Just when Mao Wenjie was about to hold out, he felt a weak spiritual force rising slowly from the Dantian. This spiritual force was like a faint glimmer of hope in the darkness, bringing him some hope. He hurriedly concentrated and guided this spiritual force to surge towards his head, hoping to dispel the dizziness with it.
As the spiritual force circulated, Mao Wenjie gradually made out the surrounding scenery. It turned out that he had unknowingly entered an array, which was absorbing his vitality bit by bit, causing him to feel so dizzy. Angered in his heart, Mao Wenjie thought to himself, "After all, I am a well-known cultivator in the city. How could I have been so careless?"
He quickly sealed the double-handed gestures and recited the spell to break the array. As he saw, beam after beam of spiritual light blasted out from his hands and hit the array. After being attacked by him, the array rippled in waves and its light flickered uncertainly.
Mao Wenjie intensified his spiritual force output and then bellowed out, "Break!" With a burst of intense light, the array shattered as if on command. Mao Wenjie heaved a deep breath, silently warning himself to be more careful in the future.
Just as Mao Wenjie breathed a sigh of relief, he heard a terrifying laughter. "You, boy, can break my illusory array, which is also some talent." A black shadow emerged from the darkness. Mao Wenjie was on guard and tightened his fists, activating his internal spiritual force. "Who are you? Why are you setting traps for me here?" Mao Wenjie shouted angrily. The shadow chuckled sinisterly, "I am Zhao Kun, a rogue cultivator. I've heard that you have quite a reputation in the sky realm. Today, I just want to test your strength." Mao Wenjie coldly snorted, "Competing openly is better than using such underhanded means." Zhao Kun sneered, "In the cultivation world, it's survival of the fittest. There's no such thing as being straightforward and upright." Saying that, he attacked Mao Wenjie.
Mao Wenjie sidestepped to avoid, and countered with a palm strike of spiritual force. The two engaged in intense combat instantly, exchanging blows left and right until the surrounding trees were snapped by the spiritual energy. Mao Wenjie identified the right moment, converging all his spiritual force into his palm, bellowing "Spiritual Explosion Palm," and unleashing a powerful spiritual force toward Zhao Kun. Unprepared for Mao Wenjie's unexpected move, Zhao Kun failed to dodge in time and was struck, spewing blood and falling to the ground unconscious.
Mao Wenjie glared at him and said, "Today I'll teach you a lesson. Next time don't use such underhanded tricks again." With that, he turned around and walked away.
Just as Mao Wenjie walked a little further, a cold killing intent suddenly struck from behind. He turned around quickly, only to see that Zhao Kun, who had just fallen down, had stood up at some point, his eyes filled with hatred and malice.
Mao Wenjie, do you think you can defeat me just like that? I have a backup plan." Zhao Kun said as he took out a black pill and swallowed it. Instantly, his aura surged wildly, and his injured body recovered completely.
Mao Wenjie was startled in his heart, knowing that things were not looking good. Zhao Kun attacked again, his speed and strength several times greater than before. Mao Wenjie had to defend while looking for an opportunity. After a few rounds, Mao Wenjie began to feel exhausted. Seeing a large rock nearby, he came up with a plan. He deliberately gave Zhao Kun an opening to get closer to the rock, then quickly circled around behind it and used magic to push the rock towards Zhao Kun. Zhao Kun couldn't avoid it in time and was pinned down by the rock on one side of his body.
In a flash, Mao Wenjie took advantage of the situation, dashing forward like a cheetah. In the blink of an eye, he had closed the distance between himself and Zhao Kun and struck with lightning speed, subduing Zhao Kun with absolute precision.
"Humph, you really are stubborn and foolish!" Mao Wenjie coldly snorted, staring at Zhao Kun with anger. The captured Zhao Kun naturally wasn't willing to give up easily. He struggled and twisted his body, trying to free himself from Mao Wenjie's restraint. However, at this point, he was already exhausted and all his resistance seemed so weak. Nevertheless, from the unwillingness in his eyes, it could still be seen that he had a strong reluctance in his heart.
Mao Wenjie tightly restrained Zhao Kun, preventing him from moving even an inch. After confirming that Zhao Kun had temporarily lost his resistance, he turned around without hesitation and left, not even glancing back. It seemed as though the place he had just experienced intense combat in was a place of misfortune, and staying for another moment would bring misfortune.
As Mao Wenjie's footsteps gradually grew distant, his figure shrank until he disappeared around the corner at the end of the path. Meanwhile, Zhao Kun remained motionless in place, as if he had been cursed with a freeze spell and could not move.
The blood-red sunset painted half the sky, casting its remaining glow on Zhao Kun, stretching his lonely and disheveled silhouette. He hung his head low, his shoulders quivering slightly as if carrying the weight of immense pressure and pain. The gentle breeze caressed him, ruffling his disordered hair and adding to the melancholy atmosphere.
All around was silence, only occasionally interrupted by the sound of birds chirping, which broke the suffocating atmosphere. Zhao Kun stood there alone, merging with his surroundings as if he were a part of the landscape, like a melancholic painting come to life.
Zhao Kun stood there for a long time, the resentment in his eyes slowly fading away, replaced by a resolve. He gritted his teeth and began to channel the remaining spiritual force within him, forcing his way through the meridian blockage on the half of his body that had been pressed by the boulder. After a painful struggle, he finally moved the boulder. Then, he sat cross-legged on the ground and took out an ancient book from his pocket. This ancient book was a legacy of Zhao Kun's family and recorded an forbidden cultivation technique. However, cultivating this technique would require great sacrifices.
Zhao Kun well understood that he couldn't avenge the wrong done to him and would never be at peace with himself. Thus, he disregarded the warnings of the cultivation technique and determinedly started practicing it. As the technique began to run, spiritual qi around him converged wildly, but his body also started to crack. When the technique was roughly mastered, Zhao Kun was all over bruised and battered but much stronger than before.
Zhao Kun stood up slowly, his face expressionless and dark, his eyes now as cold and piercing as a frigid pond, staring intently in the direction where Mao Wenjie had gone. With his lips barely moving, he forced out a sentence through clenched teeth that was filled with frosty intent: "Mao Wenjie, this debt between us has not been settled yet!"
As soon as Zhao Kun spoke, his figure vanished instantly like a phantom, leaving no trace behind. His speed was as fast as lightning, and in the blink of an eye, he had already run out dozens of meters away.
Wherever he went, Zhao Kun left behind a trail of fierce winds roaring like enraged dragons, sweeping up clouds of dust and forming a massive yellow dragon that swallowed the sky. The storm tore up the earth, scattering rocks and sand, flattening plants and trees, creating chaos. After he had gone far away, only devastation remained at the spot - ruins everywhere, everything scattered in disarray, as if it had just experienced an apocalyptic disaster.
The air was thick with an oppressive atmosphere that was suffocating and lingered for a long time. This atmosphere was so heavy it felt like lead, pressing people to the point of breathlessness. It seemed as if the entire space trembled and solidified due to his anger. The once bright sky also dimmed at this moment, with dark clouds swirling and distant rumblings of thunder.
In the midst of the ruins, Mao Wenjie stood frozen, his face filled with astonishment and disbelief; Huang Ling'er's complexion paled dramatically and her eyes were brimming with terror; Jiang Yurou bit her lower lip tightly, her delicate frame trembling slightly; Xiao Yawen furrowed his brows and looked seriously towards the distance; Ding Yan clenched her fists tightly and fire flickered in her gaze; Tuoba Yingying's lovely face turned frosty, and she snorted coldly; Qin Xiaodie's eyes bulged, and her mouth was slightly agape; Cao Chunling was terrified to the point of white-faced, nearly collapsing to the ground. As for Jin Canian immortal insect spirit, she lightly swept aside her sleeves and thoughtfully gazed at the figure that was gradually disappearing from view at a distant corner.
Mo Wenjie took a deep breath and calmed down, saying, "There's no need for everyone to panic. Although he has become stronger, we still have ways to defeat him." Everyone listened to Mo Wenjie's words and felt a bit more at ease.
Mo Wenjie started to set up defensive formations, and the others prepared their treasure charms as well. Not long after, dark clouds began to gather in the sky, and Zhao Kun arrived with immense spiritual force howling past.
"Mo Wenjie, die by my hand!" Zhao Kun roared as he charged. Mo Wenjie struck first, sending a blade of spiritual force towards Zhao Kun. Zhao Kun waved it away, but the attack did not diminish.
Seeing the situation, Huang Ling'er and others joined the battle, unleashing all kinds of spells and treasures. However, with the power of the forbidden technique, Zhao Kun managed to withstand and counterattack.
At the critical moment, Jin Canian immortal insect spirit waved her long sleeves, entangling Zhao Kun with countless golden silkworm threads. Seizing the opportunity, Mo Wenjie unleashed his strongest strike. Zhao Kun struggled to free himself from the silkworm threads but was still hit by Mo Wenjie.
Zhao Kun lay on the cold and hard ground, his face pale as paper, drenched in blood. The eyes that once glowed with anger and malice were now filled with unending despair, as if the last flicker of light in his life had been extinguished.
At this moment, a figure slowly walked up to Zhao Kun's front. It was Mo Wenjie, who stood tall and imposing, his cold and stern demeanor resembling an impregnable mountain standing there. Mo Wenjie looked down at the barely conscious Zhao Kun and said coldly, "You have been deeply influenced by your grudges, and have been unable to escape from this abyss. However, as long as you can let go of your hate today, I will spare you a life."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Kun's body trembled slightly, but he still didn't speak. Time passed second by second, and the entire scene fell into an eerie silence. It was unclear how long it had been before Zhao Kun finally broke this silence. He let out a long sigh, a sound that seemed to encapsulate his lifelong pain and regret. Then, he slowly closed his eyes and began to channel the remaining power within him.
As Zhao Kun practiced his cultivation, a powerful aura emanated from his body. However, astonishingly, this aura did not attack outwardly but gradually dissipated into the air. After all of his power was exhausted, Zhao Kun's once tense body relaxed completely, collapsing to the ground as limply as a deflated balloon.
Mo Wenjie quietly observed everything unfolding before him. Seeing Zhao Kun truly dispel his power and express a willingness to repent and start anew, a trace of an unnoticeable smile graced his face. Afterward, he turned around and left, leaving Zhao Kun alone on the ground.
With Mo Wenjie's departure, the once blood-stained and violence-ridden land gradually returned to its original tranquility. The wind gently blew, rustling the leaves; birds happily sang, as if celebrating the arrival of peace. The warm sunshine shone down from the clouds, lighting up every corner of the earth. And Zhao Kun, in this atmosphere of peacefulness and serenity, slowly closed his eyes and entered a deep sleep...
