Chapter 147: Chapter 144: Wind Scattering the Remnants, Utterly Exhilarating

With the Illusion-Breaking Saber drawn, I vow to sever all delusions in the world.

In Song Ciwan’s eyes, Zhang Tian at this very moment was a condensed mass of delusion. The blade swung through the crevice between the Mortal World and the Otherworld, its path traceless and swift, like an antelope hanging by its horns or a white steed flashing past a crack.

"Ah—"

Zhang Tian only had time to let out that single cry. In fact, it seemed he only managed to get half the sound out before he abruptly froze on the spot, silent and motionless.

CLACK!

The Soft Whip in his hand fell to the ground.

On Wangjiang Mountain, someone was pointing at Song Ciwan. "This person is in the Otherworld, yet they’re trying to strike someone in the Mortal World. Have they lost their mind?"

The words had barely faded. The final syllable of his sentence coincided perfectly with the sound of Zhang Tian’s Soft Whip hitting the ground.

The speaker’s expression froze, and the others beside him fell silent.

A moment later, Zhang Tian was still standing there, unmoving, like a wooden post.

On the light screen, the Black-clothed Blade Master sheathed his saber.

His other hand continued to form hand seals, maintaining a steady stream of the Ganlin Spell.

At Wangjiang Mountain Peak, someone else cleared their throat and commented, "This Blade Master appears to be a Martial Artist, yet his control over the Ganlin Spell has reached the level of Mastery. Which family’s disciple is this? To possess both formidable Martial Techniques and Medical Family Magic... This person is certainly hiding some secrets."

The next moment, a furious roar came from the Seven Star Sect Elder, Zhong Qing. "Bastard! How dare you!"

On the light screen, the Black-clothed Blade Master was casting the Ganlin Spell with one hand while tapping the ground with the other. Suddenly, the small Black Insects, which had been scattered about and largely dead or injured, leaped up once more.

The small insects vibrated their wings and swarmed over Zhang Tian with a BUZZ.

Zhang Tian still didn’t move. He had truly become a "Wooden Man," not speaking, not moving, utterly silent and still.

The Black Insects covered his body, gnawing on his flesh and blood, but he had no reaction.

He clearly didn’t look dead, but his soul—his Divine Will—was already gone.

The Illusion-Breaking Saber had never been a weapon that cut the flesh. It cut the spirit, the will, the delusions of the human heart!

The stronger Zhang Tian’s delusions, the more complete the "death" of his spirit.

He "died," and his physical shell became an empty husk. Devoured by the Black Insects, the husk was consumed and drained in the blink of an eye, leaving only a pile of dry bones.

The Heaven and Earth Scale collected a ball of Death Qi: [Death Qi, from the death of an Innate Second Transformation Opening Aperture Realm Martial Artist, one jin and two taels, tradeable.]

CLATTER. The brittle bones shattered into pieces and fell to the ground.

Fed by this nourishment, the swarm of Black Insects rapidly multiplied and regenerated.

With a flick of Song Ciwan’s finger, countless Black Insects took flight, soaring through the air like one dark cloud after another. They flew toward the others who were still locked in battle with the Martial Masters of Hongsheng Martial Arts Hall—

The Martial Artists who had followed Zhang Tian. Most of them hadn’t been able to react at all. They were tied up by the Martial Masters, not even having had the time to notice Zhang Tian’s death.

Then, in the next instant, a Martial Artist suddenly let out a miserable shriek. "Ah!"

The Black Insects descended, swift as a gale sweeping away clouds.

In the distance, fireworks celebrating the new year occasionally shot into the sky, their brilliant, man-made sparks mingling with the stars above.

In an instant, the fireworks vanished.

Inside Hongsheng Martial Arts Hall, the triumphant Martial Masters stared at their opponents, who were now nothing but empty clothes on the ground. For a moment, they didn’t know whether to be relieved or terrified.

Niu the Sixth also stood there, dumbfounded.

Plumes of Death Qi and other formless energies continuously rose into the air. Most of it was a result of Song Ciwan’s actions, so the Heaven and Earth Scale automatically appeared and collected all of it.

There were also some energies that had no clear causal link to Song Ciwan, which the Heaven and Earth Scale couldn’t collect directly. So, Song Ciwan raised a hand to capture them herself.

The Ganlin Spell stopped. The two girls stood back-to-back, their Snake Tails swaying gently. A slightly puzzled expression appeared on their beautiful faces, carrying a hint of innocent charm.

They couldn’t speak and no longer had eyes. Their faces couldn’t even form any significant expressions.

But that charm was still conveyed, and Song Ciwan could even sense their comfort and contentment in that moment.

The Ganlin Spell had soothed all their pain. Although they could never return to their former selves, the two girls didn’t seem to mind.

They had endured so much suffering in this world that even the slightest bit of sweetness could fill them with immense comfort and joy.

Their task complete, the army of Black Insects retreated like a receding tide. Song Ciwan opened her Five Poison Jar and recalled the creatures back inside.

The Five Poison Jar grew heavier and heavier in Song Ciwan’s hand. By the time all the Black Insects had returned, she had the illusion that it had become too heavy for her to hold with one hand.

’Perhaps it’s not an illusion.’

The Five Poison Jar had a limited Level. The Black Insects, having just gone through multiple cycles of reproduction and evolution, were on the verge of exceeding the jar’s capacity!

Song Ciwan directly stored the Five Poison Jar in her Vast Sea Grotto Heaven, using the Grotto Heaven’s power to suppress the insects within.

Having done this, she scanned her surroundings.

It was at this moment that the expressions of the two girls, who just moments before had looked content and charmingly innocent, suddenly changed.

A vacant, indescribable pain appeared on their faces.

The starry sky was still the same, and fireworks still bloomed in the distance. The pain on the girls’ faces was like a fragmented shadow play, tearing through the curtain to suddenly begin its performance.

On Wangjiang Mountain, Zhong Qing had lost his composure over Zhang Tian’s death and stood up. He had previously refused to admit Zhang Tian was a Seven Star Sect disciple, but after watching him be killed so publicly and gruesomely, his anger was no longer concealed.

Seeing the pain on the two girls’ faces, Zhong Qing sneered. "When the bottle shatters, the person dies. Did that fool really think it was just a saying? If they were told they would die, then die they must."

On the Martial Arts Arena, Song Ciwan had also thought of this.

The "bottle shatters, person dies" curse was not so easily broken. The healing from the Ganlin Spell alone could mend their physical injuries, but it clearly couldn’t save their lives.

Seeing cracks like those on shattered porcelain suddenly begin to appear on the two girls’ smooth skin, Song Ciwan darted forward to stand before them.

The people on the Martial Arts Arena couldn’t see Song Ciwan, but on Wangjiang Mountain, the Cultivators frowned. "This person still isn’t giving up?"

In a flash, the Black-clothed Blade Master on the light screen suddenly flipped his hand over, revealing several lustrous, understated Small Yuan Pearls in his palm.

Someone said in disbelief, "Primordial Longevity Pearls! Don’t tell me he’s going to..."

On the Martial Arts Arena, Song Ciwan didn’t hesitate for a second. She immediately used the Qi Absorption Technique, and with a flick of her finger, fed one Primordial Longevity Pearl to each of the two girls.

The Primordial Longevity Pearls melted the moment they entered their mouths. After they settled in their stomachs, the girls’ empty eye sockets suddenly widened in unison.

The pain in their bodies vanished!

The cracks on their skin also stopped spreading. The Ganlin Spell could only heal injuries, not save lives, but the Primordial Longevity Pearl was a true life-saving Marvel!

One Primordial Longevity Pearl was equal to one year of life. Song Ciwan didn’t stop after feeding them one each; she continued to flick out more.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! The Primordial Longevity Pearls flew straight into the two girls’ mouths, a sight that made the Cultivators on Wangjiang Mountain practically weep with anguish. "What a waste of precious treasures! A complete waste! This person... this person is so wasteful! Despicable, truly despicable..."

Only after feeding each of the girls five Primordial Longevity Pearls, for a total of ten, did Song Ciwan stop, looking thoughtful.

She stopped not because she heard the curses from the Cultivators on Wangjiang Mountain, but because her Spiritual Sense detected that the two girls had reached their limit for absorbing Primordial Longevity Pearls.

A mortal body couldn’t withstand too many such Marvels.

Extending their lives by five years each was the absolute most the Primordial Longevity Pearls could do for them.

Song Ciwan stopped, only to see two extremely dense plumes of qi, pure white with faint golden shimmers, rising from the tops of the two girls’ heads. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

The Heaven and Earth Scale appeared and collected the two plumes of its own accord: [Spring Dew, faith born from extreme suffering, utmost sincerity, and desperation, five jin and six taels, tradeable.]

[Spring Dew, faith born from extreme suffering, utmost sincerity, and desperation, five jin, six taels, and one mace, tradeable.]

...

The qi had condensed into dew, weighing more than five jin!