Chapter 221 Notebook Page
When Gu Qiqi was knocked unconscious by Old Turtle, who had jumped out from nowhere with a sudden strike, the System immediately felt that things were going awry.
It wasn’t that it was worried about its host; it clearly understood how tough Gu Qiqi’s head was. Even if Calamity were to wield Ling Tai Purification, it would likely take a couple of strikes to knock her unconscious.
It also wasn’t worried that the unscrupulous Old Turtle, who ambushed young people, would bring misfortune to Gu Qiqi. In fact, even if that Old Turtle was just an ordinary Cataclysm Grade, it could still take Gu Qiqi and escape, at worst just sleep for a while longer.
What truly made it feel that things were not going well was that in the moment Gu Qiqi was knocked out, the God Realm Yumen’s central operation, which seemed to be in a semi-scrapped state, suddenly activated inexplicably and started functioning again.
The decaying “heart” began to beat, its slow and heavy sound reverberating, while brilliant spell formulas materialized in the air, rising from the ground to the dome above.
High concentrations of spirit energy erupted from the passageways on all sides, and in an instant, the entire underground cavern transformed into a sea of flames, with raging fires as far as the eye could see.
As the flames ignited, the System clearly sensed that the operation of spirit energy within it was under unprecedented suppression.
It was a strong suppression that even Cataclysm Grade could hardly withstand.
Just two seconds later, the System, which had no physical form and operated almost entirely on spirit energy, floated down into Gu Qiqi’s arms, only able to watch helplessly as the figure in the Dragonxiang Army armor summoned chains to bind Gu Qiqi and then dragged her away toward the exterior of the God Realm Yumen’s central operation.
As the figure moved forward, it mumbled strange words, a mélange of ambiguous terms that hardly formed complete sentences.
“The sage has lost virtue… famine and disease… fleeing and scattering…”
“The sage has lost virtue…”
As the figure dragged Gu Qiqi away from the God Realm’s operational center, the flames in the underground cavern suddenly grew fiercer.
Intertwined chains, under the scorching of the spirit energy flames, emitted a scorching metallic gleam.
Then, the dancing chains curled around shadows like giant pythons, each representing figures that surged from the dense passageways.
These figures seemed to be Spiritual Ability Users and urban legends, appearing as though they were still alive, struggling and crying out in despair, one by one being sent to the giant “heart” at the center of the cavern.
Thus, terrifying spirit energy raged, kicking up sharp airwaves that tore apart breath, spirit energy, and even sensory perceptions along its path, creating a cacophony of horrific howls and screams.
In an instant, the central operation of the God Realm Yumen seemed to transform into a colossal furnace with destructive capabilities, wanting everything within to return to a primal and pure state of spirit energy.
This was the true form of the God Realm Yumen’s central operation!~
Watching this scene, the System finally understood why the central operation of the God Realm Yumen, so blatantly exposed to the outside, could still function for thousands of years without being destroyed.
It wasn’t because there were any powerful guardians present, but because the God Realm Yumen was fundamentally different from the vast majority of God Realms.
From its inception, the God Realm Yumen was not designed to nurture its followers or store spirit energy but was meant to suppress and exterminate urban legends; therefore, its central operation was the greatest weapon of the entire God Realm!
Those who entered the central operation of the God Realm with intentions to usurp or destroy would likely meet only d*ath.
Upon realizing this, the System felt a wave of fear.
If its guess was correct, then just now it and Gu Qiqi carelessly ventured into that underground cavern, coinciding with the activation of the God Realm Yumen’s central operation—it was as if they were half-heartedly reaching into a giant fan for repairs when someone suddenly turned the power on, causing the fan to start spinning.
“…”
If that’s the case, didn’t that figure save both my and Gu Qiqi’s lives?
Had that figure not appeared during the activation of the God Realm Yumen’s central operation to knock Gu Qiqi unconscious and take her away, they would have ended up like those urban legends and Spiritual Ability Users caught in the operation, reduced to fragments—just a mass of spirit energy.
But why would he do that?
The System wondered, peeking out from Gu Qiqi’s embrace, using its pea-sized eyes to look at that strange figure.
He held the Fengchi Spear in one hand and tugged at the chains with the other, supporting Gu Qiqi as he moved forward, still mumbling unclear, incomprehensible words, as if he were completely immersed in a world only he could reach—a puppet acting purely on instinct.
The System, “…”
It seemed escaping would require some other method.
Although knocking Gu Qiqi unconscious might have been done with good intentions, this bizarre figure made communication impossible!
————
In the dimly lit dungeon, a stench of decay lingered as water continuously dripped from the ceiling, falling onto the pooled water below with a “drip, drip” sound.
In the corner, amidst the white bones wrapped in dark chains, a figure raised a hand to inspect the chains on its body while speaking.
“To be honest, this thing isn’t bad; I can’t use any spirit energy at all.”
“Do you think it’s possible to replicate this thing? It’s way better than the standardized spell ropes of the Siye Society…”
“Shut up, ungrateful disciple! I ask you why you drew your sword; don’t change the subject!” A hoarse growl came from another side. “If not for your reckless show of bravado, drawing the 【Moonlit White Rainbow】 at the wrong time, would we be trapped here?”
“Do you think the First Generation Miracle Saint is someone you can casually fight against? Don’t you know your own weight? I taught you skills to keep you alive, not so you could show off and get yourself killed!”
“If it weren’t for that General guy intervening, you’d be dead by now, do you understand?”
“…” Hearing his master’s heavily angry growl, Bai Kai fell silent.
The once South Ridge Peak would never have said such things, he would have taught his disciples to be bold and unafraid of strong foes, even to exchange injuries for kills.
However, ever since both Senior Brother Nanling and Senior Brother Luxu fell, Bai Kai felt that his master had grown old.
Not just in body but also in mentality; he no longer possessed that fierce and unscrupulous demeanor he had while teaching the three disciples back in the day, becoming more like a grumpy old neighbor.
But…
This is fine! Bai Kai thought, smiling slightly, “But Master… that sword of mine wasn’t entirely useless! I at least managed to seize a portion of the control of the God Realm Yumen and a fraction of his powers from the First Generation Miracle Saint.”
“If it hadn’t been for that strange figure, I’d probably be the second-in-command of the God Realm Yumen by now, but alas… you know that figure’s strength. Even if Old General and I teamed up, it only resulted in one of us escaping and the other getting captured, it’s just helpless!”
“Furthermore, don’t you think using the 【Moonlit White Rainbow】 for survival is worse than just striking the First Generation Miracle Saint with it? It’s like a big, strong man inviting two beautiful ladies home but only playing board games all night.”
“Shut up!” Nanling Qifeng shouted angrily, “What are you saying? It’s disgraceful and undermines our dignity. When you go out, make sure not to say you’re my disciple!”
“Uh…” Bai Kai awkwardly laughed and weakly said, “Master, you brought this up; if you don’t like it, I just won’t mention it.”
“Shall we get back on track? Since we’re idle anyway, and we need to wait for Old General to rescue us, why not continue discussing what you discovered in the County Prince’s Mansion?”
Bai Kai still held high hopes for Old General’s credibility. Since he said he would return to save them before escaping, as long as he didn’t unexpectedly d*e, he would definitely return.
“Right, right! Old Nanling, the rescue team from the Wordless Book is on its way! We’ll be out of here soon! I’m not bragging; when the rescuers from the Wordless Book bring the energy sticks, I can knock that strange figure down with one punch!”
Huaiyuan Jun had just watched Bai Kai and South Ridge Peak disciples argue as if he were a neighbor watching an angry parent scold a child, unable to interject, now seizing the opportunity to return the topic to the point.
“Let me think… you mentioned earlier that you noticed the peculiar circumstances surrounding the closing of Yumen Pass a thousand years ago and followed the trail to discover a pile of… oh right, a pile of rotting miscellaneous items, family letters, and a strange painting.”
“The strange painting… Old Nanling, what was depicted in that painting?”
Upon hearing Huaiyuan Jun mention the painting, Nanling Qifeng’s expression suddenly turned grave, “The content of that painting isn’t just bizarre, but the paper it was made with…”
As Nanling Qifeng’s words trailed off, heavy footsteps echoed from iron boots striking the ground, halting his speech abruptly.
It was the figure that had attacked them returning.
He staggered from the darkness, creaking open the dilapidated old prison door, and heavily tossed a girl bound by dark chains into the dungeon. His murky eyes scanned the room under the shadow of his military flag cloak, then shouldering his Fengchi Spear, he turned and walked back into the darkness.
The footsteps faded into the distance.
Until the dungeon returned to silence, after watching the girl for a while, Bai Kai couldn’t resist speaking out, “Master, it seems we have a new cellmate!”
“Hey! Little girl, what’s your name? Where are you from? Are you scared? Do you need big brother to protect you?”
“Shut up, you embarrassment!” Nanling Qifeng snapped, cutting off Bai Kai’s attempts at charm.
After waiting two seconds and seeing the girl on the ground unresponsive, Huaiyuan Jun quietly said, “She seems to have fainted…”
“Yeah, looks like it.” Bai Kai nodded, “But everyone locked up here got brought in after being knocked out. We should wait until she wakes up to ask about her. More than that, I’m more curious about what Master actually discovered.”
“Master?”
“Hmph!” Nanling Qifeng let out a cold snort at Bai Kai, paused for a few seconds before speaking, “The paper used in that painting was a page from a lined notebook!”
As he spoke, Nanling Qifeng’s tone involuntarily deepened, as if that was the only way he could express the shock he felt upon discovering that painting when opening the iron box sealed with multiple spell formulas.
Bai Kai, Huaiyuan Jun, and the System, “???”
