Chapter 251: Breaking the Illusion

Calamity Dragons twisted their bodies in the ocean, tossed up and down by the waves. The turbulent currents stirred by their shield-like scales caused the massive, mountain-sized tower ship to spin and sway.

The cultivators on board reacted in various ways: some thrust their flying swords through openings and into the water, while others immediately settled into meditation, closing off their five senses to enter an ethereal state, undisturbed by the singing. On either side of the bow, crew members took their positions. Iron cannonballs blasted from the powder chambers of the bronze-barreled cannons, spewing flames as they plunged into the water.

Yet, even the thunderous roar of the cannon fire could not drown out the wailing song of the Calamity Dragon horde.

In an instant, the song enveloped the colossal ship, casting a nightmare over it.

Ning Changjiu’s sword energy plunged into the water, instantly tearing apart a Calamity Dragon’s body, cleaving it in two. Blood blossomed like a flower in the sea.

He held his breath and focused, circulating his spiritual energy in the Ink Rain Overturning Basin Style, as sword energy cascaded into the seawater like a waterfall.

At the same same time, his consciousness wavered.

Lu Jiajia had vanished from his side!

"Jiajia!" Ning Changjiu was momentarily distraught, crying out as he frantically reached out beside him.

"What are you doing?" Lu Jiajia's reproachful voice immediately sounded.

Ning Changjiu froze. Lu Jiajia hadn't vanished; she was clearly standing right beside him.

At that moment, she was radiating sword intent, and her right hand, gripping her sword, was clutched in his grasp.

A wave crashed over them.

"Look out!" Lu Jiajia stepped in front of him, sweeping her sword energy across.

Ning Changjiu experienced another illusion. The wave in his eyes was no longer just a wave, but Jiuying, a fierce god with nine heads, dancing like a raging thunderbolt!

He knew it was an illusion, yet he could distinctly see the vibrating scales on Jiuying’s massive, python-like body.

Ever since he had mastered the Asura Divine Technique, his spiritual power had reached a new level. How could he still be deceived by illusions created by these sea beasts?

But whether illusion or reality, what surged towards him was his enemy.

Ning Changjiu activated the Asura Divine Technique and concentrated.

The sword in his hand began to surge, its sword energy transforming into a torrent of light that surged forward.

The scene before him exploded. Dozens of feet of sword energy burst forth. Jiuying was swept away by the sword energy, its nine heads bursting open like watermelons. Splashing everywhere, he couldn't tell if it was blood or seawater.

The instant Jiuying exploded, all the water on his scabbard was vibrated into perfect beads.

Ning Changjiu’s Sea of Consciousness surged. Sensing an anomaly, he abruptly seized the golden light at its center.

The golden lotus in his Sea of Consciousness bloomed, its soul-symbolizing petals acting like iron nails, pinning his spiritual will in place.

The scene before his eyes changed.

He was still standing at the bow of the ship, with biting cold wind and snow assailing him. Calamity Dragons thrashed in the seawater, their singing ceaseless.

He turned his head. Lu Jiajia was intently gazing at the sky, casting out one sword energy after another.

Ning Changjiu's expression shifted sharply, and he quickly grasped her hand. "What are you doing?"

"Slaying demons," Lu Jiajia replied, looking confused. "Why are you just standing there? Aren't you going to draw your sword?"

Ning Changjiu knew that either she was in an illusion, or he was.

The golden lotus of the Asura Divine Technique spun continuously, anchoring his spirit, and he was certain that he was not the one being invaded.

As he pondered, Lu Jiajia remained focused. She unleashed a burst of sword energy, which soared into the grey sky and vanished.

"Jiajia!" Ning Changjiu immediately yelled, stopping her.

"What is it?"

"You might not believe me, but you've been lost in an illusion," Ning Changjiu said earnestly.

Lu Jiajia was equally firm. "I've cultivated to the Seventh Floor of the Purple Court realm. How could I be lost by them? These sea dragons are, at most, creatures of the Longevity Realm. They're just numerous. It's you, you've cultivated so many strange and chaotic techniques, you've muddled your own heart!"

Hearing Lu Jiajia's familiar scolding, Ning Changjiu momentarily wondered who was right.

Amidst the singing, a Calamity Dragon rose from the churning white water, its head rearing like a snake.

Ning Changjiu drew his sword. The blade hummed with a tremor, piercing the Calamity Dragon's body. A bloody hole erupted, and the dragon cried out, crashing back into the sea like a whip.

Lu Jiajia frowned, puzzled. "Why are you slashing your sword at the sky? Is your power going to waste?"

"I just killed a Calamity Dragon!" Ning Changjiu stated firmly.

"What nonsense are you talking?" Lu Jiajia thought he had fallen into an illusion.

Ning Changjiu asked, "How can I make you believe me?"

Lu Jiajia replied, "I've always believed you, but this time, it's definitely your lack of resolve."

"Why?" Ning Changjiu asked, confused.

"I learned swordsmanship with my master from a young age, my Dao heart is resolute, and you are my only Dao companion, so I am naturally stable. But you're walking on two boats; how can you stand firm?" A hint of annoyance flashed across Lu Jiajia's exquisitely beautiful face. No matter how magnanimous she was, she naturally desired exclusivity in love.

Ning Changjiu felt guilty but forced himself to argue, "I am your master, your disciple, and your husband. If one role is split off, aren't there still two?"

"Are you using this illusion to make yourself bold?" Lu Jiajia bristled with anger. "Do you believe I'll strike you with my sword?"

Ning Changjiu began, "In any case, trust..."

Before he could finish, Ning Changjiu looked towards the bow, his pupils contracting slightly.

On the bow, a sea demon-like figure had appeared, he knew not when.

The sea demon’s semi-transparent body shimmered gray. One of its lower hands clutched an ancient blade salvaged from the seabed, while a normal arm on its shoulder held a conch. It pressed the conch to its lips, blowing strenuously. The conch's sound mingled with the Calamity Dragons' cries, low, lingering, and imbued with soul-stirring demonic power.

Behind him, robes woven from seaweed puffed up, and something seemed to be wriggling inside, about to burst forth.

The moment it appeared, the ancient blade in its hand swung. The grey blade cut a magnificent arc, and the head of the man operating the cannon at the bow instantly flew from his body, falling into the sea.

Next, deadly grey lines sliced through the heavy snow and falling rain, cutting in chaotic patterns with an aura of death.

As Ning Changjiu rushed forward with his sword, a second, then a third head, flew off.

"What are you doing?" Lu Jiajia's expression was shocked. She clearly saw Ning Changjiu swinging his sword at an old man on the verge of death.

Ning Changjiu had no time to explain. His sword precisely intercepted the grey lines in mid-air, preventing them from advancing an inch further. His iron sword glowed with sword fire, instantly evaporating the blood from the opponent's blade, then pushing back with a furious sword intent.

The demon’s seaweed robes tore, and several sea anemone-like tentacles twisted and coiled towards him.

Ning Changjiu pressed his sword against the sea demon's ancient blade. With his other hand, he caught a snowflake, and as if grasping a talisman, he flicked it, imbued with a "Seal" character, towards the monster’s head.

The sea demon's expression subtly changed.

This sealing spell was quite common, typically taught to novice immortal-sect practitioners, but Ning Changjiu, relying on his own cultivation realm, imbued it with the power to transform the ordinary into the miraculous.

The sea demon ignored it. It pressed the conch to its lips, blowing more intensely.

The talisman struck its left cheek. A flash of fire ignited and died, blasting flesh from its cheek, leaving a charred patch. But quickly, new scales covered the wound.

It also found it strange why, even after blowing the soul-capturing conch to its utmost, it still couldn't sway his mind.

The sea anemone-like tentacles were already close to Ning Changjiu. Amidst the gleaming sword light, the iron sword and ancient blade clashed. The attacking sea anemones were continuously chopped into pieces, only to regenerate and relentlessly press forward.

Despite this, Ning Changjiu, relying on the suppression of his cultivation realm and sword intent, forced it back to the bow within three breaths.

However, in Lu Jiajia's eyes, this scene was Ning Changjiu boldly attacking an old man and leaving him battered and bleeding.

Her heart clenched, and she wanted to draw her sword to stop him.

"Trust me!" Ning Changjiu roared, as if sensing Lu Jiajia's thoughts.

Lu Jiajia paused her movement, a trace of confusion flickering in her heart.

In that flicker of confusion, golden light erupted from Ning Changjiu's body. A colossal Asura emerged from behind him and violently threw a punch at the coiling sea anemones. Thunder crackled at the tip of its fist.

A white nictitating membrane flashed across the sea demon's pupils, shielding them from the blinding golden light, but the punch was already upon it. Although it blocked with its blade, the overwhelming force still sent it flying.

The sea demon groaned in pain. The sea anemones on its back rapidly regenerated, gripping firmly onto the ship's hull. The ancient blade sank into the wood as it quickly healed its injuries, accumulating strength, ready to climb back onto the bow at any moment.

Lu Jiajia watched helplessly as the old man was knocked off the bow. She could no longer bear it and sharply demanded, "What exactly are you doing?"

Ning Changjiu looked back at her. Lu Jiajia was frowning at him, her sword robes fluttering with the snow.

If the illusion controlled one's spiritual consciousness, how could he adjust his spirit to break through its influence?

Ning Changjiu's mind raced. Suddenly, he took a large step forward, embraced Lu Jiajia, and bit her lips.

"You... what are you doing..." Lu Jiajia tried to push him away, but he held her tightly.

Yang grants Yin, male and female complement each other, water and fire at the head, light reflecting and pervading...

Ning Changjiu silently recited the cultivation mantra of the Sect of Joyful Union.

A flame erupted between them. The lines of Yin and Yang, like a lit bonfire, surged upwards to the crown of their heads and downwards to their bubbling springs. Pleasant emotions temporarily suppressed her anger and doubt, enveloping them both.

"Mm-hm..."

Lu Jiajia let out a soft hum.

Ning Changjiu saw the zither materialized from her body. His fingers swept over its strings, then plucked them with a powerful vibrato.

Behind them, the sound of splintering wood dramatically rang out. The sea demon spun its body, once again wielding its ancient blade and pressing forward.

Lu Jiajia's expression cleared.

When she opened her eyes again, there was no old man in her pupils, but clearly a demon covered in sea anemones and algae.

"Algae Dragon?" Lu Jiajia even recognized its identity. It was a creature recorded in the sect's murals.

Without needing much communication, the moment she cleared her mind, Ning Changjiu released her. He gripped his sword hilt with a backhand, flicked his wrist, and launched it.

Lu Jiajia simultaneously drew her sword.

The two sword strikes were incredibly close. The air between them was instantly pierced. Amidst the sonic boom, the great Algae Dragon demon couldn't block in time. The scales on its chest were instantly torn away, and it fell, bloody and mangled, into the seawater.

"It's trying to escape!" Ning Changjiu muttered, already pressing forward.

Lu Jiajia, swift as a sword, also pursued in the direction the Algae Dragon fled.

The Algae Dragon let out a furious roar.

It was the demon king that commanded this sea region, yet it had never expected the enemies on this ancient ship to be so difficult to deal with...

It drank a large amount of seawater, retracted the sea anemones on its back into its robes, and fled towards the deep sea. At the same time, the Calamity Dragons pressed in behind it.

The Algae Dragon knew that as long as it was intent on escaping, they would be unable to intercept it in the seawater.

Only, if it did so, the Dianhuan Sect would not return its child...

With hatred in its heart, the Algae Dragon quickly sank into the depths of the Sea of Ill Fate.

Ning Changjiu and Lu Jiajia were indeed unable to intercept and kill a sea demon in the water.

They returned to the tower ship after dispersing the Calamity Dragon horde.

Many people had previously been lured by the Calamity Dragons' singing and had fallen into the sea. Now, the awakened cultivators swiftly went into the water to rescue people or retrieve bodies.

Ning Changjiu dried his body with sword fire.

Lu Jiajia stood beside him, head bowed, not uttering a word.

Ning Changjiu said, "That Algae Dragon demon is, at the very least, a great demon of the Fifth Realm of the Purple Court. These great demons have thick hides and tenacious lives, making them truly difficult to kill quickly."

Lu Jiajia nodded softly and said, "I didn't believe you earlier..."

Ning Changjiu smiled and said, "I understand. Isn't there a saying, 'It's... 'a tempest in a teacup,' or something like that."

Ning Changjiu glanced at where her anger had flared, the meaning unspoken.

Lu Jiajia crossed her arms and pressed him. "What 'tempest' or 'teacup'? Explain yourself."

Ning Changjiu hesitated for a moment. "Well... no harm done."

Lu Jiajia let out a soft hum, also drying her clothes with sword fire.

Suddenly, a cry reached their ears.

By a damaged cannon platform on the ship's side, a little girl was crying on the blood-soaked deck, weeping heartbrokenly.

"What's wrong?" Ning Changjiu walked over to her and asked.

The little girl lifted her tear-filled, drowsy head, looked at Ning Changjiu, hesitated for a moment, then suddenly hugged his leg and cried out, "Daddy!"