Return to Origin Realm

Chu Ning's pupils contracted. He knew he had fallen into a trap.

The Azure-Eyed Snow Fox's illusion.

His heart sank heavily.

This was definitely no ordinary illusion. If it had merely been mental bewilderment, he was confident he could break through it with his formidable willpower.

But now, he could even feel the sting of the cold wind slicing across his skin and smell the faint scent of snow in the air.

It was far too real!

"How is it? This is your burial ground."

A sinister, icy voice suddenly rang out from every direction.

Chu Ning's heart jolted. He whipped around, only to see a blurry white figure slowly emerging at the edge of the snowfield.

It was an even larger, more imposing snow fox.

It crouched upon the frozen plain, its eyes looking down upon all living things as though it were a god.

And in its eyes, Chu Ning was no more than an ant it could crush at any moment.

"Your will is strong, but unfortunately, mortals are ultimately still mortals."

The snow fox slowly lowered its head, its gaze deep and unfathomable, as though it intended to devour Chu Ning's soul.

"Pupil power, the lure toward immortality."

Chu Ning's heart jolted.

"Immortality?"

So the Wang Family's ancestor had sought to seize the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox's Pupil Essence in pursuit of immortality after all!

In an instant, an invisible pressure surged toward him. Chu Ning felt a violent pain in his mind, while the true qi in his body seemed to freeze, leaving him unable to move even an inch.

"Damn it!"

Chu Ning growled and forcibly activated his Thunderous Force, attempting to break free of the restraints.

But the power of this illusion far exceeded his imagination.

The moment his Thunderous Force began circulating, the snow fox gave a soft snort, and a gale suddenly erupted between heaven and earth.

The cold wind condensed into solid form, shrieking toward him like ice blades.

Chu Ning's gaze sharpened as he desperately swung his saber to block.

"Clang, clang, clang—"

The Rusty Saber collided with the ice blades, sending sparks flying in all directions.

However, just after he blocked the first wave of attacks, the ground suddenly collapsed, and a bottomless Ice Abyss appeared beneath his feet.

Chu Ning's body sank. He was unable to control himself and plummeted straight down.

At this critical moment, a strange fluctuation suddenly surged from within Chu Ning's body.

The "Chaos Origin Qi Refining Method" Li Jing'an had taught him had reached grand completion.

A warm golden light erupted from his dantian. In an instant, his soul underwent a drastic transformation, and his spiritual sense swept across the illusion like the radiance of a blazing sun.

Within his dantian, the Chaos Origin golden light surged and resonated with his soul, as though a radiant sun were rising from the sea of his spirit.

The Return to Origin Realm!

At this moment, Chu Ning's soul had completely stepped into the Return to Origin Realm.

The entire snowfield trembled violently. Countless cracks split open in the sky, and the illusion collapsed.

The snow fox suddenly let out a shriek. Its pupil light was actually scattered by the power of Chu Ning's soul.

Chu Ning slowly opened his eyes, and the Black Wind Forest of reality once again entered his view.

The Azure-Eyed Snow Fox's eyes were filled with terror. It stared at Chu Ning in disbelief, seemingly unable to understand at all.

How could this human have broken free from its illusion?

And he had even caused it to suffer a backlash.

"Is this... the soul of the Return to Origin Realm?"

As Chu Ning sensed the unprecedented, surging power within his body, his gaze grew incomparably sharp.

He slowly raised the Rusty Saber, and lightning exploded once more.

The Azure-Eyed Snow Fox let out an enraged roar and frantically retreated, attempting to flee.

But by now, it had no chance left.

Lightning burst apart as gales howled.

Chu Ning's saber edge tore through the night. Arcs of lightning flickered and spat, while killing intent surged like a flood.

The Azure-Eyed Snow Fox's four limbs tensed. Though it had already been wounded, it still struggled desperately to dodge.

Its fur was smooth and white as snow, faintly glowing with a strange cold radiance. This was its strongest defense.

Water and fire could not penetrate it, and ordinary blades and swords could not break through its defenses at all.

But Chu Ning's saber was no ordinary saber!

"Thunderous Fury!"

Chu Ning shouted angrily. The true qi in his body surged madly. In an instant, the lightning condensed into solid form, becoming a several-zhang-long Lightning Blade that descended in a vicious slash!

"Boom—!"

The saber's might shook the heavens. Terrifying thunderous power erupted with a crash, like heavenly thunder sentencing the world, brutally striking the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox's back.

"Awooooo—!!"

The Azure-Eyed Snow Fox let out a heart-rending wail. Its snow-white fur exploded in an instant, and the Thunderous Force poured through the wound into its body, violently tearing apart its meridians.

Its body was blasted several zhang away by that terrifying force, crashing heavily into the ground. Blood seeped into the earth, dyeing its snow-white fur red.

Chu Ning steadied himself and stood with his saber in hand, his gaze icy.

"As expected... no matter how strong a defense is, it can't withstand sufficiently powerful force!"

The Azure-Eyed Snow Fox struggled to stand, but Thunderous Force rampaged throughout its body, making its limbs tremble and even standing upright difficult.

Chu Ning took a deep breath and slowly walked toward the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox.

"Now, you're mine."

However, just as he reached out to pick up the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox—

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Cold gleams tore through the air!

Three or four cold arrows shot swiftly from the depths of the dense forest, aimed straight at Chu Ning's vital points.

Chu Ning's pupils contracted sharply. His heart tightened, and he instantly swept his saber horizontally.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Lightning exploded, and the saber edge precisely knocked three cold arrows away.

But the fourth cold arrow carried a strange curve. It pierced through the night from another angle and shot toward his chest.

"What a fast arrow!"

Chu Ning abruptly twisted aside, narrowly avoiding his vital points. But the cold arrow still grazed his shoulder. Although he had the "Rough Stone Hardening Technique" protecting him, a bloody mark nevertheless appeared.

He grunted, stomped hard on the ground, and swiftly retreated to widen the distance.

His sharp gaze swept toward the direction from which the arrows had come.

A figure slowly stepped out of the dense forest.

Wang Li's face was gloomy, his gaze grim.

He slowly lowered his longbow, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "Chu Ning, so it really is you."

Chu Ning narrowed his eyes, his gaze as sharp as a blade.

Although he had simply disguised himself and changed his appearance, the moment he used the Thunderclap Saber Art, that overbearing saber intent of thunder could not be concealed at all.

"I didn't expect to be recognized so quickly."

Chu Ning muttered under his breath.

Wang Li sneered. "A lowly hunter who could grow to this level in such a short time—apart from you, there isn't a second person like that in the entire Qingyang County."

He slowly raised his hand. Behind him, more than a dozen Wang Family martial artists emerged one after another from the dense forest. Each held a long saber, their eyes cold and their killing intent surging.

"You forced me into this."

Wang Li stared fixedly at Chu Ning, the killing intent in his eyes growing denser.

"Unfortunately, no matter how strong you are, you won't escape today's calamity."

Chu Ning swept his gaze around, a trace of coldness flashing through his eyes.

"Your Wang Family really went all out."

Wang Li scoffed. "Killing you hardly counts as going all out."

At this, Chu Ning suddenly let out a scornful laugh. He stared coldly at Wang Li and said in a chilling tone, "The Wang Family. Your Wang Family destroyed my home and family, and now you still want to wipe us out completely? Today, I'll show you who the true hunter is!"

Wang Li's expression did not change. He sneered, "Your entire family was nothing but lowly commoners, ants daring to oppose the Wang Family? You should understand that you're merely a pitiful avenger. In the end, all you'll achieve is a futile struggle."

Chu Ning's gaze turned cold. His grip on the saber tightened slightly, and his killing intent surged. "Unfortunately, I, Chu Ning, have a hard life! Not only did I survive, I'll also make your Wang Family pay its blood debt in blood!"

A cold gleam flashed through Wang Li's eyes, and murderous intent fully revealed itself.

"In that case, I'll send you on your way today!"

Wang Li slowly drew the long saber from his waist. The icy blade light illuminated his hideous face.

He suddenly waved his hand. The surrounding Wang Family martial artists instantly drew their sabers and surged toward Chu Ning, brimming with killing intent.

Chu Ning tightened his grip on the hilt. Lightning surged along the saber's edge, and his aura grew heavy.

"You want to kill me? Then come and try!"

Lightning exploded, and a solemn battle intent filled the air.

In the Black Wind Forest, killing intent lurked in every direction.

The great battle was about to erupt!