In the desolate wasteland known as the 'Winter Sword Tomb', hundreds of enormous blue stone pillars rise from the ground. Each pillar is bound with rune-covered chains, the ends of which disappear into the thick snow. This place was once a pilgrimage site for mortal swordsmen, but it has now been transformed by the Azure Cloud Immortal Sect into a vital processing plant for their soul-smuggling network.
The air here carries no scent of snow, only the suffocating 'spiritual pressure' of highly compressed souls.
'Master, it's just ahead!' Chi Kui gripped Xiao Wu Chen's cloak tightly with three hands, huddling his entire body together. Beneath those pillars lie the 'carriers of destiny' of those who died in battle. The Immortal Sect bastards extracted their divine consciousness and squeezed it into spirit stones like dry grass. This business is utterly shady!'
Xiao Wu Chen remained silent. His right hand, which wielded the demonic sword 'Rootless' and was intertwined with his veins, emitted a muffled rumble. The cybernetic runes on the sword emitted a dark purple light in the extreme cold, instantly vaporising the snow beneath his feet.
Immortal Sect Assassins and 'Mortal Bones'
"Who dares to trespass in the Azure Cloud Forbidden Land?"
With a sharp shout, thousands of Immortal Sect Assassins clad in silver armour emerged from the swirling snow. They were not true immortals, but rather 'medicinal dregs puppets' whose divine consciousness had been erased and forcibly infused with spiritual power. In their eyes, Xiao Wuchen, covered in runes and with a crippled right hand, was the world's most despicable defective product.
'A mortal without even a spiritual root dares to covet the might of Heaven?' The leading deacon hovered in mid-air, speaking with condescending mockery: 'Kill him. Take his right hand; it can be used as scrap material for weapon forging.'
Xiao Wuchen slowly raised his head and the purple-gold system interface on his retina instantly turned scarlet.
[System log: large number of subordinate remnant souls detected] [Synchronisation rate: 96% (Warning: Mortal emotions are being lost; demonic nature assessment in progress...). [Status: Overdrive mode activated.]
'Mortal bones?' Xiao Wuchen's deep voice resonated strongly in the space. 'The "mortal bones" you speak of once shed their last drop of blood for this world, and you are only fit to become nourishment for this sword.'
Xiao Wuchen moved.
His body left several afterimages in the air, accompanied by an electric noise. Thanks to [Void Resistance MAX], the whistling immortal spells that landed on him were like water droplets falling into the void; they failed to even cause a ripple.
'Eighth Form...'
Xiao Wuchen's right hand gripped the hilt tightly. The iron chains on the surface of the demonic sword, 'Rootless', instantly shattered. The space beneath his feet seemed unable to withstand this terrifying weight, and large areas of black, spiderweb-like cracks appeared.
'Curved Crescent Slash — Eighth Form: Reverse Moon Burning Heaven!"
A massive, twisted, dark red crescent moon shot into the sky, centred on Xiao Wuchen. It wasn't flame, but a 'Blade of Truth' formed from highly concentrated Netherflame.
The black Netherflame instantly swept across the sky for a hundred miles in every direction, igniting the spiritual energy permeating the heavens and earth — the very foundation of cultivators' survival — like oil meeting a blazing fire!
The sky turned a purplish-black. Within this range, all immortal laws and rules were forcibly erased, forming an absolute vacuum dead zone.
My spiritual power has vanished!' 'No! My golden core is collapsing!' Under that black crescent moon, the once high-and-mighty immortal sect warriors were like harvested wheat. The Netherflame didn't harm their bones and blood, but it completely incinerated their divine consciousness and the karmic connection given to them by their immortal sects. Xiao Wuchen strolled through the vacuum zone. With each swing of his demonic sword, a line of assassins twisted and perished amid screams, like cheap CRT monitors.
Chi Kui, watching from the sidelines, had his six eyes practically bulging out and his three hands working frantically: 'We're rich! We're rich! Is this the power of an insulator? What Heavenly Laws, what spiritual power — they're all just fuel for me!"
Chi Kui weaved through the piles of corpses and pried a specially made 'smuggling warrant' from the head steward's pocket. The blood-red insignia of the First Imperial Guard Shadow Guard was clearly imprinted on it.
Xiao Wuchen stopped before a blue stone pillar.
[System notification: Relic Fragment Detected — Shadow Guard Short Sword, Recovery Progress 100%.
The 'Heavenly Remnant Seal' on his left arm frantically absorbed the surrounding fear and despair, transforming it into demonic energy.
'The Shadow Guard... is here too.'
Xiao Wuchen gazed at the raging black flames, a fleeting glint of emotion crossing his eyes before it was replaced by the cold indifference imposed by the system. He had slaughtered every immortal cultivator here, and the snowfield beneath his feet had turned an eerie dark purple.
'Chi Kui, next stop.'
Xiao Wuchen dragged his demonic sword deeper into the smuggling route while the Heartless Lock on his back emanated a chilling aura — a reminder that the price of this power was slowly stripping him of his memories as Xiao Wuchen.
He crossed the freezing winter plains and entered a strange, purple-black forest. The fog was as thick as mercury and ethereal zither music echoed through the air as if countless delicate hands were gently caressing the edge of his consciousness.
"Something's wrong, Master! There's a 'Hook of Cause and Effect' in this music!" Chi Kui clutched his six eyes tightly, his three hands flailing wildly in the air. 'This is that bitch "Fairy of Wonderful Sound"'s trick! She loves to pluck people's brains like strings!"
Xiao Wuchen stopped in his tracks. The cybernetic runes on his demonic sword, 'Rootless', began to flicker violently. Simultaneously, a barrage of garbled warnings appeared on the system panel:
'System log: High-dimensional mental intrusion detected — 'Red Dust Like a Dream' illusion array." 'Warning: Synchronisation rate decreasing; host's subjective consciousness experiencing violent fluctuations!" The fog dissipated and the blood rain and ruins vanished instantly before Xiao Wuchen's eyes.
He found himself sitting in the main hall of his former general's mansion. Golden cups were overflowing with wine and a blazing charcoal fire burned brightly. Familiar faces surrounded him: the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who had died in the first part; the lieutenant, who had destroyed his golden core to cover his escape; and his old mentor, whom he had just rescued. He raised a toast to Xiao Wuchen with a radiant smile.
"Wu Chen, what are you standing there for? This is a victory celebration, so drink up!" Zhang Hu laughed heartily, his voice so loud it hurt Xiao Wuchen's eardrums.
A gentle figure emerged from behind the screen — it was Hong Luan. She rested her slender hand on Xiao Wu Chen's shoulder and her voice was like a nightingale's song: 'Wu Chen, the Immortal Sect has retreated; we don't need to fight anymore.'
Xiao Wu Chen's eyes began to glaze over. This emotional anchor was so deep that his resentful spirit had turned against him, interpreting this not as hostility, but as a sense of belonging.
[System log: host's addiction level 85%, major logical deviation.]
Judgement: The host is unable to escape on their own. The 'Heartless Lock' has been forcibly activated and the emotional resection has begun.
A piercing chill ran down Xiao Wu Chen's spine as the 'Heartless Lock' froze his memory layer. With each inch frozen, the face of Hongluan in the illusion became increasingly blurred.
"No..." Xiao Wuchen growled hoarsely. He knew it was an illusion, yet he clung to this moment of tenderness nonetheless.
Suddenly, the Hongluan in the illusion raised the corners of her mouth, revealing a repulsive yet noble smile. 'Xiao Wuchen, look at these ants. As long as you hand over Wugen and abandon your demonic arts, this fairy will let you live in this dream forever.'
A golden thread accompanied her words, instantly binding Xiao Wuchen's heart — this was no reunion. It was a prison set by the Fairy of Wonderful Sound to refine his soul and use it to nourish the illusion.
Lonely Moon Locks the Heart: Severing Illusion
"Get out of my memory!"
Xiao Wuchen looked up abruptly, the tenderness in his eyes instantly replaced by an intense killing intent. The 'Heavenly Remnant Seal' on his left arm frantically absorbed the anger generated by the illusion, transforming it into near-black Netherflame.
[Arc Moon Slash – Ninth Form: Lonely Moon Locks the Heart]!
The demonic sword 'Rootless' let out a sharp, mournful cry, but Xiao Wuchen did not swing it outwards. Instead, he reversed the blade, vaguely pointing it towards his own heart.
Countless black threads of sword energy burst forth from the tip of the sword. Rather than harming anyone, they were intended to instantly lock down all spiritual energy fluctuations in the surrounding space. The vibrant image of his brother, bound by the black threads, immediately revealed its distorted, runic form.
'Lock!' Xiao Wuchen yanked sharply.
The crisp sound of space shattering rang out as the black threads, like a net, forcibly pulled Fairy Miaoyin's spirit clone from the illusion. The Red Phoenix, her mentor and the Imperial Guards crumbled like shattered glass under the Netherflame's strangling power.
The illusion collapsed and Xiao Wuchen was once again drenched by the cold rain of reality.
Fairy Miaoyin's clone let out a shriek of alarm and anger mid-air before being completely annihilated by Lonely Moon's Heart-Locking Technique.
Xiao Wuchen knelt on one knee, his demonic sword embedded deeply in the earth. He gasped for breath. The system panel gradually returned to normal, but the synchronisation rate remained stuck at 98%.
'Master... are you all right?' Chi Kui crawled over, trembling, and found that Xiao Wuchen's eyes were even colder than before; they conveyed a nihilistic acceptance of life and death.
Xiao Wuchen glanced at his empty hands. The warmth of the illusion lingered on his fingertips, but it quickly dissipated.
'Let's go.' He stood up, his voice devoid of emotion. 'I'll remember this debt, Fairy Miaoyin.'
He knew that the higher he climbed, the more of his humanity he would lose, but he didn't care. He was willing to pay any price to bring those arrogant parasites down from their pedestals, even if it ultimately meant becoming a cold piece of iron himself.