Her plain-looking clothes and ink-dark hair flapped in the air despite the absence of a strong wind. Purple sparks danced at the tip of her pale-white fingertips, shocking everyone present at the scene.
Her footsteps when she approached the cave entrance was slow. The look in her eyes darkened and her expression grew colder and more distant.
The sky was overcast with dark clouds and the air was so thick that these people felt like they were on the brink of asphyxiation. A raging wind swept through the area with the exception of a hundred meter-wide spot where she stood.
Baili Qu could finally respond when she walked right up to the cave entrance. Watching Gu Xiqiao with eyes filled with awe, he warned her, “Miss Gu, this is a dangerous place. Do not venture in there no matter what!”
His warning seemed to take on the effect of snapping everyone out of their mental daze.
Murong Feiye’s eyes shifted down from her face to her palm. He watched as sparks jumped about the inside of her palm. It was at that moment that he finally understood what Murong Miaoxue was talking about. “She really is far more terrifying than Jiang Tong!”
“Amitabha, you might have merged with the force of the lightning strike, you might have it under your control, but you simply cannot do the same with that thing inside. There is no return once you step into the cave. I advise you to let us old geezers handle this issue.” The abbot returned to his senses. Tightening his clutch on a string of beads, he continued, “You are our last bastion of hope. I cannot stand aside and watch as you march towards your death.”
“Another catastrophe will befall the ancient martial arts world in the near future. Young lady, please turn back now.” The old Taoist elder sighed as he stared up at the never-ending gray clouds.
Gu Xiqiao did not move even a single muscle. Xixi was trailing behind her step by step. Suddenly, a smile broke across her cold face, making her seem all the more peerless. Then, she started walking towards the cave again. “So what if I can’t return?”
“No! You mustn’t go!” Baili Qu panicked when he realized that Gu Xiqiao was not in the mood to negotiate. He grabbed her wrist firmly. Horror was painted all over his face. He knew very well that anyone who wandered into that place would never re-emerge. In fact, he was already prepared to sacrifice himself the moment he came to know of this phenomenon.
Nobody could have foreseen that Gu Xiqiao would step in at this very moment. Saving Baili Bin was only a part of the reason why he wanted to stop her from going in. Instead, it was her innate potential that was the ultimate reason why he was hellbent on stopping her.
In the blink of an eye, he felt his arms go numb, which baffled him so much that he stumbled backward.
“Do not panic Grandpa Baili, I’m sure that Yi Bing would also stop her from going in.” While Baili Qu was busy persuading Gu Xiqiao to stay behind, Murong Feiye pushed Baili Bin over.
Baili Qu sighed in relief upon hearing these words. That’s right, Yi Bing and his men only listened to Jiang Shuxuan’s command. If they refused to allow Baili Qu and his allies in, then the same should probably hold true for Gu Xiqiao.
Baili Bin watched as Gu Xiqiao approached the cave. With pursed lips, he murmured under his breath: “Not necessarily so.”
Not necessarily so? Yi Bing’s mind had not even registered what Baili Bin said when Gu Xiqiao had already reached the mouth of the cave. Yi Bing, who has been putting up a fierce resistance against them bowed respectfully while he greeted her. “Miss Gu.”
The men behind him, including Jiu Tong who had all met Gu Xiqiao prior to this bowed in a similar fashion.
“Mm.” Gu Xiqiao responded. “I wish to enter the cave.”
Yi Bing looked up at Gu Xiqiao. Without even a word of protest, he stepped aside, allowing her into the cave.
The jaws of Murong Feiye, Baili Qu and the rest of the ancient martial artists all dropped onto the ground as they stared in horror at the scene.
Didn’t they claim that they listened to no one else but Jiang Shuxuan? Didn’t they promise to not let a single soul past their barrier? When the hell did Yi Bing and his men get so subservient?
These people were not expecting such a turnout of events. Yi Bing heeded the command of someone other than Jiang Shuxuan? Who the hell was this young lady? Yi Bing refused to bow down, even to these powerful elders. And yet! They had allowed this young girl to venture into the cave without questions asked.
“Miss Gu!” Blood drained out of Baili Qu and his men’s’ faces. “You won’t be able to come back out!”
Murong Feiye saw the slender figure pause for a second before marching on resolutely into the depths of the dark chasm. He admired how much this bright-eyed young lady was willing to give for Jiang Shuxuan’s sake.
“Xixi! Get out!” Gu Xiqiao narrowed her eyes the moment she stepped into the cave. She then flung Xixi out of the cave. The Seven-Frosted Blade from which a chilling aura was emanated suddenly floated over to the center of the cave. Electric sparks merged with the weapon, sending chills down these peoples’ spines.
Even Yi Bing was forbidden from entering this place, what more to say of Baili Qu.
“If I don’t come out, please take good care of Haha, Little Hua, Xiao Yun, and the rest.” A soft voice suddenly echoed into Xixi’s ear canal.
“Beauty Qiao!” Xixi raised its head abruptly and proceeded to let out a deafening shriek. It’s already hulking frame grew even larger. Now, its size was comparable to that of a great mountain. The pills that Gu Xiqiao fed it, accompanied by the training she provided worked with great effect. It spat out white hot balls of flames in an effort to incinerate the formation that was casted over the cave entrance.
Its adventure with Gu Xiqiao had lasted only a couple of months. In that short period of time, Xixi had been triggered countless times but at an unspecified point, it had already grown used to staying around Gu Xiqiao’s side. It had picked up a habit of fighting for her attention with Haha, as well as learning to cope with receiving death glares from Jiang Shuxuan…
She had dispelled the loneliness and darkness that enveloped its entire being. It was not afraid to face death together with Gu Xiqiao. “Beauty Qiao! Don’t you forget that Master Jiang has ordered me to protect you. How will you feed Xixi in the future…”
Baili Qu and his men were moved by the mountain-sized Vermillion Bird’s reluctance to give up.
“Everyone! Let’s use every ounce of our strength to break this formation over the cave entrance!” yelled Murong Feiye.
His order snapped everyone out of their introspection. The monster wind finally returned after Gu Xiqiao left the place. These men wanted to use this as a chance to showcase the might of their clans. And so, they all agreed to break the formation together.
With the exception of Baili Bin, who sighed softly. “It’s no use. Only she can break a formation that she herself created.”
Murong Feiye looked down at him in disbelief. “Even you?”
Baili Bin was the most accomplished individual in the modern ancient martial arts world. His position at the top was solidified after sealing up the void at the trial tower.
“Her attainment in formations is miles ahead of mine. In reality, it was her who plugged the hole at the trial tower,” replied Baili Bin with a bitter smile. He could struggle for ten more years and he’d still lag behind the Gu Xiqiao of today.
Baili Bin was not a liar. What he said must be the truth.
The men standing outside the cave went silent instantly. On their faces was nothing but pure shock.
How old was she only? About twenty? Not only was she incredibly capable in ancient martial arts, she even excels at formations? How powerful she must be in order to make even Baili Bin feel insecure about his skills.
“Old Rong would like to ask one more question. Is that girl from before the infamous demon girl of the Jiang family?” asked the abbot who was clutching his beads. The Jiang family was already known to produce children with insane strength. It would be insanely terrifying if they had produced two kids of such capability at the same time.
The elders’ initial expressions returned to their faces upon hearing his question. They had heard rumours that the little demon girl failed to perform as well in the youth ranking list. However, it now seems like she could rise to the very top at any given moment.
There were also rumours that the little demon girl was in good graces with Jiang Shuxuan himself. It now seems like the rumours were true after all.
“Demon girl?” An odd smile appeared on Murong Feiye’s face. “She’s no demon girl. No, she’s a monster who appeared out of nowhere. I say, she’s the heiress of some almighty one.”
Jiang Tong? She probably weighed less than a strand of hair against Gu Xiqiao.
***
In the cave.
“Beauty Qiao, why didn’t you let Xixi in?” Taking the lead, the system floated in front of Gu Xiqiao.
Gu Xiqiao realized the moment she stepped in that she had entered another realm. The rate at which time flowed here was different from the outside world. Not only that, new illusions seemed to spring up with each step she took. Of course, this was not a problem for her. She could tear down the deception at any time she wished to. However, she was more worried about when she would bump into Jiang Shuxuan. “For a ten thousand-point mission, I can’t be too sure can I?”
The system then realized the truth in her statement. “Mission difficulty increases with the reward given at the end. 10,000 points is…”
“Heh heh heh…” A graceful laughter echoed through the cave suddenly. It made Gu Xiqiao, who was also a woman, get goosebumps all over her body.
“What a ruthless young lass, breaking my formation.” Something flickered in front of her eyes before a pink-colored figure slowly materialized where the flickering happened. The woman’s enchanting face was shrouded by a thin, light veil. Behind her body were seven separate tails that wagged back and forth constantly.
Gu Xiqiao narrowed her eyes as she scanned her eyes up and down this feminine woman. Her expression was stone cold when she replied in an equally cold tone, “You are naught but a spirit.”
The woman did not expect Gu Xiqiao to see through her deception so early on, which seemed to have enraged her. “What a group of nasty humans!” That man who came in earlier was the same as this young girl!
A black fog suddenly emerged, covering her body, which grew larger by the second. In a matter of seconds, she had turned into a massive dark silhouette. “In a foreign realm, everything becomes unpredictable. What can you do to challenge me?”
“What can I do?”
“Yes, what can you do to bring me down?”
“…”
Her words repeated in Gu Xiqiao’s mind. All of a sudden, she realized that the formations she had broken down on her way here had returned to their original state. In a foreign realm, even reality could be warped by the host’s will. It was upon coming to terms with this that Gu Xiqiao realized yet another truth.
This was probably why Baili Qu was so fearful of this place. Whoever that wandered into this space would instantly come under her control, like a puppet!
Clarity returned to Gu Xiqiao’s mind. This was a trap set specifically for the ancient martial arts world!
It was a trap tailor-made to remove the strongest man in the ancient martial arts world.
If she did not enter the cave today, Baili Qu and his men most likely would have been annihilated the moment they stepped into this trap.
“Ha ha! Die human!” The black fog turned into a terrifying face, whose mouth was wide open. She did not swallow up Gu Xiqiao whole. Instead, she wanted to give her predatory side a little treat. The evil thing wanted to enjoy looking at the horror on Gu Xiqiao’s face.
Her favorite scene was seeing the look of horror on these puny humans’ faces.
Gu Xiqiao looked up defiantly. “You think you’re the only one who possesses a foreign realm?”
A suffocating amount of pressure expanded from her body the moment she ended her sentence. [Beauty Qiao, I’ll use all my energy to project the virtual training grounds onto where you’re standing. The time limit is thirty minutes. After that, I will have to rest for seven days. Before I do that, there is one condition you absolutely must fulfill. Stay alive.]
“What?!” Seeing the flow of time suddenly change in the space around the tiny human, shock appeared on the dark face immediately. However, it was too late. She then discovered that her own realm had been completely suppressed by her opponent.
How is this possible?! How can there be another foreign realm?! The dark face was dumbfounded.
With electric sparks dancing in her palm, Gu Xiqiao’s eyes were bright and clear amidst the darkness. A strobe of lightning with the thickness of a human thumb wrapped itself around the dark shadow, making it collapse into the ground.
Thud!”
“Aren’t you a little too harsh?! You still planning on trapping the ancient martial arts world?!”
Thud!
“Tell me! Where is Brother Jiang!”
The dark shadow had already returned to its original form. She glared viciously at Gu Xiqiao. “I will never tell you where he is, hahaha… even if you take my life, there’s still a boss…”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Then die.” Gu Xiqiao dispatched her instantly. The pink figure then slowly dissipated into darkness, turning into a mist that was a mix of pink and black. What’s left in the air was the painful wails of the dying entity.
That pink-clothed woman probably expected Gu Xiqiao to give mercy.
Her control over the realm vanished alongside her.
The man, who was standing in the middle of a void raised his head. He put down the talisman he was holding and took a while to take in the situation he found himself in. He did not know whether he should laugh or cry at the moment. He sighed slightly before reaching out to tear a hole in front of him, from which he climbed out of.
He left behind him a five-star formation.
If someone else was here, he or she would undoubtedly be scared to death upon seeing this formation.
Two monsters were at play here. One directly took the life of the host of this realm while the other took his time experimenting before he finally destroyed this realm from the inside!
This was a whole new level of terrifying. If someone else was to know about this, a new tidal wave would no doubt sweep through the ancient martial arts world.
The air fluctuated for a moment before Jiang Shuxuan’s tall figure finally re-emerged.
His eyes scanned the space. He saw the dissipating pink mist before something or more correctly, someone entered his line of sight. Jiang Shuxuan froze up.
Gu Xiqiao was leaning against a massive boulder. Her snow-white face was now covered in a shade of pink. Her lips, which were the color of plum blossoms, were now blood-red. Gazing at her watery eyes, Jiang Shuxuan found it almost impossible to describe every aspect of her in words.
Jiang Shuxuan finally understood what the word ‘fascinating’ meant. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath in an effort to remove the distracting thoughts from his mind. Finally, he approached her slowly.