Shang Ruwan stared at Mo Tiange in a daze. She didn't understand what she meant.
Mo Tiange stared at Yao Zixiu, who was flying in the air, and said slowly, "This life is eternal; this life is eternal; eternal is only one day.
In this place, aside from leaving, any wish can be granted.
If you want a paradise, I'll give you a paradise. If he wants to hold his head high, I'll give him that. "
She looked down at Shang Ruwan with pity and sadness. "So, it's all fake. Your three years were fake, and his core-formation was also fake."
Shang Ruwan was shocked. She didn't come back to her senses for a long time.
Mo Tiange continued to say, "This Illusory Formation will show the things everyone wants the most.
Big Sister, what you want the most is an undisturbed life for the two of you, and what he wants the most … "
Mo Tiange didn't continue. Shang Ruwan already understood what she meant.
Shang Ruwan was stunned for a long time before she asked slowly, "Then, what's the result?"
Upon seeing Shang Ruwan's expression, Mo Tiange almost didn't have the heart to say it, but she had to. "… That Fellow Daoist Yan has already fallen. We're sure she was bewitched. She was blinded by the illusion and died because her blood essence was exhausted …"
Shang Ruwan was shocked. She stared blankly at her husband who was entangled in the black fog in the air. She didn't say anything for a long time.
Death … what he wanted the most …
* * *
She remembered the first time she met her father's new disciple ninety years ago.
"You're called Yao Zixiu?
Do you know who I am? "
Although that young boy had arrogance in his eyes, he didn't treat her like a child. Instead, he bowed cautiously. "Greetings to Senior Martial Sister."
She smiled proudly and pretended to cough twice. Nodding, she said, "Yes, you're very polite!"
Eldest Martial Brother teased her. "Little Junior Martial Brother, you're a bit older than Little Junior Martial Sister. You can just call her Junior Martial Sister."
"This …" The young boy looked at her and said earnestly, "I entered the sect later than Senior Martial Sister, so I should call her Senior Martial Sister …"
She was so happy that she shouted at Eldest Martial Brother, "Yes, Senior Martial Sister!" She turned around and patted her small chest. "Little Junior Martial Brother, I'll protect you from now on!"
She remembered seventy years ago when she just built her foundation —
"What's so good about that kid?
Listen to me obediently and marry your Big Brother Ni! "
She knelt in front of her father, motionless, but she held her head high, unwilling to yield.
"Rebellious daughter!" Her father flew into a rage and slammed his palm down on her.
Her father, who was at the peak of Foundation Building, showed almost no mercy in this palm. She spat out a mouthful of blood and her meridians were heavily injured, but she still clenched her teeth and refused to let go.
Her mother wept at the side. "Wan 'er, just listen to your father!"
Obedient?
No, she struggled to get up and used all her strength to kneel in front of her father. She said word by word, "Father, if you force me, I will die!"
No one had ever dared to disobey her father like this, not even herself. But at this moment, she had no regrets.
She remembered sixty years ago, when he finally reached the Zhuji Phase —
"Father, Junior Martial Brother has built his foundation!" She happily ran into the hall.
There was no joy on her father's face. Instead, he coldly said, "If you hadn't secretly given him the Foundation-Building Pills you hid, how could he have built his foundation?"
She was stunned. She didn't understand why her father, who had already tacitly accepted this matter, would be so cold.
"Father, didn't you personally accept Junior Martial Brother as your disciple?
Why do you treat him … "
"Hmph!
If it wasn't because his family once had a Core Formation cultivator and definitely had treasures, why would I accept him with his aptitude? "She never expected her father to say such a thing.
"Father!" She shouted in disbelief. "You … You're using Junior Martial Brother?!"
"What do you mean by using or not using?!" Her father's expression was indifferent. "If I hadn't accepted him as my disciple, how could he have lived these several decades of good days?
How could he have built his foundation?
Wan 'er, your Big Brother Ni still misses you. He built his foundation long ago. With his aptitude, it won't be a problem for him to advance to the middle stage of the Core Formation realm in a dozen or so years. You should calm down! "
"Father, y-didn't you promise me that you wouldn't force me to marry Big Brother Ni?"
"Today is different from the past. You can't be willful anymore!"
Her father's expression was 30% indifferent and 70% complacent. "The betrothal gift your Uncle Ni gave me was a Dustless Pill. I've been begging for this pill for many years!
With this Dustless Pill, maybe you can enter the Core Formation realm in one go!
Wan 'er, Father's Great Way of Core Formation is in your hands! "
She remembered that night —
"Junior Martial Brother, let's go! Let's go!" She grabbed his hand and said while shedding tears.
The little boy from back then was now a gentle and steady young man. He held her hand and said in astonishment, "Senior Martial Sister, what's wrong?"
She said while crying, "If we don't go now, it'll be too late!
Father still wants me to marry Big Brother Ni. Ni Family already said that even if I die, they'll carry me into their family! "
He turned pale with fright and was stunned on the spot.
"Junior Martial Brother, if we don't go now, it'll be too late!
My mother's heart softened, so she let me out. I'll only have one night. Tomorrow … tomorrow … "
"This …" His expression was gloomy. After a long time, he finally clenched his teeth and said, "Alright, Senior Martial Sister, let's go. We'll go far away and never let them find us again!"
She remembered the day they got married —
There were no guests, no wedding clothes; there were only the ice-cold moonlight and two lonely shadows.
"With Heaven and Earth as my witness and the bright moon as my matchmaker, I, Shang Ruwan, will marry Yao Zixiu and never leave him in this lifetime."
He also made a vow: "With Heaven and Earth as my witness and the bright moon as my matchmaker, I, Yao Zixiu, will marry Shang Ruwan and we'll live and die together in this lifetime."
The ice-cold night wind blew. Not far from them, a pack of wolves howled under the moon, but she felt her whole heart was filled with happiness.
"Senior Martial Sister …"
"Do you still want to call me Senior Martial Sister now?"
He was stunned for a moment before he smiled. "… You're younger than me, so I'll call you Little Sister Wan from now on. What do you think?"
She also smiled and called out softly, "Big Brother Xiu."
* * *
It had been sixty years. Although she didn't have a fixed abode and her cultivation level didn't advance, she had always been very satisfied.
Her heart was very big; no one could make her feel happy except for him. Her heart was also very small; as long as she was with him, she would feel happy.
Her tears fell. This was the first time she realized that happiness was so, so far away from her.
"Be careful!" Mo Tiange grabbed Shang Ruwan and retreated hastily.
The mass of black fog floating in the air suddenly exploded. Yao Zixiu opened his eyes, and his momentum soared.
The Core Formation realm!
No matter what the reason was, the Yao Zixiu in front of her was undoubtedly in the Core Formation realm!
Inside this Illusory Formation, the illusions created wouldn't disappear unless one's willpower shifted. Otherwise, the illusions were no different from real people!
Mo Tiange turned around to look. Fangzheng, Lu Xiangxin, and Wang Xiangzhi also had astonished expressions.
Once he regained his senses, Fangzheng signaled them with his eyes and shouted in a low voice, "Go!"
The four of them, along with Shang Ruwan, who was being pulled by Mo Tiange, fled into the distance.
But in the next second, a majestic momentum soared from behind them.
"Ah —" Two blood-curdling screams rang out. Lu and Wang, who were lagging behind, were sent flying. One crashed into a tree trunk while the other fell on a Five Elements Platform. Both of them vomited blood; it was unclear whether they were still alive or not.
"Stop!" Yao Zixiu shouted loudly.
Mo Tiange quickly turned around. Daoist Fangzheng, who wasn't too far behind her, also stopped and turned around.
At that moment, Yao Zixiu's eyes were bloodshot and burning with raging flames. His robe fluttered even though there was no wind, and the momentum of a Core Formation cultivator assaulted their senses.
Yao Zixiu slowly swept his gaze over them. His gaze was cold and arrogant, as if he was looking at several ants.
In the end, when his gaze fell on Shang Ruwan, his cold aura finally relaxed a bit.
He said, "Little Sister Wan, we can go back now! I can take you back now!
Hahahaha … "In the end, he actually threw his head back and laughed heartily. His voice was incomparably arrogant.
Shang Ruwan slowly broke free from Mo Tiange's grip then walked forward step by step.
"Big Sister Shang!" Mo Tiange couldn't help but call out.
She could see that although Yao Zixiu's cultivation level wasn't possessed by the devil, his mental state was. Right now, he could still recognize Shang Ruwan, but who knew if he'd still retain his rationality in the next moment?!
Shang Ruwan's footsteps faltered. She turned around and smiled at Mo Tiange. For some reason, Mo Tiange felt that Shang Ruwan's smile looked even more desperate than her crying.
Shang Ruwan said softly, "Little Sister Ye, thank you for being so kind.
This matter isn't related to you. In a moment … let's go. "
Mo Tiange was dumbfounded. She meant …
Shang Ruwan had already turned around and was flying towards Yao Zixiu.
Yao Zixiu reached out and embraced her. He said complacently, "Little Sister Wan, are you happy?"
Shang Ruwan shook her head and said faintly, "I'm not happy."
Yao Zixiu wrinkled his brows then asked anxiously, "Why?
All these years, didn't you really want to go back?
Now, we can go back justifiably. Your father won't say anything anymore! "
"Is that so?" Shang Ruwan's gaze was bone-chilling. "Big Brother Xiu, is your current cultivation level real?"
Yao Zixiu was stunned for a moment before he became furious. "Little Sister Wan!
What do you mean?
Of course my cultivation level is real!
Take a look — "He pulled Shang Ruwan's hand, eager to prove himself." This is the cultivation technique I obtained just now. As it turns out, there really are fated chances here.
The master of this place was a cultivator with great divine power. After he passed away, he sealed his cultivation technique here, and I happened to obtain it … "
Shang Ruwan looked at his complacent appearance indifferently. There was only deep sorrow in her heart.
A hundred years … A hundred years … She finally saw this person clearly — this person she loved the most.
As it turned out, in his heart, cultivation had always been the most important thing. As it turned out, this was the result he'd always wanted.
She took the Jade Slip from Yao Zixiu's hand and injected her divine sense into it. Soon after, she sneered and threw it back to him. "Big Brother Xiu, take a look yourself. See what this is!"
Yao Zixiu received the Jade Slip with doubt, but his expression changed greatly.
Mo Tiange didn't know what happened, but she could make a rough guess.
This so-called fated chance was just Yao Zixiu's imagination. This Jade Slip naturally didn't contain any cultivation technique. It was either empty or completely useless. With one look, Yao Zixiu naturally knew something was wrong.
"No, it's real!
It's real! "
At first, he was mumbling to himself, but in the end, Yao Zixiu's expression turned ruthless. He turned around and glared furiously at Mo Tiange and Fangzheng. "Did you steal it? Did you?!"
"Big Brother Xiu!"
Shang Ruwan shouted and grabbed his sleeve. "It has nothing to do with other people! This is an Illusory Formation, so you're hallucinating!"
"Illusory Formation?
Hallucination?
No, you're lying to me! You're lying to me! "
Yao Zixiu's momentum gushed out. With a wave of his arm, Shang Ruwan cried out in alarm and fell from midair.
Under Yao Zixiu's gaze, Mo Tiange didn't dare to move. She could only watch helplessly as Shang Ruwan fell.
No matter how weak Yao Zixiu was before, inside this Illusory Formation, he was a genuine Core Formation cultivator. No matter how arrogant Mo Tiange was, she didn't think she could fight against a Core Formation cultivator.
If she fought, she couldn't win. If she ran, the valley was only this big, so she couldn't escape.
Enter the Virtual Sky World?
To enter the Virtual Sky World, she had to use the incantation, which would take at least three breaths of time. However, Yao Zixiu was staring at them. If she made even the slightest movement, he might kill them. She didn't have a single breath of time.
"Big Brother Xiu!" Shang Ruwan was obviously injured, but she still struggled to get up. "Big Brother Xiu, don't, don't!
You'll be possessed by the devil! "
"Little Sister Wan, you don't need to say anything!
Do you think I don't know? "
Yao Zixiu's eyes were bloodshot, making him look even more demonic. "Back then, your father accepted me as his disciple because he fancied my Yao Clan's treasures!
To make him agree to let you marry me, I offered my Yao Clan's ancestor's secret technique.
But what did your father do?
Ten years later, he still wanted you to marry someone else!
Moreover, this time, I was already useless, and he even wanted to kill me! "
"What?" Shang Ruwan was shocked. "My father, he …"
"You don't know, right?"
Yao Zixiu grinned. His calm and refined demeanor could no longer be seen. His ruthless appearance was even more frightening. "Back then … back then, it wasn't because he loved you, his daughter, but because I offered Yao Clan's treasures to him!
But even so, he only let us off for ten years!
When you came to look for me that day, I already received news that he wanted to kill me!
I originally planned to leave by myself, but you came looking for me … I-I couldn't bear to part with you … "
"…" Shang Ruwan's lips trembled, but she couldn't say anything.
It was actually like this! It was actually like this!
No wonder he was so eager to cultivate, no wonder he … he probably wanted to take revenge after he formed his Gold Core …
She suddenly burst into tears.
As it turned out, there was no solution! There was no solution at all!
She thought she only needed to persuade him, but it turned out he actually had this kind of reason.
Even if he was willing to walk out of the Illusory Formation, he was still thinking about taking revenge.
"Little Sister Wan," Yao Zixiu said softly, "Don't worry. For your sake, I won't take his life; it'll be enough if I just cripple his cultivation level!
Hmph! All these years, I've been asking around, but your father didn't succeed in forming his Gold Core. Retribution, this is retribution!
Hahahaha … "
Once he finished laughing, Yao Zixiu shifted his gaze towards Mo Tiange and Daoist Fangzheng. He said slowly, "I'll start with the two of you. Come, let me see your skills!"
Both Mo Tiange's and Daoist Fangzheng's expressions darkened. Each of them held their magic tools or magic weapons tightly.
Yao Zixiu seemed like a cat teasing a mouse. He didn't attack right away, as if he was really waiting to see their skills.
After a moment of silence, Mo Tiange said, "Fellow Daoist Yao, you don't believe this is an Illusory Formation?"
"I believe it!"
Yao Zixiu said with his head held high, "However, advancing to the Core Formation realm wasn't an illusion. If it was an illusion, I wouldn't have such a clear feeling.
I've really become stronger. This feeling … "
While he was still reminiscing, Mo Tiange smiled. "Yes, it's a feeling, but feelings can be wrong."
"You —" Yao Zixiu glared at her angrily after being denied again. He raised his hand, and a ball made of spiritual aura gradually appeared in his palm.
Mo Tiange and Daoist Fangzheng became even more nervous.
Core Formation cultivators could materialize their spiritual aura, so a strike from a spiritual energy ball like that definitely wasn't something Foundation Building cultivators like them could withstand!
"Big Brother Xiu!"
Shang Ruwan shouted, "Big Brother Xiu, please let them go. If you want to take revenge, it has nothing to do with them …"
"Shut up!" Yao Zixiu shouted, "In the cultivation world, what's the big deal about killing people? You're just being soft-hearted!"
"I'm afraid you'll be possessed by the devil …"
"Possessed by the devil?
So what if I'm possessed by the devil? "Yao Zixiu sneered." If I can obtain such formidable power, I'm willing to be possessed by the devil!
Besides, what's the harm in being possessed by the devil?
Master Song Feng is a great late stage Nascent Soul cultivator, but didn't he also kill innocent people?
I've never seen his cultivation level affected by being possessed by the devil.
What Inner Devil? What moral integrity? They're all fake! Fake! "
Shang Ruwan couldn't persuade him anymore. She stared blankly at the overbearing Yao Zixiu with tears rolling down her cheeks. She said mournfully, "What about me?
What do you want to do with me?
What should I do if you're possessed by the devil? "
"…" Yao Zixiu was silent. His expression softened as if her words touched the softest part of his heart.
At that moment, Mo Tiange gave Daoist Fangzheng a meaningful glance. The two of them understood each other tacitly and started to make their own preparations …
"Big Brother Xiu … Do you still remember the vow we made that day?
I, Shang Ruwan, will marry Yao Zixiu and I'll never leave him in this lifetime … "
Shang Ruwan wiped the blood from the corners of her mouth then flew up while swaying. She reached out to him. "Big Brother Xiu, don't leave me …"
Yao Zixiu couldn't help but also reach out to hold her hand. His voice also softened. "I, Yao Zixiu, will marry Shang Ruwan and we'll live and die together in this lifetime …"
A smile finally appeared on Shang Ruwan's face as she leaned towards him.
She watched as Yao Zixiu couldn't help but pull her into his embrace —
A magic tool suddenly appeared and ruthlessly pierced Yao Zixiu's heart.
"Ah —" It was Shang Ruwan's miserable scream.
That short sword-shaped magic tool appeared in Yao Zixiu's heart.
Yao Zixiu held the hilt of the short sword. He exerted some force and the sword was pulled out, creating a trail of blood.
He swayed, but he still managed to stand firm.
He stared at Shang Ruwan, who fell on a Five Elements Platform after he swung his arm. His anger soared and he shouted in pain, "You … You actually want to kill me?!"
Shang Ruwan fell on the Five Elements Platform. She couldn't move at all, but her gaze was smiling. "Big Brother Xiu, we'll never leave you in this lifetime … That being the case, let's … die together …"
With every word she said, she kept vomiting blood. By the time she finished speaking, she was already covered in blood.
Mo Tiange couldn't bear to watch. She suddenly regretted telling Shang Ruwan that death was the result of falling into her trap.
Since Yao Zixiu wasn't willing to come out of the illusion, he'd die in the end, so she …
Live and die together, live and die together.
She never thought the love between lovers in the mortal world could be realized in the cultivation world, but now …
"Little Sister Wan …" Yao Zixiu was dumbfounded. He floated in the air in a daze. Blood kept flowing from his heart, but he didn't feel it at all.
"Core Formation, Core Formation …" He suddenly mumbled, "I've formed my Gold Core, but Little Sister Wan …"
As if he suddenly realized what had happened, he rushed over, threw himself on Shang Ruwan, pulled her up and shouted, "Little Sister Wan! Little Sister Wan!"
Shang Ruwan was still smiling, but she couldn't move anymore. Mo Tiange could see that she … was almost certainly going to die.
"Little Sister Wan, you …"
But Shang Ruwan didn't say anything to him. She just quietly closed her eyes and her breath gradually disappeared.
"Little Sister Wan!" Yao Zixiu shouted. Blood and tears gushed out of his eyes.
They saw Yao Zixiu gradually losing his color. It was as if he was petrified bit by bit. Slowly … he turned into a skeleton wearing a robe.
As for the skeleton, it was still tightly hugging Shang Ruwan's corpse.