Although it was somewhat late, it was better than being completely unaware. With a thought, Ling Yun used his telekinetic cutting line to create a silver thread, gently severing the gray line connecting to his chest. The gray line, though extremely thin, was incredibly tough; even with telekinetic cutting, it took half a day to cut it. As soon as the gray line broke, the black sorcery power immediately lost its transmission path. A gray mark on Ling Yun's chest flashed briefly before being instantly burned to ashes by the blazing silver flames.
The Eye of Illusion looked again in the direction where the gray line connected to Xiaorou, but all it saw was a blur and darkness. Ling Yun could sense Gu Xiaorou's aura and powerful life force, but he couldn't pinpoint her location in reality; she seemed to have fallen into some overlapping space. Ling Yun's heart finally settled down. His biggest worry was that Xiaorou would encounter some terrible experience under the curse, but for now, although he couldn't track down Xiaorou's whereabouts, at least his girlfriend was safe.
With a gentle touch of his finger, a tiny speck of silver light, like mercury, landed on the gray line connecting Xiao Rou. Instantly, the entire gray line was filled with surging spiritual energy. Mixed with the intertwined magical power, it emitted extremely faint crackling sounds from time to time—the sounds of two forces constantly clashing.
Ling Yun did not sever the curse trail connecting Xiao Rou, because the Eye of Illusion could see this gray line at any time, which meant that Ling Yun could sense Xiao Rou's aura and direction at any time. Once Xiao Rou encountered danger, he would rush to the end of the gray line trail in the shortest possible time. Meanwhile, the mental field tightly enveloped the witch power, reducing the power of the curse to its weakest point, so that the curse trail had become a link connecting the auras of the two people.
Even without experiencing it firsthand, Ling Yun sensed the strangeness of the world Xiao Rou was in. It seemed to be another space, yet it was formed by attaching itself to reality. It was similar in appearance to the overlapping space of the barrier, but its characteristics were different. Clearly, this was another form of witchcraft, and only witchcraft could possess such bizarre supernatural powers.
Ling Yun clenched his fists involuntarily. If Xiao Rou were to suffer any harm as a result, he would spare no effort to wipe out the entire hateful witch clan.
A moment later, Ling Yun had already inserted the newly issued SIM card into his old phone and then dialed Yang Yuqi's number. In the meantime, he needed to find out what was going on with Yuqi, otherwise the longer it dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for a simple girl like her.
The call connected, and Yuqi's pleasant voice quickly came from the other end: "Hello?"
"It's me, Yuqi, Lingyun," Lingyun said softly. "How are you now? Is it convenient for you to talk?"
"I'm fine, Lingyun, nothing's wrong." Yuqi's voice was calm on the phone. "If I didn't not know how to contact you, I wouldn't have let you come to Hong Kong. I can go back to school in a few days. Everything is settled. I'm fine now, so don't worry about me."
"Oh? It's resolved?" Ling Yun was immediately surprised, not expecting such a big change in Yuqi in just over ten days. "Is your father's condition any better?"
"I'm much better now. I think I can be discharged in another week," Yuqi said. "The hospital's initial diagnosis was wrong. It's not a serious illness. It's just that I'm too tired, which has caused mental exhaustion. I just need to rest for a while and I'll get better. My uncle and cousin will take care of everything, so you don't need to worry about it."
Although her words were polite, for some reason, there was a distant, stiff, and cold tone in her voice, as if she was deliberately keeping her distance from Ling Yun. Although Ling Yun didn't have much affection for Yu Qi, the two had been in close contact before, and even if they couldn't be lovers, they were still confidants and best friends. Therefore, hearing these words still made Ling Yun feel a pang of sadness.
"...Then take good care of yourself, Yuqi." Ling Yun said listlessly. From childhood, he had always been very sensitive. Whenever someone showed signs of estrangement or indifference, Ling Yun's first thought was not to try to win them back, but to distance himself. This resulted in him having almost no close friends. Although his personality had changed somewhat after gaining his superpowers, he was still essentially the same introverted and honest boy.
Yuqi's breathing seemed to quicken. "Lingyun..." she called out hesitantly, but then let out a cry, as if she were in pain.
"Are you alright, Yuqi?" Ling Yun asked, frowning. He seemed to sense that something was wrong.
"It's nothing, I just saw a cockroach." Yuqi's voice trembled slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. "Lingyun, I want to say something to you."
"What do you want to say?" Ling Yun's expression suddenly froze, his eyes blinking rapidly as if deep in thought. A sharp, silver glint flashed in his eyes.
"Let's...not see each other again." Yuqi seemed to be saying these words with great difficulty. Each word took a lot of effort from her, and by the end, her voice was trembling with sobs. "I've thought about it. We are from two different worlds. We can't even be friends. Thank you for your help in the past. Let's say goodbye."
Before Ling Yun could answer, she hung up the phone abruptly, seemingly not wanting to hear Ling Yun's voice again.
Ling Yun put down the phone, his expression expressionless, as if he had heard something unrelated to himself. After a moment's thought, he suddenly extended a finger and pointed it into the air. A silver light flashed from his fingertip and disappeared into thin air. At the same time, Ling Yun seemed to hear a faint scream coming from behind the void, and a cold smile appeared on his face.
The Eye of Illusion swept across the void once more. Ling Yun stood silently for a while, then followed the gray line to look in Xiao Rou's direction. He felt relieved when he sensed that his girlfriend's breathing was still stable.
He casually closed the door, and moments later, he was already outside the Royal Hotel. Ling Yun then used an invisibility spell, quickly running in a fixed direction through the bustling streets lined with skyscrapers. While taxis were fast, they were clearly much slower than the speed of a superhuman, and Hong Kong's narrow roads made traffic jams common.
During his call with Yuqi, the Eye of Illusion clearly sensed a powerful perception spying on him. Although the perception was very subtle, it was impossible for the Eye of Illusion to hide from it. Ling Yun calmly retaliated with his telekinesis, not only severely injuring the opponent before they could react, but also leaving behind the extended trajectory of the opponent's perception. There is no strong person in the world who can find their target solely through perception. Therefore, Ling Yun can conclude that the perception was transmitted through Yuqi's phone call. As long as he finds the perception, he will soon find Yuqi as well.
Something strange seems to have happened to Yuqi. Ling Yun needs to find her and find out the truth, instead of just ignoring it. It seems the Yang family's background is indeed intricate. Ling Yun initially thought it was just a complicated feud within a wealthy family, but it turns out it has now become intertwined with a struggle between people with superpowers.
Five minutes later, Ling Yun stood on the top of a white building. His body sank and slowly disappeared into the reinforced concrete. He had become quite proficient in earth-escape techniques. Moreover, Ling Yun had also found the other four elements' escape techniques in Shen Gong Qianye's memories. However, so far, he still mastered earth-escape techniques the best.
In front of the white building, on a raised platform on the first floor, hangs a huge and conspicuous red sign with six large traditional Chinese characters written on it: Hong Kong Baiyun Hospital!
Chapter 220 Dark Gu Xiaorou
The dark environment had completely changed. Bright auroras shot straight into the sky from a great distance. However, as if the power was insufficient, the auroras were extremely unstable, flickering and moving in different directions. As a result, the area within a radius of hundreds of kilometers was sometimes bright and sometimes dim. Some places were bright as day, while others were dim and indistinct.
The closer Xiao Rou got to the pillar of destruction, the more she could feel a powerful aura emanating from the dark figure standing in front of it. Although she couldn't see the figure's face clearly and her senses couldn't travel any further, she felt that the dark figure was unusually familiar, as if it were the person closest to her.
Before she knew it, she had reached the pillar of destruction. Only then did Xiaorou realize that she had been mistaken. The pillar of destruction was actually just a silver aurora. The black ground collapsed into a bottomless hole with a diameter of nearly tens of meters. The silver light, which was as solid as a physical object, formed a fountain made of pure light, illuminating the nearby sky brightly.
Xiao Rou stopped in her tracks, staring in shock at the motionless black figure. Against the backdrop of the aurora, the figure, clad in tight black clothing, fluttered like a black angel descended to earth. A cold and resolute expression graced her stunningly beautiful face, and her long, glossy black hair moved without wind, further emphasizing her unparalleled beauty and captivating charm.
Her gaze was fixed on Gu Xiaorou, her eyes filled with a complex and indescribable emotion—a mixture of jealousy and contempt, yet her burning, naked desire was undisguised, a direct expression of a wish to take her place.
"Who are you? Why do you look exactly like me?" After the initial shock, Xiaorou regained her composure. The other person's appearance and build were identical to hers. Her mental energy field told her that this was not an illusion, but a genuine resemblance. While shapeshifting could achieve the same purpose, neither the woman in black nor Gu Xiaorou possessed such power yet. Moreover, even with shapeshifting, one could only achieve a very realistic resemblance; under meticulous and thorough examination, subtle differences would still be apparent.
The woman in black smiled, a cold and icy smile, like a winter plum blossom blooming proudly in the snow. "I am you, Gu Xiaorou, and you are me, so why ask such a question?" Her voice was as cold as her smile, icy and clear, yet exactly the same as Gu Xiaorou's voice.
"I don't usually look in the mirror," Xiao Rou said calmly, her mental energy field quickly condensing into a gleaming, dark spear in her hand. "Stop playing tricks. If you don't tell me who you are, I'll kill you."
A sarcastic smile bloomed on the black-clad woman's beautiful face: "I've said it before, I am you. Killing me is the same as killing yourself. And are you sure you can defeat yourself? No, Gu Xiaorou, you are no longer the cold, ruthless, and seemingly invincible strongwoman you once were. You have feelings in your heart, you have Ling Yun, you have weaknesses. You are no longer my opponent. I will kill you first, then take your place and elope with Ling Yun..."
Xiao Rou listened silently, her pretty face gradually turning pale. At first, she thought the woman in black was just playing tricks, using some kind of magic to impersonate her and deceive her. But when the woman in black spoke, she exposed her deepest worry, which made Xiao Rou both shocked and angry.
There is no such thing as another version of oneself appearing in the world without a reason. All of this can only be the work of this unpredictable dark space. But how could the power behind this dark space know the secret in her heart, or know Ling Yun? All these incredible changes have exceeded Xiao Rou's imagination.
Suddenly, a question arose in her mind: was this bar truly the destination her mother had arranged for her to find clues about her biological father, or was it a carefully laid trap? Judging from what she had encountered so far, the latter seemed more likely than the former.
Xiao Rou stood silently for a moment, then without warning, the silver spear suddenly thrust straight at the black-clad woman's chest. The speed of the thrust exceeded the speed of sound, and the silver spearhead suddenly burst into pale flames. She had to kill this black-clad woman who looked exactly like her, no matter what. Although she didn't know the exit or structural points of this dark, enclosed space, it was clear that the black-clad woman was the key.
Most importantly, the woman in black was using Ling Yun to blackmail her, which was the place Xiao Rou was least likely to compromise on and the most precious thing in her heart. Ling Yun was her Achilles' heel, and she could not bear to mention hurting him, let alone replacing her as Ling Yun's new girlfriend.
With a crisp bang, a silver telekinetic spear appeared in the black-clad woman's hand, which she used to deflect Gu Xiaorou's thrust. Black flames erupted from the spear, like infernal fire. "What's wrong? Are you scared? Scared that I'll replace you and steal your little lover? Heh, I am you, of course I know your deepest secrets, so what I'm going to do is make you fear the most." As she spoke, her hands didn't stop. The black flame spear thrust forward, drawing several brilliant black spear flowers in the air, and with a flick of her wrist, all of them rushed towards Gu Xiaorou.
Xiao Rou dispersed the black spear flowers one by one, but her heart sank suddenly. She had already tested her opponent's strength. Clearly, not only did her opponent look exactly like her, but her strength was also no less. She did not exert any pressure, and her opponent was talking leisurely while blocking and counterattacking, obviously still having plenty of strength left.
The space seemed to have been opened up, and a dazzling golden light rose from behind and above Xiao Rou, instantly transforming into a solid, intense golden sphere. The rich golden light rolled back and forth on the surface of the golden autumn, like glowing gold paper, with occasional flashes of blue lightning, emitting a terrifying hissing sound.
Xiao Rou held the telekinetic spear in her left hand, and stretched out her free right hand. A golden ball of light, like a hydrogen balloon, slowly flew above her fair palm. Even this simple movement was incredibly difficult for Xiao Rou, and fine beads of sweat were already seeping from the tip of her pink nose.
The temperature in the dark space rose sharply, and wisps of mist rose from the ground within a radius of tens of meters. This was the scene of the soil moisture evaporating rapidly due to the high temperature. The black soil quickly turned grayish-white, and cracks caused by the dryness quickly spread in a circular pattern from Xiao Rou's feet.
The aurora borealis, affected by the high temperature, suddenly became distorted. The silver pillars of light turned into a kaleidoscope of colors, appearing from a distance as if an unseen, towering giant had forcefully twisted the pillars and then dyed them with other pigments. The mist rising from the ground had thinned, replaced by wisps of blue smoke, and even bright red flames began to leap from the cracks in the aurora borealis.
The woman in black took two steps back, and her long, shiny black hair suddenly turned somewhat dry and yellow. However, after a flash of silver light, her hair returned to its original light and flowing state.
Her flawless, delicate body suddenly floated into the air, rising several meters above the ground in the blink of an eye. The black-clad woman, whose face had been frozen with a hint of irony, finally couldn't help but reveal a serious expression. Judging from the extent of Xiao Rou's spiritual energy field, this attack was bound to be earth-shattering. Clearly, her opponent no longer wanted to continue the game of cat and mouse. Their strengths were evenly matched, and a prolonged battle wouldn't determine a winner in a short time. Since they were the same person, they naturally understood each other's intentions and were preparing to attack with all their might, aiming to settle the score as quickly as possible.