Page 46

A hint of depth entered his lowered eyes. Wu Fei turned Yin Fan's name over in his mind, his eyes darkening further as myriad emotions surged.

The protagonist really did... make one want to cherish him fiercely.

As the night deepened, the city lord and his wife returned hand in hand to the city lord's residence below. Yin Fan's father looked middle-aged, with rather rugged features, while his mother was gentle and graceful.

Yin Fan's looks combined the best of both.

The moment the two appeared in the city lord's residence, Wu Fei sensed a slight tremor in Yin Fan's aura. His hand turning the prayer beads involuntarily stopped, and he raised his eyes to look over.

At that moment, Yin Fan had his head slightly lowered, hiding his expression, but a fairly distinct air of gloom shrouded him.

After a moment's thought, Wu Fei raised his hand and gently laid it over the back of Yin Fan's in a somewhat soothing gesture, sighing softly inwardly. Although Yin Fan said these were all illusions, actually seeing his parents, who had been dead for years, inevitably stirred something in him.

Time trickled past. The city lord's residence was brightly lit, and the void not far from Wu Fei and Yin Fan rippled slightly. At one instant, several auras abruptly appeared, only to conceal their traces again a moment later.

The cool night breeze brushed past the lanterns hanging above the gates of the city lord's residence. The lanterns swayed slightly, and the wind seemed to carry an unpleasant hint of blood.

Everyone who was coming had arrived.

As the auras outside the city drew closer, Yin Fan's body grew increasingly stiff. Wu Fei applied a little pressure with his palm and said quietly, "Does the Devil Venerable not wish to personally protect his parents, clansmen, and all the citizens of Heavenly Clear City?"

Yin Fan paused at his words. "What do you mean, senior brother?"

"You and I will protect everyone in Heavenly Clear City together, junior brother," Wu Fei said slowly, a dark gleam flashing through his eyes. The obsession that had driven Yin Fan into becoming a devil stemmed from the massacre of the city back then. Although he had later killed the Northern Region's Devil Venerable with his own hands to avenge them, that obsession had never dissipated...

Although this was an illusory realm created by the Obstruction Devil, having Yin Fan experience those events again and save the citizens of Heavenly Clear City from the devil army would, in any case, do good rather than harm.

As for the Obstruction Devil's purpose, Wu Fei could now guess some of it. It was merely using the city's massacre to stir up the obsessions of Yin Fan, Cang Xiao, and the others, allowing it to feast.

He had another idea in mind that required the Obstruction Devil's cooperation to test.

The night deepened further. A bright moon shed its cool, clear light, and the lights in the city below dispelled that chill, yet could not dispel the coldness in Yin Fan's expression.

Outside the city, Demonic Qi soared into the sky. The densely packed army from the Devil Domain bore down upon them, carrying a heavy stench of blood. Seeing them from afar, the guards defending the city hurriedly sent someone to the city lord's residence with word.

How could mortal strength stand against the brutal, bloodthirsty army of the Devil Domain?

The long-dead Devil Venerable of the Northern Region stood at the very front of the army. Somewhere in the void, pairs of eyes watched the scene below coldly. They could already foresee the bloody scene about to unfold, yet remained unmoved.

Wu Fei glanced at Cang Xiao and the others hiding in the void, a cold gleam flashing through his eyes.

They weren't merely illusions. Cang Xiao and the others seemed to have been trapped inside illusory bodies by some means the Obstruction Devil had used...

By then, the army of Devil Cultivators led by the Northern Region's Devil Venerable had already closed in on Heavenly Clear City, and the first signs of panic had appeared within.

Just before a Devil Cultivator could step into Heavenly Clear City's bounds, Wu Fei suddenly acted. Golden light flashed from the Silent Dust Pearl, transforming into a golden spiritual barrier that enveloped the entire city.

Yin Fan did not remain idle either. He held the Blazing Cold Sword, its blade alternating between scorching heat and bone-piercing cold. Wisps of Demonic Qi wound around it as well, giving off a terrifying aura.

The golden spiritual barrier was dazzling against the night, drawing the citizens of Heavenly Clear City to look up, just in time to see two figures above the city lord's residence.

One wore white Buddhist robes, flecks of golden light glowing in his palm and echoing the golden spiritual barrier enveloping Heavenly Clear City. The other...

Why did the other man, holding a sword with an icy expression, look so much like their young city lord?

The city lord's wife held her husband's arm, surprise in her eyes. "Yu'er?"

The next instant, Yin Fan's figure flashed, and he clashed with the Northern Region's Devil Venerable. Both unleashed extremely powerful moves from the outset, without the slightest concern for the nearby Devil Cultivators. Each collision of sword light and Blood Qi claimed the lives of several Devil Cultivators.

After only a few exchanges, Yin Fan returned atop the Blazing Cold Sword, his gaze icy. He had been able to slay the Northern Region's Devil Venerable with his sword even when he was still at the Spirit Transformation Stage. Now, the outcome was even more certain. There was no need to keep probing.

*The Northern Region's Devil Venerable **had to die!***

He stood beside Wu Fei, controlling the Blazing Cold Sword with both hands as a terrifying aura gathered within it.

Just before the Blazing Cold Sword left his hands, Wu Fei stirred his thoughts slightly. A thread of exquisite heart power wound around the blade, blending into the surging Demonic Qi in perfect harmony.

With the moon high overhead, the Blazing Cold Sword streaked through everyone's sight in a flash of cold light, charging straight toward the Northern Region's Devil Venerable outside the golden spiritual barrier. Sword intent collided with Demonic Qi, and the tremendous impact killed a swath of Devil Cultivators outright.

The Blazing Cold Sword swept through the Northern Region's Devil Venerable's resistance like rotten wood and pierced straight through his heart!

Its momentum undiminished, the sword plunged straight into the Devil Domain's army, leaving a swath of dead and wounded as the Devil Cultivators scattered in flight.

Suddenly, the wind stopped.

Apart from Wu Fei and Yin Fan, Cang Xiao and the others in the void, and a few illusory Devil Cultivators within the Devil Domain's army, every person and object froze.

Thin black mist floated up from everywhere, filled with countless emotions: fear, resentment, shock, unwillingness...

All these emotions and desires became nourishment for the Obstruction Devil. In a hazy instant, illusion and reality overlapped, the unreal and the real intertwining. With a crash, the illusory realm shattered. When they opened their eyes again, the same altar shrouded in black mist lay before them.

The Obstruction Pearl at the center of the black mist had grown even darker, glossier, and more enthralling.

"Just... just now..." The voice of a righteous sect leader trembled slightly, a trace of lingering fear on his face. The others around him wore similar expressions.

Wu Fei possessed an innate exquisite heart and was not subject to the Obstruction Devil's control. Yin Fan had his bonded Spirit Artifact and could also resist to some extent, but the others had not been so fortunate.

They had been trapped by the Obstruction Devil inside illusory bodies. Though their minds had remained clear, they had been unable to control themselves.

Standing behind Wu Fei and Yin Fan, Fu Hong let out a breath. "That was terrifying. I nearly had my heart pierced by Your Lordship's sword..."