Spirit Connection Realm

"Kill."

Facing the four who were fleeing, the Mongol Yuan chiliarch didn't pursue them. Instead, he sheathed his saber, a savage grin on his face.

With a wave of his right hand, the soldiers behind him drew their bows.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh~

"Be careful."

Zhang Jie's eyes widened at the rain of arrows. He stopped his frantic run, turned, and swung his saber to block.

Mongol Yuan soldiers were practically raised on horseback. Their conquest of Asia and Europe relied on their unparalleled horsemanship and archery. How could mere flesh and blood withstand hundreds of arrows?

Chii~

With a muffled thud, one arrow pierced through the saber's block and struck Zhang Jie in the right chest. Zhang Jie's movements faltered, his saber fell limply, and he closed his eyes, awaiting death.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh~

"Second Brother," Zhang Xing cried out in anguish.

Zhang Qing, who was being protected, was also heartbroken. His longsword fell to the ground, and he cried out mournfully, "Second Uncle."

Zhang Jie held onto his last breath, weakly saying, "Go, hurry."

One step slow, every step slow.

This brief delay allowed a large number of Mongol Yuan soldiers to surround them. The chiliarch on horseback looked down at the three before him, his voice cold as he said, "Kill them."

"I'll fight you to the death!"

Zhang Xing roared, swinging the longsword in his hand. He leaped up, charging towards the chiliarch to assassinate him.

"Heh, cowardly Song people," the chiliarch said disdainfully.

The saber flashed with a cold light. The next moment, Zhang Xing's head was directly severed and rolled to the side. His eyes, filled with hatred, slowly lost their light.

His head rolled in front of Zhang Qing. The little girl held in his arms fainted instantly, her eyes rolling back.

"Third Uncle," Zhang Qing cried out in grief.

Looking at the Mongol Yuan invaders constantly closing in on him, he saw smoke billowing from the Zhang Family Fortress where he had grown up in the distance. The screams had gradually stopped, and the thick smell of blood assaulted his nostrils.

"Father, Mother, Eldest Brother, Uncle Jie, Third Uncle, Second Uncle..."

His eyes stared with hatred at the Mongol Yuan soldiers before him, wishing he could eat their flesh and drink their blood.

Clutching his unconscious little sister tightly in his arms, he roared up at the sky, "The Hu barbarians are cruel, the officials are unjust, the common people are like pigs, trampled in blood and flesh! I hate! I hate!"

"How much do you hate?"

"I wish I could eat their flesh and drink their blood."

"Then what price are you willing to pay?"

"I am willing to pay everything."

"Good."

Thump thump thump~

Fang Xuan, dressed in a feathered robe, walked forward on the ground stained red with blood. His steps were neither fast nor slow, as if he had emerged from the void.

"Who are you?"

"The one who will kill you."

With a thought, the Pale Skull appeared before him, surrounded by black mist, with demonic clouds swirling.

"Go."

The Pale Skull let out a mournful cry, like the wailing of ten thousand ghosts and the roaring of vengeful spirits. The black mist surrounding it even revealed ghostly faces.

It quickly moved among the Mongol Yuan soldiers. Anyone it touched instantly turned into a dried corpse, their essence and blood completely devoured.

The Pale Skull was a demonic artifact. Covered by its poisonous smoke, one would instantly turn into pus and blood. It was also filled with boundless resentment and was best at absorbing human essence and blood.

Magic Treasures refined by the demonic path were usually forged with human souls, which was the most cruel method. They often used living people, infants, fierce tigers, spiritual snakes, and other living beings as sacrifices in the furnace. However, at this moment, it could fully display its power.

Screams and sounds of terror were endless. The Mongol Yuan chiliarch, seeing such a scene, also roared in anger and swung the saber in his hand towards Fang Xuan.

"Hmph!"

Fang Xuan snorted coldly. With a thought, the black smoke sprayed by the Pale Skull instantly enveloped him. He didn't even let out a scream before turning into a puddle of pus.

"Demons, demons, run!"

"Is this the punishment from Eternal Heaven?"

"Don't eat me, don't eat me."

"Help!"

In an instant, thousands of Mongol Yuan soldiers all turned into dried corpses. The Pale Skull also returned to Fang Xuan's palm.

Its originally pale color was now tinged with a faint red, looking like a piece of blood jade, and the black smoke that had been swirling around it seemed even thicker.

Indeed, the demonic path was the demonic path.

The more it sucked blood and devoured souls, the greater its power.

Zhang Qing, equally horrified, watched the scene before him, but then burst into laughter, a hysterical laugh with tears streaming from his eyes.

After a long while, he stood up, tidied his clothes and his messy hair bun, gently touched his still unconscious younger sister, then walked up to Fang Xuan, cupped his hands, and bowed.

"Zhang Qing greets his other self."

Fang Xuan frowned slightly, flipped his right hand, put away the Pale Skeleton, and asked, "You know my identity?"

"The moment I saw your face, I knew everything," Zhang Qing said.

Fang Xuan's pupils contracted.

Trouble.

Zhang Qing was his other self, and Fang Xuan was Zhang Qing's other self. The two were reciprocal.

This meant that Zhang Qing could also kill him and inherit everything.

If one day he encountered a stronger other self, he could easily find the tables turned if he wasn't careful.

Just like in the movie The One, everything the main villain did in the early stages ultimately benefited the protagonist.

Fortunately, the energy wasn't evenly distributed after he killed his other self; otherwise, it would simply be aiding the enemy!

"My apologies," Fang Xuan said in a deep voice.

Zhang Qing smiled freely and said, "I should be the one saying thank you. Can you help me one last time?"

"Speak."

"Let Jing'er live," Zhang Qing said, looking at the sleeping Zhang Jing with doting affection.

"Alright."

"Thank you."

Fang Xuan flicked his finger, and his internal energy shot out, instantly shattering Zhang Qing's heart.

Along with Zhang Qing's death, an invisible energy drifted out from his body and merged into his own.

As this energy integrated, Fang Xuan felt as if all the flesh and blood in his body had turned into balls of flame. The intense flames burned, rushing upwards to his head. Instantly, the heavenly gate in his head was illuminated by the essence blood flames once more, and his spirit became unprecedentedly clear.

At this moment, Fang Xuan seemed to see the bones on top of his head becoming transparent, like crystal. His entire spirit had been elevated to a new level.

His spirit was clearer than ever before, penetrating his entire body with unprecedented clarity. He was reborn once again, like a dragon or snake shedding its skin, completely renewed.

Heaven and earth were in his mind!

His mind expanded infinitely!

At this moment, Fang Xuan felt as if he possessed an indomitable spiritual will. That door of divine abilities in his mind seemed to have quietly opened a crack.

The Spirit Connection Realm was achieved!

His sensitivity increased dramatically. Within a radius of several thousand steps, any rustling of leaves, even the slight crawling of centipedes or spiders, was reflected in his mind.

No movement could escape his ears and eyes.

Looking inward, Fang Xuan could feel that as long as he circulated his spirit, all the bones and internal organs throughout his body were clearly visible, transparent and clear.

The Spirit Connection realm allowed for internal vision.

His bones were distinct, like crystal.

Cultivating the physical body to the fifth level, Divine Strength, was a watershed, and reaching the ninth level, Spirit Connection, was an even more crucial watershed. This was because it was an important stage where the physical body transitioned to the spiritual. Only by stepping into the Spirit Connection realm could one hope to enter the Mystic Divine Realm.