Killing Dao Fruit
Chapter 309 - 306: Something Strange in Taoyuan, Don’t Expose Yourself!

Chapter 309: Chapter 306: Something Strange in Taoyuan, Don’t Expose Yourself!

After being swallowed by that cluster of pink mist at the end of the passage, Wang Yuan didn’t know how much time had passed.

When he gradually regained consciousness, he felt his brain inexplicably groggy and slow.

There was none of the mental clarity and sharpness from his previous breakthrough as a Yellow Seal Mage, not even as good as when he was at the Yin God level.

He couldn’t help but gently shake his head and called out in his mind:

"Sister, Zisu, Hualing, Lady Immortal, Hongying, Xing’er... Are you all right?"

He called out each name, one by one, but received no response.

Even the Jade City Golden Que Divine Seal and the Dual Realm Dharma Body, which should have responded to his will, remained silent, as if they didn’t exist at all!

A chill went through Wang Yuan’s heart, and he suddenly opened his eyes.

What he saw was a bedroom on the second floor, antique and fragrant, with a bed, dressing table, and gold-painted screens... it looked like a girl’s boudoir.

Then there was the bustling street outside the window and the vast patches of bright pink peach blossoms. In his line of sight, there were no other types of trees.

Surprised, Wang Yuan immediately tried to rise from the low couch where he had been lying.

However, he almost lost his balance and tumbled off the couch because of a sudden heaviness on his chest.

After finally stabilizing himself, Wang Yuan had time to lower his head and closely examine what exactly was happening to him.

But in an instant, he shuddered once, twice, thrice.

"What is this...?!"

The moment he lowered his head, he immediately saw a very familiar skirt!

He hurriedly took two big steps across the room to stand in front of the bronze mirror.

Reflected in the mirror was indeed a stunningly delicate and charming girl.

She appeared to be about fifteen, at the age of becoming a young woman, with a phoenix gold hairpin, looking ready to fly, pinned among her lustrous, ebony hair.

Her pale, jade-like forehead was adorned with a pair of fiery, red phoenix wings spread out, outlined with gold threads that radiated nobility.

It resembled a mystical rune as much as the trendy forehead ornaments of the time.

Her brows were like distant mountains, her eyes like autumn waters cut into a perfect shape, her skin as clear as ice and her bones as smooth as jade, and her wrists seemed to crystallize frost.

Her figure was like that of an unrivaled beauty carved out of fine white jade, without any flaws or defects, so perfect it didn’t seem human.

Coupled with the iconic Luan Robe bridal dress, who else could this be but his Taoist partner, Huang Wu?

Only now the "girl’s" lips were twitching weakly as she posed a soul-searching question to herself.

"I remember I was... wasn’t I escorted by ’Earth Mother’s Dark Heaven,’ bypassing the entire underworld, entering the exit of Earth Gate through Dushuo Mountain?

Have I entered directly inside the ’Deceit Realm, Taoyuan’?

But how did I end up in Little Huang Wu’s body? Where is my own body? And where did everyone else go?"

After a brief moment of panic, a thought suddenly struck him, recalling what Zhu Bo’an had said when asking for help.

——The foundation of the "Deceit Realm, Taoyuan" seems to be based on the "Peach God Tao’s Human-Faced Peach Immortal Skill" and the "Yin Mountain Taoism’s Six Paths of Reincarnation Technique"!

A flash of lightning coursed through his mind.

Wang Yuan was naturally all too familiar with both Daoist abilities, as Zhu Bo’an had acquired all his knowledge from him, his master.

Cultivating the Human-Faced Peach Immortal Skill, one’s body would transform into a Human-Faced Peach Tree, eventually altering the human bloodline to become the legendary Tree Charm Peach Fairy that served the West Queen Holy Mother.

They condensed the essence of peach wood, became close to peach trees, and stimulated growth; they naturally subdued ghosts and spirits; they were adept in all kinds of illusion techniques, freely stirring and seducing the emotions and desires of living beings.

The Six Paths of Reincarnation Technique, however, was a hundred times more formidable than the Human-Faced Peach Immortal Skill.

It was one of the highest-level Earth Department Taoist abilities in the Small Book of Life and Death, aside from the Heavenly Department Dao Skill, Earth Que Golden Book.

Even more, it was slightly superior to the Taiyin Moonlight Technique practice by Huang Wu.

Living beings accumulate karma through their good or bad actions, leading to karmic retribution, which can lead to six different destinations, known as the "Six Paths."

These are specifically divided into the "Three Good Paths" and the "Three Evil Paths."

Three Good Paths: Heavenly God Path, Mortal World Path, Asura Path; Three Evil Paths: Hell Path, Starving Ghost Path, Beast Path.

Those who cultivate this technique can bypass the Yin Department and reincarnate freely among the Six Paths, accumulating merit over lifetimes.

With each reincarnation, one’s Taoist ability and talent would grow stronger.

After personally experiencing the sufferings of each path across hundreds of lifetimes, one would gain the strange and powerful abilities bestowed by each path.

The end point of cultivation is that of the Yin Official, Earth Uncle, also known as the Six Paths Ghost Dragon,

who has the power to send others alive into the cycle of reincarnation, transforming them into animals bereft of any power to resist, to be slaughtered at will.

However, this is also the technique most prone to causing practitioners to lose themselves and become mutated.

A cultivator can easily become muddled in their true spirit, completely lose themselves in their different identities, and forget their true nature, living but no different from being dead.

After taking a few deep breaths, Wang Yuan had figured out the cause and effect.

"Given my current state, the intelligence Bo’an brought back, and the divination of the Great Fate, the truth should be quite clear now.

Within the ten-mile stretch of Taoyuan, there exists a beautiful realm akin to a Paradise, where a group of ’ancient people’ live in isolation from the outside world, generation after generation.

Before the first day of the third lunar month, every living being in ’Taoyuan’—even those just on the island—will be forcibly subjected to ’reincarnation’!

A fraction of their True Spirits will enter the bodies of other people or even animals in the Mysterious Realm, adopting entirely new identities—farmers, merchants, young ladies, maids, officials...

Most likely, they will also trigger the standard feature of the Deceit Realm—a Deceitful Heart—completely forgetting their past."

It is said that the White Lotus Holy Daughter, Su Guyun, came here to break through the Three True Dharma Body, to conduct some unknown ritual.

It was also Bo’an who previously saw ’Sun Hongcai’ replace ’Pang Qijin’, with a fish’s True Spirit entering a rabbit’s body, only to leap into the river and die (Chapter 301).

That was when he first suspected the existence of the ’Six Realms of Reincarnation Technique’.

Perhaps due to a deep connection, Wang Yuan—despite undergoing random reincarnation—was sent into Huang Wu’s body instead of that of a native.

Here, a fraction of the True Spirit refers to the essential imprint of life, more fundamental than the soul, carrying only the ’self, devoid of any power.

When they speak of a fraction of the True Spirit ascending the Investiture of the Gods, it pertains to this, as does the cleansing of Ghost Souls in the Yin Department to be reborn.

Furthermore, it is imaginable.

After changing bodies, due to the complete mismatch between the ’operating system’ and the ’hardware,’ one’s own Daoist Skills, as well as those of others, would immediately become inoperative.

All those trapped within this ’Taoyuan’ have most likely become mere mortals.

"I, however, am an anomaly.

I am already Taoist companions with Huang Wu, and through daily cultivation with the Yin Yang Bright Method, I have become overly familiar with her ’Taiyin Corpse Transformation Seal.’

The ’Earthly Que Golden Book’ emphasizes ’sitting in the Golden Que, and the gods worship me,’ allowing for easy integration of all the Daoist Skills of Yin Mountain Taoism.

Even if it’s not as proficient as my elder sister’s original version, within this Deceit Realm, it should be enough for self-protection... right?"

"Now, what needs most attention is the last thing Bo’an was about to say before he was cut off—who exactly is the ’Six Realms of Reincarnation Technique’ from?

And there’s the missing whereabouts of the ’Earth Mother Black Sky’ who accompanied me here; what state is she in now?

Stay low-key! Low-key!

The key now is to recover my own body. As long as I can activate the ’Two Realms Dharma Body,’ naturally, I will be able to attack or defend at will, and lead everyone out safely.

Maybe even find a way to thoroughly annihilate the ’Earth Mother Black Sky’!"

Wang Yuan reached out his hand to attempt the Dream Entry, but unexpectedly saw a line of words written on the palm of his own fair hand:

There is deceit in Taoyuan, do not expose yourself!

"Is this Lady Immortal’s handwriting?!

Could it be that in addition to exchanging bodies, this Taoyuan Mysterious Realm holds some deeper secret and danger?"

Wang Yuan did not dare to take this lightly and firmly memorized it.

Lady Peach Fairy herself combines the strengths of both ’Peach God Tao’ and ’Yin Mountain Taoism.’

Her ability to forewarn of some obscure threat that I hadn’t detected, and to issue a warning, wasn’t entirely impossible.

As Wang Yuan pondered the implications behind her words, a commotion suddenly arose from the street outside the window.

"It’s all fake! All of it!

There’s no such thing as a safe and affluent ’Paradise’ in this world, free from worries of clothing and food, living to a ripe old age. There’s only the ’Deceit Country of Taoyuan’!

Fellow countrymen, wake up!"

Wang Yuan peered out to see a wild-haired, frenzied young man running and shouting as if he were evading something, pushing down the street vendors’ stalls as he went to block his path.

But when Wang Yuan caught sight of the two "things" relentlessly pursuing him, his pupils suddenly constricted.

They were two huge balls of dark purple flesh.

Atop the flesh lumps were dark black tentacles, closely packed, while around them were gaping mouths lined with sharp teeth, dripping green viscous fluid continuously.

Corroding the ground, leaving behind a series of small holes.

Underneath their fleshy bodies were three dark sheep hooves, used to stand on.

Their silhouettes resembled some kind of tree; the stubby sheep hooves were roots, their body a trunk, and countless tentacles a canopy.

They were two ’Yaochi Golden Boys’ raised by the ’Peach God Tao.’

Strangely, aside from the frenzied man, everyone else ignored the terrifying ’Yaochi Golden Boys’ as if they couldn’t see them at all.

Wang Yuan was about to instinctively intervene but hesitated, recalling Lady Peach Fairy’s admonition.

Before he could react further, from behind him near the staircase, a chilling, drifting voice suddenly emerged:

"Daughter, can you... see them?!"