When the Villain is Bound to the Female Lead System

Chapter 104

Yu Yi tilted her head back, her neck enveloped by his scorching breath, her mind unsettled by the delicate kisses that fell on her skin. She reached up and plunged her fingers into the long hair that cascaded down his back, gripping the roots and pulling him away from her, asking, "How do you plan to break this illusion?"

Xue Chenjing tilted his head back, his eyebrows furrowed, and he pitifully whined, "Ouch, ouch, ouch."

Yu Yi's grip immediately loosened, and the pitiful expression on his face instantly transformed into a triumphant smile. He leaned in again, drawn to the comforting and satisfying aura that enveloped him. In a low voice, he said, "No matter what kind of illusion it is, it requires spiritual energy to sustain. As long as we sever the spiritual energy that binds this illusion, it will collapse."

Xue Chenjing was not deluded; on the contrary, he was fully aware that everything here was an illusion, crafted to fulfill his past regrets. During his solitary wanderings, he had often fantasized about what his parents' reaction would be if he returned.

Deep down, he longed for them to miss him, to remember him, and to greet him with excitement upon their reunion, just as Xue Xingzhi had done today.

This illusion completely fulfilled his delusional wish.

But now, he no longer needed this delusional wish to comfort himself. He had found a better refuge.

Xue ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Chenjing didn't want Yu Yi to witness the brutal methods he would use to break the illusion, so he slightly retreated, severing her connection to the outside world through him.

Outside the sea of consciousness, Xue Chenjing was fully dressed. He gathered his wet hair in his hands, pulled a crimson hairband from the screen, and bit it between his teeth. With his fingers, he twirled the other end around the roots of his hair, lowering his head as he tied it. The damp ends of his hair swayed behind him, shaking off a string of water droplets.

Before he could reach for the door, it opened on its own. Two young servants, around thirteen or fourteen years old, stood at the entrance, holding the door open for him.

Liu Hua approached with a lantern, bowing low to light his way. His expression was hidden, but his voice was eager as he said, "Young Master, watch your step. The Lord has prepared a feast in the main courtyard. Please go there directly after changing."

Xue Chenjing turned his gaze to him and called out, "Liu Hua."

"Let's start with you," he thought. "Killing all the figures from this illusion should break it."

It was just a delusional wish after all; he wouldn't hesitate to act.

Liu Hua closed his eyes for a moment, hiding the disgust he felt for the demon, and forced himself to adopt the loyal demeanor of a servant towards his young master. He looked up and said, "Young Master, is there something you need...?"

His words were cut short as Xue Chenjing's fingers sliced across his neck. The long fingers, covered with scales, gleamed with golden light, like a sharp blade cutting the throat.

The cultivator who had taken Liu Hua's place felt his pupils constrict suddenly, completely unaware of when he had been exposed. He quickly leaned back, flipped over the railing, and leaped onto the rockery in the courtyard, pressing a hand to his throat in lingering fear.

"You saw through me!" the cultivator exclaimed, his lantern suddenly transforming into a pure white duster, which he vigorously shook open.

The hairs of the dust brush stretched out, forming a dense web that instantly covered the corridor. Leaves blown down by the wind landed on the web and were instantly sliced into fragments.

At the same time, the two young servants behind Xue Chenjing also attacked. One of them wielded a curved blade aimed at his shoulder blades.

Xue Chenjing's body twisted strangely, collapsing as if boneless, sliding to the ground. A thick demonic aura surged from him, forming a black fog that spawned three fierce dog heads, which opened their bloody maws and bit onto the two young servants.

Blood splattered, and spiritual energy dissipated from the bodies of the two young servants, revealing that they were not mere illusions.

Xue Chenjing grabbed the curved blade from one of the young servants and slashed at the dense web below the corridor.

The blade and the feather duster's silk sparked and squeaked, the clash of the two magical tools snapping several strands. His blade also chipped in the process.

Xue Chenjing discarded the blade and escaped through the broken web, instantly stepping onto the roof. "Cultivators?"

He hadn't initially suspected Liu Hua, merely wanting to eliminate the figures in the illusion to break free. But now, he realized, "Of course, you went through so much trouble to trap me in this illusion, not just to watch a family reunion."

The cultivator wielding the duster saw that Xue Chenjing genuinely seemed to have just realized the truth and felt a surge of frustration. However, since they were already exposed, there was no point in hiding. After all, their goal in entering the illusion was to exterminate the demon.

He glanced at the brutally slain fellow disciples below the corridor, raised his whisk, and tightened all the strands. His fingers plucked the strands, producing a string sound.

Cultivators lurking throughout the illusion received the message, quickly gathered, and took action prematurely.

Xue Chenjing's mind was disturbed by the sound of the strings, causing illusions to appear before his eyes. The figures attacking from all sides became layered and indistinct.

He shook his head vigorously, and the magic essence coalesced into arrows, piercing through several figures.

But they were not real. A cultivator approached him, and the sword energy surged straight towards his face.

Xue Chenjing hastily retreated, narrowly avoiding the sword.

He rolled off the roof and landed on the ground, which transformed into a muddy swamp in his eyes. The mud clung to his legs, slowing his movements.

Xue Chenjing's fingers traced mystical lines, sketching out a magic array. A demonic shadow burst forth from the array, obstructing the approaching cultivator.

The string sound buzzed again beside his ear, causing Xue Chenjing's consciousness to sink further. The illusion intensified, and the mud deepened, with more humanoid shapes rising from the swamp and clinging to him, trapping him.

One of the mud figurine's features formed, resembling Yu Yi. His hand hesitated for a moment, and that hesitation caused him to sink further into the swamp. His joints stiffened, making his movements even slower.

Xue Chenjing's body grew heavier, and his movements slowed, making it difficult for him to avoid the surrounding attacks, resulting in numerous wounds.

His blood seeped out, causing the shadows around him to frenzy, preventing the attacking cultivators from getting close.

Inside the sea of consciousness, Yu Yi felt Xue Chenjing's scattered awareness, even the strand of spiritual consciousness he had left with her becoming illusory and unstable. "Aqiu? What's happening? Let me see what's going on outside."

Xue Chenjing's consciousness was weakening, a muddy substance swiftly spreading over it, intending to seal his consciousness in a clay sculpture.

Yu Yi's fingers conjured sword energy, striking the hardened shell on his arm.

The sword energy shattered the shell, and Xue Chenjing's consciousness regained clarity. His stiff arm instantly regained mobility as he immediately said, "Ayi, help me break them all."

Without needing to be told, Yu Yi knew what to do. Both her hands covered him, and the power of the Thunder and Fire Spirits flowed from her palms, sparking arcs of electricity that surged up his body, shattering the hardened shells.

But the shells seemed endless, with new mud spreading and quickly drying to form new shells. Yu Yi had to keep striking, preventing the shells from reforming.

The sound of the strings outside grew more intense, trying to completely seal Xue Chenjing's consciousness. However, Yu Yi's sword energy clearly overpowered it, leaving it almost no chance to spread over his consciousness.

A sudden burst of fire erupted from a hidden spot in the courtyard, burning the duster to ashes. An electric arc surged along the duster to the cultivator's hand, turning his entire arm into charred remains.

The sound of the string disappeared from Xue Chenjing's ears, freeing his consciousness from the mud. His body also regained agility. He heard Liu Hua's scream and pointed a finger, sending an arrow through the intersecting shadows and window lattices, piercing the person hiding on the other side.

Inside the sea of consciousness, Yu Yi actively brought her awareness closer to his, merging together, and said again, "Let me see what's happening outside."

Xue Chenjing hesitated for a moment, during which he maximized the Exorcism Magic Array, causing the Demonic Shadows to swarm everywhere, their forms expanding to almost cover the entire courtyard. The remaining righteous cultivators had no choice but to retreat.

Xue Chenjing dissipated the blood energy around him and shared his five senses with her.

Yu Yi peered through Xue Chenjing's eyes and saw the garden path he was on. The dim light illuminated the garden, casting shadows that swayed restlessly, resembling both tree shadows and demonic figures.

A faint trace of blood lingered in the air, but wherever Xue Chenjing's gaze landed, there were only delicate flowers scattered throughout the garden, with no signs of any battle.

Based on her previous experience, Yu Yi could guess that he must have gone through a fierce fight. She couldn't help but worry and asked, "Are you injured?"

Xue Chenjing raised his hand, and the blood seeping from his wound was quickly licked clean by a shadow that wrapped around it. He healed the wound and held his hand up to inspect it, then snorted, "I'm fine. They can't hurt me."

Yu Yi, hearing his smug tone, responded coldly with an "Oh," adding, "Really? Who was it that almost got sealed again just now?"

Xue Chenjing's pride deflated, but he quickly recovered and began to flatter her, "Thankfully, you were there, Yu Yi. Your sword aura has reached a new level—have you reached the Nascent Soul stage? You're amazing! You saved me again, and I must repay you by dedicating my life to you."

Yu Yi, feeling his consciousness brush against hers, didn't push him away this time. She said, "Alright, then hurry up and clean yourself, and bring your body to me."

Xue Chenjing blinked, momentarily at a loss for words. Through their shared senses, Yu Yi could feel his heartbeat accelerate, his blood seeming to boil, and his cheeks burning like they were on fire. Even she could sense the heat radiating from his face.

Yu Yi was startled by his reaction and quickly said, "Calm down! You're still in the illusion! I just want you to break through the illusion so I can find you."

Xue Chenjing took a deep breath to suppress the heat in his body and stepped into the main courtyard.

His mother's name contained the character "Lan," and she loved orchids. In Xue Chenjing's memory, the Youlan Court was filled with orchids that bloomed all year round. Xue Xingzhi had even spent a fortune to exchange for spirit stones to be buried underground, ensuring the orchids never wilted.

However, the current Youlan Court had few orchids left, and those that remained were no longer as meticulously cared for as they once were.

Xue Chenjing had expected a trap waiting for him in the main courtyard, but the place was eerily quiet with no servants in sight. As he made his way to the hall, he only saw a table set with a feast, with two people seated at the table waiting.

"Chenjing, is that you, Chenjing?" The woman at the table turned toward the door, her hand half-raised as if trying to feel her way. Her eyes reflected the candlelight, but there was no glimmer of focus.

Xue Chenjing was stunned and blurted out, "Your eyes..."

Wei Tinglan turned toward the sound of his voice and smiled at him. "It's nothing. As people age, their eyes naturally grow dim. Your father told me you've grown taller and stronger, more handsome than before."

Xue Chenjing watched her hand stubbornly raised in the air, as if wanting to touch him. He clenched his fingers in his sleeve, hesitating to reach out.

Xue Xingzhi noticed his coldness and stepped forward to gently pat his wife's hand and place it back on the table, then invited, "Chenjing, come sit down and have a meal with us."

Tears glistened in Wei Tinglan's eyes, but she forced a smile and said, "Yes, come sit. These are all your favorite dishes. My eyes aren't good anymore, so I couldn't cook them myself, but I guided them step by step. The taste should be similar."

Xue Chenjing glanced at the dishes on the table, which indeed were all his favorites. He looked at the two of them, then back at the silent courtyard, and sneered, "What kind of trick is this? Are these dishes poisoned?"

Xue Xingzhi looked surprised. "What are you talking about? I was with your mother, overseeing the kitchen the entire time. How could they dare to poison the food?"

"Mother?" Xue Chenjing laughed, raising his finger slightly. Two tentacle-like appendages emerged from the void, their tips gleaming with sharp snake scales. "Do you righteous cultivators only know how to find someone else's parents? Can't you come up with any other tricks?"

The two at the table looked puzzled, their acting far more convincing than Liu Hua's.

Xue Chenjing didn't want to waste time with them. He pointed his finger, and the two appendages shot down with a piercing whistle.

But just as they were about to touch the two, a contract seal suddenly glowed on Xue Chenjing's forehead. The appendages were forced back by the contract's power, exploding from within and splattering transparent liquid in all directions.

Xue Chenjing's mind buzzed, and he staggered back several steps, his face turning pale as if he had lost an arm.

Xue Xingzhi, a mere mortal, was completely unaware that he had just escaped death's grasp. Seeing Xue Chenjing's state, he stepped forward with concern, trying to support him. "Chenjing, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Xue Chenjing stared at him in terror, as if seeing a monstrous flood, and kept retreating until he nearly tripped over the threshold.

The bloodline contract planted by Xue Mingyuan had activated, proving that these two were truly his parents, not illusions or imposters. They were his blood relatives!

A white-clad figure gracefully entered from outside. Lady Lotus's spirit had entered the illusion, her body glowing with a soft light, her sleeves fluttering lightly as she held a lotus flower. She looked at him as if gazing upon a mere insect struggling in the mortal world. Her lips parted gently, "This illusion is built upon their thoughts. Only by killing them can you break free. Unfortunately, you cannot kill them."

"Today, you will die here."