Chapter 90: Faint with Rage
Nothing was unusual about the River Rain Tomb at the edge of the jungle.
Yet they had all witnessed it with their own eyes—Gu Yi and Shu Le vanished without a trace right here, as if a deep abyss lay hidden, ready to swallow a person whole. Perhaps it meant life, perhaps death.
The Seventh Princess was reluctant to leave for a long time. She used her spiritual arts to search, pressing her palm to the ground as waves of spiritual energy rippled outward, spreading into the distance.
If those two were still nearby, she would sense them.
But she kept her hand pressed to the earth for a long time, and her spiritual energy disappeared into the ground like raindrops falling into the sea—no change at all.
The others had nothing to say. The sudden disappearance of companions always bred worry, especially since that Qingfeng did not seem weak.
“I can’t find them.” The Seventh Princess stood up helplessly, shaking her head. “You should go back first.”
Chen Mingguang’s grip on his sword tightened involuntarily, his gaze shadowed. Was this the start of losing friends?
“Let’s all go together. It’s dangerous here,” Ji Lan said, hands on her hips as she turned to leave first.
For these children, barely blooded on the battlefield, all that had happened was part of what they must learn to bear.
The three from East Lake Institute lagged behind. Xin Chi spoke to Shao Dong, who was carrying Shao Yang on his back: “...They’ll be all right.”
“Hm?” Shao Dong hadn’t caught her words.
Xin Chi’s mind lingered on a detail. “Didn’t you notice? When they vanished, they called out ‘Gu Yi,’ not ‘Ma Yuan.’”
“I noticed, but...”
“The Immortal’s Envoy was him. They’ll be all right.”
Perhaps it was faith that the immortals of Little Yuan Mountain would not fall so easily, lending her a little confidence.
Victory Pass.
As grand and imposing as ever, yet filled with an air of grim solemnity.
Standing atop the city wall, General He Jiang quickly noticed two were missing from those who returned; the soldiers saw it as well.
At the very least, they could not fail to notice Shu Le, ethereal as a fairy, missing from among them.
To go out to war and not return—no one understood the implications more deeply than they.
The fortress fell silent.
“Damn it!”
General He Jiang’s furious curse seemed to echo in the hush, the soldiers almost certain, though his voice was low.
As they entered the gate, Ji Lan grabbed He Jiang by the arm. “Don’t waste words—come with me. No need to explain to the others. There’s something new: Shu Yu from the Grand Rain Palace didn’t return either.”
He Jiang’s expression darkened in shock. “Did they kill each other?”
“More likely, they disappeared together. So be careful. We’ve lost two people; look at the soldiers’ eyes—Fenggu Pass must be in the same condition.”
Who knew what might happen when two powder kegs were placed side by side?
He Jiang’s face grew more severe.
“Vice Commander Zuo!” he barked.
“Present, sir!”
“Send out two more squads. Keep your eyes peeled—don’t let anything from Fenggu Pass escape your notice. If even a chicken comes running out, I want to know if it’s a hen or a rooster!”
“Yes, sir!”
Ji Lan, hands on her hips and swaying, headed out beyond Victory Pass.
He Jiang called after her, “Where are you going?”
“To call for reinforcements. Now that little Shu Le from Luyang Institute is missing, only you and I remain at the Reversion stage. But at Fenggu Pass, there should be three in addition to Shu Yu.”
“Three? Besides Sun Liang and Gu Feng, who else?”
Clang, clang.
Ji Lan paused and turned back. “I saw the child Guyue—she must have someone from Grand Rain Palace protecting her.”
In large-scale battles, Reversion-level cultivators rarely decided the outcome directly, but if three from our side faced two specialists from Xu State, the losses would be heavy.
In such times, life was not equal; a cultivator was more valuable and harder to replace than an ordinary soldier.
“Wait, Ji Lan.”
“What now?”
“Those two children...”
He meant to ask if those two from Luyang Institute were truly gone.
Both generals had seen such loss before, but each time a genius from Luyang Institute fell, their numbed hearts still felt it.
“Yeah.” Ji Lan’s voice was low.
She didn’t say more, but General He understood.
He watched her tall, departing figure without another word.
War might be upon them. Shu Le was no match for Shu Yu—they all knew it. Ji Lan sought reinforcements not for when Shu Yu returned but if Shu Le did not...
Then, at Victory Pass and Fenggu Pass, the Reversion cultivators would be two against four.
A gap not easily bridged.
As for the Integration stage—
Most people on this continent would never see a true Integration cultivator in their lives.
...
...
Inside the nameless cave.
Shu Le was still unconscious.
Gu Yi had just broken through to the Reversion stage amid these dire straits, yet there was no joy in it.
Gu Yi knew he’d benefited from previous experience, and he also knew that the seventh realm, beyond the six, was insurmountable for now—there was nothing to be done.
There were so many at the Guardian Spirit stage in this world, held back from Reversion, and most at Reversion would never reach Integration.
Every step from here would only become harder.
Moreover, the spiritual energy vortex stirred by a Reversion cultivator was hard to hide. The explosions outside, distant at first, now grew closer. Meanwhile, Mo Chi was still shouting from outside:
“I’ve found you! Hiding in here, are you?!”
At that, Shu Yu’s face changed. He couldn’t help but grip the sword lying on the ground.
“Don’t move yet. He’s trying to trick us.”
They waited a while—sure enough, all that came from outside was more shouting and commotion, nothing truly concerning.
“Trust me, we can get out of here alive. He may have Integration-level strength, but the three of us together aren’t bound to lose.”
Gu Yi’s gaze fell on Shu Le’s tranquil, unconscious face. “But we need her to wake up first. Shu Le is strong, too.”
“Do you really think we have that much time to wait?” Shu Yu asked.
What did he mean?
Shu Yu said, “Who knows what’s happening outside? After we disappeared, the others surely started fighting. There’s no understanding between enemies. Your people will think we schemed against you, our people will blame my disappearance on Xu State. Perhaps war has already begun.”
Gu Yi lay back, hands clasped behind his head. “I don’t like war, but I don’t have the power to stop it yet. Besides, I’m not plagued by indecision or an all-embracing love for the world. If war must come, so be it. In every world, humanity makes this mistake.”
“In your eyes, killing Xu people is wrong, isn’t it?” Shu Yu sneered. “But I fight for the Palace Mistress—she has been good to me. How can it be wrong to fight for her?”
“I’m not one for complicated questions. Maybe there’s no right or wrong. Shu Le fights for her revered Luyang Institute, you fight for your Palace Mistress, and you don’t hate her, do you?”
Shu Yu turned away. “The answer to that is meaningless. I only know the Grand Rain Palace cannot lose. The Palace Mistress and I are of the Mo clan—if we fail, humiliation or death awaits us.”
“There are many ordinary people in Luyang City as well. If the city falls, they’ll be slaughtered.”
Right and wrong seemed to matter little now.
Gu Yi said, “I know you’re not a bad person, and neither are we. We’ve just run into terrible circumstances.”
“There’s no changing it.”
Gu Yi frowned. “You know, for someone as beautiful as you, you’re so full of negativity. You’re strong, but your pessimism makes you rather unlikeable.”
“We’re enemies. Why should I care if you like me? Shu Le is from your Luyang Institute—you’re free to like her.”
“Forget it.” Gu Yi curled his lip and shook his head. “I don’t like her either. The two of you are the same—dull and tiresome.”
Unexpectedly, as he said this, Shu Le’s brows twitched and she began to wake, struggling to sit up. But hearing Gu Yi’s words, she fell back in anger.
Gu Yi, startled by the noise, cried, “Shu Le, you’re awake?”
Shu Yu couldn’t help but laugh. “Is this your idea of interesting?”