"Aaaah!"
"It hurts!"
"I want it! I want it! I want eternal life!"
Shrill screams suddenly rose one after another through the silent woods!
A gust of wind scattered the gray mist, lending the forest a chilly air that sent a shiver through the heart.
But what truly chilled the heart was the sight of the Five Sects' disciples growling and wailing, and the twisted faces that flickered in and out of sight upon their own!
They realized with a start that the wicked thoughts had invaded them without their knowing!
Once those thoughts arose, they could no longer be controlled. The phantoms in their hearts seemed to come alive, tearing open their cages, casting off restraint and disguise, and climbing out from the depths!
For a moment, it was as though every face had gained another mask, another painted skin.
But those painted skins were grotesque and uncanny, their features twisted—
One person's face was covered entirely in eyes. They opened one by one, seeming to tug at the skin and sinews, pulling at the flesh across his body and revealing a desire to spy upon the secrets of all things!
Another's face was full of mouths, large and small, packed with fangs. They opened wider and wider, radiating a fierce desire to devour Heaven and Earth!
Others had faces that shifted unpredictably—now handsome, now ugly, now male, now female. Their thoughts drifted just as wildly, their desires changing with them!
And still others...
Those uncanny faces, coupled with the whispers and murmurs pouring from their mouths, ears, and every orifice, made the hearts of Mount Taihua's disciples tremble.
No matter how steadfast a person's Dao Heart, he could hardly remain unmoved when someone whose cultivation equaled or even surpassed his own had fallen prey to the spell