Chapter 129

Chapter 129

How was it possible…

How could anyone walk out of the Punishment Field completely unharmed?

Yang Baduan stared, his face full of shock.

How exactly had she done it?

Or was she like those people from the Eleventh Realm, without a conscience, incapable of repentance?

As he thought, a chill ran down his back. It felt as though a pair of dark eyes had fixed on him from somewhere unseen, making his temples and the space between his brows twitch involuntarily. He instinctively wanted to close his eyes. A fear response had actually set in.

His intuition told him he was in grave danger now.

Naturally, the danger came from Xie Qingling.

The vast arena was empty. Yang Baduan’s heart thundered.

She had vanished, yet seemed to be everywhere. East, west, south, north – she could suddenly appear from any direction.

The feeling that someone was about to seize his throat made his whole body tense.

He rapidly considered his options. So far, the most troublesome divine ability she had shown was invisibility.

And no one knew how to break it. Once she found a chance to become invisible, she would appear and disappear like a ghost, impossible to track.

The only certainty was that he, her target, stood here. Sooner or later, she would approach this position and strike.

But likewise, no one knew where she would strike from.

Wait. Xie Qingling liked to ambush from behind.

Yang Baduan immediately looked behind him and began to defend. But before he could turn his body, a sudden spray of blood at the corner of his eye obscured his vision.

A clean cut had appeared across his neck.

Warm, scarlet blood sprayed from the artery in his neck, spilling across the ground.

Scarlet blood dripped from Xie Qingling’s hand, sticky and thick.

With that single slash, another fight ended.

The two External Doubles gradually vanished, and their consciousnesses returned to their real bodies.

Xie Qingling opened her eyes and instinctively flicked her hand, feeling as though Yang Baduan’s blood still clung to it in a sticky mess.

She drew Bloodsworn, wiped the blades with a piece of black velvet cloth, then put them away again.

Shen Huaizhou looked at her several times, then at the shocked Tang Yuanxiao. Though he said nothing, his expression was full of satisfaction.

Tang Yuanxiao looked at Xie Qingling in disbelief, suddenly unable to find anything to say.

Yang Baduan’s ability was not very useful against the Eleventh Realm, but was remarkably effective at beating up his own teammates.

Someone like Tang Yuanxiao, if caught in his Punishment Field, would suffer terribly even if he survived.

Sometimes, Yang Baduan’s ability even had some effect when used to interrogate people from the Eleventh Realm.

Nothing like Xie Qingling, who not only suffered no consequences, but acted as though nothing had happened.

Outrageous!

“How did you cross the mountain of blades?” Tang Yuanxiao asked. “Was there some trick? Tell me.”

Xie Qingling: “I walked on my feet.”

“That’s it?”

“What else?” She looked up at him. “Don’t you use your feet to walk?”

It couldn’t be that simple!

“Xie Qingling, you’re not an undercover agent sent by the Eleventh Realm, are you?”

“Oh? Why do you say that?” she asked.

“You act very much like them.” Tang Yuanxiao racked his brains and found a word to describe it. “Uncanny.”

She raised a fist. “What nonsense are you talking? Do you want me to beat you up?”

Shen Huaizhou indicated that he could lend a hand if needed.

Submitting to their tyranny, Tang Yuanxiao could only close his mouth resentfully and say no more.

Meanwhile, Yang Baduan opened his eyes on the dais and began coughing violently.

He seemed still to feel the suffocation of blood choking his windpipe.

Wangsun Huahua kindly handed him a cup of tea.

Only after drinking it did he recover his senses.

Narrowing his eyes, he murmured, “Something’s wrong.”

“What’s wrong? Getting beaten up by a newcomer?” Wangsun Huahua said. “Broad-minded Director Yang, you can’t go troubling a newcomer just because you can’t accept losing.”

He shook his head, his expression solemn. “I’m not concerned about winning or losing. I’m just wondering…”

He paused, then said, “I’m just wondering whether she’s from the Eleventh Realm.”

Wangsun Huahua: “…”

He had already started talking nonsense. It was hard to believe he did not care.

“You’re overthinking it.”

“Apart from people from the Eleventh Realm, very few can leave my Punishment Field unharmed. But she did.”

“She created a great deal of ‘killing karma.’ Her punishment should have been severe. But the Hell of the Mirror of Sin couldn’t reveal her sins. She seems to think killing is perfectly natural, not a sin.” A trace of bewilderment appeared in his eyes. “She walked the road of blades with conviction too, still not believing herself guilty. Yet she’s only a newcomer.”

As Yang Baduan sank into thought, Wangsun Huahua suddenly burst into laughter.

“Apart from her, isn’t there someone else here who can leave your Punishment Field unharmed? Suspecting her on that basis alone is far too flimsy.”

There was indeed another person who could leave it unharmed – Gu Liansheng, Director of the Medical Department.

Years ago, Yang Baduan had fought him too.

Unlike Xie Qingling, Gu Liansheng’s heart had wavered in the Hell of the Mirror of Sin. Then he had been thrown into the Hell of the Mountain of Blades.

But in the end, he had still come out unharmed.

In that respect, he was exactly like Xie Qingling.
Hearing Wangsun Huahua, Yang Baduan paused, then nodded hesitantly. “True. Let’s keep watching.”

The dais was quiet for a moment.

“If she were truly suspicious, Ling Fang wouldn’t have passed her assessment. You should know that because of what happened with Tang Tian in Future City, Ling Fang’s tests are extremely stringent. When it comes to confirming someone is qualified to be a teammate, he’s more meticulous and thorough than anyone.”

“Besides.” Wangsun Huahua smiled again. “Xie Qingling was quite considerate of your dignity. She didn’t kill you right at the start.”

Considerate of his dignity? Wasn’t that far too arrogant?

Was he that weak?

Yang Baduan frowned. “I don’t think she could have.”

“Oh? But she didn’t even use the weapon I customized for her.” Wangsun Huahua grinned.

Yang Baduan: “…”

In the arena, the second match began.

Two tall, strongly built men faced each other.

One was named Wu Yixing, with an earth-based ability. The other was Sun Liang, with a lightning-based ability.

When they fought, sand and stones flew, and the world seemed to turn dark.

The arena floor had almost been ripped up several times over. Its original appearance was barely recognizable.

If the Logistics Department had not been so experienced at handling such messes, Xie Qingling would genuinely have wondered how the later competitors could fight at all.

The two fought for a long time. Nearly half an hour later, the battle finally ended.

This time, Wu Yixing won.

The lightning-based Spirit Wielder seemed more imposing, but Sun Liang had not been a Spirit Wielder for long and could not use his ability well. In addition, Wu Yixing had torn up the floor and forcibly made himself an insulating shield, breaking through Sun Liang’s defense. In the end, Wu Yixing won.

Another formidable opponent, Xie Qingling thought.

If advancing from the first round to the second might still involve luck, round after round of competition was enough to reduce luck’s role to a minimum. Ultimately, it came down to skill.

Few who reached the final match would be easy to deal with.

Whichever one she faced, she would have to be careful enough.

By now, only three matches remained in the second round.

The competition continued.

Shen Huaizhou suddenly leaned over. “Could I borrow your Yinshan Ghost Token?”

Xie Qingling paused. Though she did not know his plan, she took it out anyway.

“The token itself still works. But without its keeper, the wraith soldier has lost its ability to fight.”

She reminded him, “I control the wraith soldier through Soul Recall. I don’t know whether you can summon it.”

“Don’t forget what my ability is.” Shen Huaizhou smiled at that. “I’ll give it back after the match.”

“Have you worked out how you’ll fight?”

He nodded. “I have.”

Xie Qingling did not know what he had worked out. Since he did not tell her, she did not ask.

After all, they could still become opponents.

They knew each other well, and there was no need to bluff each other. But they should still respect each other before a fight.

At the fourth match, it was finally Shen Huaizhou’s turn.

Qi Tiansheng stood in the arena and called his name.

His opponent was named Wang Haiyang.

Wang Haiyang rode a sheep into the arena. A plum blossom branch rested across his shoulder, a lantern hanging from it and giving off a dim, hazy glow.

The sheep bleated in a sweet, soft voice. It was very lively.

His appearance suggested someone out on an excursion who had wandered into a bloody fighting arena by mistake. But Xie Qingling, who had already watched one of his matches, thought no such thing.

He was the incarnation of the Sheep Prince, a deity who appeared to bestow blessings at the winter solstice.

The Sheep Prince’s own fighting power was not especially strong. The problem was that the present season happened to be winter.

Winter’s wind, winter’s trees, winter’s frost, snow, and rain could all become his weapons.

In other words, winter was the Sheep Prince’s home ground.

This match would be difficult.

Xie Qingling looked at Shen Huaizhou, wondering how he would respond.

His cold face formed a sharp contrast with Wang Haiyang’s adorable expression. It remained just as unreadable as ever.

Wang Haiyang smiled at him. “I’ve watched your match. You’re strong, but your Spear Soul is no match for me.”

Then he waved the plum blossom branch. In an instant, petals fell across the arena.

Flowers bloomed and fell, flowers like snow.

The scene was beautiful.

Yet the flowers were not flowers, and the snow was not snow.

Every plum petal falling near Shen Huaizhou became a sharp blade and attacked him.

He raised his skirt high, then whipped it around hard, as though a pair of enormous butterfly wings were beating. The petals were swept down one after another.

Then he jumped backward, raising the pitch-black Yinshan Ghost Token.

“You’re strong indeed. It seems I can only bring out my Yinshan Ghost Token.”

“I act by the decree of the Yinshan Patriarch!” With that, he extended his long arm and traced an elegant ritual gesture in the air.

The next moment, black-and-red energy appeared on the token. With several rushing sounds, wraith soldiers emerged, looking larger and more numerous than the one Xie Qingling had summoned.

They stood in formation in the arena. Their enormous black cloaks formed a solid ring like an iron barrel, enclosing Shen Huaizhou in the center.

Watching, Tang Yuanxiao felt a headache coming on. This Yinshan Ghost Token looked so impressive. How could everyone use it?

He asked Xie Qingling, “What’s that ritual hand gesture? Did you teach him?”

“It’s nothing at all,” she said.