King of Tomb Raiders

Chapter 251

Uncle Wei did only one thing: he reached his hands into his backpack, and immediately scraps of cloth flew everywhere, followed by a burst of gunfire. His reaction was incredibly fast, and the firing rate of his two submachine guns was astonishing. As he fired, he lunged forward, quickly closing the distance from less than fifteen meters to seven or eight meters.

When the Dragon Witch appeared, everyone reacted differently. At the same time as Uncle Wei fired his gun, two other things happened: Red Imp died instantly; Gu Qingcheng leaped towards the golden egg, showing off her extremely superb lightness skill, which was no less than mine.

The little red devil stood in the center of the golden egg, and suddenly, from head to toe, he was like a piece of firewood chopped by an axe, splitting into two, then into four, then into eight... Perhaps in just a second, his body had turned into countless thin strips, about seventy or eighty in total, which scattered and fell down.

What I heard at first was not the whistle of a pigeon, but the whooshing sound of the air being torn apart by the force of the Dragon Witch's fatal blow.

"She's not human...she's not human..." Tiger muttered, but his voice was immediately drowned out by the roar of bullets from Uncle Wei's submachine gun.

A woman with six arms cannot be called "human," and the attack she unleashed was both demonic and bewitching, transcending the realm of "martial arts" and "combat techniques." Furthermore, the "lightness skill" she used while suspended in mid-air was not the usual kind. At that moment, she was like an omnipresent, all-encompassing nightmare, tightly enveloping us all.

I am not afraid of death, but I do not want to face such an ending. Subconsciously, every appearance of the Dragon Witch is a warning with profound implications.

Even the fullest magazine will eventually run out of ammo. The gunfire abruptly stopped, and Uncle Wei stood in a horse stance on the edge of the cliff, still holding his arms outstretched.

The wind billowed the witch Long's black robes, causing them to billow and flutter like an eerie mushroom cloud. As she raised her arms and loosened her clenched fists, dozens of gleaming yellow bullets silently plummeted into the deep valley. Catching bullets with her bare hands—a highly difficult feat—was as effortless for her.

"Hey, Tang Qing, what happened to Xiaoxin? Where are you keeping her?" Tiger broke the silence with a mighty cry.

Uncle Wei's arm trembled, and his backpack, already riddled with holes, fell to the ground, a handful of brass bullet casings clattering out amidst the acrid smoke.

Volume Five: The Millennium Labyrinth

Part 1: Deep Underground

— Chapter 3 — Mirror Illusion Abyss —

"I told you, this is not a place for you to come," the Longewitch said sharply. She appeared in an extremely bizarre way, killing the red imp in an instant, her whole body exuding a breathtaking power.

“But we’re already here—” Uncle Wei, who was closest to her, replied.

"Those who come will die." The witch Long's voice was as cold as a knife.

"Isn't there any room for negotiation?" Uncle Wei was stalling for time. He had his back to me, and right after he said that, a vertical crack suddenly appeared on the back of his head.

"Have mercy!" I shouted in time to stop him, but it was too late. Uncle Wei's body was suddenly split in two.

The Witch of Long's hands moved like laser guns, slicing through everything in their path without hindrance, leaving only the acrid smell of burnt flesh and hair in the air. In her hands, every life was like a leaf in late autumn, poised to fall at any moment.

Gu Qingcheng is stronger than I imagined. She witnessed Uncle Wei's tragic death, but only responded with a faint, cold smile.

"Does she have to die?" I couldn't see through the black veil covering the face of the Dragon Witch. When she killed people in the camp outside the mountain, she used normal methods; probably everyone underestimated her strength.

"In this world, the death of one more fool saves the life of one more wise person. Don't you understand?" Behind the veil, the witch Longge's eyes gleamed with a sharp light. "Next is—" She pointed to the tiger, her tone indifferent, as if the tiger were nothing more than a blade of grass or a grain of sand.

The bullets were no longer lethal to her. The next order of death should be Tiger, Gu Qingcheng, and me; that was an indisputable fact.

The mist below the cliff surged upwards and within seconds reached the feet of the Longewitch. The air became even more stagnant, and each breath felt increasingly difficult.

"This is not a world you should come to, or rather, this is not a world that humans should enter. I warned you—" A red light slowly appeared on the fingertips of the Dragon Witch.

The tiger suddenly burst into laughter, filled with a defiant, death-defying spirit: "Tang Qing, Xiaoxin once said that you two were once the most evenly matched opponents in the Tang Clan of Sichuan. After cultivating the 'Hundred Deaths Divine Art,' the damage to your bodies was exactly the same. Both of you would die, and I believe the time interval between your ultimate success and your eventual death would also be exactly the same. That's why everyone kept searching for ways to counteract the side effects of the 'Hundred Deaths Divine Art.' Now, you've failed, turning into this monstrous thing that's neither human nor ghost, and with four extra arms. It's utterly laughable, hahahahaha..."

The witch Longge suddenly shuddered, and a beam of light shot out from her fingertips, extending into a red beam more than a meter long.

"You failed, but Xiaoxin found the right solution with the 'Azure Heaven and Yellow Springs Scripture' and will soon achieve immortality. Only in the vast world outside does life have meaning. I believe that in the near future, she will become the head of the Tang Clan and a revered figure in the martial arts world. As for you, you can only hide in a cave and grow old in solitude. Even if you live forever like a tortoise, what happiness or joy can you find in such a life?"

The image of Tang Xin in her flowing fox fur coat once again floated into my mind. To cultivate the "Hundred Deaths Divine Skill," one must first be unafraid of death, but human life is ultimately finite. After accumulating a massive amount of toxins in her body, she inevitably suffered the misfortune of "a backlash from ten thousand poisons."

“You’re really good to her!” The Longe witch chuckled coldly in a low voice.

"Of course, once we carefully break the restrictions of the 'Hundred Deaths Divine Skill,' we will walk hand in hand into the wedding hall. From now on, all the heroes in the world will only know that the leader of the Tang Clan of Sichuan is the beautiful Tang Xin, and no one will remember the former 'Falling Plum Killer' Tang Qing..."

A hint of sadness suddenly crept into the tiger's voice. Everyone understood that Tang Xin's life or death was still uncertain, and talking about the future was nothing but a mirage.

"Break the seal? Hmph, do you think it's that easy? Do you know what awaits her after she enters that golden egg?" The witch Longge finally got to the heart of the matter.

Gu Qingcheng had been silent for a long time, patiently listening to the conversation between the Dragon Witch and the tiger, like a humble and cautious good student. Uncle Wei's death did not move her; at least on the surface, she had managed to remain unmoved even if Mount Tai collapsed before her.

“That place is marked as ‘Mirror Illusion Abyss’ in the scriptures,” the tiger replied to the witch Longge’s question.

"The Mirror Illusion Abyss? This obscure script doesn't reveal the strangeness of that place. All languages in the world are deceptive tricks to bewitch people; only death is real. They died, and you will die too. In fact, many who entered that place through this portal are already dead—"

The red light suddenly intensified, and the Overreaching Blade in my sleeve was unleashed at will. The blade and the person, the blade and the thought, had become one. In other words, I used my own body and life to block the opponent's fatal blow.

In the instant we clashed, I could feel the intense heat of the red beam of light, as if I were standing beside a rushing river of lava or near a giant steel furnace.

Unconsciously, the wind from the blade stirred up the heavy, stagnant air, as if creating an invisible vortex above the cliff. This was the weapon left behind by my elder brother, and when I merged seamlessly with it, I could almost feel his presence.

"Who? Is that you? Yang Tian? You're back again?" A series of urgent questions rang out from the darkness, right beside my ears, sometimes on the left, sometimes on the right.

I took a deep breath, lowered my eyelids, and focused intently on tracing the origin of those sounds.

"It can't be him. He's still imprisoned and can't escape. So who are you? In this world of clashing wills and two powerful forces locked in a stalemate, has your presence brought you here? Is it a blessing or a curse?"

The last two questions use very strange wording; only people from ancient times would use such pedantic language.

"Ah—Oh—" The Longe witch suddenly let out two piercing howls. Her black robe rolled up, and four arms stretched out from her sides and back, raising simultaneously with the normal human arms on her shoulders, pointing towards the stone dome above her head.

The tiger hissed and gasped, involuntarily grabbing my wrist: "Feng...look, look, she's no longer Tang Qing, but...another kind of being."

His self-control was even worse than Gu Qingcheng's; his fingertips dug deep into my flesh, causing a dull ache.

"Watch out, Feng! Our opponent has lost control of his mind. What follows might be a devastating blow!" Gu Qingcheng leaped forward, hiding behind half of a golden egg, a delicate touchscreen appearing in her palm.

Previously, there were descriptions of "six-armed monsters" in Tina's electronic notebook and in Guan Baoling's fantastical dream journey, but when four arms suddenly appeared on a living body, it still made me feel breathless.

With Gu Qingcheng and Tiger behind me, and the lingering warmth of Red Devil and Uncle Wei's corpses, I had no reason to back down. Moreover, with Yang Tian's "Over-the-Distance Blade" in hand, I absolutely could not allow it to be disgraced.

"Sink your Qi to your Dantian, calm your mind, forget yourself and the world, and be oblivious to life and death. You are not Yang Tian, but you share the same great qualities as him. Remember my words: this is a world where life and death are determined by willpower; the body and weapons are unimportant..."

This time, I suddenly realized that the voice came from within my own heart.

"And who are you?" I asked in my "inner voice," as the supernatural power left in my body by the Shao brothers was taking effect.

"Hehe, does a name matter? When the body and life become burdens, doesn't a name become the most insignificant thing? In that era, the most skilled swordsmen, the most accomplished generals, and the most powerful monarchs all preferred to call themselves 'nameless.' The saying 'The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name' expresses the principle that 'the great Tao has no Tao, and great fame has no name.'"

The voice was quoting from the Tao Te Ching to explain my question, its tone desolate.

"Where are you?" I asked again, but the only answer I received was eternal silence.

"She's gone mad!" Tiger cried out in panic. If it weren't for my "Overreaching Blade," he would have suffered the same fate as Red Devil and Uncle Wei.

With two "rip, rip" sounds, the black robe on the witch Longge's body tore open, revealing a tight black outfit underneath.

“This is…the time when you die…” Each word was spat out from between her teeth. The strange cries of unknown wild beasts and insects echoed from the narrow crevices along the way, blending into the harmony of her voice.

I will not give up hope until I find Suren, even if I am facing a strange woman with six arms.

"Can the 'Blade of Distance' stop the Dragon Witch's second attack? And who is making the noise from the shadows?" As the situation became increasingly confusing, I had to take deep breaths, reaching from the Baihui point to the Dantian, to keep myself absolutely calm.

“Death…redemption…mission…” She shook her six arms like a wild beast about to erupt in fury, but what came out of her throat were obscure and jumbled words.

“Feng, we still have one more chance.” Gu Qingcheng regained her confidence and tapped the touchscreen a few times with her right index finger. The electronic notebook beeped.

"All twenty-five bomb sites are activated. Within half a second, a heart-shaped blast circle can trap and kill the enemy. No matter how arrogant or bizarre the shape-shifting creature is, it's still just flesh and blood. Feng, would you like to control the final step of the detonation?" She hid behind the golden egg, a smile returning to her slightly tired face.

Uncle Wei is dead, but the many unsung heroes he did before were enough to give Gu Qingcheng the ability to control everything. The American explosive systems are renowned for their precision control; whether it's the horizontal and vertical crushing power, or the vertical, three-dimensional blast wave impact, everything can be strictly defined with very little deviation.

Unfortunately, Uncle Wei will not live to see the results of his actions.

"No need. As long as there is a glimmer of hope, we should not use explosives. Please remember this, Miss Gu." I just don't want this battle to start now. A big explosion will only destroy everything, but it won't bring about a perfect answer.

“You… will all die…” The witch Longge raised her arms once again.

The surging, flowing mist grew thicker and thicker, gradually enveloping her dangling feet. Suddenly, I felt a powerful whirlwind rushing up from below the cliff, carrying the force to sweep everything away.

"Everyone be careful!" I immediately warned. Just then, the Dragon Witch swooped down like a diving eagle, the red light on her fingertips surging like a sword reaching for the sky, slashing towards my head.

I abruptly closed my eyes. The red light vanished, leaving only my hearing, smell, and inner voice remaining conscious. Light is irresistible because when an attack reaches a certain speed, the human ability to "persist in vision" becomes counterproductive, making it impossible to discern the direction the opponent's blade is pointing.

“Very good. If I hadn’t known Yang Tian’s whereabouts beforehand, I would have truly believed that he had returned. Young man, your intelligence is no less than his. It’s a pity you were born a few hundred years too late. Otherwise, amidst the flames of war, the world might not have been in anyone’s hands!” The strange man’s voice rang out again.

My mind and body seemed to be separating, and the "Over-Distance Blade" in my hand swung out naturally.

The whistling wind and the intense, scorching heat constantly assaulted my ears and nostrils. At the same time, I smelled a different kind of body odor that didn't belong to either man or woman, similar to the scorching smell of a red-hot iron being pressed against an animal's skin.

Is she the Dragon Witch, Tang Qing? Or some kind of mutated creature? Or perhaps, whether she is the Dragon Witch or Tang Qing, they are already dead, and what moves now are merely their bodies, their thoughts transformed into something else. I should kill her with all my might—

The "Overreaching Blade" was no longer in my mind, nor did I consciously think about what kind of sword technique I was using. The sword had become a part of my body, nimbly maneuvering and defending against the Dragon Witch's attacks.

“You can’t kill her. She’s a lever, and also the key to turn everything around. Come on, we should talk.”

The man's voice echoed in my mind, and a sudden flash of inspiration struck me: "You? Square-eyed warrior?" It was a judgment based on my sixth sense, made without any careful thought, and it just came out off the top of my head.

"Hehe, hehe..." The voice laughed, but it was filled with bitterness.

I knew I was right, but then an even bigger question arose: "Did he really survive here for two thousand years? From the Qin Dynasty all the way to the 21st century?"

If this strange environment beneath the mountain has no concept of time, and can eliminate the human cycle of "birth and aging," then what about "illness, injury, and pain"? Any one of these three torments would send a human to the abyss of death, unless "he" is not human, but a strange visitor from another planet.

The Longe witch suddenly let out a strange "Aow!" and retreated rapidly.

I opened my eyes and saw that the blade was stained with blood, and the stone slab beneath my feet was also covered in bloodstains.

"Don't kill her, don't disrupt that delicate balance!" The voice grew anxious, followed by a sigh.

"What balance? Do you know where Suren—my friend—went?" Mentioning Suren, I was even more anxious than him, but I tried my best to restrain myself. However, I could feel that I was getting closer to the core of all the strange events.

The wind suddenly intensified more than tenfold, and a vertical hole about five meters in diameter appeared in the center of the fog.

The witch Longge's arms hung limply at her sides. The black veil covering her face had fallen away, revealing a pale face. Without a doubt, this face belonged to Tang Qing, a master of the Tang Clan; I had seen her real photograph in many classified police files.

"Wind, you clearly had a chance to kill her just now, why didn't you do it?" the tiger hissed angrily.

No one but myself could understand the fight that just happened. I know that the most powerful force came from "him," and since he could enter my inner world, he could naturally control the outcome of this battle.

"Will killing her bring Tang Xin back?" I shook my head with a dejected smile. After the fierce battle, the Blade of Excessive Distance had become much heavier.

“At least we can capture her and find out where Xiaoxin is. Besides, aren’t you also searching for Suren? She might be the key to unlocking all the secrets. Alas, if she escapes, things will become much more difficult!” Tiger groaned, then suddenly pointed to the hollow in the center of the fog. “That should be her lair. Look, she’s going down there—”

The thick white mist swirled counterclockwise around the hole, gradually increasing in speed, instantly forming an astonishing vortex that emitted terrifying, whistling sounds.

"Tang Qing, quickly hand over Xiao Yan! Hand over Su Lun!" the tiger shouted in vain, running towards the edge of the cliff.

Tang Qing's body slowly sank into the center of the vortex, her long, disheveled hair flying wildly. If it weren't for those four terrifying arms behind her, she might be considered a beautiful and elegant woman, and she had once made such a name for herself in the martial arts world, being the dream lover of countless young heroes.

Life is unpredictable; a mysterious and tragic event must have occurred in her life to have changed her so drastically.

"Feng, everything before us is unbelievable. Where is she going? And where is that strange fog coming from?" Gu Qingcheng calmed down, moved closer to me, and gently took my left arm. Inadvertently, our hands touched, both carrying the same icy temperature.

“There will always be an answer—” I looked down at the congealed blood on the blade. Suddenly, the blade trembled three times, making three “clanging” sounds, as if it were the helpless sigh of a prisoner in distress.

"Heavens, heavens, Yang Tian—" A woman's voice suddenly rang out, mournful and shrill, instantly piercing my eardrums.

I looked up abruptly, and the Longe witch, who was about to be swallowed by the mist, suddenly waved at me and called out one after another.

"Yang Tian, you're finally back, finally back..." She was like a drowning person, stretching her fingers out and waiting for someone to rescue her.