Volume 5

313 Four Women

“That’s not the point though. The question should be how she’s able to use such great MF even under that perfect, complex seal?

“Her MF isn’t that extraordinary either. Can you feel it?” Piercer’s words made me think of some possibilities, but I told myself to stay calm and listen before jumping to conclusions.

“Also, the bigger question is why she’s able to harness so much power and energy when she doesn’t have extraordinary MF and when her real abilities have actually been sealed? One possibility is that she has identified the loopholes in the seal through long-term training, and she’s using these loopholes to use and control her MF.

“Another question is why would anyone use such a cruel method to seal her power?”

Piercer reminded me of something. For some reason, I recalled the time when Jiao S and I had just met each other, when I still disliked her. There was once when I saw her all bloodied as she lay on the ground.

According to her, that was because someone in the real world was hurting her, and it caused her consciousness in the Split Zone to go through the same pain as well.

Jiao S is a really strong and resilient woman.

“It’s really hard to imagine that she can actually collect that tiny amount of MF escaping from those loopholes in order to use and control it. She even learnt the technique of controlling air currents from Si Luo. That must have been a long and arduous process…

“Such a sealing technique works together with MF, and it will feel like someone has a hold on your nervous system. You can’t undo the lock, but you have to find a way to be able to use your own power freely in trying to go against that restriction. How unbearable would that be…”

As Piercer spoke, I felt a sense of comfort as I looked at Jiao S, who was leaping through the air. I was proud of my friend.

Jiao S wasn’t a kind soul; she was bloodthirsty and violent, and she sometimes did cruel things. Though her actions could be unpredictable, she was extremely loyal and she had her own principles. Without her, I might not have been able to survive up to this day.

I then realized that I might have actually been leaving her out, even when I thought I didn’t.

Even though she didn’t speak much, and even when her huge eyes always seemed empty and she looked like an emotionless doll all the time, she was someone extraordinary.

The realization that it was all a façade suddenly hit me.

It wasn’t exactly a mask. It was just that she had been fighting on her own for so long. All the pain she had been through, and that respect and the position she had eventually obtained, these things could not be described as her having merely earned it.

That lack of emotion and apparent numbness to the world was a habit of hers.

Because she was so used to the pain, there was no other expression she could use to really express that.

I raised my right hand as emotions ran through me. She suddenly appeared in front of me again, like a ghost.

“Looks like you’re really going to use my power now. Why? Why are you willing to accept it so quickly? Is it because of her?” Holding a corner of her red dress, she asked while pointing at Jiao S.

I shot her a cold look. “That’s right, it’s for her. She’s my best friend, and I have to save her no matter what.”

“Good. Everything you do would be good as long as you can accept me. You know it too… I can give you power and I can enable you to be unique here. Power is what you need now, while all I need is simply your acknowledgment. It isn’t all that difficult, is it…”

Her enchanting voice came closer and closer.

Gritting my teeth, I shut my eyes. I raised my right hand as I snapped my eyes open, putting all my focus on that red skull ring on my right index finger.

Pain shot through my finger and I felt it pierce through my heart.

I felt heat emanating from my split symbol at the same time. It felt as if all the meridians in my body were connected with this energy.

Boom.

My red hair flew up behind me.

Though I still wasn’t able to feel any MF within me, my instinct told me that I was ready for a battle.

I took Piercer’s purple whip in my hand and struck at Du Yue’s wrist.

Du Yue glanced at me in surprise. I smirked and asked, “I hope I’m not too late to the fight.”

Anger flared in Du Yue’s eyes. As expected, you hate looking at me. Is this just like how you hated looking at Bian Ying?

Haha, sadly, I’m planning to appear right in front of you today.

“Piercer!” I called out as I disseminated that heat from my split symbol to all my joints. I leapt into the air and trapped Du Yue with my purple whip as I struck at her.

“Come over here, you,” I said with suppressed rage. Bian Ying’s upset face and the scene of You Ji’s horrific death appeared in my mind.

You know something, Du Yue? There’s no sympathy for you, no matter who it was you might have been trying to change for. Even if you blamed all your sins on love, you were the one who did everything at the end of the day. A devil would never turn into an angel.

Li Wen’s smile was replaced by a deep frown as she noticed the change in me.

She seemed to be the only one who had noticed the change in my energy. Did she really feel threatened by my power?

Li Wen stared at me for a good ten seconds or so before she raised her Li Xi sword and charged towards me. She had abandoned her original plan to work with Du Yue in going against Jiao S.

As I was preparing to face Li Wen’s attack, Jiao S caught up with Li Wen from behind.

“Ha!” Jiao S was enshrouded in what looked like a black flaming vortex as she raised her huge sword, aiming it at Li Wen’s back.

Du Yue’s reaction was quick. She wasn’t about to give Jiao S a chance like this. Fire appeared above her first as she balled up her right hand. She then started hurling fireballs at Jiao S.

Two against one, and you’re still bullying my friend like this…

I jumped up without hesitation, raising my left hand as I called out, “Scorpion Ray, turn back.”

A circular bow appeared in front of me, and invisible arrows of air formed as I pulled my right hand back.

As I let go, countless arrows shot toward Du Yue.

The arrows traveled fast, and there was no time for her to counter it even after she halted her attacks against Jiao S. Du Yue simply leapt into the air with a strong kick against the ground.

Crash.

The ground was already cracking with all the heat emanating from Li Qing and Feng Zhu’s stand-off. With Du Yue’s powerful kick, the ground seemed to shatter as pieces of rock and soil burst out from the ground.

As I marveled at Du Yue’s power to myself, I rushed forward to entwine her tightly in my purple whip. With gritted teeth, I pulled Du Yue towards the crumbling whirlpool of rock and soil near the ground.

“Piercer.” I called out for Piercer as I smashed Du Yue hard against the ground.

I looked up and saw Li Wen’s cold gaze directed at me while she was still in the middle of a fight with Jiao S.

What does she want?

Blood trickled from the corner of Du Yue’s mouth. I didn’t know if it was a scrape or if it was caused by one of my arrows. She stared at me angrily after she hit the ground.

Taking this opportunity, I let fly another bout of arrows at Du Yue. Jiao S also used this opportunity to aim at Li Wen with her huge sword.

Li Wen was staring at me, and even if she realized what Jiao S was going to do, she didn’t react to it at all. Jiao S wasn’t someone who would change her course of action because Li Wen stayed still.

As expected, that gigantic sword severed an arm from Li Wen, but Li Wen did not even blink.

Something out of the ordinary then happened when her arm hit the ground.