I deeply regret coming out with Sister Manchen on my own today.
We ran into Xue Jiahui, who has an inexplicable hostility towards the Gu family.
She tried to drive us out but accidentally pushed Gu Manchen onto me. I was completely caught off guard and fell to the ground.
The excruciating pain in my stomach, like being stabbed by a knife, made it almost impossible for me to breathe. I thought maybe it would be less painful if I could just pass out!
No sooner had this thought crossed my mind than Du Peilin pinched my face. "Xixi, don't sleep. Do you hear me?"
... Why?
I wanted to ask, but I didn't even have the strength to open my mouth.
I could hear Zhao Zifeng wailing in the background. She was on the phone with Gu Fancheng. I instinctively wanted to stop her. If Gu Fancheng knew I was in trouble, he'd surely get angry with me!
"Zifeng... Zifeng..."
My throat was so dry. I tried desperately to call out to her, hoping she'd stop talking. But Zhao Zifeng misunderstood me. She turned around and pressed the phone to my ear.
"... Xixi?"
Gu Fancheng's voice came through the receiver. There was no anger or blame in it. His voice was gentle, but it sent shivers down my spine. "Don't be afraid, wife. I'll be with you soon..."
"..."
I wanted to tell him, "I'm okay," but I couldn't even open my mouth. My body was as limp as if the bones had been taken out, and I had no strength at all.
Du Peilin's face in front of me grew blurrier and blurrier. Finally, my consciousness sank into chaos!
...
There was a thick black fog, a desolate wilderness, and patches of woods.
Many police officers in black uniforms were hanging among the listless branches.
As if sensing my arrival, they all turned around like they were being blown by the wind. Their pupil - less eyes stared straight at me.
I was extremely shocked.
I couldn't figure out why I was back in that villa complex in Fanling again.
While hesitating about what to do, suddenly, a few of the hanging corpses dropped down like hanging - ghost worms.
Their toes aimed straight at my shoulders.
I quickly dodged backward but bumped into someone's arms.
"You little slut!!"
The person behind me grabbed my waist from behind. His voice was hoarse and sinister as he laughed, "You... still end up in my hands, don't you?!"
I was startled and quickly turned to look. It was actually Lu Tianlin, who had already fallen to his death, grinning as he picked me up.
"Sky - fire Thunder God, Five - Directional Falling Thunder. Earth - fire Thunder God, Exorcise Demons and Evils!"
I made the Heavenly Gossip Thunder Seal with both hands and pressed it towards Lu Tianlin's glabella. Even if his soul was being nurtured by Lu Shengdong to become a ghost spirit, he couldn't resist the extremely yang Five - Thunder Spell.
Unexpectedly, when I made the seal, there was no reaction in the vast and empty world.
In the pitch - black sky, there was not a single flash of lightning or rumble of thunder, not even a hint of wind.
"Hehehe!!"
Lu Tianlin laughed smugly. He tightened his grip on me with both hands and carried me towards the abandoned villa that served as their base. "Stop wasting your energy! This isn't the human world. What tricks can you play?!"
"Let me go!"
I was a bit panicked. I had no idea where this "not the human world" place that Lu Tianlin was talking about was!!
What place could render the Taoist talismans and spells that could command the heavens and earth ineffective?!!
But I couldn't just sit there and wait for death. I reached into my ever - present small bag to grab the soul bottle. But to my surprise, my hand grabbed nothing but air. My waist bag was gone without a trace.
"Heheh..."
Lu Tianlin leered at me and tightened his hold on me even more. "If you've got the guts, show me your moves. It'll be fun for me! I don't like those stupid little lambs. I like feisty girls like you!"
"... Little lamb?!"
I was stunned.
"Why aren't you struggling anymore? That girl surnamed Peng is so boring. She was like a dead log even before she died. I couldn't get the slightest bit of interest in her. But you, you're a perfect cauldron and so much fun. Come with me, girl!! I'll make sure you experience the ultimate pleasure! When I become a ghost immortal, you'll also benefit from it!"
Sure enough, the "little lamb" Lu Tianlin was talking about was really Peng Zhenzhu!!
My heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Zhenzhu's soul was hidden in this place by Lu Shengdong?
While I was thinking, Lu Tianlin had already carried me into the villa.
As the two copper - clad doors closed, Lu Tianlin seemed even more brazen. He grabbed me and pinned me against the handrail leading to the second floor.
He excitedly opened his mouth and tried to bite my neck. I could see the bloody hole in his wide - open mouth.
He tried to use an illusion to make me fall to my death, but I was rescued by Gu Fancheng. Instead, he was the one who was smashed to pieces.
His hatred for me was extremely deep. That's why he captured my soul the moment I lost consciousness!
"Where's Zhenzhu?!"
I turned my head and pushed against Lu Tianlin's face with both hands. "Since you find her boring, why don't you let her go?"
Lu Tianlin paused for a moment and then laughed disdainfully. "You little slut, do you think I'm a fool? As long as that girl is here, you'll have to do as I say..."
"Where is this?" I interrupted him. "If I'm not wrong, this is your father Lu Shengdong's Mirage Realm, right?"
The so - called Mirage Realm gets its name from the "mirage." Just as a great sea monster can exhale and create an illusory city, a cultivator with high cultivation can also create a space similar to a barrier, and he is the only law in this space.
Seeing Lu Tianlin acting so boldly and recklessly in this villa while my spells inexplicably failed, I already roughly understood the reason!
I just didn't expect Lu Shengdong's Mirage Realm to be so vast and incredibly solid... It must have something to do with the prayers of the countless believers in Hong Kong that he received!
"Hehe, you're really the daughter of that slut Lu Aruan. You do know your stuff!"
Lu Tianlin narrowed his eyes and proudly pinched my chin. "This is my father's inner - world. Not only your little lover, but even the Golden and Silver Shackles, the high - ranking messengers from the underworld, won't be able to take a soul away from here!!"
His words made me shiver. I suddenly thought of those souls hanging on the trees outside. I'm afraid those poor police officers were either turned into mindless ghost soldiers or trapped in this Mirage Realm, repeating the pain of their moment of death...
I took a deep breath, suppressing my anger. I looked at Lu Tianlin with a sneering look and said, "Doesn't your father want more believers? With the Peng family's status, isn't it more influential than a hundred or a thousand Xue Jiahuis? Your father just needs to take Peng Zhenzhu's soul back. I'm sure the Peng family will reconcile with you. After all, their daughter's life is more important..."
"Don't try to trick us..."
Lu Tianlin was about to retort, but I shook my head with a cold smile and said, "Don't you have any idea about your father's influence in Hong Kong? If he just holds a press conference and tells the world that he can cure the Peng family's daughter's soul - loss syndrome... I'm afraid the shipping magnate Peng will be eager to contact your father!"