Chapter 820 (2): What Can Be Done to Those Bound

“By the time you try that, she’ll have already broken free from the Soul-Shackling Chain and torn you apart.” Ye Wuming sneered. “You think those chains are some unbreakable divine law?”

Zhao Changhe said, “Well, that hasn’t happened yet. We’re not dead. When we’re finally somewhere safe, we can figure it out then. What’s the rush? Why are you, of all people, in such a hurry now? Aren’t you someone who’d lay plans across countless years? Are you trying to hint that you’re not real and just another illusion from Papiyas?”

Ye Wuming chuckled. “Then go on and guess. Am I real or not?”

Zhao Changhe said, “I don’t care to guess. Just tell me why you came looking for me.”

“You’re far weaker than I expected. I want you to grow stronger.” Ye Wuming held up two fingers. “Last time, I directly infused enlightenment into your mind through your forehead. Do you dare to let me do that again?”

“Why wouldn’t I dare? I can’t beat you anyway. If you wanted me dead, I’d already be dead.” Zhao Changhe closed his eyes, presenting his forehead. “Come on. Do your thing.”

Piaomiao wanted to scream.

Zhao Changhe, what the hell are you doing!? It’s fake! It’s fake! Just like that Sisi illusion from before. No matter how real they look, how powerful they seem, how naturally they speak, none of that matters. It’s all conjured from your own mind. There would never be a flaw to spot. If you let her touch his forehead, you’re done for! Just because it’s Ye Wuming, you suddenly turn dumb?

But the Soul-Shackling Chain held her fast. She could not transmit any of what she wanted to tell him.

Fine. Whatever. If you want to die, die. Once you’re dead, the chains will be lifted.

Just as the thought flickered through Piaomiao’s mind, “Ye Wuming” let out a shrill, agonized scream. Her abdomen had been run clean through by Zhao Changhe’s River of Stars.

Piaomiao blinked in disbelief.

He... saw through it? He was pretending to be stupid earlier?

As the wail faded, Ye Wuming’s form dissipated into mist. There was no blood, no wound, only spiritual and soul fluctuations scattering in the air. It seemed the blow had not done much damage.

Zhao Changhe, seeing the lack of effect, did not linger. He immediately resumed his flight just in time to evade a hidden attack from Snow Owl.

Laughter echoed from the distance. “That was a rare chance to study your form from up close. It would have been a waste not to test it. Thank you for the lesson. Until next time.”

Papiyas’s voice rang out in fury, “How did you see through it this time?”

“Not telling.” Zhao Changhe laughed as he disappeared into the distance. “If this cheap illusion trick is all you’ve got, you’re hardly worth worrying about. No wonder you didn’t dare confront Hongling head-on back when you were still dormant. So this is the great Papiyas?”

He would never reveal that Yue Hongling’s sword qi, still lodged in Snow Owl’s body, had been his constant compass. As long as the sword qi remained detectable, so did Papiyas and Snow Owl’s location. There was thus no guesswork needed. Not to mention another glaring clue: Piaomiao hated Ye Wuming with a passion, and the demonized Piaomiao was even more vehement. If the real Ye Wuming had shown up, Piaomiao would have erupted with uncontrollable rage. However, she had barely reacted, thereby proving that that was not Ye Wuming at all.

It was becoming increasingly clear that Papiyas’s true power did not lie in brute force but in manipulation through illusions. Once one recognized the illusion for what it was, there was not much to fear.

The reason Zhao Changhe had played dumb was precisely that Papiyas’s true form had eluded him through every strike. This close encounter was a precious chance to test a few theories. And the result? Papiyas possibly did not have a true form or at least not one that existed outside. From the beginning, he had never been fighting an external foe. The enemy had always existed within.

As long as his heart remained steadfast, all demons would fail to breach it. That was why Snow Owl existed to deliver real, physical harm while Papiyas worked from the inside.

Papiyas might be the easiest demon god to understand, yet the hardest to defeat. Who among humans could claim to have no flaws in their heart? Zhao Changhe had made it this far only by relying on an unreasonable number of cheats.

Still, the critical question remained: if Papiyas did not have a true form or body, how could he be harmed?

It was no wonder techniques that shattered space had no effect here. Just now, Zhao Changhe had tested a method to make an illusion real or manifest the intangible, and while it had made Papiyas cry out, the damage was negligible.

So how could one actually defeat him?

If the Soul-Shackling Chain was free to use right now and if another opportunity arose to make an illusion real, then he might just be able to use the chain to bind Papiyas at the critical moment. Unfortunately, the chain was not free, and even if it had been, it was hard to get another opportunity like that.

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Zhao Changhe blurred through a series of rapid flashes, darting southeast.

That direction probably led to Xiangyang. Previously, spatial barriers there had been disrupted by Yuan Cheng, making passage impossible. But Yuan Cheng had mentioned the distortion would only last a while, so perhaps the boundary had reconnected by now. If he could reach the ancient vajra over on that side, then he might just be able to do something.

Piaomiao glanced at him with some confusion, wondering why he was not returning to Ye Jiuyou but was instead charging off toward some unknown place in the southeast. Could it be that he felt too humiliated to go back in such a sorry state?

Men’s minds are so difficult to understand...

She could clearly see his chest wound tearing open again, blood flowing freely. The injury he had just begun to recover from had burst anew after the scuffle and that furious series of flashes. He might be drawing closer to understanding Papiyas, but his condition was rapidly worsening. She had no idea how he was still pushing forward.

Zhao Changhe panted lightly, then sent a fragment of his consciousness into Piaomiao’s spiritual sea to check on her.

There, the two women were still tightly bound by the chains, their figures even more striking now under their constrained state. Zhao Changhe’s heart gave a faint thump before he forcibly calmed his mind, confirming that his earlier conversation with the illusionary Ye Wuming had not been entirely off-base. This was indeed the clearest division between Piaomiao and Cui Yuanyang yet. If a clean separation were ever to be achieved, this might just be the moment to do so.

Ye Jiuyou had advised bringing Piaomiao into the confrontation with Papiyas, and it seemed she had been right. No matter how dangerous, if it brought them closer to unraveling the two souls within, it was worth it.

And beyond matters of pride, Zhao Changhe’s preference for heading to Xiangyang instead of returning to Ye Jiuyou stemmed from a more practical consideration. If there was any hope of freeing Piaomiao from the corruption of Papiyas, the techniques and methods of the Buddhist sects might offer invaluable insight.

Seeing that Zhao Changhe kept looking at her, Piaomiao finally lost patience and snapped, “Keep looking at me like that, and I’ll gouge your eyes out!”

Zhao Changhe came to his senses and asked, “How are you feeling now?”

“Well, I’m bound like this, so what do you think?” Piaomiao replied coldly. “If you have the guts, unbind me.”

Zhao Changhe said, “You don’t sound as ferocious as before. Earlier, you didn’t even bother talking to me. You just went straight for the kill. At least you’re talking now.”

Piaomiao gave a chilling sneer. “Just conserving strength. You’ll still die at Papiyas’s hand. All those rounds, what did you rely on? Cheats. If you can’t break through with your own strength, it’s only a matter of time before you slip.”

“Can’t argue with that... But after that last hit I gave him, he probably won’t risk pulling the same trick again for a while. I’ve got myself a breather now, so I might as well take the time to look at you.” Zhao Changhe sighed. “I mean, even if you’ve become some vengeful madwoman, you should be fair with your hatred, right? Just now, Snow Owl’s sword was almost at your back, yet your first reaction was to punch me.”

Piaomiao flared up. “Of course, I hate you more! Ye Wuming is first and you’re next!”

“Why though?”

“You know why!”

Zhao Changhe choked.

Is it because I’d seen your body... and shared moments of intimacy?

The normal Piaomiao had buried it deep, but the demonized Piaomiao wanted blood.

Could it be that her descent into madness... is partly my fault?

He sighed helplessly. “I was planning to unbind you and use the chains on Papiyas instead... but now it seems I can’t. You’re even more dangerous than he is.”

Piaomiao struggled. “Spare me your fake concern!”

Zhao Changhe, injured and exhausted, was starting to lose his temper as well. “At least the real Piaomiao had some sense, but you? You’re just a damn menace. Don’t think I won’t smack you.”

Piaomiao sneered. “Go ahead and kill me. I know it’s what Ye Wuming wants.”

“...” Zhao Changhe growled. “Do you women not understand? In this kind of tied-up position, there are other outcomes besides just getting killed.”

Piaomiao stiffened. “What are you thinking of doing?”

Zhao Changhe made a clawing gesture with his hand. “What do you think?”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“Idiot. I’m fleeing for my life here. I don’t have the time! But if I do get a free moment... I’ll show you how I deal with stubborn people like you!” Zhao Changhe reached out and gave her face a firm squeeze, his expression fierce.

Piaomiao glared back at him with fire in her eyes.

Yet, Zhao Changhe sighed again and said nothing more. Instead, he bent down toward the sleeping spirit of Cui Yuanyang and gently kissed her on the forehead. His voice soft as he said, “Sleep well... When you wake up, everything will be fine.”

With that, his consciousness swiftly withdrew. At the same time, Dragon Bird slashed forward.

A ghost had just appeared in front of them and was cleaved to pieces in an instant, dissipating into nothingness.

Ahead stretched a boundless darkness, with countless crimson eyes gleaming in the night. These were ancient exotic beasts corrupted by Papiyas, lingering souls from the ancient era. Among them were the twisted remnants of ancient Buddhist and Daoist protectors, now fallen, and even assassins from the Snow-Listening Pavilion.

Papiyas’s power surged at night, and his forces now swarmed forward en masse.

Zhao Changhe, instead of despairing, actually smiled.

The more desperately they tried to stop him, the more it proved they did not want him reaching the southeast. This meant that this path did lead to Xiangyang, and the ancient vajra was still there!