NABC Chapter 2134 A Chance Encounter
Chapter 2134 A Chance Encounter
Chapter 2134 A Chance Encounter
However, Cao Feiyu possessed profound cultivation and a resolute will. Taking a deep breath, she forcefully suppressed the surging blood and qi and the distracting thoughts arising in her mind, pushing her cultivation technique to its limit. Her Yuan energy surged through her body like a tide, forcefully dispelling the mental interference caused by the invading cold death energy and eerie whispers.
After a short while, Cao Feiyu's aura returned to normal.
Seeing that Cao Feiyu had regained her composure, Chen Fei felt somewhat relieved. He sat back down by the rock wall, but instead of taking out the jade slip again, he focused most of his attention on being vigilant.
Under the shadows, one's consciousness is limited, and the five senses are greatly suppressed; danger often comes from unexpected directions.
At the same time, Chen Fei also spared a sliver of attention to monitor the progress of the Night Demon Warrior's puppet-making array within the Guixu Realm. The moment the Yin aspect descended, the Guixu Realm was slightly affected, the space trembling slightly, but it quickly stabilized.
The Night Demon Warriors did not pause their movements at all. On the contrary, due to the strong Yin energy in the outside world, the Guixu Realm automatically absorbed a trace of pure Yin energy and integrated it into the refining process, making the material of the array puppet seem to have gained a deeper and more resilient tempering.
Time flowed slowly in the absolute darkness and biting cold. The eerie whispers in my ear rose and fell, as if trying to break through my defenses.
Deep within the rift valley, occasionally some chilling sounds could be heard, like crying, roaring, or the sound of bones grinding, but they were all quite far away and did not approach the stone platform.
In the silence and darkness, Cao Feiyu's aura gradually became steady and profound.
The Blood-Veined Crimson Ganoderma and the Seven-Leaf Star Grass truly lived up to their reputation as top-grade healing medicines of the sixteenth rank. Their medicinal power was gentle yet powerful, like a gentle stream of warm water, constantly nourishing her damaged meridians, internal organs, and soul.
The aura emanating from his body had become more solid and restrained. Although he was still quite far from fully recovered, he was at least no longer as weak as before. As long as he didn't encounter a powerful enemy at the late stage of the Tai Cang Realm or be surrounded by multiple people, he could protect himself without worry.
However, just as Cao Feiyu's recovery was entering a critical stage.
"Waaah!"
A scream, far sharper than any of the previous eerie whispers, filled with terror and violence, came suddenly from the darkness above the rift, like a rag being torn apart, approaching with astonishing speed.
Chen Fei suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes, a flash of golden light disappearing from them.
Almost at the same time, Cao Feiyu, who was sitting cross-legged healing her injuries, suddenly opened her eyes. Her icy blue eyes shone with a cold starlight in the darkness. She forcibly interrupted her cultivation, and with a sway of her body, she appeared in front of Chen Fei like a wisp of smoke, her Autumn Water Longsword already half an inch out of its sheath.
Despite her injuries not yet fully healed, her reactions and decisions remained remarkably decisive.
Their eyes flashed like lightning as they both looked toward the direction from which the roar came.
"Boom!"
The thick, inky black mist of malevolent energy was violently blasted away by a brute force, and a figure surging with dark demonic energy staggered into the area of the stone platform.
Its body is similar to that of an ordinary person, but it is shrouded in a constantly twisting and changing shadow, with only a pair of eyes burning with two scarlet flames.
A vast aura of deathly resentment, along with a nauseatingly cold and eerie atmosphere, surged forth like a tangible wave as it entered.
It was a strange being unique to the dark side of the ancient Heavenly Court ruins—the Vengeful Demon, and judging from the intensity of its aura, it had reached the mid-stage of the Tai Cang Realm.
This vengeful demon seemed to be seriously injured. Its demonic energy flickered and its form sometimes solidified and sometimes dissipated. When its scarlet eyes swept over Chen Fei and Cao Feiyu, they first revealed an instinctive greed and bloodlust for all living beings, but then this desire was forcibly suppressed.
"Get out of my way! Anyone who blocks my path will die!"
The vengeful demon let out a roar filled with endless resentment and rage. It seemed to be in a hurry to escape and had no time to care about the two prey in front of it. Its scarlet eyes were fixed on the intricate depths of the rift behind the stone platform. It turned its body and tried to go around the side of the stone platform and continue to escape into the depths of the rift.
Chen Fei remained calm and did not react to the roar of the vengeful demon. His gaze did not linger on the demon, but instead passed over it and was directed toward the narrow entrance to the passage from which the demon was charging.
Just as the vengeful demon Huang Jiugao was about to sweep across the stone platform.
"laugh!"
A faint, almost inaudible, yet sharp sound, seemingly capable of slicing through the soul, rang out without warning at the entrance of the passage.
The next moment, a mysterious and unpredictable Daoist aura, seemingly capable of separating Yin and Yang and determining purity and turbidity, spread silently like mercury spilling onto the ground, instantly enveloping an area of dozens of miles around the entrance to the stone platform.
This Daoist aura was not domineering, but it carried an undeniable power of definition, as if at this moment, the space, energy, and even the rules of that area were forcibly divided into two parts.
The illusory figure of the vengeful demon Huang Jiugao suddenly stiffened, its scarlet eyes revealing extreme horror and madness.
It tried to use the illusion technique that the vengeful demon was best at, to blend into the dense malevolent and deathly aura around it and escape, but suddenly a tearing pain came from its body. It was the pain from being injured in its own body during its escape.
The intense pain slowed the power it was gathering by an insignificant moment.
And that one moment is enough.
That Daoist essence that divides Yin and Yang is like the sharpest, invisible thread, gently brushing past.
"puff!"
Without a deafening roar or dazzling light, the already illusory and unstable figure of the Vengeful Demon Huang Jiugao, like a frozen reflection in water, suddenly split open from the middle.
The upper and lower body separated silently, and thick, ink-black demonic energy gushed out wildly from the broken surface, accompanied by the abruptly stopped roar of the vengeful demon.
Its scarlet eyes dimmed rapidly and eventually went out completely.
The remaining body exploded with a "bang," transforming into the purest resentful demonic death energy and essence. However, before it could disperse, it was quickly assimilated and devoured by the omnipresent yin-faced death energy around it, leaving only a resentful demonic core about the size of a fist, with distorted faces constantly appearing and disappearing on its surface.
It fell to the cold ground with a clatter, rolled a few times, and stopped not far in front of Chen Fei and Cao Feiyu.
The thick black fog at the entrance of the passage seemed to be parted by an invisible hand, and three figures silently appeared outside the stone platform.
The leader was a burly man with a calm face and deep, unfathomable eyes, like an ancient well with a cold pool. He was none other than Shi Pojun.
To his left was Chang Guwu, whose face was gloomy.
To Shi Pojun's right was Liu Yanqing, a woman holding a slender, rapier-like sword that shimmered with a hazy purple light.
A faint smile played on her beautiful face. The strange sword strike that had just cleaved Yin and Yang and slain the vengeful demon was her own.
The gazes of Shi Pojun and the other two were like the coldest blades, instantly passing over the dissipating remains of the vengeful demon and landing on Chen Fei and Cao Feiyu, who were standing guard in the center of the stone platform.
The chilling killing intent, like a tangible gust of cold wind, instantly froze the air around the stone platform.
"We meet again, you two!" Shi Pojun's words pierced the silence like an ice pick.
Almost at the same instant he finished speaking, Liu Yanqing moved.
Her lowered eyelids suddenly lifted, and her cold eyes lost all tenderness, leaving only an indifference like ancient ice and precise calculation.
Liu Yanqing's hands, without her noticing, had released the slender purple rapier and instead formed an extremely complex hand seal.
Her ten fingers danced like butterflies flitting among flowers, moving so fast that they left afterimages. With each flick of her fingertips, a wisp of purple light, as thin as a hair yet condensed to the extreme, shot out and disappeared into the surrounding void.
"Boundary Separation Technique, freeze!"
Liu Yanqing parted her red lips slightly, uttering four cold syllables. There was no earth-shattering sound, but Chen Fei and Cao Feiyu simultaneously felt that the surrounding space, light, energy, and even the omnipresent chilling death aura had undergone some indescribable fundamental change in that instant.
A distinct sense of division and definition suddenly descended upon me.
Using the narrow passageway at the edge of the stone platform as an invisible boundary, Liu Yanqing's power precisely delineated an independent area.
The space was like a lake surface tossed with pebbles, rippling outwards in visible circles. These ripples did not spread outwards, but rather contracted and coalesced inwards, forming a barrier that separated the inside from the outside.
Inside the barrier, the rules were slightly altered, the space became viscous, and the flow of vital energy became sluggish. This was the power of the boundary-splitting technique taking effect, aiming to lock and isolate Cao Feiyu, Chen Fei, and the remains of the vengeful demon.
However, just as the purple-gold spatial ripples were about to completely close, Chen Fei's usually calm eyes suddenly narrowed, and a dazzling golden light flashed in the depths of his eyes.
It wasn't fear, nor panic, but a calm that saw through everything, and a gaze that had been waiting for a long time.
"Boom!"
A muffled, deafening roar, as if striking a node in the spatial fabric, exploded without warning on the stone platform. It did not originate from Chen Fei, nor from Cao Feiyu, but from the empty shadow beside Chen Fei.
A figure with a dark golden metallic luster seemed to emerge from nothingness and appear beside Chen Fei.
Its timing was impeccable, and its location was precisely positioned at the most crucial point of the purple-gold spatial ripples, just as they were about to converge.
It was a mid-grade sixteenth-order array puppet that had just been upgraded within the Guixu Realm.
There was no actual explosion, but rather a violent disturbance and disorder at the level of rules. The puppet's kick caused the purple ripples, which were enough to divide the space between Yin and Yang, to suddenly vibrate, twist, and become disordered.
The originally stable convergence trajectory was abruptly interrupted and distorted.
For the first time, a look of surprise and doubt appeared on Liu Yanqing's beautiful face.
She sensed that the power of her boundary-separating spell was being forcibly interfered with by a brute force. That force did not overcome skill with brute force, but rather disrupted the logic of her spell's definition in a more sophisticated and fundamental way.
"Buzz!"
The purple-gold barrier shone brightly and took shape instantly, but the scope and objects it covered were completely opposite to Liu Yanqing's original intention.
The barrier crashed down like an inverted giant bowl, but inside it were Chen Fei, the puppet master, Shi Pojun, Chang Guwu, Liu Yanqing, and the vengeful demon Huang Jiugao who had just been killed.
However, due to Chen Fei's skillful guidance and the interference of the array puppets just before the barrier was formed, Cao Feiyu was perfectly ejected from the barrier's range by a gentle spatial distortion and repulsive force, leaving her unharmed.
The barrier instantly separated the inside from the outside into two worlds.
Inside the barrier, Chen Fei stood side by side with the tall array puppet, facing Shi Pojun with a gloomy expression, Liu Yanqing with a look of surprise and uncertainty, and Chang Guwu who was poised to attack.
Outside the barrier, Cao Feiyu stood with her sword in hand, her beautiful face filled with worry and anxiety. Looking at the slightly slender yet exceptionally upright figure inside the barrier, her heart clenched.
"Senior sister, you go first!"
Chen Fei's voice rang clearly in Cao Feiyu's ears.
"After I trap them with the formation, I'll catch up with you immediately. Don't delay. I have a way to trap them. Trust me, otherwise it will be harder for the two of you to leave later."
His words were concise, yet each one carried immense weight, brimming with undeniable confidence. He didn't explain how he had trapped three equally powerful individuals, nor did he mention the dangers of his actions; he simply told Cao Feiyu to go and to trust him.
At the same moment the sound was transmitted, the newly formed purple-gold barrier suddenly burst forth with an even more dazzling light.
It wasn't Liu Yanqing who was controlling it, but Chen Fei who was using the residual interference of the array puppet on spatial fluctuations to forcibly inject a power of array with sealing and distortion into the barrier.
This force was not meant to destroy the barrier, but rather, like vines entwining around a large tree, it instantly became entangled with Liu Yanqing's barrier-splitting technique, each containing elements of the other, making the stability and control of the entire barrier extremely complex and chaotic.
To Liu Yanqing's surprise and anger, she discovered that removing the barrier immediately had become extremely difficult. She needed to spend time and effort to sort out and separate the chaotic array power that Chen Fei had injected.
Just as the forces inside and outside the barrier intertwined and temporarily achieved a delicate balance, a gentle yet overwhelming force precisely acted on Cao Feiyu.
This force wasn't an attack; it was more like a strong wind, propelling Cao Feiyu's body backward involuntarily in the opposite direction of the barrier.
It was Chen Fei. While manipulating the power of the barrier to entangle Liu Yanqing, he was also able to distract himself and cleverly use the spatial distortion power left over from when the barrier was formed to transform it into propulsion, in order to send Cao Feiyu away.
"Chen Fei!"
Cao Feiyu exclaimed in surprise, her voice filled with anxiety, worry, and a hint of anger at being forcibly abandoned.
Instinctively, she wanted to resist the force, turning and rushing back into the barrier to fight alongside Chen Fei. How could she stand by and watch Chen Fei face three equally powerful enemies alone? That would be tantamount to suicide!
“Let’s go, Senior Sister. This place is dangerous, but I have my own way of escaping. If you stay, I’ll be held back. Let’s find a safe place to recover from our injuries first. If I manage to escape, I will come looking for you.”
The last sentence carried an unquestionable air of command.
Cao Feiyu's figure was swept up by that force, instantly traversing thousands of miles, disappearing into the depths of the rift valley like a shooting star. In her ears, the whistling wind and Chen Fei's final, resolute voice echoed.
She was pushed thousands of miles away until the force completely dissipated, at which point Cao Feiyu managed to regain her balance and land behind a jagged rock formation.
Her chest heaved violently, her beautiful face drained of color, and her once clear and cold eyes were now filled with intense struggle and profound helplessness.
Looking back, all she saw was boundless darkness and surging malevolent energy. She could no longer see the radiance of the barrier, nor could she sense any trace of Chen Fei, Shi Pojun, or the others.
The area inside and outside the barrier seemed to be two different worlds.
“Chen Fei…” Cao Feiyu bit her lower lip so hard it almost bled. Her mind raced, like boiling water.
Did Chen Fei ask her to leave to sacrifice himself and cover her retreat? Or was he truly... confident?
She recalled Chen Fei's unfathomable mastery of the Undying True Light Mirror, his cultivation having reached the mid-stage of the Tai Cang Realm, and his unusual calmness when facing Shi Pojun and the other two...
Chen Fei was by no means a reckless person willing to die. He was meticulous and thoughtful. Since he dared to stay and even said that he had a way to trap them, perhaps... he really did have some unknown trump cards?
If he insists on staying, just as he said, not only will he not be of any help, but he may also become a burden, distracting him from taking care of others, and he may even be captured by Shi Pojun and others and used as a hostage...
But... those are three mid-stage Tai Cang Realm cultivators, with Shi Pojun even reaching the late-stage half-step. No matter how strong Chen Fei is, or how many opportunities he has, he has only just broken through to the mid-stage; how could he possibly defeat them?
How long can he hold on to his so-called trapping and escape? And what will be the price?
If they stay, they might both perish.
Leaving might give Chen Fei a real chance to maneuver and escape on his own?
Various thoughts clashed and struggled fiercely in Cao Feiyu's mind. Staying would be out of loyalty and affection, but it might render Chen Fei's decision futile, resulting in the deaths of both of them.
Leaving is painful, but it preserves a glimmer of hope and allows the message to be sent back, seeking justice for Chen Fei.
"Shi Pojun!"
A deep-seated hatred and icy coldness suddenly flashed in Cao Feiyu's eyes, and she practically spat out the name through clenched teeth.
If Chen Fei really falls victim to Shi Pojun's cruelty here, Cao Feiyu swears to the heavens that she will make Shi Pojun pay for his crime, no matter what it takes, even if it means going to the ends of the earth or paying any price.
She needed to leave the ruins immediately and report the matter to the Dan Chen Sect and its Enforcement Hall. Shi Pojun, a disciple of the Gui Xu Sect, dared to openly collude with outsiders within the ruins to kill his fellow disciples; such actions were outrageous and abhorrent to both gods and men.
They must be punished most severely, cast into the Abyss of Floating Ember, where they will suffer the torment of soul refining for eternity.
Ultimately, reason, trust in Chen Fei's judgment, and the heavy sense of responsibility overcame the impulse to live and die together.
Cao Feiyu stomped her foot hard, no longer hesitating, and her figure transformed into a streak of ice-blue light, speeding away.
She had to find a relatively safe place as soon as possible to recover from her injuries, and then find a way to leave the ruins and take the message out. This was the only thing she could do now, and the best response to Chen Fei's decision.
Tears, the moment she turned away, finally slipped uncontrollably from the corners of her eyes, instantly frozen into ice crystals by the icy aura, and dissipated into the darkness.
At the bottom of the rift, a purplish-gold barrier resembles an inverted glass bowl. The barrier shimmers with light, and the interior space exhibits a strange, slightly distorted texture, isolating itself from the dense dark aura outside and forming an independent and oppressive battlefield.
Inside the barrier, the atmosphere was as still as ice that had been frozen for millennia.