Volume 5
286 A Messy Battle
The situation was a mess. Everything from Nie Zun’s coldness to Gaoqin Jiuye’s missing arm was too much for me to handle.
I pushed Jiao S and Gaoqin Jiuye away, reassuring them with a confident gaze as they both looked at me anxiously. I steadied myself in between them as I looked at everyone.
“Since the situation has come to this, how about all of us just come clean with our aims? Si Luo, I don’t know what you think of me wanting to leave with Gaoqin Jiuye. I’m just wondering if you’re planning to take my life at this very moment?”
Si Luo smiled. “I’m going to send you away. I’ve promised you in the past, that I’d send you away from the Split Zone. Now that your friends have been saved and you already know the secret of the Split Zone, I don’t owe you anything more. But you haven’t been able to fulfil your promises to me. I’ll send you away first in that case.”
Gaoqin Jiuye said, “She’d have to undo the split symbol contract with me if she wants to leave, don’t you know that, Si Luo?”
Si Luo turned to him and said, “It’s because I’m aware that I hope you can let go, Gaoqin. She doesn’t belong here, and she isn’t yours either. Why be so stubborn?”
Gaoqin Jiuye’s brows knitted. “I thought you understood me, Si.”
I didn’t anticipate this happening. I said, “Have you forgotten, Gaoqin? You’d pick him over me every time this choice is placed before you. I hope you can pick him this time.”
Gaoqin Jiuye smiled bitterly. “I can’t do that.”
“You can’t do it? Then why were you able to do it in the past? I don’t like the current you, Gaoqin Jiuye. I hope that you were just like how you were in the past, unafraid of anything. You’re still you, you’re Gaoqin Jiuye. You’re not Li Shen’s Gaoqin Jiuye. How could you say that Si Luo doesn’t understand you? Do you know what I saw in Si Luo’s heart?”
Si Luo interrupted me. “Li Shen.”
I continued quickly before he could say anything else. “I saw the scene when Si Luo first met you, Gaoqin Jiuye. No matter what, Si Luo will be able to give you far more than what I can. You have to take his side at times like these.” I then pushed him towards Si Luo lightly.
His shoulder was still bleeding as he backed away from my push, looking at me with inquiring eyes as he did so.
The ground began to quake right after that. The sudden shaking made everyone unsteady on our feet. The ground then cracked open and seawater began spurting out.
The environment changed so quickly that everyone looked stunned. I realized this was the work of someone who wasn’t originally at the scene.
The ground continued cracking open as seawater began to fill the entire space. Instead of sinking, all of us were able to stand on the surface of the water as we rose with it.
This was absolutely strange.
A figure in white then descended slowly from the skies above.
The white figure had white hair that grazed his ankles, and he was beautiful like an angel. Upon closer observation, one would realize that there was this calm masculinity in his eyes.
“Guan Nie…” Jiao S and I spoke at the same time.
Guan Nie looked down at me as he spoke, “Si Luo can give him more than what others can? How about me? Si Luo, Si Luo. Li Shen, are you going to say that Si Luo is the only one who treats Gaoqin well? What am I now?” He landed on the surface of the water as he spoke.
The water kept rising and it covered the entire plaza shortly. All I could see was an ocean.
I guess this was Guan Nie’s illusion.
“Stop playing, Guan Nie.” Gaoqin Jiuye frowned.
Guan Nie laughed in self-mockery. “Playing? You see everything I do for you as a joke? Then I’m going to play a huge joke today just to see if you can remember me for it. Isn’t everyone here today? We can all die together in this dream then.”
I realized that there was a suppressed rage behind that calm rationality in Guan Nie’s eyes. He wasn’t calm. In fact, he was already pushed to the edges of his sanity because of Gaoqin Jiuye.
Everyone seemed to be going crazy for somebody else, but they weren’t able to see the one who was going crazy for them.
Guan Nie raised both hands before waving them downwards. Dark clouds loomed above us as claps of thunder were heard.
“Raging thunder,” Guan Nie said as he waved a hand. The entire sky turned dark immediately as thunderous claps and lightning began appearing.
“Move.” Gaoqin Jiuye pushed me away with his remaining hand. I ended up a few meters away, as if I had just skid on the water surface.
At this very moment, a thunderbolt struck the empty space between me and Gaoqin Jiuye, splattering the water.
Jiao S’s eyes widened as white fog began to surge in them. Defensive screens of water rose around us.
Gaoqin Jiuye lost his balance and fell into the water after being hit by the ricochet. However, he floated on the surface instead of sinking into the water.
“Gaoqin Jiuye,” I called out. However, Jiao S stopped me before I could rush over to help him up.
Another thunderbolt came crashing down right in front of me. The water hit my face hard as it splattered onto it. I called out urgently, “Piercer!”
Piercer had already turned back into a whip, but she transformed into human form upon my call.
“Go help him,” I said as I pointed to Gaoqin Jiuye. Piercer nodded and shot towards Gaoqin Jiuye immediately.
As Gaoqin Jiuye struggled to get up, he called out, “Shen Qi!”
With a black ray, Shen Qi appeared in human form. He and Piercer supported Gaoqin Jiuye as he got up.
Si Luo looked like a beautiful deity with those flowy white robes and the red emblem glowing between his brows as he floated on the water surface. His palms were placed against each other as white fog clouded his pupils. A hurricane swept upwards from the surface of the water as it went straight for Guan Nie.
Si Luo would actually attack Guan Nie?
Guan Nie was quick to react. With a series of complicated hand signs, the fight between them began. Thunderbolts struck from the sky as pillars of water continued to rise from the water surface.
Cang Ming laughed maniacally as he held onto his sword. “Ta Lai, are you going to miss out on this great opportunity? How about we exchange blows instead of having a war of words? Since there’s only one woman we’re aiming for, we can decide the winner right now. Whoever wins can go ahead and take Li Shen after that.”
It might be that audacious tone that triggered Ta Lai to lose his patience. He lost that gentlemanly smile as he motioned with his fingers, controlling the three giants. They charged towards Cang Ming with loud roars.
Ta Lai spoke coldly. “We’ll decide upon a winner today. It’s also about time that you return Bian Ying to me.”
Du Yue looked wrought with emotion as she stood upon this roaring ocean. She must be feeling overwhelmed with Gaoqin Jiuye breaking his arm and Ta Lai fighting with Cang Ming over Bian Ying. She probably felt that whatever she did came to naught at this point.
Nie Zun’s black coat was flapping in the wind while Jie Pa stood silently behind him.
Du Yue saw that Shen Qi and Piercer were supporting Gaoqin Jiuye as they led him towards me. She raised a hand and waved it downwards in my direction.
“Drop,” she said. Though I was a little afraid, nothing happened eventually.
She was shocked when her attack had no effect on me before she realized why after a short moment. “You’re actually no longer affected by this attack since Nie Zun took your heart.”
Du Yue used this technique by forcing a person’s heart to crash into the ground. She could make hearts feel like they were sinking for as long as she wished. But this technique did not work on me after Nie Zun took my heart away.
She did not give up. With a wave of her hand, a fiery qilin appeared from the dark sky and gave a thunderous roar as it charged right at me.
Jiao S said coldly, “As expected of a formidable opponent to be able to summon a qilin within an illusion.”
Grabbing the air with her right hand, she pulled a gigantic sword from behind her before charging towards Du Yue.
I broke out in cold sweat. You’re praising Du Yue when you’re also able to pull your sword out while in an illusion?
