Chapter 48

Chapter 48

At the sound, Ren Fengjue instinctively moved Xia Ximo behind him.

Then another bolt of lightning split the sky, followed by a deafening crash of thunder.

Outside, the sky darkened almost in an instant.

Inside the Soul-Ferrying Lantern, Wuyou cried out at once, “It’s here!”

Xia Ximo’s ears twitched. She had already caught sight of a black shadow flashing past the doorway.

Her gaze sharpened, and she was about to give chase when Ren Fengjue caught her sleeve. “Be careful.”

“Worry about yourself first.”

Xia Ximo shook off his hand and walked to the door. She looked in the direction the shadow had vanished, only to find that the collapsed main hall had transformed into a deep abyss.

And above that abyss stood a golden Buddha ten thousand feet tall, its light so blinding it seemed to rival the heavens.

At the sight, Xia Ximo instinctively shielded her eyes. But in the next second, a force like suction seized her body and dragged her toward the abyss…

Her vision went abruptly dark, yet a familiar voice sounded beside her ear.

“From this day forward, the young miss will recuperate in the side courtyard. Unless there is a need, she is not to wander outside.”

Xia Ximo’s eyes flew open. What came into view was a familiar, dilapidated room.

The furnishings were crude, and amid the dampness lingered a cold, moldy smell. Clearly, no one had lived here for a very long time.

She immediately felt this “body” being swallowed by fear. It began to tremble uncontrollably.

“Let me out!”

“I don’t want to live here!”

“Aunt, I’ll be obedient, I promise. Let me out…”

Her desperate screams were answered only by the maid’s scoff.

“Miss Xia should save her strength.”

“Madam said your health is poor and you need quiet rest.”

“This courtyard happens to be secluded. It’s perfect for Miss Xia to recover in.”

The door was locked from the outside, and the maid refused to open it, so she went to look at the window.

Unfortunately, the sill was far too high. With this frail, sickly body, there was no way she could climb up.

The “body” began to lose strength. Cold and hungry, it could only curl up on the floor and hug itself.

So cold. Was it snowing outside?

Xia Ximo looked toward the window. Sure enough, beyond the half-open frame, heavy snow was drifting down in great, feathery flakes.

The thin garment on her body was far too light. She instinctively went to the bed, but all she could find was one worn, thin blanket.

Yet even wrapped in the blanket, she was still cold.

So cold her teeth chattered, and her hands and feet gradually lost all feeling.

The “body” felt as though it had been encased in a layer of frost.

She heard a voice inside her heart saying-Am I going to die here?

I won’t accept this. I can’t die here!

I can’t let Mu Tingting marry into the Marquis Mansion in my place! I have to break off the engagement!

I have to make Lady Fan pay with her life for murder!

The voice in her heart screamed, but her consciousness began to blur.

Just then, a black shadow appeared in the room and extended a hand toward her.

“Everything you desire, I can help you achieve.”

“All you need to do is offer me your soul.”

“I will grant you power, and you will be able to do anything you wish.”

As the black shadow spoke its temptations, it slowly approached.

Xia Ximo looked at it, her eyes seeming vacant.

But just as the black shadow gradually enveloped her, her gaze suddenly turned cold and terrifying.

“Are you sure you want my soul?”

The black shadow froze in astonishment. In the next second, an intense surge of Baleful Qi utterly incompatible with its own essence slammed into it, as though it meant to devour it whole.

“Nine Abyss Soul Prisoner…”

“How can this be!”

“Why are you able to possess her body?”

Xia Ximo smiled coldly and rose to her feet. A black figure, as if painted in thick ink, clung to her body.

“Go ask the Earth Lord of the Underworld Administration yourself.”

Knowing it was no match for her, the black shadow suddenly let out a sinister laugh. With a thunderous boom, the Illusionary Realm collapsed.
Xia Ximo swayed on her feet and nearly dropped to her knees.

When she looked up again, she found herself still inside that ruined temple. Everything around her had returned to normal.

But behind her, Ren Fengjue stood rooted to the spot as though something had frozen him in place, clearly still trapped within the Illusionary Realm.

“Ren Fengjue!”

Xia Ximo tried to call out to him, but he gave no response at all.

Thinking back to when she had been inside the Illusionary Realm, she had not heard Ren Fengjue’s voice either. Most likely, those trapped within it were unaffected by the outside world.

Which meant there was only one way…

She was just about to draw her soul from her body when Wuyou immediately stopped her. “Don’t do anything reckless. What if you can’t come back afterward?”

Xia Ximo still looked completely unconcerned. “Then I’ll just go back to where I came from.”

As she spoke, a wisp of Yin Soul separated from her body. It turned into a shadow and slipped into Ren Fengjue’s eyes.

Wuyou shouted in terror, “You’re going to regret this!”

–

“Miss Xia!”

Ren Fengjue had just been about to step out of the palace doors when the ground suddenly vanished beneath his feet, and his entire body plunged into a void.

Shocked, he flailed his arms, only to slam hard into solid ground.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a cold crescent moon hanging at the edge of the sky.

Beneath him was a pool of blood.

“Young Marquis…”

A weak voice called to him. He turned his head, and his heart jolted with horror.

Someone lay in the blood.

li Jun, Deputy General of the Golden Plume Army.

In agony, he forced two words from his throat. “Run… now!”

But Ren Fengjue moved forward, trying to help him up from the ground. “No. I’m taking you with me.”

“No.” Li Jun shook his head. “I… won’t make it.”

“Ride Little White Dragon back to the military camp and tell General Yang there are bandits here.”

“For the safety of the people in this area, ask the general to take action and capture them.”

“Go!”

With the last of his strength, Li Jun uttered that final word, then collapsed to the ground and breathed no more.

Grief swallowed Ren Fengjue whole.

Only yesterday, Li Jun had been telling him that once they returned to the capital, he would finally be able to drink the wine his mother had brewed with her own hands.

Now they were already on the road back. Home was within reach. How could this have happened?

Firelight began to flicker all around him, and someone shouted, “There’s another one here! Don’t let him get away!”

Ren Fengjue did not dare delay. He picked up Li Jun’s spear from the ground, vaulted onto the horse, squeezed its flanks, and the steed broke into a gallop.

“Over there! Shoot him!”

Sharp arrows tore through the air with a shrill hiss.

Ren Fengjue could only use the spear to block the arrows while racing toward the Golden Plume Army’s encampment.

But the enemy had the advantage in numbers and chased him relentlessly.

An arrow struck him squarely in the left shoulder. His entire body lurched, and he nearly fell from the horse. Fortunately, his other hand caught the reins, and with a push of his feet, he flattened himself against the horse’s back, barely managing not to fall.

But immediately after, two more arrows came flying. One hit his calf, the other his right arm.

After struggling for a moment, he still fell from the horse, his whole body rolling into the dense forest.

Agonizing pain crashed over him. His body felt as if it had been torn apart, yet his mind was strangely clear.

He wanted to get up, but he could not move. Only one thought remained in his heart-he could not die!

He could not let Li Jun and those dozen brothers sacrifice themselves for nothing!

He had to kill those bandits and avenge them!

But just then, a dark shadow floated in midair, nearly blotting out half the moonlight.

“This place is still a hundred li from the Golden Plume Army camp. You don’t have much time left.”

“Why not let me help you?”

Ren Fengjue’s mind was hazy as he asked, “Who are you?”

“There is no need to ask who I am. I merely wish to borrow your soul for a time…”

As the dark shadow spoke, it extended a hand, slowly reaching toward him.

Just then, a voice came from behind it.

“Get your filthy hand away from him.”