Split Zone No.13

Volume 4

193 Leaving the Split Zone

“Li Shen,” Gaoqin Jiuye called out as he rushed towards me.

I felt an immense pressure on my neck as a deathly aura started to surround me. Nie Zun’s eyes looked maddened, and his bloodthirsty gaze was merciless.

Just as Gaoqin Jiuye was about to reach Nie Zun, Nie Zun lifted his left hand. It was enshrouded with clouds of black mist.

This felt familiar. It was this mist that trapped Ta Lai previously.

I cannot let Nie Zun turn into a demon. I focused MF on my neck as I tried to create an opposite force to his hands. “Gaoqin Jiuye, be careful,” I said.

Nie Zun waved his left hand to the back as I said this. Black fog spread in the direction where Gaoqin Jiuye was. Gaoqin Jiuye had no choice but to back away.

While Nie Zun was not concentrating on me, I took the opportunity to focus MF on both my hands, grabbing his hand in mine. Five bloody streaks in the shape of my fingers appeared on his hand.

I stared at Nie Zun. “I’m Li Shen. Nie Zun, wake up.”

Nie Zun’s bloodthirsty eyes gleamed. “I’m awake now. I’m going to kill you.”

Hah. I smirked. “Kill me? Have you forgotten what you said in the past? Nie Zun, you said you’ll protect me forever.” I placed the emphasis on the word ‘forever’.

His right hand was still held in mine, and the scorpion ray on my left wrist started glowing brightly.

Nie Zun was a little stunned at what I said. A look of confusion swept past him, but it was replaced by a bloodthirsty killing intent almost immediately.

Shen Qi was already in Gaoqin Jiuye’s hand as he found his footing. He lifted his sword and pointed it towards Nie Zun.

“Nie Zun, your opponent is over here,” Gaoqin Jiuye said with a wild and unrestrained smile.

Nie Zun let me go as he heard this, turning around to face Gaoqin Jiuye.

Shen Qi almost scratched Nie Zun’s face when he turned back.

Scorpion Ray was still glowing on my left wrist.

Huan Qing and Ku Fei supported each other as they stood. Mi Fu was slowly regaining her consciousness as well.

The mysterious voice in the sky spoke again. “Piercer, Shen Qi, Scorpion Ray. Three living weapons here. Seems like she wants to keep you alive.”

My brows furrowed. This voice seemed to be talking to me now, but what did that mean?

“Fine, Nie Zun. Let’s return to the terminus.”

That demonic aura in Nie Zun dissipated and a gentle light seemed to sweep past his eyes. “Noted.”

He then set off for the glacier without taking another look at us. I rushed forward to grab his arm. “Nie Zun, you can’t leave me again. I don’t care if you remember me or not, but I won’t let you leave me again.”

Nie Zun’s eyes were as beautiful as the stars. He looked at me and broke into an elegant smile. He leaned in close as he said, “I’m afraid you’re referring to the old me. Sadly, it’s no longer him standing in front of you now. Also, I wish that I’d never regain my memories if I had such bad taste in the past.”

I smiled, not letting go of his arm. “Yes, your taste was really bad in the past. You think you’ve been reborn with just a little demonic power now? You’ve forgotten about your ties? You really think you’re free now?”

I looked him in the eye as I said each word clearly. “You, Nie Zun, are mine. You said you’ll protect me forever, so don’t even think about leaving me ever.”

I wasn’t sure how I felt at this point. I only knew that Nie Zun was mine, and there was no one who could take him away from me.

Nie Zun looked at me with a profound gaze.

“I’m Li Shen. Would you like to get to know me again?” I forced myself to smile, even when my heart felt bitter.

Nie Zun took my hand in his as he smiled. That smile was the one I saw when he stepped off the platform, beautiful and dangerous at the same time. “I’ll kill you if you continue following me.”

Black fog appeared around his hand, and I felt a stabbing pain on the back of my hand as he touched it. A dark, rotten, twisted aura came with that pain, making me feel like vomiting.

He let me go as he turned around, his black coat billowing in a beautiful angle.

“Ku Fei gege, what’s wrong with you?” Mi Fu was awake now, and she was crying as she hugged Ku Fei.

I looked at Mi Fu coldly. Ku Fei stretched out a wrinkled hand to pat her on the head gently, trying to console her.

A dark emotion overcame me.

“Mi Fu.” I pointed at Huan Qing. “Leave the Split Zone with him right now. Don’t think that I’m unaware. You don’t have any split symbol on you, so you can leave whenever you want to. If you don’t leave, Huan Qing can never leave.”

Mi Fu stopped crying when she heard this. Huan Qing tried to stop me, but he was wrecked with a coughing bout.

“Didn’t you ask me what I was keeping from you earlier? I’ll tell you now. Huan Qing could’ve left the Split Zone, because he didn’t have a split symbol on him. But there was someone who kept an eye on you in the Split Zone, and that individual sought Huan Qing’s help to protect you, until the day you left. To keep his promise, Huan Qing gave up on his lover in the real world and stayed here to protect you. In order to do it well, he even decided to become an heir to obtain the power granted by the split symbol.

“But you didn’t care if Huan Qing lived or died because you were smitten with Ku Fei. In about an hour, their life forces would be depleted completely. If you don’t leave with Huan Qing now, he’ll definitely die.”

Mi Fu’s rosy cheeks were now pale with fear. She looked at Huan Qing. “Huan Qing gege... Is whatever she said true... Was it because of me that you’ve been staying here...”

Huan Qing looked pained. “There’s actually someone here who wishes for you to grow up happily and healthily. You were in his dreams, and you were in my dreams too. I’m simply helping him protect you. Fu’er, you should return to the real world. Ku Fei doesn’t belong to you, he belongs here.”

Tears fell from Mi Fu’s eyes. I couldn’t see Ku Fei’s expression as he lowered his head.

Huan Qing lifted a trembling hand to wipe Mi Fu’s tears. “I can no longer leave even if I want to now. Even though he promised that I can undo the split symbol contract anytime I wanted to, I’m not able to find my soul splitter here in this demon cave. Fu’er, leave this place quickly, don’t disappoint the people who’ve always been protecting you.”

Mi Fu hugged her knees as she started bawling. I was rather annoyed when I saw her crying like this.

“I, what would happen to you and Ku Fei gege if I leave... What do I do...” She was sniffling now.

The mysterious voice spoke again. “Li Shen, I can let Huan Qing leave the Split Zone together with this girl. I can also save Ku Fei’s life, but you need to agree to one condition.”

Can somebody just kill me now? Why did everyone want me to agree to their conditions? Just what do I have with me that you guys are hankering for?

I looked at Nie Zun’s figure, which was now getting further and further. “What?”

The voice said, “It’s simple. I want the Scorpion Ray that’s in your hands.”

Scorpion Ray.

This is the bow Li Qing gave me. It has turned into a living weapon to protect me. How can I give up Li Qing’s gift to anybody else?

“Why should I believe you? You don’t even dare show your face. How do I know if you can really save them?”

There was no response to my questions, but a sudden pillar of light descended from above with a crash. A stranger appeared with that light.

Huan Qing’s eyes widened. “It’s you...”

The stranger smiled at Huan Qing before exposing an arm under his sleeve. A triangular shape glowed faintly right in the middle of his arm.

I understood it immediately. The mysterious voice had summoned Huan Qing’s soul splitter. This proves that the demon cave was under his control, and the pillar of light proved that Huan Qing and the rest were taken by him back in the Southern District. He had also proved that he had the ability to save Huan Qing.

The mysterious voice said hoarsely, “He can return to the real world if he undoes the split symbol contract. As for the one who’s left, I’ll return him the life force I’ve sucked out earlier.”

But something still felt wrong.

If there was someone who was so strong that he could simply absorb the life force from heirs, would he still need a split symbol contract?

I didn’t voice my doubts, since the priority was to get Huan Qing to leave.

I walked up to Huan Qing and said, “Huan Qing, go ahead. Bring Mi Fu along. The Southern District has already been destroyed. It’s the same with the Eastern and Western Districts. We’ve all been forced to come to the Northern District. There’s no place to survive for heirs here in the Split Zone now. If you really have Mi Fu’s interests at heart, take her with you and leave this place.”

Mi Fu sniveled and spoke softly, “But...”

I stared at her angrily. “No, don’t say anything. Do you really want Huan Qing to die here with you?”

Mi Fu lifted a hand to clasp her own mouth.