Chapter 131: Emptiness And

Chapter 131: Emptiness And

He burst out into another chamber. Identical to the first, but larger, it sported three full pillars rather than one with two stumps. Red light bathed the chamber. In the rear, the shelf with the gems and the basins let off a shocking red light. Bai Xue approached it, glowing eyes blank. He moved jerkily, his joints stiff. He lifted a leg to climb onto the shelf.

Bai Xue! Hui shouted.

Bai Xue turned. Black marks crawled over his face like ants, climbing out from the red glow of his eyes. He raised his hand toward Hui.

Behind Bai Xue, the blood mist boy looked up. He glanced at Bai Xue and chuckled, a hand over his mouth and a mischievous glimmer in his eyes. Holding out a clenched fist, he uncurled it toward Hui to reveal a gema gem like Hui had in his ring, or like Bai Xue held at this moment.

Hui swept his hand at Bai Xue. The ducks lifted out of his dantian and whirled at the other cultivator. They burst through Bai Xues body, gnawing at the curse marks.

Bai Xue scowled at Hui. Begone. This is my body, now.

Hui flicked his hand, drawing his new talisman. No, it isnt.

Bai Xue threw back his head and laughed. You think that trifling attack can hurt me?

Pointing the talisman at Bai Xue, Hui focused.

The red glow flickered. Bai Xue retreated a step.

A step too slow. The songbirds burst from Huis dantian and rushed into Bai Xue. They settled inside him, beaming gold light through his skin. Golden light blanketed his body, fighting the red glow.

A sneer crawled over Bai Xues face. Itll take more than that

His expression twisted. He backed up and put a hand to his chest.

Eh, senior, didnt you notice? Bai Xue has pure yang energy. He already has a very vigorous life force. When I combine that with my life qi, how long do you think a dead soul like yourself can hold on?

You! the voice howled. A faint, translucent red shape lifted out of Bai Xues head, a scowl burned into its face.

Ah, so he is dead. I hoped he was. If he was nearly dead, it wouldnt have been as powerful. Then I wouldve had to hit Bai Xue with this talisman.

Hui leaped out of his body. In his soul form, the ancient cultivators form became clear. He had a melted face, his body twisted, as if hed been melted to death. He burned with death qi and crimson blood qi, and he snarled viciously at Hui.

A mere ghost faces me? he snapped.

Burning bit into Huis forehead. He clasped a hand to it and felt black blood roll down as the third eye opened. Through the mans twisted face, he saw another. An old man, not deformed, but tall and proud. He emanated a strange, powerful aura, centered on the middle of his forehead. There, a vertical blood-red eye gazed out. Even a glance from the eye made the earth tremble. Strange red light pooled around the eye, swirling on the air. He stared up at the sky, a defiant look on his face.

A bolt of fire struck the man. Not intentionally, but an aside, almost an accident. His body burned. His soul shriveled, mutilated. He escaped his body, vanishing into the realm hed prepared long ago, but lost everything in the process.

Torn apart by the Heavens as an afterthought. I, too, know what its like to be destroyed by a greater power callous to you and your lifea greater power that sees you as only an insect, Hui intoned.

If you understand, then let me have this body, the twisted red soul demanded.

Huis body raised his arm, pointing the talisman at the soul. I couldnt escape in my life, and neither will you! Seek redemption in your next life!

A glow burned down the talisman, lighting the symbols in gold. The ink lifted off the paper, shimmering for a second before it disappeared. Waves of power rushed out from the talisman, shaking the world around them. They smashed into the red soul and tore at it, pounding it like a stone by the shore.

This isnt enough! the man howled. His body shivered, the force dispersing his soul at the edges, but the most of his soul stayed together. Though faded and weak, a candle about to blow out, the power that emanated from his soul far surpassed Huis cultivation. Even Huis strongest attack against his vastly weakened form was barely enough to injure him.

The blood mist boy stepped out from behind the man. Tipping his head at Hui, he held out the gemstone again.

A golden glow joined the red and black glows emanating from the gem. The discarnate souls screamed louder than ever as they fled the life qi. Sweeping the life qi at them, Hui gathered them into a corner, then clamped down on them with his death qi, the same as he killed his qi. With the souls compressed, there was nothing to block the gem's power of absorption. Like an unblocked drain suddenly cleared draining all the water at once, the gem began to absorb wildly.

N-no! the red soul shouted. The gem pulled at him, sucking him toward it. He grabbed at Bai Xue, but the golden life qi that cloaked Bai Xue burned his hands.

Hui narrowed his eyes. The discarnate souls screeched in his head, eating at his sanity. Not full souls, but only pieces of them, they could only scream madly, unable to form a single word. He felt his mind wavering, and with it, his control on his death qi. Sensing weakness, the mass of discarnate souls rushed at his death qi. Ferociously, he suppressed them, closing his mind off. Only a single thought remained, pounding away in his head. I wont let you escape. Be compressed! No one escapes my grasp!

At the same time, the gem drew at the air, drawing in its surroundings with more force than it ever had. Hui felt his own qi bleed into the gem. Even killing it down to the minimum only managed to slow the bleed of his qi. He clenched his jaw and held on, narrowing his eyes as he fought the gem. Hui reached out to the spell array reversal and pointed the gem's power of absorbtion through that, closing off its draw to point only at the red soul the array had locked onto. A truly shocking draw burst out of the gem and locked onto the red soul, pulling at it.

No! I wont allow it! This indignity

Unable to hold on any longer, the red soul hurtled toward the gem. Hui held on. The discarnate souls howled. The gem shuddered, sucking at his qi. Just a little longer!

The red soul slammed into the gem and vanished. The second the red soul vanished into the gem, Hui let out a sigh and released the discarnate souls.

The discarnate souls swirled around the red soul, screaming wordlessly. The red soul struggled to escape the gem, but the gems absorption powers restrained it. As if a black hole existed in the heart of the gem, the red soul barely drew away from the gems heart before the force pulled it back into the depths of the gem.

With the red soul inside it, the gems external absorption diminished. All the suction focused on the red soul. On top of holding it in the depths, the gems forces tore at the soul, threatening to tear it, too, into a discarnate soul.

Hui watched from the outside, ready to destroy the gem if the red soul showed signs of escaping. The gem held it handily. In fact, he felt that the gem could handle something much stronger, perhaps even something at a realm above the red soul!

Hui gulped. How powerful is the voice who owns this gem and created the reversal formula? I dont want to owe anything to any more powerful seniors!

He glanced at the other gems, but even as he looked over, they crumbled into red dust. Nothing escaped the gems destruction, not a discarnate soul nor a scrap of qi. This fake really is much more powerful than the original spell array! How frightening.

For now keep that gem. Ill be back for my due soon enough.

Senior this small cultivator doesnt deserve seniors attention.

Black light pulsed from the gem, and in the same breath, sudden pain throbbed through his head. Hui took a step and fell to his knees, a hand pressed against his face.

A chuckle rang through the air. Ive had my eye on you for a long time. The haughty voice faded away. Silence replaced it, broken only by Huis short breaths.

Is that voice perhaps is it the fellow senior Zhu Diyu mentioned? So much for not bothering me!

Sensing weakness, the discarnate souls rushed at him, slamming into his mental energy. The red soul charged at their forefront, screaming in rage. Another throb beat into his skull. Hui gestured, sending the gem back into his storage ring. The pain abated, but not his exhaustion.

That damn Zhang Zhou! When I get out of here, Im going to beat his head in. He dares try to trap this grandmaster with that red gem? Bai Xue snapped. He glowered at the room, then noticed Hui, and his eyes widened. Ah? Hui, when did you get here?

Hui gestured. Gold light streamed out of Bai Xue and back into him. As the life qi returned, it bolstered his life force. The pain abated, his exhaustion melted, and Hui managed to climb back to his feet. He shook his head, still catching his breath. A minute ago.

Eh As soon as you appear, you bathe in my golden shower? Xiao Hui, I didnt expect you to be so bold, Bai Xue said.

Hui narrowed his eyes at Bai Xue. Holding his other hand out, he called the ducks back to him, and they poured into his second dantian, strengthening his cultivation base and staving off the pain from the discarnate souls screaming. Thats not even at the level of bad phrasing. Youre just saying it outright!

Yes, but it is funny to watch you squirm, Bai Xue replied, grinning without a morsel of shame.

A pained cough rang out from the corner. They both turned.

Huang Muwen slumped down the wall, skin pale as death, soaked in his own blood. Bai Xue sighed, then ran to his side. Pulling out a pill, he crushed it to powder between his fingers, then directed the powder into the gash. The cut closed, and Huang Muwens color improved instantly.

Bai Xue looked around, standing and brushing off his robe. As long as were here shall we plunder this cave?