Chapter 239: Rolling Boy
Across the field. An endless monotony repeated itself before them. When Hui glanced back, no trace remained of their crossing. When he looked ahead, he saw no way to differentiate the field before him with the field behind. Am I even moving? Maybe I should stop. Its pointless.
Hui shook his head hard and slapped his cheeks. No! Dont let the realm get to you. Its a trap realm, a trap! I have to keep my mind clear, or the realm will slip in and interfere with me. nove(l)bi(n.)com
He closed his eyes and quickly redrew his mental barrier talisman. A shining barrier appeared around his mental energy. Although the despair remained, the barrier lessened it somewhat, lowering it to the point that he could identify it as external energy, rather than his own despair. He breathed out, circulating his qi.
Youre a resourceful one, Chen Wuya commented, striding along beside him.
Hui glanced aside at the man. He tightened his grip on the ball that was all that remained of Gu Tians soul. I have to stay on guard. This man is dangerous.
He glanced at Chen Wuya again, then dropped into a short bow. Patriarch, would you grant this small cultivator a question?
Chen Wuya inclined his head.
Respectfully, sir when you were thrown in this realm, why didnt they destroy your soul transferal array? Why just attack it, but not completely destroy it?
They did, Chen Wuya said bluntly.
Theyeh? Hui said, startled. But its been used since then. Li Xiang, me, Gu Tian
Hui backed away, bowing repeatedly. Many apologies, Patriarch. Even this poor, pitiful cultivator did not recognize your illustrious name.
They completely erased me from the sect That damned Fen Long! His fist clenched, and his eyes began to burn again. The fluctuations grew stronger, smashing into Hui as almost physical blows.
Hui hunkered down, quickly drawing a barrier talisman in the dirt in front of him. A barrier sprang up, then shattered, barely enough to protect him from a single moment of Chen Wuyas pressure.
Someone unspeakably powerful was Chen Wuya helping Yunxu? But no, that cant be right. He doesnt know anything about the outside world. Not whats happened to the sect, or that he doesnt have followers Besides, if he could exert that much energy on the outside world, he would have escaped this realm long ago. I dont think Chen Wuyas the one who helped Yunxu.
Another wave of pressure slammed into Hui before he could draw a second talisman. He flew backward, tumbling over the dried poppies. Rather than fight it, Hui let himself be buffeted by the waves. He tumbled away, casually falling further and further from Chen Wuya.
Oh no, Im getting so far away from Senior! Ah, Senior, forgive this small cultivator if he gets lost and goes on ahead, okay? Hui thought smugly to himself as he rolled along. I didnt even have to lift a finger, and Patriarch helped me escape from him all on his own. This small Hui is really too clever, just too clever!
Between one roll and the next, a ragged pavilion appeared suddenly in front of Hui. Where Gu Tians had been old and ruined, this one was far more ancient. The wood seemed on the verge of rotting away, the silk curtains barely more than scraps. One of the pillars had broken in two, and many of the floorboards were missing. Dried poppies sprouted through holes in the pavilion, as if it had broken down in such antiquity that the long-dead poppies had grown through the holes, then died.
An intense premonition of death hit Hui as he flew toward it. Fierce power emanated from the rotting wood. He tensed. That pavilion is bad news!
He extended his feet and slammed them into the ground, but by that point, his tumbling, backed by the power of Chen Wuyas fluctuations, had reached incredible speeds. His feet grazed the ground and bounced back off, unable to slow him down a single breath. He grabbed at the earth with his hands as it flew past, but only scored a few finger-rifts in the ground before rolling away once more. Another wave of Chen Wuyas fluctuations hit him, speeding him along even faster than before. He hurtled toward the pavilion. Barely a fingers breadth separated him and the rotten, crumbling thing.
Hui opened his mouth to shout and startle Chen Wuya out of his anger, but before he could, he fell into the pavilion. Darkness swallowed him, and the dried-out poppy field faded away.