CHAPTER 47
The End Of An Arc: Xue Xing's Core I.
Unknown Pocket Space — Within the Sky Reaching Pagoda
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In a crack between spatial dimensions, a peculiar youth sat in a lotus position atop a simple futon. He was striving to stabilize his Qi, which currently teetered on the brink of chaotic collapse.
Faint phantom, quivering golden chains crisscrossed around his torso, bleeding shimmering molten runes that faded in and out of existence. Above his head, a crystalline, iridescent pearl hovered, radiating a resplendent rainbow light as he murmured an indiscernible ancient mantra.
This peculiar youth was none other than Xue Xing—the very same enigma Lu Xietong had encountered inside the Sky Reaching Pagoda.
After a tense moment, the golden chains ceased their quivering. They seemed to tighten around him with crushing force before dissolving into his skin, returning to the depths of his body.
Sigh!
Xue Xing let out a deep, shuddering breath which quickly evolved into a series of light, strained coughs.
Rubbing his chest lightly to ensure the chains were truly dormant, he reached out his hand. The iridescent pearl floated down, hovering over his palm for a second before vanishing in a puff of rainbow smoke.
It was the exact same type of pearl he had begrudgingly given to Lu Xietong—clearly, he possessed more than one of these treasures.
"Awwwwwwwwhh!"
He let out an unscrupulous, jaw-cracking yawn as he leaned back, supporting his frame with his hands. This lazy, sprawled posture was a far cry from the dignified, mysterious facade he always maintained in front of others.
His eyes became unfocused as he spaced out. The events that had just transpired replayed in his mind like a broken record as he tried to make sense of the phenomenon that was Lu Xietong.
'I had a hunch that she was odd, but I never expected her to be this extreme,' he thought, clicking his tongue while deep in contemplation. His sharp, pointy incisors peeked through his lips, giving him a predatory look.
In a bid to satisfy his curiosity about just how strange she was, he had used a forbidden subjugating technique to temporarily suppress the powers binding him to the Sky Reaching Pagoda.
Although he was able to leave the world within the tapestry, it was only for a short time. He couldn't stray too far from the artifact, either. The longer he stayed out and the farther he ventured, the greater the backlash would be. He even risked alerting the hidden power that bound him, which could decimate his soul entirely.
Furthermore, his cultivation base was suppressed to an almost non-existent level when he left the tapestry. However, as the saying goes, "a lean camel is still bigger than a horse." Even weakened, he was not someone ordinary mortals could trample upon.
With this in mind, he confidently followed Lu Xietong into the real world.
"Curiosity really does kill the cat," he remarked dryly at the memory.
"However satisfaction brings it back to life." He added mischievously as his mind snuck back into his recent memories.
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[Flashback: A Few Hours Earlier]
Upon entering the real world, Xue Xing had immediately erased his presence, tailing Lu Xietong in a bid to see what she would be up to. All the while, he prayed silently that the "Weird Figure in the Conical Hat"—the entity he feared most—would not discover him, lest he did be interrogated like a criminal whome had just committed felony and high treason before getting a beating.
A shiver ran down his spine just thinking about that person.
On his mission, titled "Tailing the Lu Xie," he followed the unsuspecting lass. She had rushed out of the Endless Catacombs as though her legs had been set on fire and her feet ablaze, moving toward her destination with frantic urgency as though fearing her legs wouldn't get her to her destination fast enough.
As he shadowed her, moving across rooftops and through crowds, he caught snippets of conversation from random passersby. Discussions were heated, and based on the chatter, he had a hunch where she was headed.
It didn't take long before they arrived at the location the crowd called the Pit Of The Damned.
Xue Xing had to admit, the Pit itself wasn't visually magnificent. However, something about the atmosphere felt ancient and disturbed his spirit in a strange way. He found it odd but quickly shook the feeling from his mind.
He had to focus on the mission at hand, not go about poking sleeping trouble with a cane.
Discreetly entering the overcrowded arena, he witnessed a barely amusing sight. A youngster, whom the crowd referred to as Yan Feitian, was delivering the final blow, taking down all five of the Yin-Yang Dynasty's prodigies simultaneously.
What Xue Xing found amusing wasn't the "one versus five" match itself, but rather the strange means wielded by this Yan Feitian.
It was a power that felt dreamlike—ethereal yet potent. It was far too similar to the aura of a certain Supreme Figure whome was the culprit for binding Xue Xing to the Pagoda. That figure was so powerful that Xue Xing could only watch his techniques powerlessly.
"The world really is like a book; without experiencing different things, one would only be reading a single page," Xue Xing sighed, impressed, before refocusing on Lu Xietong.
By now, Lu Xietong was already walking towards the arena floor. A middle-aged woman was standing beside Yan Feitian, loudly calling out the Yin-Yang Dynasty to uphold their promise. It was pure theater for a prepaid Xue Xing who had secretly stolen a small paper bag of honey glazed poped-rice. Unscrupulously chomping down handfuls as he watched the drama on the stage.
The woman, whom he had identified from the crowd's gossip as Yan Youmei, began speaking about a girl. The crowd whispered, confirming that the girl in question was none other than Lu Xietong.
It was at that moment that Lu Xietong stepped fully into the battle zone. She basked in the gaze of countless eyes, yet she didn't flinch.
"The one has already arrived!" She said melodramatic. Due Xing secretly giving her a thumbs up with a "well-said" expression on.
Xue Xing couldn't deny that she was indeed bold. As soon as she appeared, the crowd went into a frenzy. Her identity was revealed, leading many to recount her life story to their neighbors. Xue Xing naturally being the busybody, eavesdropped, his keen ears quickly piecing together her tragic and chaotic past.
Seeing the situation escalating into a perfect storm, Xue Xing smiled, his interest piqued.
He reached into his robes and pulled out a simple silver mask. Placing it over his face, he decided to blend in and join the chaos as a mere spectator.
The show was just beginning.