Chapter 219: Born Killer

Chapter 219 -150: Born Killer

Prince Pingyang didn’t hear what Lu Changyuan muttered to himself, but he was jolted with alarm.

‘Turn into that… that thing that’s neither human nor ghost?’

That might be worse than death itself. Who knew what kind of torture one had to endure to end up like that? Prince Pingyang turned to look at his adjutant. The adjutant nodded, then rode his horse around the army, took a deep breath, and bellowed.

“The Immortal commands a ceasefire!”

“The Immortal commands a ceasefire!”

Lu Changyuan narrowed his eyes slightly. “Don’t make any sudden moves. You may withdraw your army. I have the enemy under control. National Preceptor, go and see to your men.”

The National Preceptor of the Wei Kingdom quickly complied, then headed toward his own army with more speed than he had ever shown in his life.

‘This young man isn’t human at all.’

‘He’s too terrifying.’

‘To think the power of the Fifth Realm could be this terrifying!’

The past few days of travel had given the National Preceptor of Wei a true glimpse into the power of the Upper Three Realms, deepening his reverence for them.

When the National Preceptor of Wei finally reached his soldiers, he was even more astonished.

The swords and blades of the Wei soldiers had fallen to the ground, and their bodies were overgrown with green grass. Though it was clear the soldiers were still trying to advance, they were bound in place by the grass, like prisoners trapped in cages woven from vegetation.

The National Preceptor of Wei walked up to one of the men. “General Wang?”

The only response was a garbled, indistinct mumble, like a man talking in his sleep.

All thirty thousand soldiers were in the same state.

The National Preceptor of Wei sighed and returned to Lu Changyuan. “Elder Lu, our soldiers are immobilized, but their minds remain clouded.”

He was just about to ask Lu Changyuan to save these controlled men.

To his surprise, Lu Changyuan simply shook his head. “I cannot help them escape the dream just yet. A Dream Demon of the Fifth Realm or higher must have acted, causing all the soldiers to enter a dream state. My sword can only sustain their lives for now.”

Lu Changyuan had modified the Little Grass Sword Technique using the magic of the Nether Monarch. He usually used it against enemies, draining their Life Force to replenish his own. But now, he was running the Cultivation Technique in reverse. By borrowing the vast Life Force of the earth with the grass as a medium, he had managed to preserve the lives of these thirty thousand men.

The National Preceptor of Wei asked with a pained expression, “Then, Elder Lu, how can our soldiers be saved?”

Lu Changyuan raised Broken Thought, his eyes churning with unreadable emotions.

“By killing the Dream Demon.”

It was a spring day, yet the air was piercingly cold. Even Prince Pingyang, a man hardened by countless battles, felt a chill run down his spine.

“Huh?”

“You stay here and watch over your people. I will go and kill that Dream Demon.”

The National Preceptor of Wei was still dazed as Lu Changyuan transformed into a streak of light and shot off into the distance.

Prince Pingyang murmured, “Is the Immortal angry?”

“How can you tell?” the National Preceptor of Wei asked.

“I just have a feeling.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

「Chang’an was close at hand.」

The city gates hadn’t changed much in a thousand years. Chang’an was still Chang’an.

The massive gates were open, with not a single guard in sight. A single glance revealed a complete lack of life, as if it were a dead city.

Lu Changyuan had been to Chang’an before, so he was no stranger to the city.

That was over a thousand years ago. When he left his homeland at the age of fifty, the first thing he wanted to do was come see Chang’an.

As a Village Physician, he had heard people speak of Chang’an’s prosperity, claiming that a country bumpkin couldn’t even afford one of its bricks. Naturally, he yearned to see it for himself.

But when he arrived, Lu Changyuan found it was nothing special, a far cry from the bustling metropolis he had imagined. So he turned his back on it and left the Mortal Realm to pursue his cultivation.

He had never returned to Chang’an since.

“Hm?”

The Five Desires and Six Dust Heart Transformation Technique began to circulate on its own.

Lu Changyuan suppressed the strange feeling in his heart and walked straight through the deserted city gates.

Something… flashed before his eyes.

It was like a ray of light, one he couldn’t tell was black or white, had streaked past his eyes.

When Lu Changyuan opened his eyes again, he was back at the city gates.

Only this time, a magnificent white horse stood beside him.

He recognized this horse. It was extraordinary, capable of traveling a thousand li a day—a true Spiritual Horse.

‘This is my horse.’

‘Do I have to enter the city again? Or did I never enter in the first place?’

The sun was about to set, stretching Lu Changyuan’s shadow long across the main road. Suddenly, a pair of dark clouds drifted over from the distance, swallowing the sun and his shadow along with it, leaving nothing to be seen.

Lu Changyuan finally looked down at himself. He was dressed in worn, gray cloth robes, with a sword tucked at his waist.

‘My Cultivation… am I in the Fourth Realm? Or the Fifth?’

‘I can’t tell.’

He was so tired his thoughts felt muddled.

‘What was I going to do again?’

‘Right, I need to enter the city.’

“Halt! State your business!”

Lu Changyuan opened his mouth, only then realizing how thirsty he was. In a hoarse voice, he said, “I’m just passing through. I’ll rest for the night and be on my way tomorrow.”

“Pay the toll and you can enter.”

Lu Changyuan readily tossed over a coin pouch and led the white horse into the city.

It was spring, and a cool breeze blew from outside the city walls, carrying the faint scent of wine to Lu Changyuan’s nose.

After taking a few more steps, droplets of blood fell from Lu Changyuan’s hand, spattering on the stone slabs.

‘I’m injured? And it’s not a light wound.’

“What are you staring at? Over here! Over here!”

Lu Changyuan turned his head and saw a familiar face—a young man with a longsword on his back, smiling brightly and waving at him from a tavern.

It was Su Wuxiang.

Su Wuxiang laughed heartily. “Hurry up, hurry up! The wine’s going to get cold.”

Without a second thought, Lu Changyuan led his horse step by step toward Su Wuxiang. As he reached the table, the other man pushed a bowl of wine toward him.