Volume 5

305 A Demonic Sound

What I said and how I said it obviously surprised the rest. After listening to my exchange with Ta Lai, Si Luo turned to me.

“I guess you’ve got it all sorted out now.”

Si Luo was still the most clear-headed and rational one here.

I nodded. “That’s right, I’ve got everything sorted now. I wonder if you’re satisfied by that. About the agreement we have, I’d be keeping my word on it. There’s just one thing I’m not too clear about.”

Si Luo waved a hand. “That’s fine. I’d be willing to assist you if you’re able to maintain this mindset and attitude of yours. I’ll tell you what to do regarding those requests of mine.”

Getting Si Luo’s endorsement gave me an extra boost of confidence.

Everyone else could hear our conversation, and I was sure Gaoqin Jiuye was perplexed about that agreement I had with Si Luo. I saw him looking at the both of us in the middle of our conversation with a deep frown.

Ta Lai and Du Yue’s expressions turned darker after Si Luo made his intentions clear.

“Nobody could understand why you did what you did in recent years, Si Luo. If only you didn’t leave at that time, Du Yue and I might probably not be able to match up to you at all in the Gate of Heaven right now. Everybody envied the fact that Feng Zhu favored you, but you simply left.

“I thought it was because you hadn’t yet been in the Split Zone for long, and you might not have thought about the consequences of your actions. But looking at things now, I guess you can’t be bothered about maintaining the balance among the soul splitters and you’re planning to go against the Gate of Heaven for real this time.”

Ta Lai spoke in a domineering tone; it had less of his usual elegance and more of a threatening hint.

Si Luo answered calmly. “It’s not merely a couple of days since we’ve known each other, but doesn’t the world work like that? People work together because they have a common goal. The scenario you’ve painted is merely hypothetical, and it’s a fact that you and Du Yue rule the Gate of Heaven at present, while I’m simply a traitor who has left for years; someone who doesn’t matter at all. There’s no way to compare myself with the owner of the Gate of Heaven’s Palace of Cold Blood and Lord Ta Lai at all.”

Si Luo paused for a second, and his face beamed when he spoke again. “Though I didn’t gain much in terms of fame and power in all these years, I can’t say that I’ve lost anything either. At least I was able to protect the friends who’ve been by my side, and I haven’t lost my lover either.” At this, his gaze casually passed over Gaoqin Jiuye and Jiao S.

Jiao S’s eyes lit up when she heard this. Although she and Si Luo did not meet often, and the impression that Si Luo gave to others was that he was always avoiding her, what he had said was a clear answer to Jiao S.

I suddenly felt that this beautiful person was the definition of what a real man should be.

I didn’t know what it was that impressed me so, but from the very first time I saw him, I could tell that secretive aura about him was not something he intentionally aimed to portray. He emanated it naturally because he was on another higher level where others could not easily understand and comprehend.

It was a sense of justice and also a love for the masses.

If there was one person among soul splitters I could empathize with, it would probably not be Gaoqin. It would probably be Si Luo.

Although what Si Luo said had impressed me, it derided how Du Yue lost Gaoqin Jiuye and Ta Lai, and how Ta Lai had lost Bian Ying.

Ta Lai and Du Yue’s faces turned even darker at this, but it pleased Cang Ming, who was contentedly observing the exchange.

Of course, as someone from the Gate of Ghost, he’d naturally be happy that there was internal strife among those from the Gate of Heaven.

Guan Nie’s eyes had never left Si Luo. I felt sorry every time I happened to look at him, and everything that happened to him seemed so unfair. He had never hurt anyone, nor had he done any wrong. He was just too stubbornly focused on Gaoqin Jiuye.

I believed that Guan Nie would be able to let go of things if he could only realize that it would be the same no matter who Gaoqin Jiuye was with.

Guan Nie looked extremely pale, and his MF might have been greatly affected by Li Qing’s attacks from outside of the illusion. Gaoqin Jiuye noticed this too and said to Guan Nie, “Undo the illusion. Your MF is very unstable now.”

Guan Nie bit his lip. “I didn’t know you cared about me.” Gaoqin Jiuye frowned as if upset.

I couldn’t bear to continue watching them like this. I said to Guan Nie, “I don’t get you. There are some people and some things that aren’t worth it, and you don’t have to take a second look at them. Why the obstinacy if he doesn’t treat you well?”

Guan Nie did not respond nor did he seem agitated. He simply looked pale.

The sky then sank a few meters in a thunderous crash.

Nie Zun finally spoke, his voice calm as ever. “The illusion is breaking. We shouldn’t be making any moves now. Using MF would just affect the space here, and it’ll just lead to more chaos.”

Before he could even finish, lightning struck from the sky. Everyone looked toward it, and I used this opportunity to scan everybody’s faces.

Si Luo was to my right while Jiao S was on my left. Gaoqin Jiuye was standing a little in front of Si Luo, and the four of us basically made up one team. Opposite us, Ta Lai and Du Yue were on the right, while Guan Nie and Cang Ming were both on the left.

Nie Zun and Jie Pa were standing in some dark corner between these groups of people, somewhere to the right.

Piercer was right behind me.

This was the perfect chance!

I signaled to Piercer, who understood it right away. A violet whip appeared in Piercer’s hands as she flew towards Du Yue and Ta Lai, purple dress trailing in her wake.

I followed behind her closely, the black ocean water splashing all around me while I ran as fast as I could on its surface. I stretched out my left arm where Scorpion Ray was glowing.

Du Yue squinted as she was momentarily dazed by the bright light, and that split second of hesitation provided me with the perfect opportunity. I raised my right hand where the skull ring was glowing with a bright scarlet light. It looked as if my finger was on fire.

Piercer had already reached the two of them now. Du Yue stared at Piercer angrily as she raised a hand. I felt an invisible pressure coming down upon me from the sky, but an invisible screen formed in front of me as Piercer struck with her whip.

With this temporary protection, I moved over quickly to Ta Lai. Ta Lai could tell I was aiming for him, and there was a cold gleam emanating from that jade stone ring on his right hand. A few giants dropped from the sky after he mumbled something.

“I guess no one is planning to listen to you. They’re bent on having a huge battle right before this illusion falls apart.” It was bystander Cang Ming who said this to Nie Zun.

Nie Zun smiled indifferently.

The light from Scorpion Ray was about to reach Ta Lai, and I didn’t think too much about those giants which had appeared just moments before.

Jiao S was already in the air with her huge sword in hand. Those giants were diverted with an easy wave of her sword.

I didn’t expect for Si Luo to make any move, but he did not seem to hesitate either. The surroundings quaked as white fog surged in his eyes, and I could hear air vortexes form around me.

Guan Nie hated Si Luo, and now that Si Luo was attacking the illusion, he had no intention of backing down even when he had been continually coughing up blood.

Guan Nie’s strength was in embedding illusions within MF, causing his opponents to fall into his trap unknowingly. It seemed like he was bent on going against Si Luo this time.

Gaoqin Jiuye did not just sit and watch. He stumbled forward with his only arm. The sky dropped once again.

Though I had decided to focus on the battle and not be distracted by my emotions, I couldn’t help worry about Gaoqin Jiuye as I saw him stumble from the corner of my eye.

This tiny distraction gave Ta Lai the time to counter my attack.

Ta Lai’s pupil’s widened as he reached out a hand. Two rays of weak light shot out before I felt myself freeze. I could not move any of my limbs. Damn it!

That puppet technique of his did not apply only to those giants; it applied to bodies of consciousness as well.

I felt invisible strings cut into my body as Ta Lai smiled. With a quick movement of his fingers, my body was slowly being controlled by Ta Lai.

“Piercer,” I called out. Distracted by my call, Piercer turned back for a moment. But before she could come over, Du Yue had already grabbed her neck. She only had one arm, but her arm was strong. Piercer was rendered immobile by Du Yue.

Jiao S could see that I was in trouble, but being surrounded by those giants, she had no opportunity to provide me with any assistance.

Gaoqin Jiuye moved at this moment, but Si Luo stopped him.

I didn’t know why Si Luo did it, but before I was absolutely controlled by Ta Lai, there was this ear-piercing sound that came from the sky.

I widened my eyes. This, this demonic sound.

Li Wen was here.

The demonic sound pierced through my ears. It was this very sound that immobilized so many of us and rendered us helpless against Li Wen in a previous battle.

Not only did the sound throw a wrench in the fights, it began to break the entire illusion.

Crash…

I felt my joints breaking apart as the sky began to spin, and before I knew it, I was falling into the darkness.