordinary mortals that Ren Yi had encountered before. The hatred burning in his body forced Ren Yi to almost impatiently kill his "enemy".
Ren Yi: "..."
Okay, whatever.
After "killing" Xuanwei so many times, Ren Yi has become somewhat Buddhist-like.
Although he could suppress his emotions for now, he weighed the cost against the benefit and decisively decided to follow the remnant soul's actions.
He has killed Xuanwei so many times, the gap between them now is more than just "blood feud", one more time won't make a difference.
Amidst the greetings of a group of passersby in the illusion, calling him "Senior Brother," Ren Yi drew his sword and headed towards the location of the Chun Jun Sect's leader, who seemed to be waiting for him. The illusions Ren Yi visited were all scenes of dying souls, and the Chun Jun Sect leader was probably waiting to push his eldest disciple into the sword-forging furnace.
Ren Yi immediately bowed upon arrival and casually made up a reason that could be used to fight: "This disciple has made some progress recently and hopes that Master will give me some guidance."
Ren Yi kept his head down and didn't see Xuanwei's dazed expression the moment he uttered the title "Master".
Having determined that this illusion was not suitable for retrieving system fragments, Ren Yi, with the idea of resolving it as soon as possible and moving on to the next illusion, immediately followed the remnant soul's emotions and charged forward with his sword.
Xue Zhao had been a sword spirit for so many years, and his swordsmanship was far superior to what it used to be. However, the sect leader of Chun Jun Sect was not the real person. The one using this avatar was the number one person in the Six Realms and the Emperor of the Nine Heavens. No matter how advanced Xue Zhao's swordsmanship was, it was still suppressed.
Ren Yi didn't care. As long as he still held the identity of Yuan Que, Xuan Wei Yi...
He would definitely hold back. With the bloody examples from the past (who knows if he had intended to kill at all back then) right in front of him, he wasn't in a hurry at all, waiting for Xuanwei to deliberately reveal a flaw—or perhaps not intentionally, just a moment of distraction, but in terms of the result, it wouldn't make any difference.
Just as Ren Yi was patiently waiting for an opening, the system suddenly spoke up: "[Host, the fragment seems to be on that sword.]"
Ren Yi paused for a moment, then asked, "Are you sure?"
Xue Zhao's movements were momentarily interrupted by him, and Xuan Wei's sword spun rapidly, barely grazing Ren Yi's cheek and leaving a bloody mark.
As he watched the blood droplets slowly condense and drip, Xuanwei's pupils suddenly dilated, and his aura became unstable for a moment.
The system, however, was certain, based on the previous contact, that it was indeed on the sword.
Ren Yi decided to retract his previous idea that "it is not suitable to retrieve the fragments".
Although he didn't know what was going on with this illusion, since Xuanwei had separated from the system fragment, it was a good opportunity for him to retrieve it.
During the brief moment when Ren Yi was distracted and communicating with the system, Xuan Wei was simply dodging the chaotic attacks driven by the remnant soul.
His lips opened and closed several times, making indistinct mouth shapes, but no matter what he did, he couldn't say the name. In the end, all he could say was, "...Zhao'er".
Ren Yi did not respond. He made a decision in that instant. Since he had already taken action, it was unrealistic to put on any show of "teacher's kindness and filial piety" afterward. If things went wrong, things could go wrong (like Xuanwei's inexplicable poisoning in the first illusion). It was better to be decisive.
He told the system, "[Little Yi, hurry up in a bit.]"
Of course, we should hurry up and grab the fragments from Xuanwei.
As Ren Yi was speaking, he charged forward with his sword. Faced with Xue Zhao's even more aggressive attack than before, Xuan Wei had to spare some energy to deal with it. The two exchanged several moves at a very fast speed. Xuan Wei used a diagonal slash to avoid the sword blade that was heading straight for his face, but when the blade pressed down again, the feeling transmitted through the blade made Xuan Wei's eyes widen suddenly.
Time seemed to stand still. Gone were the fluttering robes and afterimages from their movements during the fight. Xuanwei clearly saw the opponent's heart collide squarely with the tip of the sword.
The sensation of the blade piercing flesh was so clear and distinct that Xuanwei's movements had long since frozen.
He instinctively wanted to draw his sword, but then he remembered that it would only hasten the other person's death.
Xuanwei's hand, which had been extremely steady from beginning to end, began to tremble uncontrollably. This movement aggravated the wound, forcing Ren Yi, who was opposite him, to grab the blade with his bare hands to stabilize the sword.
The blood seeping from the boy's palm flowed down the sword, merging with the wound on his chest, and the dripping blood had already formed a small pool on the ground.
The stench of blood filled his nostrils, and Xuanwei almost frantically loosened his grip on the sword. His trembling, stiff fingers tried several times to form hand seals, but failed. His blank mind couldn't even recall a simple healing incantation.
Ren Yi took the opportunity to step back a few steps.
"Zhao'er!!" Xuanwei's voice trembled slightly. "Don't move."
It would be strange if Ren Yi stood still and let him control him with such a good opportunity.
System: [53%! We're more than halfway there! Host, just hang in there a little longer, it'll be over soon!!]
Ren Yi felt that this request might be a bit difficult.
He observed the distorted and blurred environment surrounding the Chun Jun Sect leader, an effect caused by Xuan Wei's own power leaking out and influencing the illusion. If this continued, the illusion would likely collapse before the system fragments could be fully integrated.
Ren Yi has gone through the illusion so many times, and even risked killing the Chosen One so many times. Now this is his best chance to get back the system fragments. Ren Yi cannot let Xuan Wei really destroy this illusion.
That's what he thought, but whether inside or outside the illusion, Ren Yi's cultivation level was worlds apart from Xuan Wei's, they were not even in the same league. It was a joke to think he could stop the other party with his own strength.
For now, the only option is to utilize the inherent stability of the illusion to extend its duration, which means continuing along the original development path of this illusion.
If things proceed as normal, Xue Zhao's next step will be to jump into the sword-forging furnace.
of.
With no other choice, and considering it the only way out at this moment, Ren Yi made a decision without hesitation: to follow Xue Zhao's original trajectory.
Although it was called a sword-forging furnace, it was actually a huge crater of flames that had been refined. When Xue Zhaolai, the leader of Chun Jun Sect, was about to reveal his true colors, the sword-forging furnace was nearby. Ren Yi, relying on the fact that Xuan Wei dared not touch him at the moment, ran all the way to the crater despite his injuries.
Hearing the system report that "fusion progress is 92%", Ren Yi hesitated for a moment, looked at the distance between himself and the lava below, and estimated whether he would be able to complete the fusion before being forced out of the illusion after jumping down.
Xuanwei had already figured out Ren Yi's plan.
"Come back! Zhao'er, come back!!" His voice trembled noticeably, almost incoherently pleading, "Master was wrong...please..."
Ren Yi was mostly focused on the fusion progress at the moment, but when Xuan Wei said this, he couldn't help but show a slightly surprised expression.
Ren Yi looked up in surprise: "Wrong," "Please"? These are words Xuanwei would use?
Ren Yi's gesture of looking up made Xuan Wei think that he had finally changed his mind, and a glimmer of light finally rekindled in his eyes, which had been filled with anxiety and despair. Xuan Wei wanted to step forward, but was afraid that her actions would upset the person in front of her, so she stood stiffly and hesitantly in place, and said in a gentle tone that was almost like coaxing a child, "Zhao'er, come back first. You are still injured, and if you delay any longer, something bad will happen."
No, not at all.
Ren Yi injured himself, and he knew the extent of the injury.
After all, he was trying to steal the sword and needed to give the system time to fuse the fragments; he couldn't possibly kill himself.
The location looked dangerous, but it actually avoided the heart meridian, and the amount of bleeding was quite limited. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to run all the way to the sword-forging furnace alive and kicking.
During the brief standoff with Xuanwei, the system's integration progress had reached over 96%. Ren Yi had no more hesitation and decisively jumped into the pit.
The distance from the mountain pass to the lava was enough for him to completely fuse the fragments before leaving the illusion.
A desperate cry rang out from above the crater, "A Que—!!"
But the whistling wind and the hazy air under the high temperature distorted even the sound. All Ren Yi could clearly hear at this moment was the system fusion progress report in his mind: [97%...99.8%...0%]
Ren Yi: ?
system:? !
—What happened?! x2
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