Critical: Ages Below Critical Chapter 7.2

Chapter 7: Relic of Youtuer (Part 2)

[West of Aslan Empire – Surrounding waters of Rennes – Grave of the Souls]

Qi Ling is currently clambering on the steep black cliff, Cang Xue Zhi Ya beats its wings as it hovers in the air beside him, ready at all times to protect him.

And in position quite some distance from the top of Qi Ling’s head are Tianshu Youhua and Guishan Lianquan, standing on the back of An Chi. Tianshu Youhua’s gaze is full of envy, because from her location, the frost carving-like spear Qi Ling is gradually approaching has waves and waves of golden turbulence surrounding it, as if a hurricane is attacking the surrounding soul weapons, causing them to sway like tall gra.s.s, as if the spear is the eye of the storm, consistently spreading the golden thunderstorm. She hasn’t seen a soul weapon with such chaotic soul power her entire way here.

“Qi Ling, be careful, don’t get too close to the bottom.” Lianquan says above Qi Ling’s head, at the same time, she has released the Resurrection Chain from her body, the silver chain coils around her surroundings like an agile python, positioned for a lightning speed attack at any time. This is because Lianquan faintly feels that the location of the soul weapon is too close to the bottom of the abyss for comfort, before she entered the Grave of the Souls, Fenghun had told her over and over again to make sure to not be too close to the floor of the Grave of the Souls.

From her place on An Chi’s back, the restless dense fog is already swallowing Qi Ling. Occasionally; a portion of his body appears from the fog before being swallowed by the white waves again.
 

Qi Ling looks up from the spinning damp air, all he can hear is the roar of the wind, Lianquan’s voice dissipates with the wind above his head, in addition to the dense fog as a barrier, he cannot hear her at all.

He is currently climbing towards the knight’s spear with difficulty; Cang Xue Zhi Ya is being affected by the constant bursts of golden soul mist, barely maintaining its distance from Qi Ling. Qi Ling grasps a soul weapon that pierced out from the rocks tightly as he approaches the agitated spear. At the same time, the juice of the Sishya fruit is gradually losing its effect, the golden soul mist surrounding him are reverting to invisibility, leaving only the original appearance of the soul weapons. Hence, he can no longer differentiate between the turbulent airwaves, occasionally; a gush of wind will cause him to balance precariously on the rocks.
 

When Qi Ling finally wraps his hand around the arm of the spear, Cang Xu Zhi Ya let out a roar of joy, Qi Ling looks up and waves at Lianquan and Youhua, gestureing that he has gotten it.

Lianquan steers An Chi lower, preparing to pick Qi Ling up.
 

Qi Ling directs the soul powers to his palms before slamming them towards the position of the spear, in the same instant when the rocks shattered, the long jade handle of the long spear suddenly disappeared!

At this moment, Qi Ling’s entire body had been tugging on the spear, the sudden change causing him to fall backwards; he becomes swallowed by the thick fog in an instant, even his calls for help are scattered by the sound of the wind.

Youhua who has been standing on the back of An Chi is dumbstruck, before she realizes what has happened, the large An Chi is diving into the abyss. Lianquan’s entire body erupts with soul powers, countless silver chains pierce into the depths of the thick fog at lightning speed, the grand valley becomes filled with the clanging sound of metal rubbing against metal, she can sense all movements of soul powers at the end of the chain, yet she cannot feel any from Qi Ling.

When Tianshu Youhua regains her composure, she thinks before waving her hands, at the same time her dress flaps with the wind, a dozen large snow vultures appear in thin air, as if countless falling shooting stars, they call sharply as they dive towards the depths of the valley shrouded in fog before they all ascend together, countless large wings creating a typoon that blows all traces of the fog away.

“These snow vultures are all your soul beasts?” Lianquan looks at Yohua in confusion.

“Of course not, these are just snow vultures sealed by soul powers, normally I keep them in a bag where they exist as amulets.” Youhua shoots Lianquan a mocking glance, “Have you ever seen a person with a dozen soul beasts?”

Lianquan wants to argue with her no longer, she continues flying deeper, at the same time, Cang Xue Zhi Ya dives down, overtaking them in an instant, only then did they see Qi Ling hanging from the handle of a sword deep down in the valley, his body hanging midair, looking as if he will fall any moment.

“Hold on tight!” Lianquan howls at Qi Ling as she steers An Chi lower urgently.
 

Qi Ling holds tightly onto the handle of the sword that only has a small portion jutting from the rocks as he thinks about what a close call it was, yet when he remembers how the powerful soul weapon just disappeared, he also feels such a pity for it. He lifts his head and calls out to Lianquan: “I’m fine.” as he waits for Cang Xue Zhi Ya to fetch him.
 

And the calamity happens at this moment.

When Lianquan suddenly senses an unbelievable force moving beneath them, she suddenly sees it – in the fog-filled s.p.a.ce below Qi Ling, something that resembles a blood vessel has already reached Qi Ling and wrapped itself around his waist at an incredible speed, looking like a scarlet earthworm in peristalsis around his waist. Before Qi Ling can react, this red blood vessel-like being suddenly tightens and straightens out, using a strong pull to drag Qi Ling towards the abyss. Qi Ling’s legs fall from the rocks, only his hands are still grasping onto the handle tightly.

The air behind Tianshu Youhua suddenly explodes, the silver bow pierces out from her flesh on her right shoulder and takes shape in the air, she quickly attracts a few gushes of water vapour before directing three huge arrows of ice towards the depths of the abyss beneath Qi Ling at lightning speed. Yet, the three arrows disappear among the clouds of fog with no sound, as if entering a bottomless ocean and were swallowed instantly. Before Tianshu Youhua can react, the three arrows rebounded from the darkness even quicker than before, with three dull and blurred smacks, Tianshu Youhua’s two shoulders and abdomen has been pierced through, leaving behind three blooded holes the size of fists. The light disappears from her eyes before she collapses straight down onto the snow-white back of An Chi, the blood gurgling from her wounds wetting a large patch of the white feathers.
 

Guishan Lianquan has no time to care for Youhua, the fear in her heart seemingly enveloping her entire being like a cape of death. She stares at the scarlet blood vessels tightening themselves around Qi Ling and turns to look at Youhua who has collapsed before her before she starts s.h.i.+vering violently.

“Leave quickly, forget about me!” Qi Ling looks down at the monstrosity in the fog beneath his feet as he calls out to Lianquan.

Guishan Lianquan clenches her teeth before pus.h.i.+ng her arms forward, two chains clanging as they shoot themselves towards Qi Ling, wrapping around his waist as well, the two forces both tug at Qi Ling, the concentration of soul powers causing rocks to erupt into a spray of dust.

“Qi Ling, let Cang Xue Zhi Ya use its claws to cut the red vessels imprisoning you and then grab onto the chains, I’ll fly you up!”

“Then this c.r.a.ppy sword is my soul weapon?” Qi ling says as he suddenly c.o.c.ks his head to the side.

“Foolish boy, your life is more important. Quick!”

“Okay,” Qi Ling lifts his head, after saying that, he smashes his fist against the rocks, a dust-storm bursts out instantly Qi Ling falls as he loses his support, causing the weight on Lianquan’s chain to multiply, this large downward pull causes An Chi to be dragged down by the tentacles of the red monster as well towards the depths of the valley.
 

At present, Cang Xue Zhi Ya is already bawling angrily as the white fur covering his body stands vertically, his size multiplying many times under the surge of the soul powers, the gigantic winged white lion swoops down, a sudden burst of electric light from his sharp front claws turns them into countless elongated blades, they slash towards the thick red blood vessels in the fog at lightning speed. The moment the steel blade-like claws pierce into the blood vessel, countless artillery-like thin red threads extend from the pierced location of the thick vessel, tangling themselves onto Cang Xue Zhi Ya’s claws, like countless boston ivy suckling to the claws, a sharp shatter as if a mirror being broken sounds, Cang Xue Zhi Ya’s claws break into countless metal shards instantly, with a sorrowful bellow, fresh blood sprays from its furry front paws. It rains a sky of red.

“Cang Xue!” Qi Ling roars angrily. His hand continuously injects soul powers into the large sword he had just retrieved, when he realizes that there is only half of the sword, that the sword is a broken sword, it is already too late to turn back. Qi Ling clenches his teeth and slashes it down onto the red blood vessel, the blood vessel snaps crisply.

The crash of chains can be heard as Lianquan tightens her hold on the chains as she tugs Qi Ling up.

Just as Qi Ling crawls onto An Chi’s broad back, before he can even stand properly, a series of snaps emits from the white feathers he is standing on, a dozen of thick blood vessels penetrate An Chi’s body and steers towards the sky. Almost immediately, these python-like scarlet vines of meat change their course and turn down, forming a web of blood that encloses in on them from all sides.

Lianquan can only withdraw An Chi into her body due to the heavy wounds, with a loud bang, An Chi morphs into white smoke and returns to Lianquan’s body, without anything to hold them up, the three falls into the turbulent thick sea of smog instantly.

The three cras.h.i.+ng down suddenly lands on a soft but firm back, opening their eyes, Cang Xue Zhi Ya has already soared down and caught the three of them steadily on its back.

Qi Ling opens his eyes, what appears before him is like a scene from h.e.l.l, the fear immobalising his body, he turns his head stiffly and sees that Lianquan and Youhua’s expressions are even more horrifying, their cadaverous expressions look as if the G.o.d of Death has wrapped his fingers around their necks.

They have already penetrated the layer of fog, startled, they realize that what’s beneath the thick white fog is not the imagined bottomless abyss or a ravine of strange rocks. What’s underneath the thick fog is a sea of fresh blood. In the distant bottom of the valley, countless ginormous earthworm-like tentacles intertwines with each other, the scarlet concentration rolls, on every single tentacle are countless circular suction plates, each looking like a human face. The endless pit of the valley is completely stoppled with tens of thousands of this terrifying red blood vessel, they squirm in slime and stench, looking like a large pond of blood filled with countless wriggling tapeworms……

“What are they? Why are there so much?” Qi Ling sputters.

“It’s not ‘them’….. it’s ‘it’……” Lianquan’s voice is full of fear.

“it? You mean, these tens of thousands of wriggling things is one single being?!” Tianshu Youhua grasps tightly onto Qi Ling’s clothes, her face pale as she squeezes the words out.
 

“Cang Xue!” Qi Ling yells. Cang Xue Zhi Ya replies with a roar as it beats its blood-covered wings and flies them quickly towards the top, and at this moment, innumerable tentacles shoot from the pond of blood in the depths of the abyss, entwining to form a large ma.s.s, looking like tens of thousands of red threads from the sea anemone. In the next moment, the densely packed blood vessels shoot straight at Cang Xue Zhi Ya, traping it like a beast that fell into a red hunting trap, the strangling follows, applying hundreds of tons of pressure onto it. Qi Ling can hear the shattering of the bones in Cang Xue Zhi Ya’s body and its roar of overwhelming pain, yet it is still trying its best to fly upwards, those blood vessels gradually cut into its flesh, countless open wounds exposed to the air with its flesh and muscles flipped outwards.

“Go to h.e.l.l!” A layer of transparent tears rise in Qi Ling’s eyes. A sudden explosion happens in the surroundings, coupled with the convolution of soul powers, Lianquan and Youhua’s visions blur. In the mist, its as if a brilliant giant sword appears from the heavens, like a symbol of wrath, this piercing brightness penetrates and cuts into the depths of the red ma.s.s of meat, an ear-shattering angry howl can be heard echoing throughout the entire valley. The red tentacles release Cang Xue Zhi Ya’s body immediately, despite that, it no longer has the energy to fly, the large howl cuts into the vital blood and energy of every person, their visions become defocused and their breaths quicken, the three fall together with Cang Xue Zhi Ya. Halfway, it morphs into a bright mist and is absorbed into Qi Ling’s body.

Lianquan struggles to toss the chain from her hands, tying the three of them together being she uses all her strength and throws it out with her right hand, the chain pierces through the hick fog above their heads and cuts into the rocks of a distant cliff. Lianquan uses all her might to tighten the chain and the three of them surge towards the surface, breaking through the fog in a blink of an eye, escaping the h.e.l.l-like pool of blood beneath the cloud of fog.
 

The three of them land on a small opening on top of a cliff, Lianquan rests against a wall, as Tianshu Youhua faints at her foot, yet the wounds on her battered body are recovering at inhumane speed, one can even see the degree of how much the blood and fleshed healed. It is a truly terrifying talent.

And although Qi Ling is still unconscious, his breathing is even, which means that he should not be heavily wounded.

What confuses Guishan Lianquan is where the brilliant sword used by that of a mighty G.o.d came from. There should only be the three disciples in the Abyss Corridor, even if someone else entered, they can only be a disciple. She has never heard of the existence of such a powerful disciple. Unless it’s the ‘Disciple to the First Degree’?

Lianquan turns and looks at the broken sword that fell beside Qi Ling’s feet. The carvings on the handle is intricate and ancient; it does not look like something from Aslan, the shape and material of the sword are all very different compare to the weapons on the Aslan territory. Lianquan is also under the illusion that the mighty sword from before is just like the body of this sword. Yet it is obvious that this sword is short and is only half of what it used to be, how can the brilliance be from that?

No matter what, they need to exit this place first.

She struggles up and wakens the unconscious Qi Ling and Youhua.

“We need to get out of this place right now.”
 

Cang Xue Zhi Ya is too wounded and so Lianquan tells Qi Ling to let it continue resting in him as it recovers, the three of them sitting on the broad back of An Chi and flies towards the end of the Grave of the Souls.

After a journey of around four hours, they finally reach the end of the canyon. Throughout the entire journey, Lianquan tries her best to let An Chi fly high, as far away from the turbulent sea of fog as possible. The scene from before is still vivid in her mind, the h.e.l.l-like situation refusing to rest in her mind.

However, it seems like Qi Ling has healed from the traumatic experience, despite grazing death a few moments ago, he has forgotten the danger completely, nagging about how he retrieved a broken sword, how it’s so great that the moment he steps out from this place, Yin Chen will be mocking him so thoroughly and he will never live it now. Just thinking about Yin Chen’s frosty expression makes him feel helpless as he sighs with his hands spread.
 

At the end of the valley, the ridges at the sides become one, this is the end. From a distance, they see a wide platform extend from the cliff, An Chi lands on it slowly. The three of them get down and Lianquan absorbs An Chi back into her body.

The end of the platform is a large stone wall, what’s different from the others is that this entire side is smooth and flat, looking like basalt that has been smoothened out carefully, patterns carved on it are extremely similar to the style found on the architecture in the imperial capital of Gelanerte, a door-like image is carved onto the wall.

“This is the exit? This is a dead end!” Q Ling moves before the stonewall and knocks on the firm rock as he looks at Lianquan in confusion.

“Of course this is not a normal exit. You entered the Grave of the Souls through a Chess Piece, and then you will exit by one. You see the carved doors there? There are two cra.s.s knuckles on them; those are the two chess pieces. However, my lord told me that the one on the left is the correct Chess Piece that leads to the entrance of the Abyss Corridor; the one on the right represents death. He warned me to not touch it.” As she says that, she turns to look gaze firmly at Youhua, “I am asking you one last time, you said that the positions have been switched, is that true?”

“No……” Tianshu Youhua’s head hangs down. She had originally planed to deceive Guishan Lianquan and send her to her death. However, after the close call with death just now, Qi Ling and Lianquan did not abandon her when she was unconsciouss. Although she grew up in an environment where no one dared to leave her, yet that is due o her royal blood and those people are servants who work for the royal family. To Qi Ling and Lianquan who have no relation to her, to be able to protect her like that touches her somewhat. Although this doesn’t change much for her, at least she can no longer send Lianquan to her death. “The Chess Piece did not change, they are as before, the one on the left is the correct way out, and the one on the right is death.”

“Then why did you deceive us just now?” Lianquan’s gaze is hauntingly cold.

“……I……” Tianshu Youhua has no reply for that, a feeling of being shamed rises in her heart, the grat.i.tude towards Lianquan that had acc.u.mulated from before are washed away cleanly, “Just because! I say whatever I want, since I’m the only person who knows the correct exit, you guys can either choose to believe me or not!”

“Is it?” Lianquan’s expression hardens even further, with a turn, she grabs onto Tianshu Youhua and pushes her towards the chess piece of death on the right. Tianshu Youhua doesn’t have enough time to react and so she can only let out an ear-piercing scream.

“Don’t be like this!’ Qi Ling yells, although he doesn’t like Youhua’s personality, but to use her as an experiment like this is much too cruel.

“No!! Let go of me!!” Tianshu Youhua screams as she struggles; yet how can Lianquan allow her to move? Just as they near the one on the right, Lianquan stops and stares at Tianshu Youhua’s pale face, saying: “You are so scared so you shouldn’t be lying. They haven’t been switched. The one on the right still represents death.” After saying that, she releases Tianshu Youhua.

Qi Ling’s hanging heart settles, “I thought that……”

“You thought that I’d really send her on her way?” Lianquan shoots a cold glare at QI Ling.

“Of course not, jiejie you’re so pretty, of course you will be kind as well.” Qi Ling flashes a smile, his straight white teeth making him look extremely handsome.

Lianquan turns and stares incredulously at QI Ling, “You dare to tease me?!”

Qi Ling’s face ashen, “Jiejie……don’t be too serious……”

And just as Lianquan opens her mouth, a large surge of soul powers erupt and pushes her backwards, she only has time to see Tianshu Youhua’s glare that is full of hatred and venom and Qi Ling’s confusion before her back touches the Chess Piece of death. In an instant, the heavens and earth twists and turns in darkness before she vanishes in thin air.

Qi Ling stares at the Chess Piece representing death that Lianquan has just entered, his heart full of fear before the feeling morphs into that of anger, he pushes Youhua to the ground, with a swish, the broken blade of his sword points at Youhua’s throat, his eyes are rimed red, “How can you be so vicious! You killed her!”

“Why aren’t you calling her vicious? She tried to kill me first!’ Tianshu Youhua stares at Qi Ling who has his sword pointed at her, her heart feels as if it’s being cut by a knife, his handsome boy who had been speaking tenderly to her before is now holding her at knife’s point for another woman.

“She didn’t want to kill you for real!” After saying that, Qi Ling absorbs the sword into his body and dashes towards the Chess Piece representing death without looking back, he doesn’t hesitate as he pulls at the bra.s.s knuckle and disappears into the air.

Tianshu Youhua stares dumbfounded at the empty wall before her, she has loss her ability to think completely, she cannot imagine that Qi Ling actually died for Lianquan.

Tears had soundlessly filled her face, yet she has no idea.

After a while, she stands up weakly, what shrouds her features is the unchanging resent and hatred.

“Since you want to die so much, then you two can die together. I do not have time to accompany you.” After saying that, with eyes rimed red, she turns to touch the Chess Piece that leads to the Abyss Corridor.

When she regains her vision, the scene sharpens before her.

In the dim lighting, surrounding her is architecture that looks like a dilapidated ancient city, just as she’s thinking why a place like this will appear in the Abyss Corridor, she turns to see the ashy faces of Qi Ling and Lianquan behind her.

“What is the meaning of this……” Tianshu Youhua’s heart tightens up.