Chapter 2271: Intentions

Until she was possessed by the demonic shadow, Jing Zhen never knew who had dealt her such a cruel blow.

With the opportunity before them, there was no room for sentimentality.

The demonic shadow also didn't know who was helping it and was full of vigilance. Only after it had drilled into the main body and the small Azure Luan did not reappear did it finally feel relieved, disappearing on the spot with the main body.

Under the protection of the Heavenly Thunder Robe, Qin Sang approached Jing Zhen. Jing Zhen remained completely unaware, and her fate was already sealed. At such close range, and with Qin Sang's perfectly timed strike, the small Azure Luan succeeded with one blow, expending little energy, and returned to his shoulder.

Meanwhile, as Qin Sang traveled.

In another part of this realm.

Xi Rui awoke, immediately looking around vigilantly, secretly clutching a talisman in his palm. This talisman was extraordinary and incredibly powerful; he had already used one to destroy a demonic shadow once before.

The first time he entered this realm, he was ignorant and confused, but fortunately, he hadn't sunk too deep into the illusion. He quickly recovered his strength and fought a great battle with the demonic shadow. Because, while in the outside world, the demonic shadow had only learned a small fraction of his abilities, this battle was not difficult, and he ultimately annihilated the demonic shadow. Unfortunately, just as he killed the demonic shadow, the supreme treasure was shattered by Qin Sang, and he fell back into the illusion.

The second time he entered, the demonic shadow reappeared. Perhaps because he had killed a demonic shadow once before, Xi Rui recovered even faster this time and calmly waited for the demonic shadow. Unexpectedly, after only a few moves, the world collapsed, and he returned to the illusion.

By the third time he entered, Xi Rui already understood something. He already knew more secrets than most people and was better prepared. He immediately unleashed a specially prepared talisman, slaying the demonic shadow with thunderous might, and then rushed towards the divine mountain at top speed.

He knew in his heart that the demonic shadow was born from the main body, and its ability to imitate had limits. Talismans beyond its own capabilities, as well as acquired spiritual treasures or certain special divine abilities and spells, could not be reproduced. Of course, even if the demonic shadow could imitate this talisman next time, he wasn't afraid, because he had more than one.

The one who had set up an invisible barrier next to the supreme treasure and discovered it had been shattered was none other than Xi Rui!

"That guy seems to have learned his lesson..."

The demonic shadow could sense the main body, and the main body could also sense the location of the demonic shadow. There was an inexplicable connection between the main body and the demonic shadow. When pulled from the illusion into this realm, they wouldn't be too far apart.

Xi Rui sensed the demonic shadow hesitating in place and understood that it indeed couldn't reproduce this talisman; otherwise, it wouldn't be so timid. The reborn demonic shadow had gained intelligence, understood the situation, and, knowing the main body was not to be trifled with and might still possess talismans, it considered retreating.

The demonic shadow wanted to retreat, but Xi Rui had no intention of letting it go. After each time he killed a demonic shadow, Xi Rui vaguely felt that it benefited him in some way. For example, this time, he experienced almost no period of weakness and quickly recovered his full strength. Killing it three times might even lead to a qualitative change!

As for the supreme treasure, Xi Rui decided to prioritize it later, because the mysterious person could only shatter the dream seed but couldn't take it away. Once he understood the rules here, it wouldn't be too late to go to the divine mountain. However, that person repeatedly shattering the dream seed, and seemingly understanding this place better than him, cast a shadow of unease over Xi Rui's heart.

Xi Rui knew that the mysterious person would certainly go to the divine mountain again, and he didn't have much time left. Without further hesitation, he actively moved towards the demonic shadow.

At this moment, after hesitating for a moment, the demonic shadow, still unwilling to give up, decided to probe the main body's capabilities once more. Just then, the demonic shadow sensed that the main body was actually approaching it. Its heart skipped a beat, and it turned to flee. Unfortunately, Xi Rui had more hidden tricks up his sleeve, and he easily caught up with the demonic shadow.

After a fierce battle, Xi Rui raised his hand and pressed down.

The demonic shadow trembled, froze in place, a talisman conspicuously affixed to its brow.

"Whoosh!"

The talisman spontaneously ignited without fire, and fierce flames spread to the demonic shadow. The demonic shadow was powerless to resist and was ultimately burned to ashes by the intense fire.

"Good thing..."

Xi Rui glanced towards the horizon, secretly feeling lucky that the mysterious person hadn't landed near the divine mountain. Otherwise, he would have wasted a talisman without killing the demonic shadow, which would have been a great loss.

With the fall of the demonic shadow, Xi Rui had a strange feeling, and his expression changed. He had a hypothesis, but it needed verification. Having killed the demonic shadow, Xi Rui immediately activated his escape light, speeding towards the divine mountain, perhaps still having a chance to intercept the mysterious person.

However, he hadn't flown far when Xi Rui suddenly lowered his escape light, looking at a battlefield below. On the battlefield, two identical men of the alien race were engaged in a death match. One side was already completely at a disadvantage, and defeat was only a matter of time. The other side had a fierce glint in its eyes and a cruel, ferocious expression that caused chills. It was the demonic shadow.

"You are me, and I am you! What's wrong with giving yourself to me?!"

The demonic shadow's murderous intent surged.

The main body was struggling to cope, finding it extremely difficult to resist. It already had multiple bleeding wounds on its body, and even one hand was severed at the wrist.

"Dream on!"

The main body gnashed its teeth, hating the demonic shadow intensely. Yet, deep within his eyes lurked profound fear. Although he didn't know the full truth, it wasn't hard to guess what fate awaited him if defeated by the demonic shadow.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Two silver-white chains shot out like lightning, aimed at the main body's face. The main body hastily retaliated, knocking away only one of them. Seeing the other one approaching, it desperately tried to move its body to avoid a critical hit to the head. Unfortunately, its shoulder couldn't dodge, and it was about to be pierced through the collarbone by the chain.

"Clang!"

The sound of clashing metal suddenly rang out as a small dark-gold axe appeared before the main body, just in time to block the chain. A dark-gold sheen flowed along the axe's blade. The demonic shadow's expression drastically changed; it was too late to withdraw the chain. The dark-gold sheen spread along the chain, which was directly connected to the demonic shadow's arm. In the end, both the chain and its arm turned to dust.

The demonic shadow grunted, forcefully breaking free from the shackles, one arm conspicuously gone. Fortunately, it had six arms in total.

"This is... Brother Xi Rui?"

The main body saw the dark-gold axe, overjoyed, and said, "Many thanks, Brother Xi Rui, for saving my life."

Xi Rui descended from the sky, saying, "Brother Hu, long time no see." His tone was somewhat complex. Perhaps not much time had passed in reality, but for them, it had indeed been a long time since they last met; some might have even experienced several cycles of rebirth.

The demonic shadow stared fixedly at Xi Rui, its expression fluctuating. It specifically looked behind Xi Rui, and seeing no other demonic shadows following, its expression became even uglier.

"Brother Hu, do you still have the strength to fight? Help me deal with this demon first, then we can talk!"

Xi Rui looked at the demonic shadow as if looking at a dead man. The demonic shadow turned and fled. But just as it moved, a figure appeared in front, blocking its path, while the cultivator surnamed Hu also blocked its retreat, forming a pincer attack.

The cultivator surnamed Hu's strength was already far inferior to Xi Rui's. Now, caught in a pincer attack by Xi Rui and the main body, the demonic shadow didn't last long and was killed on the spot.

Seeing the demonic shadow finally dead, the cultivator surnamed Hu was still shaken. "This demon had actually learned all my abilities," he said. "If not for Brother Xi Rui's righteous intervention, I'm afraid I would have..." He wanted to thank him further, but Xi Rui raised his hand, interrupting him.

"The situation is critical," Xi Rui said. "Let's make this brief. Brother Hu, how many times have you killed the demonic shadow?"

The cultivator surnamed Hu gave a bitter smile. "If I could have killed the demonic shadow, would I have ended up in this state?" he replied. "The first time I awoke, I was ignorant and confused, and the demonic shadow came knocking. I resisted bitterly, and though I escaped that peril, I revealed almost all my trump cards. The demonic shadow returned, and my situation became more perilous each time. Fortunately, the first two times didn't last long..."

Xi Rui fell into thought; this was probably the reality for most people. Especially those with weaker mental fortitude, who were already deeply mired and unable to extricate themselves, were likely possessed the very first time they entered. At this moment, Xi Rui suddenly understood the mysterious person's intentions!

It could be seen from the cultivator Hu's performance that when fighting a demonic shadow, if one couldn't kill it immediately, the main body had already lost. On one hand, more of one's strength would be exposed; on the other hand, the longer one stayed here and the deeper one sank, the greater the main body's influence would be. The demonic shadow seemed unaffected by negative influences, and after several skirmishes, Xi Rui sensed that its strength was still increasing.

With one rising and the other falling, more and more people would be eliminated. Even if they had trump cards, most could only use them once or twice, unable to escape the fate of being possessed by the demonic shadow, with very few remaining in the end. Eliminating opponents this way could be called conquering without battle, but it was truly ruthless.

In fact, Qin Sang didn't know the full truth, but some patterns could be deduced.

"Brother Xi Rui, do you mean that the demonic shadow wasn't actually killed and will be reborn?"

The cultivator surnamed Hu suddenly realized, and his face instantly turned pale. This time he escaped with Xi Rui's help, but what about next time?

"Brother Hu, you don't need to be too pessimistic," Xi Rui said, holding nothing back and stating his insights. "From what I've seen, by killing the demonic shadow this time, you should gain some benefits, and you won't be in such a desperate situation next time you encounter it. Moreover, the demonic shadow isn't immortal! I've killed the demonic shadow three times, and I have a vague premonition that perhaps it won't appear again. However, everyone's cultivation and circumstances are different, and the demonic shadows derived from them vary greatly, so the number of times might differ."

The cultivator surnamed Hu's expression softened slightly upon hearing this, but he still felt uneasy inside, murmuring, "So, I have to kill the demonic shadow at least two more times..."

Xi Rui saw that his fear hadn't subsided and couldn't help but frown. "Brother Hu, don't forget that you came here under the Ancestors' orders," he said. "Even if we take a step back and consider it from another angle, even if you are possessed by a demonic shadow, would the Ancestors just stand by and do nothing? I suspect that the Ancestors specifically built that divine mountain, perhaps to help us resist the demonic shadows!"

Upon hearing this, the panic on the cultivator Hu's face lessened somewhat. He regained his composure and looked at Xi Rui with a hint of admiration. "Brother, you seem to know many secrets?" he asked.

"I'm just deducing based on common sense," Xi Rui said lightly, his eyes narrowing slightly. "And, Brother Hu, aren't you curious? During this time, there must have been fellow cultivators possessed by demonic shadows. Where did those victorious demonic shadows go, and why didn't they come to help other demonic shadows against us?"

The cultivator surnamed Hu gave a bitter smile. "I've been living day to day, with no time to think much," he said. "Brother Xi Rui, do you mean..."

"Exactly! The divine mountain!"

Xi Rui's eyes gleamed sharply. "I suspect that the divine mountain can not only protect us but also serves as a trap, trapping the demonic shadows within our bodies, preventing them from causing trouble! The ultimate victors will surely be us!"

Using one's body as a cage still sounded somewhat horrifying, but the cultivator Hu's expression improved slightly. He was not a foolish person; he just hadn't had the chance to ponder these questions before. After pondering for a moment, he said, "I'm afraid it's not that simple. The power of the divine mountain might also be limited. If time drags on too long, eventually..." The cultivator Hu did not continue speaking; this outcome was too terrible.

The reason for this speculation was because he thought of the struggle for seating positions on the divine mountain. Differences in seating positions must have a reason; otherwise, what would everyone be fighting for? Probably, the closer one was to the mountaintop, the stronger the protective power, while those at the foot of the mountain would be the first to succumb. This meant that the divine mountain couldn't protect them indefinitely, and it was best not to be possessed by a demonic shadow.

Thinking of this, the cultivator surnamed Hu disregarded his pride and bowed deeply to Xi Rui. "If I encounter danger, I hope Brother Xi Rui will lend a strong hand," he said. "I am willing to follow Brother Xi Rui's lead!"

Xi Rui neither confirmed nor denied it. He indeed needed help, preferably by chance, as specifically seeking out the cultivator surnamed Hu would take time. One must know that there was also a mysterious person who relentlessly shattered dream seeds.

"There is indeed such a possibility," Xi Rui mused. "Could this also be that person's intention?"

"Brother Xi Rui, are you talking about that mysterious person?" the cultivator surnamed Hu asked. He had already learned the whole story from Xi Rui.

As they spoke, they were flying towards the divine mountain. Xi Rui knew in his heart that they had delayed too long and would likely not make it in time. Just then, he opened his mouth, about to speak, when he suddenly saw the cultivator Hu's expression freeze. Then he too became unable to move, and this realm shattered.

At the same moment.

Before the divine mountain.

Qin Sang intervened, eliminating one competitor, and continued tirelessly towards the divine mountain. This time, his landing point was further from the divine mountain, and there were further delays in between, resulting in more time spent than the previous two times. The divine mountain appeared in his sight.

Having learned from the last time, Qin Sang was alert and indeed found something unusual: there were hidden auras near the divine mountain.

"This aura is a bit weak..."

Qin Sang mused to himself, "Is it a trap? Or is it not the same person?" His movements were so fast, and these people were entangled by demonic shadows, making it very difficult to set up traps in advance. The latter possibility was greater. These people were all intelligent, so it was not surprising for a second person to figure out the truth. However, this person was severely injured yet dared to come over, which was overly confident. Did they really consider themselves immortal? Qin Sang believed that even if one couldn't truly die in the illusion, being killed by someone would certainly have an impact.

As expected, Qin Sang soon discovered a hidden, obscure aura. It seemed this person had been rescued by a companion and was now acting as bait. His gaze shifted. Qin Sang sneaked close to the injured person, and the small Azure Luan suddenly appeared without warning.

"Boom!"

The small Azure Luan self-detonated right in front of him.

"Lord Lu!"

The ground shook and mountains swayed. The companions hiding nearby were greatly alarmed and were also affected.

Qin Sang didn't look at the outcome; taking advantage of the chaos, he rushed towards the mountaintop and shattered the supreme treasure with one palm. At the last moment, he sensed the aura of someone exposed in the shadows and thought, "Indeed, this person is none other than the Feathered Race's prince!"

It's Chinese New Year. Wishing everyone a happy New Year! It's a customary three-day break. With things piling up at the end of the year, I truly felt my body was overexerted this past month. I'll rest during the New Year and spend time with my family.