Chapter 36 - 34: Illusion Demon Rat, Purifying Heart Spell, Live Teaching!

Chapter 36: Chapter 34: Illusion Demon Rat, Purifying Heart Spell, Live Teaching!

Illusion Demons were absolutely the nightmare of all ordinary residents and low-level martial artists under the jurisdiction of the Human Federation!

They had agile bodies and excelled at concealment. They loved to hide in the dark, casting illusion techniques to bewitch people’s minds.

In his previous life, Liu Zimo had seen far too many tragedies like Guard Wang’s, where people accidentally injured or even killed their own comrades after falling under the spell of illusion techniques. Even he himself had fallen for the Illusion Demons’ tricks more than once, doing many things that filled him with endless regret!

This was also the fundamental reason why the Federation Government in the future would specifically release the Spiritual Essence Technique, Purifying Heart Spell, and the higher-tier Awakening God Technique for free, allowing all human martial artists to practice them.

When facing this special type of demon beast that attacked directly on the soul level, ordinary people and even martial artists without specialized training could easily fall victim, directly or indirectly becoming murderous tools controlled by the Illusion Demons!

"SQUEAK!"

Liu Zimo had just shifted his gaze out the window, locking onto the dark silhouette hiding by the eaves. The shadow immediately noticed, suddenly darting back while letting out an ear-piercing shriek like a bamboo rat.

BUZZ!

Soundwaves rippled outward, vibrating in all directions.

Bearing the brunt of it, Liu Zimo only felt his Divine Soul tremble slightly before his mind instantly cleared, remaining completely unaffected.

However, Wu Songyang, who stood beside him, suddenly got a glassy look in his eyes. He revealed a struggling expression, and right after, he raised the pistol in his hand, pointed it directly at Liu Zimo, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

"It’s actually an Illusion Demon Rat!"

Liu Zimo calmly dodged the bullet and conveniently knocked out the bewitched Wu Songyang, sending him crumpling to the floor. From the sound alone, he had already identified the Illusion Demon before him.

An Illusion Demon Rat!

It was a low-level demon beast skilled at using soundwaves to create illusions. They were also the most numerous Illusion Demon race to descend upon Earth at the beginning of the post-apocalypse. They had small, thin bodies and moved with great agility. Because they looked like oversized voles, the humans of the post-apocalypse named them "Illusion Demon Rats."

The Illusion Demon Rat’s inherent attack power wasn’t high; their full-strength blow was only slightly stronger than an ordinary person’s. Therefore, they rarely engaged in close combat themselves. Instead, they used their innate illusion techniques to hypnotize and bewitch humans or other demon beasts to fight for them.

In his previous life, before officially becoming a martial artist, Liu Zimo had suffered at the hands of these Illusion Demon Rats more than once. He absolutely despised these little demons that hid in the shadows to deal underhanded blows.

However, that wasn’t the most important part. The crucial detail was that Illusion Demon Rats were pack animals; they preferred to hunt for prey in large groups. Since one Illusion Demon Rat had appeared, it meant there were bound to be more of them hiding in the shadows near the camp.

Perhaps at this very moment, many warriors in the camp had already been turned into puppets and assassins under their control, just like Wang and Advisor Wu.

"Still trying to escape?"

"Die!"

Seeing the Illusion Demon Rat retreat swiftly, already over a hundred meters away in a split second, Liu Zimo’s gaze turned slightly cold. He raised his right hand and shot out a Profound Yin Finger across the distance.

SQUEAK!

After a miserable shriek, the sprinting Illusion Demon completely revealed its true form, dropping to the ground as a yellow-skinned rat over a meter long. Its massive skull was shattered, its brains splattered out. It was already completely devoid of life.

BANG!

BANG!

"Chen Sanjin, what the hell are you doing?! Why are you shooting at me?!"

"Zhu Weimin! You... why are you also..."

"Everyone, watch out for the comrades next to you! There’s a traitor!!"

Gunfire erupted once again in the recently silenced camp. Faintly, from not far away, came the indignant cries and agonized screams of many warriors.

Liu Zimo’s expression shifted slightly.

Sure enough, more than one Illusion Demon Rat had infiltrated the camp, and they had already begun making their move on the warriors!

Liu Zimo glanced at the still-unconscious Wu Songyang, as well as Guard Wang, whom he had also knocked out. Without overthinking it, he skillfully bent down, grabbed the two men, and stuffed them directly into the relatively enclosed and cramped bathroom inside.

This was a common self-preservation method he had mentioned in the Self-Help Guide. When the Demon Calamity descended, ordinary people who wanted to survive had to either stay locked indoors in high-rise buildings or lock themselves in a small, enclosed space and remain quiet.

Because the demon beasts that first descended upon Earth were generally low-level demon beasts with massive bodies and low intelligence, they wouldn’t easily climb stairs, much less squeeze into rooms or storage closets that were smaller than their own bodies. Furthermore, compared to enclosed buildings constructed from reinforced concrete, most of those demon beasts preferred the outdoors, where they could see the sky.

Therefore, at the beginning of the Demon Calamity, the safety factor of ordinary people staying in their own homes was much higher than running around blindly outside. Of course, this assumed they didn’t keep any pets; otherwise, native animals demonized by the stimulation of spiritual energy were not something ordinary people could handle.

CLICK!

After securely shutting the bathroom door, Liu Zimo wasted no more time. He unleashed his newly comprehended Martial Arts Domain and directly launched himself into the air!

The camp was brightly lit by fires and completely chaotic. In every battalion and squad, it seemed someone had been hypnotized and bewitched, turning their guns on the comrades beside them. Now, everyone was in a state of panic, fighting for themselves, no longer daring to easily trust the people around them.

From his high vantage point, Liu Zimo looked down in all directions, instantly taking in the entire camp at a glance.

"One, two, three, ten... sixteen!"

Since he was extremely familiar with the aura and behavioral habits of Illusion Demon Rats, coupled with the fact that he was now a Spiritual Essence Realm cultivator who had opened up his Sea of Consciousness, his mental perception had grown incredibly sharp. With just a sweeping glance through the air, he locked onto the locations of all sixteen Illusion Demon Rats hiding in the dark and stirring up trouble.

However, he did not immediately attack these Illusion Demon Rats. Instead, he swept his gaze over the warriors in the camp, who were still in a panic, unsure of how to deal with the situation before them.

"WAKE UP!"

In mid-air, a golden light suddenly flared from Liu Zimo’s body, illuminating his surroundings and drawing the attention of every warrior in the camp. At the same time, his inner breath surged. Using the "Purify" mantra of the Purifying Heart Spell as a foundation, he infused his voice with spiritual power and let out a resounding shout.

BUZZ!

His voice was like a thunderclap, echoing throughout the entire military camp, instantly jolting all the warriors trapped in the illusions out of their bewitchment.

"I am Liu Zimo, the specially appointed Martial Arts Consultant of the Military Staff Department!

"Just now, some warriors were attacked by an Illusion Demon’s illusion technique! That is why their minds were confused, causing them to treat their comrades as demon beasts and attack them!

"Now, everyone follow my command! Silently recite the Purifying Heart Spell to guard your inner minds; it will be enough to resist this level of illusion technique!"

With that, Liu Zimo chanted the true incantations of the Purifying Heart Spell in front of everyone, guiding and teaching them on the spot.

Just as Wu Songyang had said before, the warriors in the camp were not flowers in a greenhouse; they needed to face and adapt to this entirely new combat environment themselves.

This time, Liu Zimo could certainly use his formidable martial prowess to swiftly root out and kill the sixteen Illusion Demon Rats lurking in the camp, saving all the warriors from disaster. However, what if these warriors encountered the same situation next time? What would they do then?

Could they really expect another savior to appear in time to rescue them? That wouldn’t do! They couldn’t be this lucky every single time!

If they wanted to survive the post-apocalyptic battlefields of the future, they had to learn to face these Illusion Demons themselves. They had to learn how to stay awake amidst the Illusion Demons’ attacks, and even use the opportunity to counter-kill them!

And these sixteen Illusion Demon Rats before them were the first practical combat lesson that Liu Zimo, as the Martial Arts Consultant of the Military Staff Department, was teaching these warriors!