Chapter 9: The Corroders (Part 2)
The metal-like callings are drumming against the eardrums of the young boy and girl. At the same time, each call causes their blood to quake and their ears are in pain.
Withstanding the immense pain, they maintain their initial speed. The lightning-like shadows are still crisscrossing at high speed between the tall ancient trees. Above their heads is a white shadow the size of a small hill. Tong Que flaps its large and tough wings atop the tree, causing countless chunks of acc.u.mulated snow to smash onto the ground, making the skies a blur of white.
The sharp sword-like tips of Tong Que’s wings have cut down countless trees. In the loud rumble of their impact against the ground, the young girl is calm. Her voice is unhurried and gentle.
“The attack is from the east, attack from the bottom. The next will be ten seconds later. Unknown direction.”
“The attack from the front is an illusion. Duck towards the left.”
“Do not resist this attack. It will cause heavier injuries.”
“The cross attack from the front will only have a medium impact. You can block it with your soul powers.”
“Its Soul’s Seal is underneath its wing!”
With every warning, the youth calmly withstands the attacks that are as heavy as Mount Tai.
“Ten seconds later, its soul powers will have a short break to regain energy.”
“Now!” The young girl calls out loudly all of a sudden. In the next moment, the two figures soar towards the sky and moves atop the crown of the tree. Among the falling snow, the two are standing firm and upright. Countless ma.s.sive thorns of ice pierce through the trees and curl towards Tong Que. Although they cannot pierce through its firm body that is as tough as a heavily enforced metal wall, it traps it among the trees, as if a nest of ice has been formed in an instant, encaging it.
“My turn!” With an evil smirk, the youth dashes towards the bottom of Tong Que’s wings. Just as his outstretched hand is about to come into contact with the soul beast, a transparent ripple tears violently through the air. The youth’s vision blurs as an imposing man stands in the wind waves his hand; the youth flies out due to the sudden attack of turbulent air.
“The two of you should be tens of thousands of meters away, how can you arrive so fast?” The young girl moves to catch the youth that has fallen.
“The two of us?” Lu Jue stands high atop the branches. Tong Que that is trapped within the layers upon layers of ice thorns is currently calling out to him sadly. Its large and wet eyes are filled with infinite dismal.
“Of course, isn’t there another one behind you.” The young girl turns to stare into the direction of the blizzard before saying dismissively, “You think I don’t know? Whether you’re a man or ghost, show yourself. It’s not like you can’t face us. I’m a girl yet I’m not shy.” An arrogant expression appears on the girl’s face. Such a mature expression should not be on someone who is only twelve, yet one cannot deny that it makes her look much more alluring.
Qi La appears from the misty snow behind the girl. His eyes are dark and sharp. “You said you sensed us from tens of thousands of meters away?”
The young girl smiles lightly, “Yes. Just didn’t think you’ll be so quick.” She suppresses the fear in her heart. Her fear stems from the fact that, to be able to cross such a long range in such a short period of time, there are barely any who can do that in the present day of Aslan……
Yet the truth is, the one who feels actual fear at the moment is Qi La.
The little girl sensed their presence from tens of thousands of meters away. This distance to the soul powers being sensed is almost impossible. It is even harder when there are blizzards and countless soul beasts between them……also at that time, he hasn’t used much of his soul powers. No matter how sharp this girl’s senses are, the most she should be able to sense is Lu Jue. In addition, this girl is also able to sense his presence among the strong powers of Tong Que and Lu Jue despite him hiding away almost all of his soul powers.
Who exactly is this girl……
“Are all of you here to capture Tong Que?” The young girl looks up Qi La who is towering over her and asks.
“Yes, but I see that you got here before us.” Qi La glances up at Tong Que, ensnarled on the crown of the tree above them.
The young girl suddenly giggles. Looking at Qi La and then glancing at Lu Jue, a mature expression that does not suit her naïve face appears, “If I’m not wrong, you are the lord and disciple?”
Qi La says nothing but narrows his eyes further.
“Then you should know that the two of you couldn’t attack a soul master unless you received the Red Alarm from the Silver Priests.”
A look of contempt appears on Lu Jue’s face and he gazes at her dismissively.
“Since the two of you are here first, then it should be captured by you.” Qi La speaks expressionlessly to the youths standing before him.
After saying that, Qi La looks at Lu Jue. With a spin, Lu Jue stands politely beside Qi La.
The young man looks at Qi La and Lu Jue with an unsettling smile on his face before skimming towards Tong Que. Reaching his hands out; he smacks the seal beneath its wings. A dense formation of golden patterns appears on Tong Que’s body before the shattering of gla.s.s can be heard. The patterns start to break into fine dust and disappearing, turning into countless golden threads. When the last of the golden gleam disappears into the young man’s palms, the corpse of the large soul beast suddenly breaks into countless chunks of ice, falling from the tree. The coldness in the youth’s irises is endless. Lifting his chin up, his body contorts as an expression of uncontrollable elation appears onto his features.
“What is this……” Fear creeps up Qi La’s heart.
“The two of you aren’t trying to capture it as a soul beast……” Lu Jue feels the hairs on his body stand. The young boy and girl before him seem to be two ghouls that rose from h.e.l.l.
“Hehe~ who said that we wanted to capture it as a soul beast……” The young girl turns, her eyes a white misty blur. Her laughing face is creeping them out.
“Which lord are the two of you under?” questions Lu Jue. A murderous look is painted on his features.
“My goodness, why do you keep saying things no one else understands~” the young girl blushes and replies shyly, “Who said that we are disciples? We aren’t! We have a uniform t.i.tle, we’re known as the Corroders.”
“Corroders?” Lu Jue glances at Qi La because he has never heard of this term before.
“Ai yah……” The young girl suddenly sticks her tongue out as if she has done something wrong, “I think I just revealed a small secret I shouldn’t have……what should I do now?” She turns to ask the youth.
“Kill them then.” The youth shrugs, uncommitted. The young muscular body beneath his clothes are defined and filled with strength.
“What an arrogant tone. Although I rarely appear in the world of soul bending and I’m unsure of how far it has developed in recent years, yet I still have to make sure what sort of beings the two of you are…whether you are disciples, or Corroders, none of you leave!” Qi La’s face hardens. His body does not move but a large and glowing array appears in a tornado underneath his feet and all snowflakes in the air stagnate.
“What……” The youth seems dumbfounded by the scene before him. Before he has the chance to take action, his movement and expression are stagnated in the air just like the blizzard.
Just as Lu Jue was about to move forward to capture the youths, a spooky smile appears on the girl’s face, following that, as if her face was being ripped apart, countless ma.s.sive, shining blades pierce out from beneath her skin, sharp metal blades digging into the ground, tossing her high up into the air with them supporting her. She instantly resembles a ma.s.sive insect like that of a spider or gra.s.shopper. More and more gigantic blades pierce into the air form the depths of her body. These blades magnify many times and smashes to the ground like the antennae of a colossal insect. The dozens upon dozens of blades congregate on her sides and forms into a circle before rotating wildly, slicing the thick trunks of countless ancient trees. The snowflakes dance in the air causing chaos to one’s vision.
Countless waves of soul powers suddenly explode in the air, the heavy wind and snow blocking everything in sight. Qi La knows that these are just illusions conjured by the girl. With the soul powers blocking their sight, even Qi La does not know which direction the two youths escaped in.
When Lu Jue finally uses his soul powers to push all the frost up into the sky, bare surroundings greet their cleared visions. A vast wilderness where innumerable trees have been cut down, crevices carved into the ground, frozen black soil mixed with shards of ice and imprint after imprint of blades on the exposed ground.
Qi La and Lu Jue stand on the bare, snow-covered ground.
“What sort of monsters have appeared in Aslan……”
The raging and surging soul powers are like tornadoes scattering snow on the ground.
Snowflakes fill the air, blurring everything in ones vision. Only the constant breaking of wood can be heard along with the torturous sound of metal blades grating against each other. It feels as the ear drums can be ripped apart.
This is the first time panic appears on the usually unruly and dismissive youth’s face. He stands rooted in place, helpless as he stares at the girl before him. Her eyes are a murky mess with no focus. Her senses seem to be in the same state as her pupils, bewildered and scattered. The large blades that had pierced from her body before have returned to their original size, yet they have not been absorbed into her body. They are still slashing away wildly. The girl’s body seems to be carried by these lifelike blades. She is constantly struggling as wails of despair emits form her throat. She is in much pain. The blades are like the feet of an insect and she resembles a screaming spider that is being burned at stake.
“Save me……” The girl’s voice is hoa.r.s.e and piercing.
“I……What do I do……” Tears run down his cheeks as wave after wave of sadness is displayed on his initial pa.s.sive face. He looks at the dying girl before him and clenches his fists. His nails dig into his flesh yet he feels no pain.
“I don’t have enough soul powers……to control……give me soul powers……my Lord’s Seal is at……” Before the girl finishes her sentence, a sharp blade cuts through her nose bridge and slices wildly across her face. The girl releases an ear-shattering shriek.
“Where? Where!” The youth bellows as his eyes rimmed red.
“The inside……of my left thigh……” The girl’s voice gradually grows faint. The light fades from her eyes like a candle being blown out.
The youth attempts to get closer to her yet the wildly swishing blades prevents him from doing so, let alone transfer soul powers into her Lord’s Seal. With clenched teeth, he narrows his eyes and walks with determination towards her. The blades slash into his flesh but he does not bat an eye. Crouching before the girl, he flips her skirt up. His face flushes immediately but without time to consider things further, his hand reaches searchingly between the young girl’s legs.
A tremendous wave of soul powers surge from the boy’s palm like an ocean.
Like a monster that lost its life, the wildly moving blades all droop with a clanging sound.
The youth pulls out a blade that sank into his abdomen and throws it aside. There are open wounds on his face, neck and shoulders that are healing slowly. Fresh new blood and flesh and withdrawing into his body like a flower closing its petals. “Hey, hey! Wake up!” The youth shakes the young girl whose face is as pale as paper. She is no longer breathing.
The youth’s tears drip onto the back of his hand. Just as he is about to release a roar of agony, the girl suddenly arches her back and a choked sound emits from her throat. She sounds as if a person who has been drowning is breathing in a fresh breath of air.
Looking at the gradually clearing pupils of the girl, a small smile finally appears slowly onto the boy’s face.
[West of Aslan Empire – Abyss Corridor]
“Those children just now…..what exactly……” Qi La’s expression is tense as Lu Jue asks softly.
“I don’t know either.” Despite the pa.s.siveness of Qi La’s reply, this is still the first time that Lu Jue has seen such a tense expression on his face.
The wind and snow are weaker than before. Qi La and Lu Jue have gradually left the extent of the Northern Forest. The fog in the Abyss Corridor is still dank and humid, yet in comparison to the world of ice and snow from before, this seems much calmer in comparison.
Yet Qi La’s heart remains in the world of frost. This frost stems from his fear. He has opened his ‘Array of Time’ completely just now so in theory, the girl should not have been able to so smoothly carry out the forbidden aspect of soul bending. The only reason that has happened is that she sensed the changes before he made them, yet this process only took a split-second and should not even be taken into account. How did the young girl do it? How horrifying……also, at such a tender age, her application of her soul powers are so specific that it is commendable. Disregarding her age, even Lu Jue at present is unable to control that form of darkness soul bending, then……who exactly is she? Or what exactly is she?
“My lord, are those children disciples as well?” Lu Jue opens his mouth and asks softly after walking behind Qi La silently for a prolonged while. He is clear that despite the young looks of the children, the soul powers harbouring in their bodies and their ease of control over them are much higher than him. They are definitely not purely just soul masters……yet even if they are disciples, it is a disgrace for him as he is known to be the Top Disciple among everyone. As the “Disciple of Heaven” with the most potential among the Heaven, Earth and Sea disciple, he is even below a lower-tiered disciple……
“I am not sure either……but to judge by their soul powers, they are two very unfamiliar soul’s return circuits. It doesn’t seem like they inherited any of the current n.o.ble Lords’……I am not so clear at the moment too.” Qi La keeps moving forth and does not turn. Lu Jue isn’t the only one puzzled by what has happened. Qi La is filled with questions as well. “Let’s head to the Shrubs Lake area at the east of the Abyss Corridor to capture your First Soul Beast first. Something that can raise your battling abilities by a lot is also a good thing for you.”
Lu Jue nods. His expression is tense, as he understands that Qi La is disappointed in him. His ability now is easily triumphed by children and hence he can probably only rely on soul beasts to fight. The rims of his eyes are tainted red. He rubs at them before quickening his pace to catch up with Qi La.
“The group of Dian Hu at the Shrubs Lake area is the biggest group within the Abyss Corridor. If you can capture them then your battling abilities will multiply exponentially.”
“I understand.” Lu Jue nods.
[West of Aslan Empire – Abyss Corridor – Northern Forest]
“Are you feeling better?” The youth crouches before the girl as he continues delivering pure soul powers into her through the inside of her thigh.
The girl moves his hand away. Rosiness returns to her cheeks and she flushes slightly, looking bashful.
The youth suddenly understands and withdraws his hand as if being chocked.
“Who was that just now? I haven’t had the chance to do anything before you took me away.” The youth clears his throat to break the tension before turning to look at the girl on the ground. His question is serious as his expression returns to the aloofness of before.
“Heh…heh……” The girl moves slightly. Her voice is still weak. “Before him, you will never be able to be faster than him, he is much too quick……”
“What?”
“Perhaps you didn’t realize but your speed slowed down quite a bit when he released his array. Not just us, but the time within that s.p.a.ce slowed down. Everything including the wind, snow, and air flow. Almost stagnated……If I didn’t sense the flow of his soul powers beforehand, judging by his method of attack and speed, I’d be like you, trapped in his array before I have the opportunity to employ my soul powers.” The young girl’s breathing is slow as her body heals.
“Then you didn’t have to……use that……what if you couldn’t come back……” A hint of worry can be seen in the boy’s eyes.
“If I didn’t, we wouldn’t stand a chance.” The girl bites her lips and lets out a scoff, as if mocking herself, “Then again, I am confident of my gift towards sensing soul powers and my accuracy of employing them. And so, as long as I have enough soul powers, you need not worry too much. I can handle that.”
The girl rises to her feet supported by the trunk. Her clothing has been shredded by the wild blades to reveal her pale skin. Teasing. The youth gulps as he looks at her pale thighs.
“Looks like we provoked someone grand……he is at least a n.o.ble Lord of the first three tiers. In our lifetime, unless we have no other choice, we must not become his enemy……this person is basically a monster……”
After saying that, the young girl moves before the youth with light steps. Looking up at him with her watery and charming eyes, she opens her tender pink lips and blows softly onto the tips of the boy’s nose. Her scent is of orchids. “Come, give me more so that I can recover faster.”
She spreads her legs and lifts her skirt up. Seeing the boy whose breath and heart rate are starting to become rushed, her gaze is misty as a seductive smile lingers on her lips.