“No one has ever escaped from my grasp unscathed,” he growled.
Before his words fully landed, the air filled with dazzling specks of light, glittering golden under the sunlight like a cascading rainstorm. The shimmering spectacle spread across the sky, enchanting and melancholic, as though it were a gentle wave or a fleeting breeze, lulling the beholder into a trance. The scene was so mesmerizing, so otherworldly, it didn’t seem to belong to the mortal realm.
—It was the Apricot Blossom Rain of the Cult of Asura!
The child and young mother, who had only just escaped the deadly array, found themselves mesmerized by the ethereal beauty of the falling blossoms. Staring in a daze, they seemed to forget even to breathe.
Who would know that this enchanting rain of blossoms did not herald a sweet dream, but an eternal nightmare?
—To be touched by the Apricot Blossom Rain was to wish for the dream to shatter. Only after being touched would one realize that the torment brought by this nightmare was worse than the dream’s end.
Yet, the innocent child and mother stood transfixed, longing to see more. Their vacant, dreamlike gazes drank in the brilliance, and even their feet seemed rooted in place.
But this dream of blossoms would shatter when it met this sword.
—A streak of icy sword light, as swift and powerful as a dragon in flight, tore through the rain of blossoms, scattering the shimmering mist like a lightning strike in the clouds. At the same time, Zhan Zhao’s left hand moved. With a sudden motion, the banner in his grasp unfurled with a metallic “zheng” sound, propelled by his inner energy. In an instant, it became a shield, rigid and unyielding, emitting a sharp “sizzle” as it repelled the assault.
How long is the blink of an eye?
—In that fleeting moment, the child and mother, who had been spellbound by the golden rain, suddenly found themselves standing once more under a clear blue sky. The dazzling sunlight returned, and the misty rain that had enveloped them moments ago now felt like nothing more than a dream.
Suddenly, they realized that a banner stood between them and the deadly rain.
The banner, now charred and riddled with scorch marks, emitted faint green smoke from every spot touched by the Apricot Blossom Rain.
The dream had shattered, and the pungent, acrid stench of the Apricot Blossom Rain now filled the air.
—Had it not been for this mysterious banner, would their bodies now bear the same scars as it?
This thought had barely formed when the rescued villagers bent over, unable to suppress the urge to vomit violently.
Zhan Zhao’s expression changed abruptly.
In that moment, he realized he had made a critical mistake. While he had been preoccupied fending off the Apricot Blossom Rain, Mo Dao had already entered the Eye Charm Array.
He was furious.
For the usually taciturn elder of the Cult of Asura, his inner rage was beyond words.
—As an elder of the Cult of Asura, he had never failed in his missions. Yet here, against this man, he had already failed twice.
The first time was at the Copper Net Array. The second time was now, at the West Bridge Crossing.
—What he thought had been a flawless plan had been undone by this man’s strange and unexpected methods!
—He was furious—utterly furious!
The Apricot Blossom Rain had been his key move to prevent Zhan Zhao from using his banner to protect those trapped in the Eye Charm Array.
Now, his right hand clawed forward, aiming for an elderly villager within the array. His rage and frustration had blinded him to the fact that his throwing weapons—usually capable of injuring from afar—did not require him to enter the array at all!
—The terrified, helpless face of the old man loomed closer as Mo Dao’s hand reached for his shoulder.
Then, suddenly, he heard the rush of wind.
Mo Dao’s fingers closed around something solid and unyielding. His Five Poisons Asura Palm had not seized the frail shoulder of the old man as he had intended!
His vision blurred.
—The wrinkled, weathered face of the elderly villager before him had suddenly changed. It wasn’t clear when, but the face had transformed into one Mo Dao knew all too well.
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