C10 Dusk Tears

The power of the Glimmering Soul Orb within Chu Haoyun surged once again, allowing him to tap into the cosmic energy of the Returning to Origin stage. In his mind's eye, he saw the energy state of the cosmic energy as it interacted with a blue feather, stretching, disassembling, and finally rearranging itself.

"Of course! All energy exists in a specific arrangement, with extreme repulsion and tranquil attraction balancing each other out. In the Returning to Origin stage, one absorbs cosmic energy from the heavens and the earth, controlling and adjusting it into power," Chu Haoyun realized in a flash of insight. As the blue feather dissipated, he could feel the strength within his body grow slightly stronger.

The muscular man had hoped to witness Chu Haoyun being torn apart by the burst of energy, but before he could leave the icy zone, he was shocked to see his condensed feather vanish. Without pausing to ponder, he hastily launched several more blue feathers at Chu Haoyun.

"Bring it on!" Chu Haoyun exclaimed, his demeanor full of vigor, ready to test the theory he had just grasped.

As the blue feathers neared, Chu Haoyun's swordplay created a whirlwind of motion. His Thunderbolt Swordsmanship cleared the area, manipulating the peculiar force in his arms to draw in the energy state, stretch it, break it down, and then recombine it. The process, guided by his sword's edge, was instantaneous, causing the blue feathers to gradually fade until they vanished completely.

Despite achieving the anticipated energy matrix and the success of his theory, Chu Haoyun was still blasted backward by the feathers' force. As a barrier shattered, merging with the strands of elementary force, he astonishingly advanced to the eighth level of Body Forging.

"You, a grown man, resort to such feeble feathers. Surely you're not some kind of freak!" Chu Haoyun taunted, his confidence bolstered by his theoretical success. He continued to retreat, skillfully evading the big man's frontal assault while throwing his jibes.

The big man grunted in response, his resolve to eliminate Chu Haoyun only hardened by his baffling tactics.

Despite Chu Haoyun's strength paling in comparison to Lei Tian's, he was well-prepared. In just a few moments, Lei Tian had closed the distance between them. But Chu Haoyun was ready; he flung an orange jade bead between them and swiftly backed away.

Taking a lesson from the past, the burly man hesitated to strike at the mysterious entity before him. Shifting his body three meters to the side, he prepared to resume the chase. But then, an icy chill surged from deep within his heart, prompting him to hastily retreat.

"Crack!" In that instant, an orange jade bead developed a fracture. Accompanied by the sound of cracking, it shattered into dust, followed by dozens of sharp sword qi that swept through the vicinity. Despite the burly man's Returning to Origin strength, he couldn't withstand the assault. His legs were severed by a blade of sword qi, and the surrounding trees were obliterated.

"That was too close—I nearly cut myself down. That old man's gift is outrageously potent," Chu Haoyun remarked, eyeing the severely injured burly man from afar. Seeing his disabled state, Chu Haoyun smirked and taunted, "Seems like you're the one who's worse off this time. Now, who exactly are you?"

"You little punk!" The burly man was on the verge of hysteria, fear creeping into his heart. In a head-to-head fight, Chu Haoyun's power was insufficient to even warrant a slap from him, yet the bizarre items in Chu Haoyun's possession wielded terrifying force. He lamented his decision to meddle with the young man after completing his mission.

Chu Haoyun stroked his chin, pacing around Lei Tian. It didn't take long for him to reach a decision. "Here's what we'll do: to thank you for helping me realize a certain principle, I'll let you be the first to experience its effectiveness."

Lei Tian remained silent, his primordial essence whirling inside him, trying to quell the biting cold and the sharpness of the sword qi, but he found himself locked in a deadlock.

"Here we go, it should be painless," Chu Haoyun murmured, then rested his left hand on Lei Tian's shoulder. He quietly initiated the fog swirl's ultimate maneuver, directing the energy state's elemental force to stretch, disassemble, and reconfigure...

Before long, Chu Haoyun acknowledged that he had underestimated the complexity of the task. Lacking elemental force himself, it was only thanks to the Glimmering Soul Orb's modifications to his body that he could withstand the burly man's flight feather. After much effort and no success, Chu Haoyun reluctantly abandoned the attempt.

At that moment, the peculiar sensation he had first experienced in Jackal's Maw returned. Chu Haoyun's arms emitted a faint glow, and the rustling of footsteps echoed in his ears once more.

"Hmm?" Chu Haoyun looked up to see a throng of ants, each the size of a green bean, converging before him. That sense of command washed over him again. He turned to the burly man with a malevolent grin and taunted, "I'll ask you one more time, will you talk or not?"

The sight of the encircling ants made the burly man's skin crawl, and he stared at Chu Haoyun as though he were a specter.

"Forget it then!" Chu Haoyun dismissed with a nonchalant wave of his hand, and the insect tide surged forward, swiftly engulfing the burly man up to his waist.

Unable to withstand the excruciating pain of the insects devouring him, the burly man spilled everything to Chu Haoyun, pleading for mercy. He was an affiliate of the Order of the Skyfeather, sent to the Forbidden Woods as part of a plot against the Order of the Celestial Veil. But being a mere underling, he was vague on the details.

This encounter with the insect tide deepened Chu Haoyun's grasp of the Glimmering Soul Orb's capabilities. Within a ten-meter radius, he could tap into the sensory world of any ant, effectively giving him an almost panoramic view if surrounded by them.

With this newfound ability, Chu Haoyun finally discerned the path home.

All the Demon Cores he had acquired were with Qin Bing, but thankfully, he had managed to secure a fair amount from Xiaoqiong. The burly man's arrival had alerted him to an impending threat; the Forbidden Woods were no longer a safe haven. Until he had reliable means to protect himself, it was wise to avoid venturing too deep.

Shortly after Chu Haoyun departed, two figures emerged at the scene. They gazed upon the bloodied remains of the burly man with a slight frown. "Who would have thought that after being scattered by that damned creature, we'd find Zong Ji in such a state. Sixth brother..."

The tall, stoic sixth brother surveyed the scene with a detached gaze, eventually fixing his eyes on the direction Chu Haoyun had vanished. "Our adversary isn't particularly strong. Zong Ji's defeat seems undeserved. He must have relied on an external force to inflict such grievous wounds on Zong Ji. I can still detect the presence of residual feathers on that person."

"No matter who it is, anyone who dares to harm a member of the Order of the Skyfeather must die." The seventh brother's fists tightened as he spoke with a menacing intensity. "Sixth brother, you get out of here first. After I take care of that scoundrel, I'll come find you."

"Be cautious. After all, we are in the Order of the Skyfeather's domain. Don't reveal yourself recklessly," the sixth brother cautioned.

"Rest assured!" the seventh brother responded, then swiftly departed.

As Chu Haoyun made his way back, his heart raced with fear. Scattered along the path were severed limbs and parts of the Green Demon Spider. To his surprise, the Green Demon Spider had made its way toward Sunset Ridge.

At the base of Sunset Ridge, the corpses of the Green Demon Spiders were stacked like mountains, nearly sealing off the canyon's exit. Cobwebs cascaded down like waterfalls, blanketing the earth and entangling bloodied limbs. Inside Sunset Ridge, the Inner Sect disciples of the Order of the Celestial Veil remained vigilant, while an elder directed them in cleaning up the aftermath of the battle.

A suffocating silence weighed heavily on them. Approaching the entrance of Sunset Ridge, Chu Haoyun caught sight of several people trapped within the stone walls, ensnared by webs. Most had succumbed to their fate, their demise silent and forlorn.

"Save... save me," a faint plea for help reached his ears. Chu Haoyun looked toward the sound and saw a young girl from the Outer Sect desperately fighting against the web's grasp, her eyes filled with longing for salvation.

The girl's features were unremarkable, but the desperation in her gaze pulled at Chu Haoyun's heartstrings, reminding him of the helplessness he witnessed in Tharannora.

"Halt!" a voice called out, stopping Chu Haoyun in his tracks as he moved to assist the girl. "She's been infected with spider venom. The poison has permeated her entire body. Rescuing her could endanger the lives of the other disciples."