Chapter 6: Illusion, Old Friend, Departure

Did Dahu truly have the heart to fight his two brothers? No, he would never do such a thing. Even if it cost him his life, he would not. Meanwhile, Suwen roared in anger, "Mandala, if you have the ability, come at me! Don't make things difficult for others!"

At this moment, an incredibly astonishing power erupted from all around Suwen. How many years had it been? He had believed he would never lose his temper again, but now, he was once again enraged by Mandala's actions. His powerful and peerless killing intent shattered the illusion array instantly. Suwen rushed out like the wind, interposing himself between the Three Tigers of the Poison Sect. The incredibly powerful palm strikes of the three brothers landed squarely on Suwen's body.

Even with Suwen's exceptional cultivation, taking all three palm strikes caused his blood to churn violently. "Lord Suwen, what are you doing? We three brothers were useless to begin with. How can we deserve such a sacrifice from you? Now, we no longer have the face to look at you. Just let us be. Let us fend for ourselves, and do not interfere anymore."

Suwen's expression did not change in the slightest. The Drunken Cloud Abyss technique allowed him to adjust his breathing instantly. Therefore, no matter how severe his internal injuries were, he could recover in an instant. These mere three palm strikes were truly nothing. "Nonsense! I was the one who brought the three of you into the Poison Sect all those years ago. Now that you have gone astray, as your elder, it is my duty to guide you. Enough, there is no need for you three to fear. I am here now. As long as I stand, this man will not have his way!"

Suwen stepped forward slowly. In the span of a breath, his face shifted from flushed red to pale as his power was fully restored. "Mandala, the one you want is me. If you have the ability, come and fight me!"

With that, Suwen struck his most powerful palm toward the boundless sky. This seemingly simple strike actually carried all the endless frustration and regret he had accumulated over the years. Originally, he truly wanted to live a peaceful life. Meeting Zhuang Yunzhen had made him incredibly happy, and he had planned to pass on all his ultimate techniques to the young man before wandering the world in peace. Unfortunately, fate was cruel, and the people of the Poison Sect had found him after all.

*Boom!* A faint, invisible barrier formed in the endless sky, blocking this incredibly domineering palm strike. After a short while, Mandala's voice echoed once again. "Big Brother, after all these years, I didn't expect you to still be so hot-tempered. But as I said before, I am currently severely injured, so I naturally won't fight you myself. However, did you really think the only people I prepared were those three useless fools, the Three Tigers of the Poison Sect? In truth, I knew long ago that they would never raise a hand against you. Therefore, I never relied on them. Your true opponents are actually them!"

"My brave friends, you all saw what just happened. This Suwen has formidable cultivation. You must strike together to stand a chance. Your goal is simple: kill Zhuang Yunzhen and Suwen, and retrieve the Spirit Essence Veil. Now that the task is clear, let the battle begin!"

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*

A large number of experts suddenly emerged from the surroundings. They had been hiding here all along, waiting for the perfect opportunity. These people were actually Suwen's old friends. "Old friends, why is it you? Have you also been controlled?"

"No, no, no, Big Brother. You are mistaken. They came here voluntarily; no one forced them. Among your friends, more than half of them were overshadowed by you, to the point where others barely registered their existence. But I found them and told them that there was a chance to turn the tables. Tell me, how could they refuse? Fighting against old friends... this feeling must be truly exquisite."

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*

One of the men, dressed in white, struck out three times in rapid succession. These three palm strikes seemed ordinary, but they carried immense power, blocking all of Suwen's paths of escape. The palm strikes were also laced with a terrifying poison. "Big Brother, you should know by now that the people before you have all been transformed into Venomous Physiques. This Venomous Physique was the only research you left behind in the Poison Sect. Unfortunately, once you perfected this divine technique, you deemed it too overbearing and sealed it away the moment it was completed. But you truly underestimated me, your brother. I spent a great deal of effort to finally break the seal on the Venomous Physique."

"Now that I have applied this Venomous Physique to these people, I must marvel once again at your genius, Big Brother. It is a pity that such brilliant talent cannot be used for my benefit. Since that is the case, a man like you can only die. Rest assured, I know your divine arts are peerless. Therefore, I have prepared many, many experts for you in this battle. Take your time. Perhaps once you have killed all these bothersome pests, I will make my move."

"Poison Dragon Hand!" The man in white wasted no more words, striking his left palm toward the center of Suwen's back while unleashing a flurry of three consecutive kicks to target his lower body. His posture was never graceful, but the moves he used were incredibly lethal. Coupled with his Venomous Physique, he attacked without any restraint. At the same time, a massive figure plummeted from above, aiming directly at Suwen. If this strike landed, it would surely be fatal! And this descending palm technique was none other than Suwen's own famous technique from his youth, the Imperishable Starry Sky. He had never expected that this incredibly powerful move would now be used against him.

"Big Brother, even if you want to defend yourself, it is impossible now. Their moves were all taught by you. The closer they were to you in the past, the more they hate you now. As for what is truly in their hearts, I'm afraid you will never have the chance to find out!" Seeing the two men in black and white instantly suppress Suwen, the rest of the crowd surged forward. Suwen was now completely surrounded by these madmen. Breaking out of this encirclement seemed utterly impossible!

"Adoptive Father!!!" Zhuang Yunzhen roared in fury upon seeing this. However, the illusion array was divided into two sections, and it would take him some time to break free.

"Fengming, focus on breaking the array. Leave this to me! I was the one who taught them these moves, so no one in this world understands them better than I do!" Suwen laughed heartily, his laughter echoing through the sky like thunder. To break a deadlock, one had to take the initiative; passive defense would only lead to ruin. With a loud shout, Suwen thrust his hands toward the sky. *Boom!* The descending man in black was instantly blasted away by the clash of their palms. At the same time, Suwen used the momentum of this fierce strike to spin his body rapidly.

"Whispering Wind Breaker!"

The rapid spinning of his body successfully deflected the white-clothed man's powerful palm strikes. It all happened in the blink of an eye. Zhuang Yunzhen was shocked to his core. He knew very well that this was a suicidal style of fighting. Without exceptional reflexes and rich combat experience, such a maneuver was completely impossible.

*Boom!*

Even though the man in white was heavily injured by the Whispering Wind Breaker, he still managed to land a palm strike on Suwen in that split second. Suwen spat out a mouthful of blood, clearly injured. Using the Whispering Wind Breaker and the Drunken Cloud Abyss in succession to repel the two black and white experts was ultimately too much for his current self. "Haha, as expected of Big Brother! To break the deadlock with such madness in this situation, I truly admire you. However, you are now injured. The Venomous Physique was your original creation before you left the Poison Sect. In the years since we last met, I have done only one thing: completely enhance this Venomous Physique."

"Big Brother, you can probably feel it by now, can't you? You can only use at most thirty percent of your cultivation. The remaining seventy percent has automatically converted into poison. On this Poison Dragon Peak, your opponents number in the thousands. With only thirty percent of your power, what can you possibly do now?"

"Big Brother, if possible, I really didn't want to resort to this. All I have ever wanted was the Spirit Essence Veil. Just hand it over to me, and return with me to the sect to plead guilty. For the sake of our past, I will beg the Sect Master to spare your life. Big Brother, I am doing this for your own good. If you keep fighting like this, do you understand what your end will be?"

"Cut the chatter and fight! Even with only thirty percent of my power, it is more than enough to deal with you!" Suwen's aura flared up astonishingly. He called out to Zhuang Yunzhen, "Fengming, today I shall teach you the second volume of the Drunken Cloud Abyss. Watch closely! The Drunken Cloud Abyss has four realms of cultivation. The first realm is called Gathering Chrysanthemums. As the saying goes, 'Plucking chrysanthemums beneath the eastern fence, leisurely I gaze upon the southern mountains.' The more tranquil and detached your state of mind, the faster your cultivation grows. I told you before that the Drunken Cloud Abyss can dissolve all hatred in one's heart. But without hatred, how can one understand the beauty of Gathering Chrysanthemums?"

Suwen now gave off an ethereal, distant feeling, like a wisp of mist. "What are you all waiting for? Charge and kill this man!"

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

Suwen's palm strikes were incredibly gentle, yet they unleashed terrifying power. This was very similar to the Clear Wind and Jade Dew technique within Zhuang Yunzhen's Sun and Moon Co-Radiance Palm. However, looking closely, one could see a trace of black energy lingering on Suwen's palms. No, calling it black energy was inaccurate; it was the lingering hatred in his heart.

"Fengming, this technique, Lingering Regret, requires one to keep three parts of hatred in their heart to unleash its true power. Turning hatred into a powerful technique will make you invincible! Hurt the enemy with regret, and protect yourself with tranquility. Only in this way will you avoid being consumed by hatred."

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

The black and white duo could not break through Suwen's Lingering Regret defense. The astonishing hatred around his body formed an invisible shield. Suwen no longer possessed his previous scholarly elegance; his strikes were ruthless and merciless. If he showed mercy now, he would surely die. Since it involved the Spirit Essence Veil, even though he despised fighting, he had to fight today.

The black and white duo were clearly the leaders of this group. They were shocked to their core. They knew their old friend was highly skilled, but they never expected that beneath his elegant exterior lay such terrifying techniques. However, the two of them were also exceptionally powerful. They pushed the power of the Venomous Physique to its absolute limit. These two were indeed martial geniuses. When they first began practicing the Venomous Physique, they came up with the brilliant idea to divide it into Yin and Yang parts. The man in white practiced Yang, while the man in black practiced Yin.

These two naturally had names in the past, but after mastering their divine techniques, they felt their old names were unrefined and took their names from the colors of their robes.

"Old friend, who would have thought that the three of us would fight under these circumstances? You might not believe it, but the two of us have been looking forward to this fight for a very long time. Now that our divine techniques are complete, this Venomous Physique is indeed a wonderful thing. Today, let us have a proper battle with it!"

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

The three of them entered a chaotic melee. Suwen used to have a very close relationship with the black and white duo, and half of their martial arts had been taught by him. Yet now, they were using his own techniques to fight him. How could Suwen easily accept this? But such was the path of martial arts. Once one's cultivation reached a certain peak, everything else could be discarded, leaving only martial arts.

"Drifting Cloud!"

"Imperishable Starry Sky!"

"Venomous Physique!"

The three of them unleashed supreme techniques. Since their cultivations were originally comparable and they were now fighting for their lives, it was not easy to determine a victor. "Hahaha! Big Brother, so you never stopped exploring the martial path during your years in seclusion? Excellent! This battle has become far more interesting now, hasn't it?"

"Black and White, you two have also trained in isolation for so many years. Now you finally have the chance to fight the man you once could only look up to. This is a rare opportunity, so you must put in your best effort!"

The Drifting Cloud was both a movement technique and a palm technique. When executed, it felt like a gentle breeze brushing against the face—seemingly soft, but incredibly sharp. At this moment, Suwen's arms were like sharp swords, and his body was surrounded by a layer of sword qi. Every strike was accompanied by astonishing sword qi.

"Old White, Suwen's current cultivation is indeed different from before. It seems he wasn't idle while we were making progress all these years. He actually managed to integrate swordplay into his martial system. We will likely never meet such an opponent again after today. Suwen, in this battle between the three of us, there can only be one victor. I don't care about the Spirit Essence Veil at all. The only thing we want is to defeat you!"

"The Drifting Cloud Sword Technique is indeed impressive. With such sharp sword qi, it won't be easy for us to break through. But do you think that just because you have such sharp swordplay, we have no options left?"

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*

The man in black fully unleashed the Imperishable Starry Sky palm technique. The essence of this technique was like a surging, continuous river. It was an extremely fierce palm technique, consisting of three moves each for the front, middle, and back. Ordinary palm techniques prioritized forms and moves, but the Imperishable Starry Sky prioritized mental cultivation, followed by footwork, with forms coming last. This alone made it vastly different from most palm techniques in the world.

"Kid, you have truly surprised me. Back then, when I taught you the Imperishable Starry Sky palm technique, I only felt you were suited for it. I thought it would be enough if you learned it well enough to defend yourself. I never expected you to train it to such a powerful level. However, time was too tight back then. Although this palm technique is incredibly powerful, it has a fatal flaw, which I believe you must know by now. Yes, the attack route of the Imperishable Starry Sky is too linear. In other words, it can only attack in a straight line. I wanted to find a suitable opportunity to improve this technique, but unfortunately, I never found the chance over all these years."

"Today, I will take the opportunity of this battle to pass my years of experience to you both. White, I know you always wanted to learn this palm technique, but your foundation was insufficient back then. Now, it is different. This technique is highly suitable for you!"

"As I said before, no matter how our circumstances change, you are still my friends. This will never change. I might not make it out of today's battle alive. Brothers, for the sake of our past friendship, please grant me one request."

The black and white duo raised their arms, signaling the surrounding crowd to halt their attacks temporarily. "Old friend, since you have put it this way, you can rest easy. No matter what request you have, we will agree to it. Even if we have to go through fire and water, we will not hesitate!"

The duo rarely made promises, but once they did, they would fulfill them no matter what. They held their promises in high regard.

Suwen felt relieved. He pointed toward Zhuang Yunzhen, who was still trapped in the array. "Zhuang Yunzhen is my only adoptive son. If I truly fall here today, I ask that you two look after him. If possible, keep him as far away from the Poison Sect as you can. The Poison Sect of today is no longer the Poison Sect of the past. Exposing him to these things too early will hinder his growth. I do not want him to walk the path I once took."

In the end, Zhuang Yunzhen was just an honest young man. Mental maturity had to come step by step. Suwen hoped that no matter how many years passed, Zhuang Yunzhen could maintain his innocence and honesty. Such qualities were far too rare. The longer Suwen stayed on the martial path, the more he cherished that lost innocence. However, he no longer possessed those excellent qualities.

This was why he hoped those around him could preserve them as much as possible, even though he knew how difficult it would be. Zhuang Yunzhen was also pushing his Profound Steel Force to the limit, combining it with the Immovable Golden Body of the Suyi Tower. He should be able to break out regardless of the environment, but it was incredibly difficult. Even if it was as hard as climbing to heaven, he had no fear!

But what was his adoptive father doing? Did his father truly not believe he could break out? The eyes of the father and son finally met. Even without words, Zhuang Yunzhen knew that a bitter battle lay ahead. Yet, during such a crucial fight, he could do nothing. At this moment, Zhuang Yunzhen felt utterly useless once again.

Seeing Zhuang Yunzhen, the black and white duo did not hesitate. "Old friend, rest assured. Leave this to us. If you truly perish here, your adoptive son will be our adoptive son."

"And us! Suwen, do not forget that you still have us as friends. If you die here today, your son will be the son of us all!" Swept up by the atmosphere, the surrounding experts spoke in unison.

No one had expected such a scene. They had originally come to fight, but now they had regained their past memories. "You useless fools! Do you know what you are doing? You are only alive because of me! And now you want to escape my control? Let me tell you, that is absolutely impossible! All of you, attack now! Do you really want to die?" Mandala's voice shrieked.

"Mandala, even at this point, do you still not understand? You can control them for a moment, but can you control them for a lifetime? Weren't their memories sealed because of you? What is the point of acting innocent now?" Suwen said.

"Thank you, everyone. I am truly happy to know that after so many years, you still remember me as a friend. However, this battle is unavoidable. There is no need to say more."

This exchange marked the end of their past ties, placing a perfect period on their former brotherhood. Suwen drew his soft sword from his waist. Not only was he skilled in medicine, but he also possessed exquisite swordsmanship. However, he had never had the chance to properly display this sword technique since he created it. Today was the perfect opportunity.

"Old friends, I have a sword technique. Please evaluate it. If you think of a good name after I perform it, we can use it. Mandala, I know you have always wanted to learn this technique even though you haven't shown yourself. Today, I shall display it."

An ordinary soft sword, an extraordinary person, and an even more extraordinary sword technique. This technique had only one move, but it contained thousands of variations. Facing this sword felt like facing the sword sages of old. How could this be? Did he obtain his swordsmanship from those ancient sages?

*Whoosh!*

The sharp sword qi sliced off half of the Poison Dragon Peak. This strike shocked everyone to their core. Facing such a powerful strike, no one could do anything. Did they still need to fight? Even if they did, the outcome would not be good; defeat was the only thing awaiting them.

"Old friend, we admit defeat in this battle. However, we also know that once we choose not to fight, we will probably die."

"But now that we have regained our memories, we miss the days when we used to drink together. Thinking back, those days were truly comfortable. However, we can never go back to those times."

Tears welled up in the eyes of the black and white duo. They had not cried since the day they stepped onto the martial path. Yet now, meeting their old friend only to find everything changed was too much to bear.

"Yes, it seems you all know that if you don't fight, you will die here. Think carefully, why did you come here? Surely not just to reminisce? I know you cannot bring yourselves to strike your old friend Suwen. However, I can help you with that. You should know that this is my favorite thing to do."

"I said before, it is absolutely impossible for you to escape my control. I know you won't believe anything I say now. Fine, I will prove it to you. Now, all of you, obey my command and kill the man before you!"

Instantly, everyone was controlled by a powerful mental force. "Suwen, as you can see, we have become walking corpses. If this is what it means to be alive, we would rather die. You are our friend. We would not accept dying at the hands of others, but if it is you who kills us, we will die willingly!"

"Actually, we all know we cannot survive. Do not carry any burden in your heart. As our friend, you wouldn't want to see us end up like that, would you?"

This situation was truly hard to accept. Why did he always have to make such choices? It was simple: choices were made at every moment, and even if one wanted to escape, it was impossible. Since escape was out of the question, he could only face it calmly. Even if he was unwilling, what could he do?

He still could not bring himself to strike. "What? Even at this point, you still refuse to act? Fine! In that case, watch us die at Mandala's hands. After all, his ultimate goal is to absorb all of our power, and he is finally about to achieve it."

"Why do you all keep forcing me? Why?!" Suwen ultimately could not bear it. He turned his back. The Three Tigers of the Poison Sect understood Suwen's gaze perfectly. "Seniors, you have suffered for so many years. It is time for you to rest. This illusion array shall be your final resting place. You wished to die at Senior Suwen's hands, but that is not what he wants. To him, you have always been incredibly important."

"Since everyone is in such pain, why not indulge in the illusion and never wake up again?"

"Indeed. Living in an illusion forever is for the best. Mandala, you should have known that your plan would fail in the end. You wanted to control everyone, but even after planning for so many years, you still failed. The human heart is the hardest thing to control. You knew this long ago, yet you refused to believe it. What now? We are all about to enter the illusion. Once we do, even you will be powerless."

"No! You cannot do this to me! Do you know what the consequences will be if things turn out this way?"

"You will be lost in this endless illusion forever, no different from the dead. Did you train so hard in martial arts for all these years just for this outcome?"

"Yes, such an outcome is not bad at all. At least, I am very pleased with it. As long as we can escape your control, we are willing to pay any price. Seeing you fail is enough to satisfy us."

"Suwen, even so, we still have some regrets. In the end, we didn't get to drink together one last time. If there is a chance in the future, I would really like to drink with you again. I have never forgotten that drinking session under the green trees all those years ago."

"Brothers, am I right? I am sure you all miss the fine wine of the past. Unfortunately, we will never drink it again."

"Catch! This is fine wine I have treasured for many years. Since we are parting with no hope of meeting again, take this jar of wine. It seems this is the last thing I, as your old friend, can do for you."

"Thank you! Haha, it seems our luck isn't bad. With this jar of wine, the journey ahead won't be lonely."

Mandala's voice had now reached a screeching roar. "Come back, all of you! Are you really going to leave without saying anything to me?"

However, the only response left for him was their silent, retreating backs. "What we had to say was said many years ago. Unfortunately, you refused to listen back then. You have always been an incredibly self-centered person. Now that things have come to this, I believe this is the greatest punishment for you. We leave the rest to you. Didn't you love to fight? Fine, since you love it so much, keep fighting. How you treated us in the past is how we shall treat you now. It has always been fair, hasn't it?"

"Suwen, is this your plan all along? Do you think that by doing this, I truly cannot get the Spirit Essence Veil? Yes, you have always underestimated me. Fine, I will show you the price of underestimating me. We will meet again. I will give you one more chance to catch your breath. Next time, it won't be so easy."

"Did you think these were the only pawns in my hand? You are wrong. I have always held a far more important pawn. I didn't want to use it so early, but it seems I have no choice now. Zhuang Yunzhen, if you have any unfulfilled wishes, you had better hurry up and complete them. Before long, you will be a dead man. By then, no matter how great your abilities are, you will be powerless."

"Hahaha! But seeing the two of you today still makes me very happy. So be it, we shall meet next time. Hahaha, I am truly delighted today. I'm leaving!"

Mandala would never give up. He held a far more important pawn in his hand, and now he was going to retrieve it. Surely, when this pawn finally appeared, everyone—especially Suwen—would be utterly shocked. That was exactly the result he wanted.

"Has he left just like that? Hmph, no matter what plans he has, I have no fear." *Boom!* At that moment, Zhuang Yunzhen finally broke out of the illusion array. "Adoptive Father, how are you? Are you injured?"

"Good boy, I knew you would return. As you can see, I am fine. The only pity is that Mandala escaped. He has always been cunning, never fighting with his full strength. He hasn't changed at all over the years."

"Actually, I am quite curious about what his most important pawn is. I have a feeling that this final pawn is aimed at me. However, even if he has a powerful pawn, I am not afraid. In this world, there are only three kinds of people I cannot bear to hurt: my friends, my beloved, and you. Aside from the three of you, I care nothing for anyone else in the world."

Zhuang Yunzhen knew that although Suwen spoke lightly, his heart was bleeding. He had just witnessed his close friends, who had once displayed divine techniques, lose themselves in the illusion, while he himself could do nothing. If he could not even protect those most important to him, what was the point of having such formidable cultivation? What had he been pursuing all these years on the martial path? Even now, he did not know the answer to this question.

"Kid, you must think your adoptive father is useless, unable to even protect his own friends. I, too, feel that I am truly useless."