Chapter 241: Illusory World Yin and Yang

“Peerless Ghost Shadow, Thousand-faced Asura!”

Tuoba Hong roared, finally unleashing the ultimate combined technique of the Instant Kill Assassin lineage. This technique had been sealed away for over six thousand years, nearly lost entirely within the Ghost Shadow Asura lineage. Its rarity was due not only to its extreme cultivation difficulty but also to the severe mental backlash it inflicted upon its practitioner.

A thousand faces, a thousand forms; the Asura's power was endless. The more spiritual energy one possessed, the more ghost clones could be summoned. Tuoba Hong coercively forced the Ghost Shadow Asura's true form to serve as the activation source, while he himself provided spiritual assistance and control as the primary caster. Consequently, the Ghost Shadow Asura bore a far greater cost than Tuoba Hong, as his grand-disciple was effectively exploiting his last remaining value.

“This technique is incredibly powerful... Among a thousand faces, only one is the true body, making it impossible to distinguish in such a short time!” the Empress’s soul voice immediately echoed in Xu Yang’s mind.

“My ocular power was originally capable of countering illusionary techniques like this,” she continued, “but these two are far too powerful for me. My identification speed will be severely hampered!”

Xu Yang responded gravely, “Don’t concern yourselves with us. Remember my words: you must unleash your illusion at the most critical moment. The outcome of this life-or-death battle no longer depends on us, but on you!”

The Empress clenched her fists. She desperately wanted to aid Xu Yang, but against an adversary of this caliber, not only was she helpless, but even the combined forces of all Three Thousand Dao States would offer scant assistance.

“Hahahaha! Xu Yang, even if you possess heaven-shattering abilities, you won’t be able to decipher my Master and Grandmaster’s ultimate secret technique, unless you are a true god!”

Xu Yang gritted his teeth, observing the unfolding events with cold determination. This was undeniably the most challenging battle he had faced since emerging from seclusion. Not only were his adversaries of the highest caliber, but the relentless, high-intensity successive assaults were proving incredibly taxing. With just twenty percent more strength, Xu Yang was confident he could dismantle this technique on his own. However, at this moment, even with his formidable powers, he could not defy the natural limits.

“Old beast, you’re on your own this time!” the Taotie roared in a fit of rage, instinctively attempting to suppress and shatter the illusory figures with a sonic blast. Yet, it quickly discovered this method was completely useless.

“Asura, Slash!!”

As the thousand ghostly faces flickered simultaneously, charging at Xu Yang and the Taotie from every direction, danger crept upon them…

“Watch out!!”

Xu Yang’s formidable spiritual power ultimately detected Tuoba Hong’s weakness just moments before the attack. Unfortunately, the target chosen by the opponent was not Xu Yang himself, but the Taotie, hundreds of meters away. At that distance, even someone as powerful as Xu Yang had no time to intervene.

Boom! A terrifying, dark green blade light erupted instantly. How could the Taotie’s colossal body defend against such a close-range sneak attack? The illusory figure directly above its eyes merged with Tuoba Hong’s true form, unleashing a supremely powerful strike of the Divine Infant Realm’s Grand Completion stage. This attack irrevocably shattered the Taotie’s protective barrier and tore an opening in its domain.

Thwack! An agonizing cry!

A painful wail echoed across the Dragon Slaying Battlefield. The Taotie’s right eye was impaled by the blade, instantly bursting into a bloody mist. Its colossal body was violently thrown backward, repeatedly crashing into the temple ruins.

“You bastard, I’m going to kill you! Urgh!” the Taotie shrieked in agony. Yet, amidst its bone-chilling cries, Tuoba Hong’s wild laughter reverberated.

“You dared to underestimate me? Taotie, today you will pay the price for your arrogance!”

The silver blade, having pierced the Taotie’s pupil, did not stop. Instead, it continued to penetrate its skull, moving perilously close to its inner core.

“Die!”

The Taotie was overwhelmed by profound sorrow and rage. For millions of years, it had fought countless battles and devoured innumerable foes, yet this was the first time it had suffered such a devastating blow! Suddenly, the Taotie began to burn its protective domain, using its irresistible power to forcefully expel the silver blade. The very void where Tuoba Hong stood seemed to shatter, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood as he recoiled. However, the silver blade had also extracted a small portion of the Taotie’s inner core essence, which now fell into Tuoba Hong’s hand.

“Hahahaha! Taotie, your inner core is damaged and tainted by the Insect Emperor’s venom on my silver blade. Today marks your demise! Before long, your inner core will inevitably be mine!”

As the Taotie completely lost its combat capabilities, the breach in its domain expanded relentlessly, finally collapsing entirely. Xu Yang and the Empress’s dozen or so subordinates also regained their freedom. Having clearly witnessed the recent battle from within the domain, much of their previous animosity towards the Taotie had vanished. Some even began to sympathize with its current plight.

“Let’s attack together and eliminate this despicable scoundrel!”

Bai Lianxue and the Empress’s five disciples prepared to charge forward, but Xu Yang paid them no mind. Having just tasted success, the Thousand-faced Asura had no intention of stopping. It immediately shifted its attack towards Bai Lianxue and the others.

“No!”

“Ah Xue, now!”

Sensing the imminent danger, Xu Yang let out a furious roar. His Eternal Divine Sword and Desolate Heaven Boundless abandoned their defensive stances, charging simultaneously towards the true forms of Tuoba Hong and the Ghost Shadow Asura.

In that instant, Xu Yang once again summoned his Dao Heart Duster, holding it horizontally before him, embodying the unity of mind and Dao, heaven and man. An incredibly radiant golden Dao light emanated from Xu Yang’s true form, spreading outward. This appeared to be the purest purifying energy in all creation; wherever the light touched, all illusory phantoms were slowed, yet the two true bodies remained entirely unaffected.

It was in this fleeting moment that the Empress seized her chance, finally locking her formidable spiritual power onto Tuoba Hong’s true essence. The Empress would have had no such opportunity ordinarily, but the Taotie’s recent full-force counterattack against Tuoba Hong had finally shattered his protective barrier, revealing a fatal weakness and granting the Empress her sole chance to turn the tide.

“Cold Moon Apex—Illusory World Yin-Yang!”

Whoosh! In an instant, the Empress’s true form ascended into the air, and an incredibly brilliant blue light rippled from within her, becoming the luminous heart of the entire Dragon Slaying Battlefield. The ultimate profound illusion of the Cold Moon Art’s apex, the most powerful illusion the Empress could manifest with her current cultivation, was now flawlessly unleashed.

Finally, Tuoba Hong and the Ghost Shadow Asura could not escape. Like Xu Yang and the others, they were forced into a dazed state, and everyone on the battlefield was completely engulfed by this illusion array. They felt only a moment of disorientation before, upon regaining their senses, the surrounding world had completely transformed.

“My heavens! Where are we…”

Bai Lianxue and the others were utterly stunned. It was important to remember that they had previously entered an illusion during their competition with the five maidens from the Cold Moon Empire. However, that ‘cold night’ paled in comparison to the intricate sophistication of the illusion now before them; the difference was like heaven and earth.

“She truly is the Cold Moon Empress! This must be the most exquisite and perfect illusionary space in this entire world, wouldn’t you agree?”