Chapter 53: Disappearance

"Collapse?" Murong Zuoyu drew his lips and replied. "Thank you for your concern, Brother Zhu."

"Um." Gu Qingyu gazed into the distance. "I don't think we can make camp around here."

"There is a forest," Mo Bai nodded. "You can go and see."

"We'll officially arrive in Beiying once we go through the forest right?" Qi Wan mused. "Soul Gems should be on the level of imperial treasures. Boss, what do you think? Would the Emperor of Beiying be easy for us?"

"Oh sweetheart, you're so simpleminded!" Gu Qingyu sighed helplessly. "What is our slogan?"

"What is it?" Qi Wan flinched.

"Stir up trouble!" Gu Qingyu looked at Qi Wan in annoyance.

"Yeah!" Qi Wan suddenly realized. "Why didn't I think of it?"

The rest of the party stared at them with a look normally reserved for lunatics. Can anyone tell me what the two of them are talking about?

"Alas, it's difficult to stir up trouble these days." Gu Qingyu sighed as she shook her head. She held her hands behind her back and walked into the forest.

"Yeah, it's hard. So hard." Qi Wan shook his head as well. He copied Gu Qingyu's actions and walked into the forest with a sigh. Everyone else was speechless.

"Mo Bai, can this be eaten?" Gu Qingyu picked a red fruit from the surrounding trees and showed it to him.

Mo Bai took a closer look and nodded. "It can be eaten, but ..."

Chomp.Gu Qingyu took a big bite.

"But ..." Mo Bai looked at Gu Qingyu with an incredible look. "Yu'er, you..."

"Oh!" Gu Qingyu spat out the fruit immediately. "It's sour! It's bitter! Oh god, it's horrible!"

"Yu'er, I was about to..." Mo Bai gazed at Gu Qingyu with defeat. He took out his water bag and passed it to her.

"Thank you!" Gu Qingyu reached out for the water bag, it slowly drifted away and into Jia Qizhe's hands.

"Drink this." Jia Qizhe threw his water bag to Gu Qingyu, then tossed Mo Bai's water bag unceremoniously into the thicket.

Mo Bai was slightly angered, his eyes started to turn dark as he glanced at Jia Qizhe. Mo Bai closed his eyes gently, and when he opened them again, his clean eyes were spotless again. He turned to Gu Qingyu. "Yu'er ..." His voice was tender, but also aggrieved.

"Jia Qizhe!" Gu Qingyu also got mad. "Why did you throw away Mo Bai's water bag?"

"Speak for yourself." Jia Qizhe looked at Gu Qingyu with disdain. "Idiot."

What? Did he just call me an idiot?

Gu Qingyu pouted. "Jia Qizhe, go to..." Before she could finish that sentence, a powerful force grabbed her and threw her against a tree.

"Oof!" Gu Qingyu slammed into the trunk.

"Little Yu'er!" Jia Qizhe's eyes suddenly changed colour, and his sword appeared in his hand as he flew towards Gu Qingyu.

Gu Qingyu waved her hand. "I'm fine." Jia Qizhe was seconds away from reaching her when a strange force held her up and she was engulfed in darkness.

"Boss!" Qi Wan extended his ribbon, he wanted to pull Gu Qingyu out from the ball of dark energy that had swallowed her. But his ribbon snapped when it came into contact with the dark gas.

"Damn!" Qi Wan cursed and flew to that black ball.

"Dark gas?" Mo Bai immediately took out the flute affixed to his waist and played it gently. He dispelled the dark energy, but Gu Qingyu was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Xiao Yu?" Xiao Qi watched in panic.

"She's gone..." Qi Yichen fixed his eyes on where Gu Qingyu had been and scanned the location. The people present were not idiots, they were all experts in martial arts. Yet Gu Qingyu had disappeared right in front of their eyes with such ease. What does this show? Someone out there outranked them greatly. A drop of blood dripped to the ground. Jia Qizhe looked at his arm and said nothing.

"Let's go look around first, they couldn't have gone far." Qi Wan looked at the distance. This was the only thing they can do right now.

"Also," He continued. "If everyone present really cares about her, then you don't have to hide it anymore, you can use all your strengths." For the first time, someone had addressed the elephant in the room. Qi Wan had mercilessly ripped off their disguises with bare hands.

"Needless for you to say." Jia Qizhe answered, and he spread his wings. "One day. That's the time limit. Whether or not you've found anything, come back here and regroup."

"OK." For once, Mo Bai agreed with him. Soon, they all took off in different directions.

Meanwhile, Gu Qingyu opened her eyes after the darkness. The sudden flash of light dazzled her, stars appeared in front of her. She squeezed her eyes shut and blinked a few more times to see past the stars. She looked around, she seemed to be in a room and lying on a table.

...Can't move...

"Oh, you're awake?" A familiar voice came.

Gu Qingyu pursed her lips."So you're still alive... Murong... Qize..."

"Oh." Murong Qize smiled and gently held the hand of Gu Qingyu. "Really, don't talk nonsense if you can't move." There was a sudden, piercing pain from her hand.

"So she had woken." Another voice, Gu Qingyu wanted to turn her head towards that mysterious voice, but she could not even turn her head. She could barely speak. Murong Qize let go of her hand, and a man slowly appeared in front of Gu Qingyu's eyes. A black brocade, embroidered with silver and white patterns. Jet black hair scattered over his shoulders and a pair of dark eyes exuded a sense of majesty.

What is... this feeling… Why... the moment I see him... I feel like kneeling and surrendering to him...

The man looked at Gu Qingyu and said nothing. Gu Qingyu could see her pathetic state reflected in that man's eyes.

"Who ... are you?" Gu Qingyu kept her eyes on that man while she strained her voice and asked.

"I am Xuan Di." He replied, his gaze shifted to Gu Qingyu's hand.

Xuan Di? Emperor Xuan? That’s such a regal-sounding name, why does that strange name remind her of Xie Zang and Yan Zun? Yan Zun? Master, help me ...

Suddenly, Yan Zun possessed her body. Her blood-red eyes opened and she leaped up and struck Xuan Di. Xuan Di extended his hand without hesitation, his palm wrapped around Gu Qingyu's fist. He tightened his grip and Gu Qingyu heard the sound of bone cracking. Gu Qingyu gasped, and a flame appeared in her other hand. She attacked Xian Di again, but he grabbed her other hand by the wrist.

"You have surprised me." Xuan Di looked at her. "For a second, your eyes reminded me of an old friend. It's a shame, he died with such resentment." There was not a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"It's a pity, I'm not your friend." Gu Qingyu gave Xuan Di a hard kick and propelled herself into the air. She wanted to escape. Xuan Di let go of her hand, and Gu Qingyu took the chance and ran towards the door. However, as soon as she touched the door, she pulled her hand back as she had been electrocuted. Her legs gave out in the shock, she collapsed and spasmed on the floor.

"This place is encased in my barrier." Xuan Di looked at Gu Qingyu, his eyes were full of pity. It was a pity that the strong showed to the weak.

"Don't look at me like that..." Gu Qingyu pushed herself up from the floor. "Since it's your barrier, then all I have to do is kick your ass."

"You wish to defeat me?" Xuan Di curled his lips slightly. "Try then. You know, if you did not have the Lifeblood Jewel of Destiny, you would be dead by now."

"I know." Gu Qingyu looked at Xuan Di calmly. "I know. So, you're after the Lifeblood Jewel as well?"

"Yes." Xuan Di admitted.

Gu Qingyu gritted his teeth. "You are so powerful. Just one question, why would you need it?"

"Hmm, well..." Xuan Di thought for a moment and said, "I want to destroy it."

Destroy? Gu Qingyu was confused.

"It's fine to tell you. If you are the owner of the Lifeblood Jewel, then you should know the existence of Yan Zun." Xuan Di's eyes were full of inquiry and intolerance for lies.

Gu Qingyu flinched and decided to feign ignorance instead. "Yan Zun? Who is Yan Zun? Is there something I don't know?"

In the spiritual world, Yan Zun sighed with his hand on his forehead. Few could lie so smoothly and with such conviction.

Her remark coupled with her doe-eyed, innocent look and confused expression, Xuan Di believed it and waved impatiently. "Give me the jewel. I never kill women, don't force me to break my rules."

Woman? He knew I’m a woman.

Gu Qingyu snapped back. "Break it then! if you kill me, you will never find the jewel. Might as well! It won't affect you in any way and I can break that rule for you! Come on! Hurry up! Do it!"

She was like a sly fox taunting a suspicious lion. "Hurry up and eat me!"

Xuan Di looked at Gu Qingyu, his eyes did not waver in the slightest. Instead, he turned away slightly.

"Yes." Murong Qize approached her. He was elegantly dressed in a yellow robe, and he carried a sword that seemed too large for his frame. "Farewell, my fiance."

"Yep, farewell." Gu Qingyu smiled, but she panicked internally.

I'm not even sure my plan would work against this living myth. Even if it works, there is a more mythical existence behind him! Am I really going to be buried here today?

Gu Qingyu gritted her teeth and yanked off the necklace around her neck. At that moment, the red lotus appeared in her hand.

"Bloom, Devouring Lotus!" Gu Qingyu placed her hand on the red lotus. Murong Qize froze, then immediately shielded himself against the attack.

"A very good weapon." He smirked. "It's just a pity that you don't know how to use it."

"Really?" Gu Qingyu was not in a hurry, she returned his smile. A hole suddenly cracked under Murong Qize's feet.

"Shit!" Murong Qize cursed, spread his wings and took to the skies. Gu Qingyu smirked. It seems that I guessed right, there is no barrier below us. That means, there isn't a barrier above, right?

Boom!Gu Qingyu blasted a hole in the ceiling, then spread her wings and flew out.

"Trying to run away?" At the same time, Xuan Di licked his lips. Gu Qingyu was stuck in the air, like a fly against an electrical net. No matter how hard she tried, she could not move even a muscle.