Chapter Twenty-Two: Ambushed

"I never expected it to grow this large." Gu Liuyun could not help but feel a touch of surprise.

"What should we do?" Chen Jiaojiao asked, her voice laced with worry.

Gu Liuyun scanned his surroundings with his peripheral vision, patiently soothing Chen Jiaojiao’s anxiety. "Do not worry; this is merely the lair of a ferocious beast."

Though he could not fathom why the aura of a fragment of the Ascension Stone would appear here, he was determined not to let a single clue slip through his fingers.

Suddenly, a strange fluctuation of energy rippled through the air. The giant venomous scorpion lashed out with its tail, launching another attack at Gu Liuyun!

The long, whip-like tail, sharp as a poison-tipped arrow, struck directly toward Gu Liuyun's heart.

"Watch out!" Chen Jiaojiao cried out in alarm.

Before her shout had even fully reached his ears, Gu Liuyun had already reacted. As if he had eyes in the back of his head, he shifted his body with uncanny grace, narrowly evading the lethal strike.

*Boom!*

The scorpion's tail slammed heavily into the ground. The sheer force shook the entire cavern, sending rocks and debris raining down.

"Tch." Gu Liuyun frowned. He quickly scooped up the immobile Chen Jiaojiao and carried her out of the cave.

"Wait for me here. I will be back soon." Leaving Chen Jiaojiao in a safe spot, he turned and headed back toward the cave.

Chen Jiaojiao, feeling a surge of panic, tugged at the hem of his robe.

"Rest assured, aside from the venomous scorpion inside, there are no other beasts in this vicinity," Gu Liuyun said, having already scanned the area with his divine sense.

"Please, be careful..." Chen Jiaojiao whispered.

Gu Liuyun nodded.

He returned to the cave entrance and stepped inside. The interior was a scene of chaos. The air was thick with a pungent, acrid odor. Because of its massive size, the giant scorpion had been pinned by the boulders that fell when the ceiling collapsed; unable to move, it could only lash out wildly with its pincers.

"That saves me the trouble of striking," Gu Liuyun remarked coolly.

He walked slowly toward the giant creature, his eyes devoid of any warmth or emotion. "Tch, what an ugly thing."

Seeing him approach, the beast let out an angry hiss.

Gu Liuyun cast a disdainful glance at the scorpion. A rune flared at his fingertips, and an invisible sword aura instantly severed the beast's head, bringing its wicked life to an end.

***

Tracking the location of the Ascension Stone fragment, Gu Liuyun ventured deeper into the cave.

As he proceeded, the narrow space, which had barely allowed two people to pass, gradually widened until it opened into a vast, seemingly boundless expanse. Gu Liuyun could not help but be struck with wonder.

Yet, for some reason, the aura of the Ascension Stone fragment fluctuated, waxing and waning, making it impossible for him to discern the correct direction.

"Is the fragment truly here?" Gu Liuyun began to doubt.

His chest grew warm again, as if urging him forward. It felt as though he were trapped in an infinite space; he walked for a long time without seeing an end to the cave, and a vague sense of foreboding settled in his heart.

Just then, a sudden change occurred!

The ground beneath him collapsed, opening into a massive, yawning abyss!

Gu Liuyun reacted with lightning speed, grabbing a protruding rock to steady himself. He hung precariously on the edge of the cliff. Looking down, he saw only a pitch-black, bottomless void. A cold, eerie aura drifted up from the depths, chilling him to the bone.

"It seems I have walked into a trap," Gu Liuyun narrowed his eyes. "Stop hiding. Come out!"

"Heh, heh, heh..." A bone-chilling laughter echoed through the cavern, and a mysterious figure shrouded in black robes appeared above him.

The figure’s aura was completely masked; Gu Liuyun could not discern his cultivation level.

"Heavenly Thunder Strike, vanish!"

Gu Liuyun raised his hand, unleashing a spell toward the robed figure. The black-clad man did not dodge. Just as the spell was about to strike, his form seemed to flicker and become illusory. The bolt of heavenly thunder passed straight through his body, slamming into the rock behind him.

"How is this possible?" Gu Liuyun was startled.

"We shall meet again," the figure said. His form gradually turned translucent until he vanished entirely from sight.

"Could it be... a remnant soul?"

Once one reaches a certain realm of cultivation, they can project a divine sense, similar to an out-of-body experience. But in this world, where spiritual energy was so thin and experts were few and far between, how could anyone be capable of such a feat?

As the figure vanished, the sensation of the Ascension Stone fragment also disappeared entirely. It seemed the fragment was with that mysterious man all along.

His pupils contracted as a terrifying thought flashed through his mind.

***

"Could it be that someone else traveled through the spatial rift to this world along with me?"

The sound of the cave collapsing grew louder, as if the end of the world had arrived. Gu Liuyun had no time to ponder; he had to find a way out.

He scrambled up the rock wall, intending to retreat the way he came. As his hand brushed against a slab of rock, he felt a piercing, bone-deep pain. He reflexively pulled his hand back, nearly losing his grip.

Upon closer inspection, he saw a faint light radiating from the stone—it was etched with a hidden seal. His touch had triggered a rebounding force.

With the cave on the verge of total collapse, Gu Liuyun had no time to analyze it; he had to gamble on it. He tried to touch the seal with his spiritual energy, and a dazzling light erupted instantly...

*BOOM!*

The entire mountain peak collapsed!

"Gu Liuyun!" Chen Jiaojiao cried out his name, her voice trembling. Her call echoed through the vast, secret realm.

"Gu Liuyun! Come out!" she shouted in desperation.

When he did not appear, her heart was gripped by panic, and tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.

"Why the tears? Am I not right here?" Gu Liuyun said lightly, stepping out from behind her.

"You wretch! You scared me to death!" Upon seeing him, Chen Jiaojiao’s eyes lit up with relief, which quickly turned into playful indignation as she pounded her small fists against his chest.

He had been too careless this time. Now that he knew someone else was also collecting the fragments, he would have to be even more cautious in the future.

He had been lucky; there was an exit at the bottom of the cave leading to the outside world. Otherwise, he would have been buried in this secret realm along with the collapsing mountain.

He brushed the dust off his clothes and said to Chen Jiaojiao, "Alright, little crybaby, dry your eyes. Let me take you back."

Chen Jiaojiao nodded and obediently climbed onto his back. Her soft frame pressed against him, and the faint, delicate fragrance of a woman drifted toward him, stirring his heart.

After the life-or-death struggle, the sensation brought a sense of peace to Gu Liuyun’s mind.