Devouring Soul Emperor

Chu Qingyun suddenly remembered them—these were the Tier One Demon Beasts, the Cyan Wind Wolves, he had fought back in Qingshan City to earn Primordial Stones!

And those eerie green points of light were the glow of the Cyan Wind Wolves’ eyes!

With this realization, the darkness deep down the path seemed to recede slightly.

Chu Qingyun could now clearly see them. Deep down the correct path, Cyan Wind Wolves paced back and forth, baring their fangs at him. Their eerie green eyes glinted with ferocity and brutality.

Chu Qingyun could sense a faint aura of danger emanating from these Cyan Wind Wolves.

Clearly, just as the Blood Wolf Gang’s Martial Artists had their strength greatly enhanced in this Illusion Realm, these Cyan Wind Wolves were surely more than simple Tier One Demon Beasts.

’Let’s see how strong you really are...’

"Thorny Black Arrow!"

Chu Qingyun unleashed his Black Arrow Martial Soul.

His Martial Soul Power converged, condensing into a black arrow nearly two meters long. Black streams of Qi branched off from the arrow, one above and one below, forming the shape of a Full Moon Longbow.

Chu Qingyun gripped the bow. Under the unique power of his Black Arrow Martial Soul, he could clearly perceive every target within a five-hundred-meter radius. They all appeared like colorless photographic negatives.

Now that his Black Arrow Martial Soul had advanced to Tier Three, its effective range had also increased, guaranteeing a hit within five hundred meters!

On the path ahead, there were twenty-two sturdy Cyan Wind Wolves in total. Each one was a black, wolf-shaped shadow, prowling along the lighter-colored road.

Chu Qingyun locked onto the foremost wolf and, with a WHOOSH, fired an arrow.

The long arrow tore through the air with immense penetrating power, flying straight toward the Cyan Wind Wolf.

However, the moment it reached the path, the nearly two-meter-long arrow began to disintegrate from the tip. In the blink of an eye, the entire Black Arrow had vanished!

It was as if an invisible barrier stood at the entrance to the path, completely neutralizing the Black Arrow’s power on contact.

’As I thought, there are no shortcuts. I can’t attack them without stepping onto the path... It’s time to leave Chu Family Village for good!’

He cast one last, lingering glance behind him. Then, steeling his heart, Chu Qingyun prepared to step onto the correct path.

But just then, Chu Xuan and Liu Lanfang appeared behind him. "Qingyun, wh-where are you going? Dinner’s ready. Come home and eat."

’Dinner!’

Chu Qingyun’s heart jolted. He finally realized that within the Illusion Realm, it was already approaching dusk.

He remembered going to the Merit Assessment Office that morning.

In other words, he had entered in the morning, but after a series of battles and his conversations with the villagers, evening had crept up on him without him even noticing!

"I... I have something important to do. You two go ahead and eat without me."

Even though he was in an Illusion Realm, he couldn’t bring himself to be so heartless as to expose the truth to his parents—that this was all just an illusion.

"What could possibly be so urgent that you can’t even stop for a meal? Besides, you’ve been gone for months without sending a single word..." Liu Lanfang said, her gaze falling in sadness.

At this, a pang of sorrow struck Chu Qingyun, and his nose began to sting. ’Come to think of it, I really haven’t been home in several months...’

At that moment, he truly despised this Illusion Realm. It was all too real! Every single detail was designed to stir the deepest emotions of the heart!

"Alright, I’ll go eat first."

Chu Qingyun sighed internally and said.

As he turned, he glanced back at the sinister, dark path, a faint unease stirring in his heart. ’This path is probably not as simple as it looks,’ he thought.

"Wonderful! Qingyun, let’s hurry home before the food gets cold. I made all your favorites today," Liu Lanfang said with a smile.

Chu Xuan also beamed. "Qingyun, my boy, you haven’t been back in months. You and I are definitely having a few drinks tonight."

Chu Qingyun forced a smile and followed them home.

’Sigh, it seems I’m just getting dragged in deeper...’

The family of three ate together in joyful harmony. The warm, peaceful atmosphere was so pleasant that Chu Qingyun almost forgot he was in an Illusion Realm.

Halfway through the meal, Liu Lanfang stepped out for a moment. She returned shortly after and said to Chu Qingyun with a smile, "Qingyun, I’ve made your bed. Get a good night’s rest. We can talk about everything else tomorrow."

Chu Qingyun smiled but said nothing.

After dinner, he stood outside the door and focused his consciousness on his Qi Sea. Gazing at the empty space in the center where his Devouring Martial Soul should have been, he forced himself to acknowledge the truth.

’This is all an illusion!’

’None of this is real!’

Chu Qingyun’s gaze hardened with resolve. Ignoring the desperate pleas of Chu Xuan and Liu Lanfang behind him, he decisively stepped over the collapsed courtyard wall and strode toward the path.

With his resolve firm, the moment Chu Qingyun stepped past the courtyard wall, the space behind him distorted. Chu Xuan, Liu Lanfang, the courtyard, the house, Chu Family Village—everything vanished in an instant, replaced by utter darkness.

Standing before the sinister path once more, Chu Qingyun gave it a quick scan and, just as he’d suspected, noticed something was wrong.

When he had turned away before, there were only twenty-two Cyan Wind Wolves deep down the path. But in the time it took him to eat dinner, their number had grown to twenty-five!

It only took a moment of thought for Chu Qingyun to understand.

The longer he lingered in the wrong place—in Chu Family Village—the more Cyan Wind Wolves would appear on the correct path, constantly increasing the difficulty.

No wonder Sun Daxiong had repeatedly emphasized that he must choose the correct path!

’This time, no one will stop me!’

Chu Qingyun psyched himself up and lifted his foot to step onto the sinister, dark path.

But just as he was about to, another path materialized beside the first.

The new path appeared to be a mountain trail, flanked by lush green grass, with the sound of birds and the scent of flowers in the air. It also looked incredibly familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

From deep down the mountain path, an ethereal, stunningly beautiful woman emerged. In just a few steps, she was at the path’s entrance, her pair of cool, beautiful eyes fixed on Chu Qingyun, making his scalp tingle.

This woman was none other than Ning Xue—the one from Qingshan City with whom he’d had a brief affair, the one whose innocence he had taken!

’What... What’s this all about now?’

The corner of Chu Qingyun’s mouth twitched. He abruptly halted his foot, which was already halfway through a step.

"Chu Qingyun, come with me to see my Master. Otherwise, my Master is going to marry me off to the Young Sect Leader of another great sect!"

Ning Xue spoke slowly, her voice carrying its characteristic chill.

Gazing at the familiar, graceful figure, Chu Qingyun steadied his mind and said in a low voice, "I know this is an Illusion Realm. You’re just a fabrication it created from my memories. The real Ning Xue is in the Central State right now!"

Having said his piece, Chu Qingyun stared at the path, waiting for it to vanish.