“Right, I forgot to remind you that some people in here are actual customers. You haven't forgotten the principles of the Spirit Hunter Guild, have you?”
Duan Chen was seething, his teeth itching. This woman was using ordinary people as shields, constantly pushing Duan Chen’s limits.
And she was right; Duan Chen truly couldn't lay a hand on these people.
“Sequence 025: Eye of Truth.”
After his roulette-like pupils spun once, Duan Chen cried out in frustration, “Why isn't it working?!”
“I maintain this entire world,” Situ Ying said with a smile. “Only certain sequences can take effect with my permission.”
Duan Chen cursed her as a lunatic in his heart. This was no longer an illusion; it was a self-contained miniature world.
Wu Suowei watched from the side.
When would Duan Chen realize that this woman had been subtly influencing his mind since the beginning?
If he couldn't break through this layer, let alone rescue anyone, even this spiritual conduit would activate its suggestion and release that most detested monster.
He might as well tell Duan Chen the answer.
This thought flickered through Wu Suowei’s mind.
But how could he?
The apostles would only grow stronger in the future, and some matters couldn’t be resolved by brute force alone; they required brains.
He would watch now to see how Duan Chen would find a way out of this predicament, without harming these ordinary people, and after being subjected to Jing Hua’s psychological suggestion.
How could he distinguish between ordinary people and the environmental constructs created by Situ Ying?
Duan Chen pondered for a moment, then walked to the very center of the department store on this floor.
Here stood a vast plaza, with black and white checkered tiles reflecting an unusual sheen on the ground.
Everyone watched this strangely dressed person standing on the ground.
Duan Chen muttered to himself, “It’s just embarrassing myself in an illusion anyway. No one will remember this when we return to reality.”
He stood in the center and began to sing.
Wu Suowei frowned, watching him sing…
That song that ordinary people sang from childhood, countless times.
A song that anyone from this country would know.
As expected, some people stopped in their tracks. Besides quietly admiring Duan Chen's performance, they began to sing along with his rhythm.
Tears welled up in their eyes.
It seemed he had succeeded.
He had differentiated the ordinary people from the constructs Situ Ying had created.
Now there was no need to hold back.
Duan Chen immediately pulled out his gun and began firing without mercy.
Under the barrage of his gunfire, the illusory puppets gradually became transparent and then vanished.
But that wasn't enough.
The illusory puppets gradually became transparent and then vanished under the barrage of his gunfire.
But that wasn't enough.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Five consecutive shots pierced the virtual puppets.
These were mere images, without life or consciousness.
Just then, he suddenly felt a cold wind.
Looking up, a black figure slowly drifted towards him.
It was him, finally appearing again.
Situ Ying's fake son, Situ Yingzhi.
His arrival meant more than just standing and shooting.
He wanted to kill him!
Duan Chen immediately prepared for battle.
*Whoosh!*
Situ Yingzhi's claws whistled through the air.
“Thousand Illusions Pandora: Blade Form.”
Duan Chen was forced to abandon shooting and use his blade to defend.
But Situ Yingzhi was too fast. His firearm hadn’t fully transformed before Situ Yingzhi’s claws were already closing in on Duan Chen's wrist.
The spirit-energy-infused claws directly pierced Duan Chen’s skin.
Duan Chen was startled and immediately tightened his grip on the hilt of his blade.
Then, with a sudden surge of force.
*Chirr!*
The blade sliced through the skin, cutting off from his fingertips.
Situ Yingzhi was wounded and immediately switched to his other claw.
Seizing the opportunity, Duan Chen blocked the steel-like claw with his blade.
They clashed dozens of times in the department store before stopping.
Duan Chen panted.
The opponent was also breathing heavily, his chest heaving.
They could no longer tell who among them was the true beast.
At this moment, a countdown suddenly appeared in the air, with only five minutes remaining.
“What is this thing, Wu Suowei?”
“The activation time of the spiritual conduit.”
“What do you mean?”
“It means that if you don’t find the true core within five minutes, or at least subdue this one, the spiritual conduit will activate, and no one knows what will happen then!”
Faced with Wu Suowei’s explanation, Duan Chen could only roar, “You didn’t tell me something so important earlier!”
But then it suddenly dawned on him. Why did Wu Suowei say the *true* core? Was the one before him not it?
Never mind, he’d deal with this first.
Knock him out!
At this moment, Situ Yingzhi's claws had already grabbed Duan Chen.
The strength of this monster was immense, and Duan Chen couldn't break free, so he could only endure.
This was his last chance. If he lost to this guy, he was truly doomed!
With this thought, Duan Chen suddenly poured his internal energy into the blade.
*Voom!*
The blade suddenly glowed with a white light.
Duan Chen's figure also began to blur. The dagger in his hand slashed out ferociously.
The sharp blade directly severed one of Situ Yingzhi's legs.
Situ Yingzhi cried out in pain and flew backward, smashing into the wall.
The claw that had been gripping Duan Chen's shoulder was also cut into several pieces.
Duan Chen’s figure reappeared. This time, his entire body seemed to transform into a blade, and he charged fiercely towards Situ Yingzhi.
*Rumble…*
The entire department store vibrated as if an earthquake had struck, the whole world shaking.
The countdown in the air had only three minutes left.
Knocking him out was no longer an option.
Duan Chen raised his blade this time, preparing to swing it at Situ Yingzhi's neck.
*Voom!*
A long sword completely blocked Duan Chen's blade.
Duan Chen looked up and saw Situ Ying's perfect face.
“He is my son.”
Duan Chen panicked a little.
The seconds on the countdown were steadily ticking away, and now it was a two-on-one situation.
Who was the core?
As Duan Chen hesitated, Situ Ying gave a slight tremor of her spirit energy, sending him flying backward and smashing into the department store wall.
A huge hole appeared as the dust settled.
Situ Ying said haughtily, “I told you, don’t mess with my son.”