Hum~
An unnatural space ripple spread around and the black men and their captain saw the world twist before their very eyes.
In a blink, their view was replaced with endless white light with nobody else in sight.
"Bewildering array!"
Black captain cried, "Impossible! When did you set it up?"
"Ha-ha-ha, that's private information!"
Zhuo Fan faded in with a twisted smile, "Spade, turning into a spirit puppet gave you a brilliant escape route. A spirit puppet can fade in and out of reality, neither man nor shade. While elusive, at the same time, you don't have a body. Your soul has nowhere to hide, making it easy to just poof you out of existence. One other thing, your soul sense is a hundred times more acute than a normal person. An advantage, yes, but not when it comes to experiencing pain."
Zhuo Fan punctuated by stabbing the horrified black captain with a blade.
Ah!
A wail like no other echoed. Black captain was soaked in sweat and crumbled to his knees. His eyes were full of fear towards Zhuo Fan.
Clang!
Zhuo Fan had another blade flash in his hand and casually went for his back this time.
The black captain jumped back. Just when he thought he was in the clear, the pain came and so did the shrieks. Looking back, he saw a bright longsword stuck in his back, the same one Zhuo Fan had.
"Ha-ha-ha, try not to dodge. You'll only waste your energy."
With a wide grin, Zhuo Fan said, "Didn't I tell you, having a hundred times more acute soul sense is not all it's cracked up to be, especially when it comes to pain. Props for figuring out this is an illusion, but in here what's real and fake have been switched. And guys like you, who use phasing as an escape will find themselves much weaker than anyone else. Not to mention the time here is slower. I may have taken my sweet time poking you twice, but outside, it hasn't been a second. We've got all the time in the world to enjoy. Ha-ha-ha, here everything's an illusion, while outside the pain is real. But the moment you cave in, is the second you will die!"
Zhuo Fan sported a twisted grin and flicked four blades into black captain's chest, getting him acquainted with a world of pain.
This was Zhuo Fan's illusion, his world. In this world, he made the rules. In here, he was god.
The black captain was unstoppable outside, while in this illusion he was being toyed around like a powerless doll.
And when the pain proved to be too much for his mind to handle, his soul would just… fly away.
This was Divine Eye of the Void's 3rd stage, Mirage World. A place where Zhuo Fan created and controlled everything!
This breakthrough in Divine Eye of the Void came somewhat fast, having lacked the needed soul power to achieve it. But through the refinement of the Sea Phantom Wings, the strange power of the wings resonated with Mirage World, leading up to a wonderful coincidence.
This also happened to be the straw that broke the back of the pesky black captain and his cronies…
Outside the illusion, wails echoed out, jerking the people from shock as they blinked at the prideful shadow.
Zhuo Fan was just standing there as well, facing the previously outstanding black men as they rolled on the ground shouting in agony. [Like they are getting friggin' tortured!]
[Just how big a gap in strength is there?]
[Steward Zhuo stays true to his reputation as a monster!]
The elders were dumbstruck. They knew Zhuo Fan was awesome, but this was a bit outrageous. [He flipped the tables with just a glare?]
[Yet the glare still wasn't over and the enemies writhed in pain.]
The trio looked at each other and sighed. They were Luo clan's elders, Zhuo Fan's backup. But the kid had outgrown them, entering a totally new realm.
Gazing at the high-and-mighty white-haired figure, the three sighed. [The little freak is so fast, not even our ass kissing can catch up…]
How would they know that the Mirage World was sucking Zhuo Fan off soul power.
He may look cool standing there, his three golden halos flashing in the right eye, sending the enemies into a world of hurt…
But his brow was soaked, his mind raving.
[These damn rotten bastards can still take it? I've got 3,600 blades poked into them yet they just won't die! This must be the fruit of the torturous training they do each day to build such grit.]
Pff!
Just as he finished that thought, a black man held his head with a groan, rolled around a hundred times on the ground, kicked his legs at some point and then just laid there.
In the real world, black smoke drifted out of armor. The gear clattered to the floor, empty.
Zhuo Fan grinned and spat, "It's about time. These spirit puppets are at their limit!"
Ugh~
Case in point, after the first shadow keeled over, a second and third were bound to collapse, leaving behind empty armor. Some didn't even get to fall, their souls gone like the wind in mid-fall.
Zhuo Fan eased his breath. The fewer they were, the lesser the strain on his soul. It didn't take long for the hundreds of black men to sputter in smoke, leaving the captain, still hugging his head with a clenched jaw.
Zhuo Fan snorted with a wet brow. His soul was reaching his limit, his vision blurred. But he hung on holding the black captain in the Mirage World.
[Just a little more and he's done for!]
Zhuo Fan smiled inside, his knuckles white…
Whoosh!
A pebble shot for Zhuo Fan at breakneck speed. So small yet containing the power of a mountain, forcing Zhuo Fan to take a pause.
Yet Zhuo Fan had two aces with him, his beastly fists. Any one of which could deal with such a feeble threat.
His right hand moved and caught the pebble. But it proved to be enough of a distraction for the Mirage World to break.
The black captain sensed the real world and jumped through the crack.
"Steward Zhuo, the guy's escaping!" Li Jingtian shouted.
Zhuo Fan's right eye flashed with two golden halos.
Divine Eye of the Void's 2nd stage, Void Annihilation!
Whoosh!
A spacial ripple shot for the captain. He turned into smoke trying to dodge, but when Void Annihilation passed though him, he felt an agony like never before.
Even being a spirit puppet he couldn't avoid the effects of space cracking. His soul was jolted and wounds laced his mind.
The captain cursed inside, [What kind of a freak is he? He has so many fancy and powerful tricks not even that guy can match!]
Boom!
Void Annihilation ran through three mountains before taking to the sky.
Zhuo Fan was about to send another one. Black captain was too scared to take any more blows like that and turned into black smoke, drifting among the Yun clan.
Zhuo Fan held back, lest he harmed innocents.
The black captain laughed having found his window, flying closer to the people. The crowd shrieked as he trapped a 19 year-old-kid in his smoke and fled.
"Help me!" The youth peed in fright, shouting his lungs out for help.
Zhuo Fan frowned, "Spade, let him go. Yun clan is under Luo clan's protection. Harm him and we will become mortal enemies!"
"Humph, do you take me for a fool? You'll kill me regardless!"
The black captain shouted, "Zhuo Fan, you got me this time, but we will meet again. See you around!"
The black captain turned into a black wind and wrapped tighter around the wailing youth. He was gone the next second.
Yun clan watched in worry while Zhuo Fan stomped. He looked positively annoyed, except for that vague quirk on his face.
The black captain was long gone yet Zhuo Fan looked at the clouds still.
Yun clan was touched by his desolate back. [Steward Zhuo is working so hard for us. He is so heartbroken at the loss of one child.]
Having rested all this time, Li Jingtian was feeling better. He propped his weak body up and sighed, "Steward Zhuo, you don't have to blame yourself. He only got one man…"
"Claptrap, who's blaming himself here?"
Zhuo Fan snorted, "The kid is already an adult, yet he hasn't even awakened his blood; a waste. It makes no difference if he's gone. But we are here to look good for the Yun clan, so we can't harm their people. That sadness and self-blame routine is there to make them respect us more. Yun clan will be far more willing to follow us now!"
Li Jingtian's face twitched and he nodded.
[Steward Zhuo is Steward Zhuo. He will never change. He is clearer than anyone about what to do for his own interests…]