Chapter 208 - 14: Breaking the Illusion Realm, Slaying the Demon

Chapter 208: Chapter 14: Breaking the Illusion Realm, Slaying the Demon

Upon hearing Tao Yong’s command, two points of crimson light, like blood, suddenly ignited within the Ghost Bride’s pitch-black eyes.

The red light shot from her eyes, shining directly into Chen Ye’s.

Chen Ye’s vision blurred.

In the next moment, everything around him changed.

The gloomy secret chamber, the evil altar, the terrifying Puppet... all of it vanished.

In their place was a village decorated with festive lanterns, a bustling feast, and faces wearing simple, honest smiles.

Wang Family Village!

Chen Ye found himself standing in the threshing ground of Wang Family Village.

He was dressed in bright red wedding robes, a large red flower pinned to his chest.

The surrounding villagers gathered around him enthusiastically, their faces beaming with joy.

"Groom, what are you spacing out for?"

"That’s right! The auspicious hour is almost upon us. Quick, look, the bride is here!"

Amidst a clamor of good-natured teasing, Chen Ye subconsciously turned his head.

He saw a slender woman with a red veil over her head walking slowly toward him from a nearby doorway, supported by two bridesmaids.

’It’s Xiaocui.’

’My bride.’

The thought surfaced in Chen Ye’s mind without warning, feeling completely natural.

As he watched her figure, an inexpressible excitement and adoration welled up in his heart.

’This is my childhood sweetheart, the woman I’m about to marry.’

’Today is our wedding day.’

Chen Ye’s gaze grew distant, and a blissful, shy smile unconsciously spread across his face.

He felt as though he were Li Xiuwen, the young scholar about to marry the girl he loved.

Everything around him felt so real.

The villagers’ blessings, the aroma of food and wine wafting through the air, the sound of gongs and drums in the distance...

He was completely immersed, unable to pull himself away.

The bride was led before him.

Though the red veil separated them, he felt as if he could already see the bashful, beautiful face beneath it.

"Groom, once you drink this ceremonial wine, you two will truly be husband and wife!"

The matchmaker chuckled and handed them two cups of wine.

Chen Ye took one of the cups in a daze.

The bride took the other.

They linked arms, preparing to drink.

Chen Ye’s heart swelled with happiness and contentment. He even began to fantasize about their wedding night.

He raised the cup, about to bring it to his lips.

But just then, a sharp pain, like a needle piercing his mind, shot through Chen Ye’s head.

An icy chill spread from the right hand that gripped his saber, instantly coursing through his entire body.

’This is...’

Chen Ye froze. A flicker of struggle appeared in his hazy eyes.

’Wrong!’

’I’m not Li Xiuwen!’

’I’m Chen Ye!’

’I’m in the underground chamber of the Black Buddha Temple, fighting a remnant of the Puppet Sect!’

The thought exploded in his muddled mind like a clap of thunder.

’Bloody Vision!’

Almost instinctively, Chen Ye roared in his mind!

HUMMM!

In the next instant, his world was shrouded in an inescapable, thick layer of crimson!

The festive wedding scene shattered, rendered in blood.

There was no festively decorated village. Before him lay a veritable Asura Hell, a mountain of corpses in a sea of blood!

The villagers who had offered him enthusiastic blessings were now walking corpses with missing limbs and rotting faces.

They stared at him with empty eye sockets, their faces fixed in grotesque smiles.

And the beautiful, bashful bride before him, the one he was about to share a ceremonial drink with—beneath her red veil was not a delicate face, but a severely decomposed head!

The cup in her hand held no fine wine, but stinking, viscous blood from a corpse!

"BEGONE!"

Chen Ye let out a furious roar. The Power of his Divine Soul erupted, and the Illusion Realm before him instantly shattered!

「In the real world.」

Cong Bo and Tao Yong saw that after being struck by the Puppet’s red light, Chen Ye had frozen in place, a foolish, dazed smile on his face.

The Ghost Bride, for its part, had released its grip on his blade. Its fingers curled into a claw, and with a sinister chill, it lunged viciously for Chen Ye’s heart!

If that blow landed, Chen Ye would be disemboweled on the spot!

"Kid, snap out of it!"

Cong Bo’s eyes widened in fury and he roared in desperation, but Tao Yong had him completely tied down, leaving him no way to intervene.

"Die! HAHAHAHA!" Tao Yong’s face, however, was twisted with cruel glee.

’This is what you get for daring to ruin my plans!’

The deadly, ghostly claw was just about to touch Chen Ye’s chest.

At that critical moment, the haze in Chen Ye’s eyes vanished. With his clarity restored, he violently twisted his body to the side.

The Ghost Bride’s Sharp Claws scraped past his ribs, tearing away a shred of clothing and drawing a spray of blood.

Simultaneously, Chen Ye twisted the long saber in his hand, easily breaking free of its grip. He then spun the blade and, from an impossibly sharp angle, slashed viciously at the Ghost Bride’s neck!

The entire sequence of moves was as smooth as flowing water, executed with incredible speed!

Breaking free from the Illusion Realm, sidestepping the attack, and delivering a counter-slash—it all happened in a single instant.

"What?!" The smile on Tao Yong’s face froze instantly.

He couldn’t believe that Chen Ye had managed to break free from Ling’Er’s Illusion Technique so quickly!

That was a spiritual assault powerful enough to trap even a Sea Condensation Realm Cultivator for a time!

The Ghost Bride hadn’t seemed to anticipate its prey’s sudden counterattack either, but its combat instincts were terrifyingly sharp.

Faced with the fatal slash, it didn’t retract its claw. Instead, it raised its other hand with lightning speed to block its neck.

CLANG!

The blade met its arm, once again producing the crisp ring of striking metal.

Chen Ye felt a massive rebound force. He was thrown back several steps before he managed to steady himself at the edge of the altar.

A deep, white gash was left on the Ghost Bride’s arm.

Although he hadn’t broken through its defenses, Chen Ye’s eyes lit up.

’Just as I thought!’

’This thing may be absurdly strong and fast, but it doesn’t seem to have a mind of its own!’