Cultivation starts from simplifying the exercises

Chapter 2154 Facing the Immortal Slayer

The enemy army, already on the verge of collapse, retreated like a receding tide the moment they heard the retreat horn.

Chen Fei remained standing, gun in hand, in the center of the battlefield strewn with corpses and blood. Thick blood dripped slowly from the tip of his steel-tipped rifle, splashing tiny ripples in the pool of blood at his feet.

Chen Fei slowly raised his head. His blood-stained face showed no emotion, only a calm expression. His gaze passed over the corpses scattered on the ground, looking towards the direction of the enemy's retreat, as if piercing through the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, looking into the void deeper within this illusion.

General Lu Shaoyuan, clad in silver armor, sat atop a black warhorse, his face so gloomy it was almost dripping with water.

He stared intently at the figure standing on the edge of the distant cliff, gun in hand, with hundreds of corpses lying at his feet. His chest churned with shock, anger, disbelief, and a chill that he himself did not want to delve into.

The elite soldiers, supported by a tight military formation, were slaughtered by a single man with a spear, leaving corpses strewn across the battlefield. Their morale collapsed, and they were forced to sound the retreat.

Is Chen Fei... a human or a ghost?

Lu Shaoyuan had fought on the battlefield for more than 20 years and boasted that he had seen countless fierce generals and soldiers. He had also heard the legends about peerless warriors circulating in the army, but he had never heard of anything like what was happening before him.

This was completely beyond his expectations and defied common sense.

Even a martial arts master's stamina is not inexhaustible; faced with a massive army's encirclement, they would eventually be worn down. But Chen Fei seemed tireless, each of his shots precise and deadly; this was no mere martial prowess.

"Crossbows, archers!" Lu Shaoyuan suppressed the tremor in his heart, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

Since close-quarters combat and encirclement are ineffective, then a ranged attack will suffice. Even if it means accidentally injuring the crucial remnants of the previous dynasty in the carriage, that's no longer a concern at this point. If the losses are so severe and the target escapes, returning will only lead to certain death.

"Target: enemy general at the edge of the cliff, unleash a barrage of fire!" Lu Shaoyuan practically roared as he gave the order.

"Follow the order!"

In the rear ranks, command flags waved and bugles sounded again. The archers, who had been preparing for a long time, moved at the command. The front row knelt down, while the back row stood upright. Powerful bows and crossbows were drawn to their full length, and the cold arrowheads gleamed with a chilling light in the leaden sky.

"Fire arrows!"

With the officer's command, a piercing sound of something tearing through the air instantly shattered the brief silence.

Countless arrows, like a swarm of black locusts startled into flight, or a torrential downpour, blotted out the sky and rained down on the lone figure on the cliff edge and the carriage behind him.

The density of the arrows was so high that they covered almost every inch of the surrounding area, leaving no blind spots. Among them were even a few giant arrows fired from heavy ballistae that required several people to operate, powerful enough to pierce through the city walls.

Faced with this inescapable rain of deadly arrows, Chen Fei's spear flashed repeatedly, forming an impenetrable black barrier in front of him and the carriage.

"Jingle bells!"

Countless arrows struck the spearhead and even the heavy armor guards that Chen Fei's arm moved as he swung it, creating a dense, metallic clang like raindrops hitting banana leaves.

Most of the arrows were accurately deflected and deflected, veering off course.

A few arrows, flying at tricky angles, broke through the spear's shadow and struck Chen Fei's breastplate, but only managed to send up a trail of sparks before being deflected by the thick black iron armor plates, unable to advance an inch.

Even those terrifying ballista arrows were skillfully guided by Chen Fei, whistling past the edge of the heavy armor and embedding themselves deep into the cliff face, sending rocks flying.

One round! Two rounds! Three rounds!

The rain of arrows came wave after wave, seemingly without end. The ground at the edge of the cliff and the carriage were covered with a dense swarm of arrows, like a hedgehog.

Chen Fei dodged and weaved through the rain of arrows, his spear transforming into a black shadow, protecting himself and the carriage completely.

He always managed to dodge the densest area of ​​arrows at the last second, and his spear was so accurate it was outrageous; every swing he made perfectly intercepted the most threatening arrows.

Lu Shaoyuan stared intently from a distance, his expression growing increasingly grim.

He witnessed several arrows, shot at extremely tricky angles, almost skimming the ground, aimed at Chen Fei's ankles, knees, and other weak points in his armor, but were always deflected by the spear tip at the last moment.

Chen Fei seemed to have eyes all over his body, possessing an almost divine ability to predict and control the trajectory, speed, and force of arrows.

"How is this possible... How is this possible!" Lu Shaoyuan roared inwardly.

Is this person indestructible?

While parrying arrows with his spear and protecting Cao Feiyu behind him, Chen Fei calmly observed the world around him, sensing every change within it, trying to find a foothold in the illusion.

While parrying the rain of arrows, Chen Fei rapidly considered various possibilities.

Is it necessary to kill the enemy general Lu Shaoyuan? Or is it necessary to successfully escape from Broken Dragon Cliff with Cao Feiyu? Or is there some other hidden condition that needs to be met?

This illusion sets them up as remnants of the former dynasty and their guard generals being hunted down. What exactly is the purpose behind this?

As Chen Fei's mind raced, analyzing various possibilities, his gaze inadvertently swept over the silver-armored general Lu Shaoyuan, who sat atop a black warhorse in the distance, at the front of the military formation.

This time, Chen Fei's expression faltered slightly, and a hint of undisguised surprise flashed in his eyes.

"Is he not just a pure illusion?"

In this illusion, besides him and Cao Feiyu, the two intruders, there was actually a third real being?

With this thought in mind, Chen Fei immediately focused his mind and, with the help of the sliver of spiritual light preserved by the Undying True Light Mirror, penetrated the surface of the illusion in an attempt to see Lu Shaoyuan's true nature.

Because his soul was sealed, such observation was quite difficult. However, as the observation deepened, Chen Fei's surprise gradually turned into certainty.

Although Lu Shaoyuan's spiritual senses seemed to be in a state of being obscured, the depths of his soul's origin had not been completely integrated with this illusion.

Furthermore, through the concealment of the blood and qi on Lu Shaoyuan's body, one could vaguely see a trace of cold and violent power, which was demonic energy.

Judging from the degree of condensation and the subtle fluctuations of this wisp of demonic energy, this demon's cultivation level is at least at the Tai Cang Realm.

A demonic cultivator, however, plays the role of a dynasty general hunting them down in this illusion.

This discovery sent countless thoughts through Chen Fei's mind in an instant.

Is Lu Shaoyuan an intruder who, like them, has just entered this illusionary realm? Or is he a demonic cultivator who has completely fallen into the trap and is already unable to extricate himself?

"Archers, switch to fire arrows!"

Lu Shaoyuan suddenly drew his sword from his waist, pointing it at the cliff. His voice was hoarse and fierce, "Shield formation in front, spearmen guard, fire the rockets over there. Cover that area and burn! Burn them and their carriages to ashes!"

This order was even more ruthless than the previous barrage of fire. Once those corpses were set ablaze, it would be an almost certain kill on that narrow cliff edge.

"Order!"

The shield bearers at the front mustered their strength, raised their tattered giant shields, and reassembled a defensive line to guard against Chen Fei's possible desperate attack.

Behind them, the archers sprang into action. Some took out strips of cloth soaked in kerosene and wrapped them around the arrowheads, while others lit torches to start a fire. The air was immediately filled with the pungent smell of kerosene.

Lu Shaoyuan stared intently at Chen Fei on the edge of the cliff. He wanted to see how Chen Fei could withstand this raging inferno. Unless Chen Fei was willing to abandon Cao Feiyu, he was doomed to die today.

Chen Fei's gaze shifted from the enemy ranks preparing rockets in the distance, then swept over the bottomless, dark cliff behind him. Before, this cliff was a dead end, but now…

He glanced at Cao Feiyu beside him, who was pale but trying to remain calm, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Hold on tight," Chen Fei whispered, his voice calm.

Cao Feiyu was stunned, not understanding what Chen Fei was going to do, but subconsciously grabbed his bloodstained arm guard.

The next moment, to Cao Feiyu's astonishment, Chen Fei suddenly turned around, still holding the gun in one hand, and wrapped the other arm around Cao Feiyu's slender waist, holding her tightly in his arms.

"go!"

With a low shout, Chen Fei suddenly exerted force with his feet, his body spreading like a roc spreading its wings. Without hesitation, he grabbed Cao Feiyu and leaped off the dark cliff shrouded in mist.

The sound of clothes rustling in the wind suddenly rang out, and the two figures instantly disappeared at the edge of the cliff.

Jump off a cliff? He actually chose to jump off a cliff?

This scene left everyone stunned.

Lu Shaoyuan's ferocious smile froze instantly, then turned into astonishment and confusion, followed by indescribable shock and anger.

Jump off a cliff to commit suicide?

If it were before, when he saw Chen Fei and Cao Feiyu being forced to the edge of a cliff and jumping off the cliff with no way out, he would have felt sorry that he could not capture them alive, but he would have thought that it was an inevitable choice when they were at their wits' end.

Having witnessed Chen Fei's superhuman bravery firsthand, how could such a fierce general easily choose to commit suicide after single-handedly holding off a thousand troops and remaining unharmed by a hail of arrows?

No, absolutely not!

This Chen Fei probably has a way to escape from this cliff!

"Fire! Fire arrows now! Shoot them dead!" Lu Shaoyuan almost roared as he gave the order, his voice trembling with rage.

Even if they jump into an abyss, he wants to see them shot into pincushions or smashed into a bloody pulp.

Hearing Lu Shaoyuan's roar, the crossbowmen who had just lit their arrows were also stunned. But military orders are like mountains, and they didn't have time to think. They quickly chased to the edge of the cliff and shot out all the arrows they had lit.

"Shhhhhh!"

In mid-air, the feeling of weightlessness brought about by the rapid descent instantly seized Cao Feiyu's mind.

The wind howled in my ears and stung my cheeks, and the abyss below seemed like the gaping maw of a giant beast, waiting to devour everything. However, the expected fear did not come.

She held Chen Fei's sturdy body with all her might, burying her face in his blood-stained breastplate. Strangely, she felt an unprecedented calm in her heart, even with a hint of resolute serenity.

Jumping off a cliff is a dead end.

But compared to falling into the hands of those ravenous enemy soldiers and dying in humiliation, being able to embrace Chen Fei like this, fall into this abyss together, and die together, doesn't seem so bad.

Cao Feiyu closed her eyes slightly, her long eyelashes trembling in the wind, and a faint smile seemed to appear at the corner of her mouth.

However, the expected scenario of being pierced by a thousand arrows or falling straight to the bottom of the cliff and being smashed to pieces did not happen immediately.

Cao Feiyu felt Chen Fei's arms tighten suddenly around her waist, and at the same time she heard a series of rapid and intense sounds, including the cracking sound of an arrow shaft breaking.

She couldn't help but open her tightly closed eyes and look up.

Chen Fei still held her tightly with one hand, while his other hand wielded his spear with impenetrable skill, deflecting and knocking away the arrows shot from above.

The rockets fell in flames; some were extinguished by the gunfire, while others grazed their bodies and disappeared into the deeper darkness below.

Chen Fei's expression remained calm, his eyes sharp as an eagle's. While deflecting arrows with his spear, his gaze swept across the rapidly ascending cliff beside him.

As they plummeted faster, the arrows shot down from above quickly ceased to pose a threat.

The moment the threat of the arrow rain disappeared, Chen Fei suddenly changed the style of his spear.

No longer focusing on defense and parrying, but instead thrusting the spear like a dragon, accurately piercing the steep and rugged cliff beside them.

Chen Fei's gaze was not focused on the hard rocks, but seemed to penetrate the surface of the rock wall and see the subtle cracks in the rules of this cliff and this world, which were the flaws in the illusion he had glimpsed earlier.

Although because his soul was sealed, he could not completely lock down these flaws, nor could he directly use them as a fulcrum to tear apart the illusion.

However, with the Lingtai Undying True Light Mirror firmly guarding him, and with the help of his keen perception of reality and illusion, as well as his previous probing during the battle with thousands of armored soldiers, Chen Fei had already figured out some tricks of the trade.

He cannot directly modify the rules, but he can, to some extent, adapt to and cleverly utilize the imperfections of these rules.

Previously, he was able to fight amidst thousands of troops with his mortal body without exhausting himself. This was not only due to his unparalleled combat skills and meticulous control over his physical strength, but also because he utilized the advantages provided by these illusionary flaws, which enabled him to create that almost miraculous victory.

At this moment, choosing to jump off the cliff was also based on observing and exploiting the flaws in the illusion.

Chen Fei cannot change the fundamental rule that jumping off a cliff will result in a fall, but he can exploit these flaws to interfere with the process and the final outcome of the fall.

"Ding! Hiss! Pfft!"

The gun tip struck the rock face, producing a sound that was either crisp or dull.

Under Cao Feiyu's incredulous gaze, the two of them, whose descent speed was increasing rapidly, actually began to slow down gradually thanks to Chen Fei's superb marksmanship.

The wind still howled in her ears, and the clouds flowed around her, but Cao Feiyu's fear had long been replaced by unparalleled shock.

She held Chen Fei tightly, looking up at his cold and focused profile, watching him use his spear as a pen to write impossible miracles on the cliff.

Chen Fei was indeed brave and skilled in battle, otherwise he would not have served as the Protector General.

But that's still within the realm of mortals. Who has ever seen anyone do something so incredible, on a cliff edge, with only a long spear?

On the cliff edge, Lu Shaoyuan gripped the reins tightly, his knuckles turning white, almost breaking them.

His gaze pierced through the thin clouds that were gradually spreading up, locking onto the two figures below that were slowing down on the cliff face in an inexplicable way.

"Damn it!" Lu Shaoyuan let out a low roar.

He had fought his way through half his life, facing all sorts of extraordinary individuals. But he had never heard of a monster like Chen Fei, who could fight his way in and out of thousands of troops and survive on a cliff in such an inhuman way.

This was beyond his understanding of martial arts.

"Pass on the order!"

Lu Shaoyuan straightened up abruptly, his eyes flashing with ferocity, his voice hoarse with anger, "The vanguard becomes the rearguard, immediately detour down the mountain. Below the cliff is Broken Dragon Valley; although the valley floor is deep, there is a path leading to it. They have no horses and are with a woman; they can't go far."

"Chase after him! I want to see him alive or dead!"

"As ordered!"

The surrounding lieutenants and captains, still shaken, shuddered and quickly clasped their hands in acceptance of the order.

They also witnessed Chen Fei's incredible escape method and were equally shocked. However, military orders were paramount, and they couldn't worry about anything else at the moment. They quickly shouted to their equally bewildered soldiers, and began to organize their ranks and circle around to pursue the enemy down into the valley.

The wind whistles in my ears, and light and shadow flash before my eyes.

Chen Fei was completely focused, his spear blurring into afterimages. After an unknown amount of time, the thick fog below gradually dissipated, revealing jagged rocks and sparse vegetation at the bottom of the valley.

"boom!"

A dull thud, not too loud, accompanied by a solid feel underfoot.

Chen Fei, holding Cao Feiyu, landed steadily on the soft, damp ground at the bottom of the valley. The enormous impact of the fall was cushioned by his exquisite footwork, dissipating most of it. As a result, although the two landed heavily, they were not injured.

However, the instant Chen Fei's toes touched the ground, a circle of pale silver ripples, like waves on water, silently spread out from the point where his feet landed...

Silver ripples swept across the entire world within sight in an instant. The whole world seemed to be paused the moment these silver ripples passed by; all colors, lines, and light and shadow began to fluctuate, distort, merge, and recombine violently.

Chen Fei felt a sudden dizziness, and countless bizarre and fantastical fragments of images flashed and disappeared before his eyes like a revolving lantern.

At the same time, an even thicker, more drowsy force, like an invisible tide, surged in from all directions once again, attempting to invade his consciousness, obscure his senses, and drag him into a deeper level of illusion.

Chen Fei felt a chill run down his spine. The dark golden starlight transformed from the Undying True Light Mirror erupted with unprecedented brilliance in the center of his sea of ​​consciousness, firmly guarding the last bit of clarity in his mind and resisting the overwhelming surging power of drowsiness.

As the silver ripples swept past, Cao Feiyu, who was in his arms, suddenly stiffened. Her arms, which had been tightly holding Chen Fei, loosened weakly, and her once clear eyes quickly became empty and confused, as if covered by a thick fog.

"General Chen...?"

She murmured unconsciously, her voice ethereal, as if coming from a distant place. Then, her long eyelashes, like weary butterfly wings, slowly drooped, covering her unfocused eyes. She leaned softly against Chen Fei's chest and lost consciousness.

Chen Fei could sense that Cao Feiyu's spiritual perception was once again invaded and covered by this stronger illusionary power, plunging her into a deeper level of disorientation.

Chen Fei's heart sank slightly, but he had no time to worry about anything else. He had to concentrate all his attention on maintaining the operation of the Spirit Mirror, resisting the surging illusionary power, and at the same time observing and adapting to the changes in this new illusion.

It felt like an eternity had passed, yet also like a mere instant. The wildly shifting scene finally settled, and the silver ripples receded like the tide, vanishing without a trace.

Chen Fei discovered that his environment had been completely transformed; it was no longer a cold, gloomy valley, nor a battlefield of slaughter.

He stood atop a solitary peak, surrounded by churning clouds and a fierce wind that whipped his robes fluttering wildly. The air was thick with an intense, almost palpable, spiritual energy, far surpassing the purity of the mortal world he had previously inhabited.

He looked down at himself; the blood-stained and tattered heavy armor of black iron was gone, replaced by a moon-white wide-sleeved robe.

What he held in his hand was no longer the blood-stained steel gun, but a short stick.

"These are... cultivator's clothes and magical artifacts?" Chen Fei's heart stirred, and he immediately sensed his own body.

First, the power that suppressed the soul, although still present, had loosened slightly compared to the previous illusion.

Secondly, within the dantian and dantian, a faint trace of primordial energy is slowly circulating.

Although this wisp of Yuan Power was like a drop in the ocean compared to his mid-stage Tai Cang Realm cultivation, it did exist, and its nature was the same as the Yuan Power he cultivated.

"Is this equivalent to the Mountain and Sea Realm?" Chen Fei quickly made a judgment.

This illusion actually returned a portion of his power, which means that in this new illusion, he at least possesses a certain foundation of extraordinary abilities.

The instant Chen Fei sensed the changes within his body, a clear fragment of insight about the late stage of the Tai Cang Realm naturally surfaced deep within his consciousness.

The insights are presented in a clear and easy-to-understand manner, progressing from simple to profound, and pointing directly to the ultimate truth.

"How could passing through an illusion have such an effect?" Chen Fei was surprised.

What kind of existence is this? Is it a trial? A test? Or some kind of training ground for inheritance?

Just as Chen Fei was immersed in this sudden insight and the rapid adaptation and analysis of the new environment.

"Secretly cultivating demonic arts is a crime punishable by death!"

A thunderous roar, like a thunderclap from the heavens, suddenly exploded atop the solitary peak.

The sound did not come from one direction, but seemed to emanate simultaneously from the sky above and the rocks beneath the feet, causing the surrounding clouds to churn violently and rocks to fall in a rustling sound. It carried a terrifying power, as if it were acting on behalf of the heavens to punish, and directly impacted people's minds.

Upon hearing this, Chen Fei looked up and followed the sound. (End of Chapter)