The Forbidden Path to Immortality - Chapter 78

Chapter 2: Transformation into a Butterfly

“How could this happen?”

Li Xun stared at the beautiful woman on the ground, momentarily unable to react.

Shui Dielan’s eyes were tightly closed, her face pale, and her breathing shallow—a perfect example of unconsciousness.

Normally, a woman fainting from fear after what had happened would be understandable, but who was this person before him? She was the most accomplished female assassin, the most high-profile traitor, and a True Person-level expert ranked among the Tongxuan Realm’s most elite in recent centuries! How could

such a female cultivator be frightened into unconsciousness?

Li Xun was at a loss for words. He wasn’t a woman of lust, and while Shui Dielan was strikingly beautiful, it wasn’t something that would inflame him.

Li Xun’s grotesque behavior stemmed primarily from his desire to humiliate this woman severely, but he hadn’t anticipated this outcome. The rage within him, already surging, was now weakened.

He shrugged, patted Shui Dielan’s cheek, and pondered.

Regardless, his five days of planning had finally paid off. This eccentric female cultivator had been captured in one fell swoop, worthy of the complex restrictions he had meticulously laid out over the past five days, taking advantage of the “illicit intercourse.” With

the Water Die Lan defeated, Li Xun had effectively freed himself from a major shackle, allowing him to unleash many tactics he hadn’t dared to use publicly.

He also understood the allure of Wuyinxuan. Putting aside the supposed “magic treasures and elixir techniques,” simply possessing this “forbidden land” to open a cave dwelling would not only benefit his cultivation but also provide him with an invulnerable refuge. With

Zhong Yin gone, who else in the world could move freely through the “Six Forbidden Lands” like him?

Therefore, Wuyinxuan was his unwavering goal!

His earlier plan was about to be put into action. You Yi’s impersonation of Xiao Chongzi might have been a bit of a waste, but no one could tell the real from the fake—at least in terms of his cultivation techniques. With the help of the second guardian, and drawing on his previous experience, breaking the ban would be a piece of cake.

But turning his attention back to Shui Dielan, Li Xun felt a renewed sense of confusion.

What was this woman like? Her cultivation seemed unfathomable. If it weren’t for the numerous traps he’d set, he’d probably still be unable to apprehend her.

Even if her Shadow Reversal Escape Technique was unrivaled, it couldn’t be this powerful! She was clearly trying to hide her abilities, but looking at her,

she clearly wasn’t the type to settle for solitude… The more he thought about it, the more it seemed unsettled. Having lived in the Tongxuan Realm for sixty or seventy years, while he couldn’t say he knew every expert in the world, he had a general idea of who was who. He had a firm grasp of who was supposed to be, and what abilities they possessed.

Yet, in recent days, the female cultivator before him had been constantly refining Li Xun’s expectations. Based on her current performance, Li Xun felt she could even rival the two puppets, meaning she might be on the same level as the “Three Wanderers” or the Demon Phoenix!

Wait, the Demon Phoenix!

Li Xun suddenly seemed to grasp a clue, and his palms stroking Shui Dielan’s face paused.

He returned his attention to Shui Dielan. Though his lust had subsided, he couldn’t help swallowing at the sight of her slender legs, clad in gauze pants, even more translucent and radiant under the pearlescent light.

At the same time, he saw the tattered skirt scattered to the side, its vivid butterfly pattern arousing a new thought.

A demonic phoenix… Shui Dielan… butterfly…

The true answer lay only a thin layer of paper between him and her. Just as he was about to expose it, a fierce alarm echoed back from his heart and from the two puppets.

The sudden change startled Li Xun, and the strange feeling made him lower his head involuntarily. The next moment, blood and flesh flew before his eyes!

No one could remain calm after seeing their intact arm instantly reduced to a pile of minced meat.

As vision and excruciating pain simultaneously registered in his brain, Li Xun let out a scream and abruptly straightened up, then stumbled backward, landing heavily on the ground.

Instantly, You Yi and You Er attacked simultaneously, and the small cave seemed to be drawn into a vast vortex. Violent vital energy pressed towards the center, yet not a single drop escaped.

At the center of the vortex lay the suddenly awakened Water Orchid.

However, this combined force of two masters inexplicably struck empty space, only dislodging the pearl embedded in the rock wall and shattering it into dust.

The cave was instantly plunged into thick darkness.

But the darkness lasted only a blink of an eye. The next moment, before Li Xun’s eyes, a pair of ethereal, fluttering wings appeared, gently fluttering. A

soft blue light thinned the pitch-black space to nothingness, yet continued to emanate, flowing back and forth along the mottled patterns on the wings, a magnificent sight.

At the same time, a piercing fragrance permeated Li Xun’s nose and mouth, almost making him forget he was in a filthy, chaotic cave, not amidst a vibrant garden.

Half-lying, half-sitting, he watched in amazement as all this unfolded, until a low voice reached his ears: “The Butterfly Transformation Method…”

Before You Er could finish his cry, Li Xun’s vision suddenly lit up, a blue light that instantly intensified countless levels. In that moment, Li Xun thought ten million suns exploded before him, the intense light piercing his fragile pupils.

He screamed and tumbled backward.

In his frantic state, a cold touch brushed his neck. Had You Er not arrived in time and skillfully deflected the blow, Li Xun would have likely been torn apart, dead on the spot.

Having barely recovered from the shock, he didn’t even have time to check the injury on his eye before he screamed, “Kill her!”

He was responded by another sudden storm.

Unlike the storm generated by the two puppets before, this storm made full use of the nature of the wind, penetrating every pore.

Li Xun couldn’t see anything now, and only felt a numbness all over his body. He didn’t know how many heavy blows had landed on him. His head felt dizzy, and he was hit again.

As he rolled on the ground, he instinctively used his hands to support himself, but the moment his fingers touched the ground, he froze.

This hand, this hand…

He heard the puppet’s muffled groaning, which made him feel cold. Could it be that even with two puppets attacking him, he couldn’t stabilize the situation?

Li Xun rolled on the ground twice more, and besides the pain all over his body, he felt bitter in his mouth.

He couldn’t understand. If it had been a mistake, a reversal would have been fine, but Shui Dielan had clearly suffered more than ten damaged meridians and fractured arms. How had she recovered?

And what about his own arms and eyes?

The sound of energy clashing incessantly filled the cave. Although Li Xun couldn’t see, he felt that the two puppets, concerned about his presence, seemed to be struggling to move.

He gritted his teeth, endured the pain, stood up, and, holding onto the rock wall, tried to exit the cave. However, his foot suddenly gave way to a strange crossover, and he fell to the ground again.

What was going on?

Li Xun struggled to get up, but found his hands and feet no longer felt like his own. He tried to push himself up, a seemingly ordinary movement, but only felt the pain in his hands and feet. The strength within him, but where had it gone?

At this moment, Li Xun felt like he was trapped in a nightmare from which he couldn’t wake up. He was clearly conscious, yet unable to control his actions, absurd and disorienting.

He thought of You Er’s whispered cry!

“Transform into a butterfly, return to the dream?”

Shui Dielan? Butterfly? A demonic phoenix?

His thoughts worked backwards, from the beautiful thin wings fluttering gently in the blue light, to the lifelike butterfly patterns on her skirt, to what Jie Yin had said a few days ago about the “Ten Thousand Spirits Fire” possessed by those who mastered “Gu Shu”…

All of this, combined with Shui Dielan’s unimaginably powerful strength, revealed a profoundly absurd answer.

“Damn it, you’re a hundred…”

Li Xun’s screams were barely beginning to fade when the two puppets simultaneously groaned. A strong wind blew through his body, leaving only a blur of light and shadow. Then, a sleek arm clasped his neck, strangling him to his feet.

Simultaneously, several of his vital meridians went numb. This time, all his strength had been completely drained.

The two puppets swooped in like a whirlwind, but instead of offering a helping hand, they blocked the cave’s exit.

Shui Dielan, intent on restraining Li Xun, was a step too slow, and her path was cut off. The two puppets didn’t rush forward, simply staring at him with sinister eyes, saving everyone a lot of hassle.

A low groan came from behind. Li Xun couldn’t see, but his ears were incredibly sensitive. He could hear the stagnation in the groan; it was clear that Shui Dielan’s internal injuries were still severe. This stirred Li Xun’s thoughts once again.

Despite falling into enemy hands, he remained unfazed. He simply asked tentatively, “Illusion?”

Shui Dielan didn’t respond. Li Xun assumed she was preoccupied with her injuries and had neither the time nor the mood to engage in conversation.

The more this happened, the more certain Li Xun became of his suspicions. Regardless of Shui Dielan’s reaction, he whispered, “Your illusionary skills are far superior to those of the Yidoumi Cult’s charlatans. That reminds me of someone!”

There was no reaction from behind, so Li Xun had already formed a conclusion. He smiled and amended his words, “Oh, wrong. It’s not a person. She’s one of the most elite of the millions of demons in this world, ranked among the Seven Demons of the World, the ‘Hundred Illusion Butterfly Fairy.’ Do you remember her, Shui Xianxian?” After a pause,

Shui Dielan chuckled softly, “Since you can guess, why beat around the bush? Yes, I am the Hundred Illusion Butterfly!”

“It really is…”

Even though he had already formed his mind, hearing her so readily admit it still gave Li Xun a shudder! At this point, he was a bit skeptical.

However, aside from demons of the Seven Demons’ caliber, who else could escape and counterattack after being imprisoned by two vagrants?

He sighed, shook his head, and said, “If that’s true, then my defeat this time wasn’t unfair!”

He meant it. His numerous designs were undoubtedly meticulous and flawless, but how did they compare to the Blood Nightmare Soul-Breaking Killing Formation? Of course,

they were far inferior! Back then, even with a formation of that magnitude, it took the combined efforts of two vagrants to force Qingluan to flee. So, how could he possibly trap a Hundred Illusionary Demonic Butterfly of Qingluan’s same caliber?

Then, he smiled bitterly again: “I just can’t understand why you, a great demon, would join a sect like Luoyu and Zhugou? Is it fun?”

“Same here. You clearly have the two most advanced puppets in the world backing you, yet you still keep your head down and act so cunningly. How could you have such an interest if it wasn’t a natural hobby?”

Li Xun smiled bitterly, and then changed his address: “Fairy Die, you are trying to be mean to me! No matter how advanced the puppets are, they are useless! This situation can’t be concocted by a cunning person like me, right?”

“That’s true! If Wei Bufan and Yin Zhonghua were really in charge this time, I would have no chance of turning things around… Tsk, this skin is really a hindrance!”

The man and the demon began to chat in the darkness like friends, but they both knew in their hearts that this was just a brief respite after the intense exercise. Before the situation of life and death was clear, who could dare to guarantee that they would be the final winner?

From the moment Li Xun restrained them, the two puppets remained silent. This was partly due to the lack of Li Xun’s instructions, but also because they were completely focused on competing with Shui Die Lan’s subtle and profound Qi.

No human, ghost, demon, or devil could withstand the pressure of two individuals simultaneously, not even those in suboptimal condition!

The delicate flow of Qi, drawing upon vast quantities of heaven and earth’s vital energy, threatened to burst the small cave. It was practically impossible for the two puppets, one demon, and one human, to be buried within the mountain at any moment.

Li Xun now had to do everything he could to distract Shui Die Lan, giving the two puppets an opportunity to strike.

Of course, Shui Die Lan also needed time to recover.

“That restriction of yours is quite powerful, how did you set it up?”

“For five consecutive days, I’ve been working with my lover, and setting up a little bit each time, which is enough!”

“Oh, so you came here intentionally to make trouble today, and you can control the timing pretty well!”

“No, it’s Narcissus who hid it so well! No matter how much I planned, I couldn’t imagine it being on the Hundred Illusions Demon Butterfly! I just can’t understand why your injury…” “

It’s just the technique of silkworm pupa turning into butterfly, not worth the Fang family’s ridicule.” As Shuidielan laughed, her breath became more stable.

“I really can’t understand it. Although we didn’t intend to cooperate to the end, the falling out should have happened after we took the treasure. If the two of us could truly work together, wouldn’t this ancient temple’s treasure be easily captured?”

“Yes, what a pity! But according to military tactics, this is the only way to catch the enemy by surprise. Besides, I had no choice. Who told you to know about Xiao Chongzi’s death?”

Shui Dielan said softly, “Oh,” showing her interest in Li Xun’s words. But at the same time, the battle between her and the two puppets reached a critical point. The vital energy in the cave could no longer be contained, and a rumbling sound echoed deep in the cave walls on all sides.

Li Xun’s voice remained unchanged. Amidst the thunderous explosion of vital energy, it sounded very weak: “Actually, I didn’t come here to steal the treasure, but was entrusted by someone to protect Xiao Chongzi’s life!”

After he said this, Shui Dielan didn’t respond. Li Xun didn’t care and added: “She also said that if she couldn’t protect him, she would kill him secretly and not let anyone else know! So…”

Shui Dielan interrupted him and asked, “Who asked you to do this?”

Li Xun’s lips curled slightly and he said, “Yes…”

His voice suddenly dropped, becoming inaudible amid the rumbling explosion. Shui Dielan couldn’t help but listen distractedly.

At this moment, the two puppets’ momentum surged. With tens of thousands of fine qi machines pulling vital energy, it suddenly expanded in this narrow cave, and a thick layer of the surrounding rock walls was immediately scraped away.

The air in the cave was almost completely evacuated, and then a tangible surge of vital energy poured in, cracking large sections of the rock wall. Debris flew everywhere, only to be shattered into dust by the swirling currents of vital energy.

Shui Dielan groaned, her old injuries flaring up at the sudden blow. But she didn’t bother to suppress the injury, instead using her arms to strangle the treacherous Li Xun.

But at that moment, Li Xun’s body seemed boneless, and before her force could reach its limit, he slipped out of her grasp like a loach.

Shui Dielan was startled, puzzled as to how Li Xun could maintain such agility despite being restrained. This shock caused Li Xun to take another step forward, moving even further away.

The air in the cave roared, and the shockwaves sent a slight tremor through the mountain. Two puppets rushed out, one to support Li Xun, the other charging towards Shui Dielan.

“Traitor!” Shui Dielan rebuked, but her tone lacked a hint of urgency.

Indeed, Li Xun’s move was cunning, his timing impeccable.

However, he overlooked a crucial point—the Hundred Illusionary Butterflies were not the same as ordinary cultivators!

With a thought, a deep wave surged forth, ignoring the raging vortex of vital energy, and she swung forward. By then, “Blood Wanderer” had already attacked her, and “Yin Wanderer” was only an arm’s length away.

Shui Dielan smiled faintly and shouted, “Reverse the Heaven and Earth! Turn!”

The vital energy in the cave erupted a second time, and amidst the turbulent flow, Shui Dielan ignored “Blood Wanderer’s” close-reaching hand and moved forward.

Strangely, “Blood Wanderer’s” arm suddenly rose for no apparent reason, shattering the cave ceiling. Shui Dielan easily brushed past it, flying out of the cavern.

Halfway through, she saw Yin Wanderer and Li Xun strangely cross paths, a look of ecstasy on Li Xun’s face. She chuckled and easily exited the cave, then turned around and leisurely watched Li Xun run straight into her arms.

Her arms wrapped around Li Xun’s neck again, and watching Li Xun fall from the peak of ecstasy, the wonderful changes in his expression made her feel happy, and she felt that the suffering she had endured before was worth it.

She smiled brightly at the ghosts and said, “How are you?”

Li Xun was almost unable to breathe because of her arms, and his face was distorted and weird.

Shuidielan loosened her grip slightly, allowing Li Xun to catch his breath. Turning to see her radiant smile, he said with a wry smile, “I admire you. Your illusions are fine, but what truly impresses me is… your ability to fly with such a burden?”

Seeing Li Xun’s suddenly ferocious expression, Shuidielan was shocked. Without a second thought, she tried to exert force, but this time, just as she was about to exert her strength, she felt a sharp pain in her waist and abdomen. She could even hear her intestines being twisted.

She softened, her eyes wide open, watching Li Xun slip out of her arm lock once again. He turned around with ease, holding the tip of the pitch-black Ghost Crow sword.

Their eyes met, and a sudden flash of light flashed through Shui Dielan’s mind. Shocked, she cried out, “Your eyes…”

“Ah, my eyes are fine!”

Li Xun smiled faintly, clenching his fist with force. The sharp blade tore open his palm, causing blood to flow freely. The blood was quickly drawn into the sword, not a single drop spilling out.

The next moment, with a resounding roar, the Ghost Crow Sword shattered into seventeen or eighteen pieces, most of the fragments remaining within Shui Dielan’s body.

Shui Dielan groaned softly, her slender body unable to support itself any longer, and she collapsed to the ground. The fragments of the sword were secondary; the truly fatal force was the aura that emanated from the moment the sword shattered, sending a chill down her spine.

She squeezed out two words from between her teeth: “Blood Nightmare!”

“Good insight!” Li Xun clapped his hands in praise. “This blood nightmare has been implanted in the sword for over thirty years, and Shui Xianzi is the first to experience it. It’s fate!”

This time it was Shui Dielan’s turn to smile bitterly. When she identified the foreign object invading her body, she had already despaired. But she still didn’t understand something, and if she didn’t understand the reason, she would die with regret.

“You’re under my control, how can you escape?”

“Hehe, although I don’t have the fairy’s method of ‘transforming into a butterfly’, those few formulas I asked Yin to recite are not just for bluffing. This method of ‘secretly storing essence’ may sound a bit girly, but it’s useful after all, isn’t it?”

“Your eyes…”

Hearing Shui Dielan ask this, Li Xun was even more delighted. “Shui Xianzi’s illusion technique is unparalleled in the world, I believe it. It’s a pity that I have such a treasure!”

He pulled out a black round bead from his bosom, flashed it in front of Shui Dielan’s eyes, and said with a smile: “Shui Xianzi, don’t you remember the lotus gathering in the North Sea…”

“Rainbow Shadow Bead!” Shui Dielan’s reaction was still quick. She looked at the bead in Li Xun’s hand with a complicated look in her eyes. Then, she shook her head and smiled bitterly: “You know a lot of things…”

Li Xun smiled slightly and said no more. Frankly speaking, Shui Dielan’s previous “reversal” really scared him.

Although the Blood Nightmare was disrupting her blood circulation, itself a powerful restriction, he still called over two puppets to reapply the barrier to Shui Die Lan, just to be on the safe side.

Shui Die Lan showed no signs of struggle. It wasn’t until the two puppets drew close, about to strike, that she sighed softly, “What a pity…”

“Hmm?” Li Xun peered over the puppets’ shoulders, unsure of what Shui Die Lan meant.

Shui Die Lan returned his smile.

This ordinary smile, at this moment, seemed strangely strange. Li Xun’s pupils constricted, and the words, “What a pity! A half-understanding!”

Unaware that something was amiss, he shouted, “Kill her!” and dodged behind You Yi.

Logically, she should have been relatively safe behind You Yi’s imposing frame, but a sudden sense of unease crept into Li Xun’s heart, as if something had slipped.

Before he could process it, a sudden pain pierced his lower abdomen, and a searing primordial energy surged through his body. Then he was lifted off the ground like a cloud, only to crash headfirst into the mountain wall behind him. Stones flew everywhere, and the pain that pierced his brain nearly knocked him unconscious.

But this pain pales in comparison to the agony of the rapidly boiling blood and energy within him.

This feeling was clearly…

the Blood Demon’s Heart Transformation!

Li Xun’s heart raced, and he coughed up blood.

Ever since he subdued the Blood Wanderer, he had always tortured others with his burning blood energy. Who could have imagined that one day he would experience this firsthand?

“You Yi has rebelled?”

In Li Xun’s blurry vision, You Yi turned back, his bloodshot eyes vacant. It seemed that even with his current level of intelligence, he still couldn’t understand why he had struck his master.

Seeing this expression, Li Xun spat out another mouthful of blood.

“Illusion!”

Yes, it was the illusion of the Water Die Lan.

The Rainbow Shadow Pearl gifted to Li Xun by Master Tianzhi could indeed break illusions, but it could only protect Li Xun alone; the two puppets were not protected.

Water Die Lan exploited this flaw and struck with a single strike!

Li Xun felt a surge of regret. Given the puppets’ current intelligence, they shouldn’t have been so easily defeated. It was simply that since becoming puppets, they had never faced an opponent skilled in illusions and lacked the experience to cope.

If there was a next time…

could there be a next time?

You Yi’s Leopard Tail Kick was unwavering. If it weren’t for the subtle connection between the puppets and their controllers, the moment their energy contacted, their shared but divergent true energy collided, negating some of the force. Li Xun would likely be a dried corpse by now.

Even so, he felt a burning sensation throughout his body, his qi and blood circulation completely unbalanced. Every moment, a portion of his blood evaporated, taking away a vast amount of vital energy.

In the blink of an eye, he was succumbing to irrecoverable weakness.

“Damn it, damn it…”

Li Xun crouched on the ground, his breath tinged with sparks. The Youxuan shadow was working, but in his haste, what effect could it have?

Youyi hadn’t been completely foolish. It darted over and sucked the burning blood essence from his body, and Li Xun felt a little better.

Just then, a miserable groan came from the front. Li Xun looked up and saw Shui Dielan writhing on the ground in disarray, her face pale, a trace of the graceful demeanor of a great demon.

But she hadn’t died. Needless to say, she must have used another illusion to deceive Youer, thus escaping the disaster.

However, if she thought she could escape with this trick, she was greatly underestimating the Youxuan puppet’s intelligence.

After suffering two consecutive losses, the puppet’s astonishing combat instinct had connected with its previous memories, drawing on them to devise a corresponding response, and this change was simultaneously reflected in Li Xun’s consciousness.

After a burst of coughing, Li Xun ordered for the third time: “Kill her!”

As soon as he uttered the words, a strange wave suddenly came up from his lower abdomen, cutting off the tail end of his words.

You Er followed his order without hesitation, stepped forward and struck down with a palm. Shui Dielan watched helplessly as the slender white palm print struck down, blocking the entire sky.

She felt miserable. She had all the extraordinary skills, but was forced to die without a chance to catch her breath.

She was unwilling to die like this!

The thought flashed by, and the cold air had penetrated her brain, violently snatching away all her vitality, and her mind quickly became blurred.

At this moment, a distorted and strange cry rang in her ears.

Time froze for a moment.