Chapter 153: Reuniting.

Yao Jun continued to charge towards the distance with all his might, not even stopping when he had lost sight of Yuan Shen. While they had indeed been able to fight evenly for a short while, Yao Jun could not keep his strengthening techniques active at all times. At best, he would have been able to keep fighting for another five minutes.

While running, he lowered his eyes to look at the now limbless Guo Zhe and Guo Jiahao. Despite having lost their arms and legs, their eyes showed no fear or pain, they were simply emotionless and calm. Yao Jun continued to run until his strengthening techniques ran out, and then quickly dug a cave down into the ground, covering the walls with ice to prevent it from caving in.

In these five minutes of full speed dashing, he had already covered more distance than he had by walking ever since he entered the ruins. He covered the top of the cave with a layer of ice, only leaving a few small holes to allow air to enter the cave. He then used wind to push some earth over the sheet of ice, covering everything but the air-holes, making the underground cave almost invisible. It was only upon doing this that Yao Jun sat down on the ground and took several deep breaths.

His armor and sword vanished into his body, revealing his bloody back that was missing a small chunk of meat. Yao Jun had only been hit by a single one of the exploding orbs, but that alone was enough tear a piece of meat out from his back and wracking his body with pain. Yao Jun took out a large amount of medicinal herbs and Demonic beast blood from his interspatial ring, rapidly boiling it into a coarse paste that he applied to his back. The paste was boiling warm and stung fiercely, but Yao Jun was able to let out a deep breath when he felt the medicinal strength start seeping into his body. With the paste applied to his back, he turned his eyes towards Guo Zhe and Guo Jiahao, speaking out in a cold voice.

“Where is your interspatial ring? How did you enter this hidden space? Who is this person known as Sister Yi?”

When he cut off their arms and legs, Yao Jun had noticed that neither Guo Zhe or Guo Jiahao had worn their interspatial rings. Guo Jiahao had taken Yao Jun's old interspatial ring, the one containing the sword he was given by his father as well as the clothing his mother had made for him. Those were things he had to get back, so seeing that Guo Jiahao was not wearing his interspatial ring made Yao Jun rather angry.

He was also curious how two people who should be on the Guanyu continent were able to enter this hidden realm, which was located so far away from them. But the main question he wanted answered was still who the person known as Sister Yi was. Since she was able to order someone with a God Gate around, it was clear that she was very powerful. While he was asking his questions, Yao Jun also unleashed his mental energy, digging it into the brains of Guo Zhe and Guo Jiahao, forcing them to answer.

“Our interspatial rings have already been taken by Mistress Yi for safekeeping. We were able to enter this hidden realm thanks to the grace of Mistress Yi, who brought us along when she left the Guanyu continent. Mistress Yi's name is Qiao...”

Guo Jiahao's voice was hoarse and trembling, his words stopping several times as he seemed to struggle to resist Yao Jun's mental energy. Hearing that the interspatial rings were kept by the person known as Sister Yi, Yao jun's expression could not help but turn a bit grim.

Guo Jiahao had only just begun to mention the name of Sister Yi, when blood started pouring out from the ears, eyes, and nose of Guo Zhe and Guo Jiahao. Before they managed to finish the name, their eyes turned dull and lifeless, their mouths hanging open as they laid dead on the ground. Yao Jun's expression was rather dark as he looked at the corpses, a name escaping from his mouth.

“Qiao Xian Yi.”

Guo Jiahao had been unable to finish the name, but Yao Jun had already heard enough. If it was just her being called Mistress Yi, or even her surname being Qiao, both could be called coincidences. But when both were added together with the fact that Qiao Xian Yi was known for having a power that could control other humans, it became too much of a coincidence for Yao Jun to believe it.

Yao Jun let out another deep breath and calmed his mind, putting his focus on recuperating as he felt a headache approach him. The future matriarch of the Peng clan, as well as the holder of a God Gate. He now had two enemies who were trying to kill him, and even worse was that he had no idea why they wanted to kill him. He took another deep breath and put the thought away for the moment. It did not matter why they wanted to kill him, what mattered was that he was too weak to deal with them. He needed strength, strength greater than what he had at the moment.

While Yao Jun was focusing on recuperating, time slowly passed, more and more people entering the ruins and heading towards the deepest part. With each day that passed, the distortions that were present within the ruins were getting more and more numerous, several groups who were careless while battling ending up swallowed by spatial rifts that they created by using too much strength.

After spending a few days recuperating in silence, Yao Jun opened his eyes again and let out a deep breath. Despite a small piece of meat missing from his back, a few days of recuperating had been enough for him to completely heal it, bringing him back to his peak condition. It was not only the wound on his back that had healed over these few days, even the scar that Guo Zhe had inflicted on his chest with his poison had been healed, completely vanishing. Yao Jun had promised himself that he would keep the scar until he managed to kill Guo Zhe and Guo Jiahao, so that he would not forget what they had done to him. Now that he had killed them both, there was no longer a need for him to keep the scar.

He stood up, stretching his body and producing a few snapping sounds from his joints as he moved. He only swept the small cave with a quick glance before he removed the ice and earth that covered the opening of the cave, jumping out of it. He used wind to push loose earth into the cave, completely filling it up and burying Guo Zhe and Guo Jiahao. Yao Jun swept the surroundings with his eyes, furrowing his brows when he saw that the amount of spatial distortions had increased greatly. A slight mutter escaped from his lips as he cast his eyes towards the west.

“Doesn't look like I can afford to move slowly, gotta find Luo'er before the spatial distortions get any worse.”

With his mind made up, Yao Jun sped towards the west. He did not activate his strengthening techniques, but even then his speed was already faster than most people around his cultivation level. The landscape around him turned into a blur as he moved, making sure to take detours around the spatial distortions he encountered.

Yao Jun continued to move at full speed until he spotted a massive distortion in space in the distance. The distortion was far fiercer than the ones he had seen up to now, and it covered an area that could only be called titanic, looking like a pillar that ascended into the heavens. Even from the distance he was at, Yao Jun could clearly see the massive body covered in silvery-gray feathers present within the distortion.

Surrounding the massive distortion was a ruined city built out of strange yellow stone, the structures following a spiral architecture that Yao Jun had never seen before. As he got closer, Yao Jun swept the part of the city he could see with his eyes, spotting several groups of people that had already settled down in some of the buildings. While sweeping a particular part of the city with his gaze, his eyes suddenly brightened, his speed drastically increasing as he activated his lightning technique.

“Luo'er!”

Her green robe was a bit tattered, her yellow scarf dirty and torn, even her hair and body were rather dirty, but he could still easily recognize his Guo Luo. As he moved towards the city like a bolt of lightning, bringing with him the sound of muffled thunder, he also entered a highly alert state. He had not seen Qiao Xian Yi or Yuan Shen, but there was no telling who might be under Qiao Xian Yi's control.

He had also noticed that Guo Luo was walking with Wei Yating and Wei Zhong Jun, two people he had never expected her to be acquainted with. Wei Zhong Jun was most likely not going to do anything to Guo Luo, but Yao Jun refused to risk it. He entered the ruined city and dashed directly towards Guo Luo, only stopping when he was right next to her.

“Luo'er!”

Yao Jun directly picked her up in a tight hug, even spinning around once to dispel the remainder of his momentum. Guo Luo had immediately realized who was hugging her so she was still fine, but Wei Zhong Jun and Wei Yating could not help but be shocked. They realized that they had both been almost completely unable to see Yao Jun as he dashed towards them, with only Wei Zhong Jun being able to catch a glimpse of Yao Jun as he got closer to them. Looking at Yao Jun who was happily hugging Guo Luo, Wei Zhong Jun could only let out a somewhat helpless smile as he spoke.

“Why is it that you keep giving me new surprises whenever I see you?”

Wei Zhong Jun spoke out, but could only let out another helpless smile when he realized that he had been completely ignored. Yao Jun continued to hug Guo Luo, completely ignoring the fact that she was dirty. When his gaze landed on the piece of her scarf that she was using to cover her left eye, his voice could not help but turn icy cold.

“Luo'er, what happened to your eye? Who did that to you?”

Not just his voice, but even the surroundings turned cold when Yao Jun spoke. Someone had completely ruined his Luo'er's left eye, how could he not be absolutely furious. Guo Luo looked at the furious Yao Jun, her eye turning red and moist as she looked at him.

They had been separated for so long, with both not knowing what might have happened to the other, she had been constantly worried about him. She wiped away the tears in her eyes, shaking her head as she gave a short explanation about her missing left eye.

“It was a Demonic beast, but I have already killed it.”

Yao Jun continued to stare at the cloth covering her left eye for a short moment, before his eyes swept over the rest of her body. He could see traces of dried blood, new scars and even a few wounds that were somewhat fresh. He once more hugged her tight, resting his head on her scalp as he softly whispered.

“I'm sorry. Had I been more alert, we would never have had to enter this place.”

Guo Luo leaned her head against Yao Jun's chest for a short moment, greedily absorbing the warmth that it brought. But at the same time, she could also feel how hard his chest was, how covered in scars it was after all of his hard training and battles. She pushed herself away from his chest and used her knuckles to hit him on the head. After hitting him on the head, she spun her body around once, as if she was trying to show off, and spoke out with a bright smile.

“There is no need to worry about that, dummy. I am perfectly fine, aren't I? And look, my cultivation is now higher than yours!”

It was only when Guo Luo spun her body around and mentioned it that Yao Jun actually noticed her cultivation level, late stage of the 3rd Mortal Earth, an entire realm above Yao Jun. After his initial shock dissipated, he could not help but as her in a slightly pained voice.

“Why did you enter these ruins?”

How could Yao Jun not know how Guo Luo had raised her cultivation so quickly? She must have killed countless Demonic beasts, maybe even people, and absorbed their mental energy. How many battles did she have to face, how many wounds did she have to suffer? Guo Luo wore a helpless smile as she responded, pointing at Wei Zhong Jun and Wei Yating who were standing somewhat awkwardly at the side.

“It was an accident, an entrance opening next to me during battle and swallowing me. I thought about leaving, but I noticed that there were several strong Demonic beasts here, so I thought about finding any that would be good for you. I met these two along the way and we started traveling together. When I mentioned you, it turned out that they also knew you, so we decided to wait here for you.”

Yao Jun turned away from Guo Luo, his eyes landing on Wei Zhong Jun and Wei Yating. He took a step towards them and dipped into a bow, speaking in a gratified voice.

“Thank you for taking care of Luo'er. You have my gratitude.”

Yao Jun did not know if anything happened while they traveled together, but just the presence of Wei Zhong Jun was enough to deter most Demonic beasts or other cultivators from even thinking about trying anything. Wei Zhong Jun nonchalantly waved his hands at Yao Jun, tilting his head slightly as he questioned.

“Don't bother, we only did what we felt was right. But really, you scare me more and more every time I see you. Tell me, was that the limit of your speed.”

When Wei Zhong Jun thought about the speed Yao Jun showed when he approached them, his eyes could not help but narrow somewhat. He had to admit that if he were to battle against Yao Jun and he used that speed, he might not be able to prevent Yao Jun from fleeing. Yao Jun merely responded with a faint smile, changing the subject.

“Have you seen Qiao Xian Yi or a youth with brown skin and blue hair?”

The youth he was asking about was Yuan Shen, but he guessed that Wei Zhong Jun might not know who we was talking about if he just used the name. He had not spotted Qiao Xian Yi or Yuan Shen earlier, but that might just be because they were hiding. Wei Zhong Jun slightly furrowed his brows after hearing Yao Jun's question, rapidly searching his memories for anyone that fit the description. In the end, he shook his head and pointed at the massive spatial distortion ahead of them.

“A youth with brown skin and blue hair? Not that I can remember. Qiao Xian Yi, I do know where she is,  however. This ruined city goes the entire way around that spatial distortion, Qiao Xian Yi, Yao Duan He, and Zhuang Shao Ju are all in a part of the city that is located across this spatial distortion. If you want to meet them, you will have to wait a few days.”

Yao Jun could not help but furrow his brows and narrow his eyes after hearing Wei Zhong Jun's answer. Yuan Shen's whereabouts were unknown, but at least he knew where Qiao Xian Yi was. He turned his eyes towards the massive spatial distortion, slightly tilting his head.

“Is something going to happen?”

Since Wei Zhong Jun said that he would have to wait a few days if he wanted to meet Qiao Xian Yi, it sounded like something was going to happen in a few days. And since everyone was gathered here, he guessed that it had something to do with the spatial distortion. Wei Zhong Jun nodded his head, once again pointing at the spatial distortion.

“You must have noticed that the spatial distortions in these ruins are getting more numerous. That is because this massive spatial distortion is slowly weakening. In a few days, it will completely vanish. At that time, everyone will move to acquire a little piece of that massive body. Will you join us then?”

The way Wei Zhong Jun saw it, if Yao Jun was willing to help him, they would stand a much better chance at acquiring something from the corpse of the Demonic beast. Before Yao Jun had the chance to think about his answer, Guo Luo stepped forward and spoke up with a bright smile.

“We will.”

Yao Jun raised an eyebrow at Guo Luo's proclamation, but he did not say anything against it. Since she had said it, she clearly had a plan in mind. And since it was Yao Jun's fault that she had been forced into this hidden realm, even losing her left eye, he wanted to go along with whatever she was planning. Wei Zhong Jun's face lit up with a smile as he and Wei Yating cupped their hands, bidding the two farewell.

“Excellent! I am certain that the two of you have things you wish to talk about, so the two of us won't disturb you any more.”

With the two of them leaving, Guo Luo grabbed Yao Jun's hand and brought him to a secluded house that was still mostly intact. She brought him to what seemed to be the room where she had lived while staying in this ruined city, a large room containing a makeshift bed, a table, and two chairs. Once the two entered the room and she was sure that no one else could hear them, she told Yao Jun what she knew.

“Jun'er, that Demonic beast in there is not dead. I met it not long after I entered this hidden realm, it protected me and told me where to go. It reminds me of Little Gray, so it might be from a race related to him. If we are lucky and he is willing to help you, we might be able to strengthen Little Gray.”

The Demonic beast resting inside the spatial distortion was the titanic bird that had helped Guo Luo shortly after she entered the ruins, so she knew that it was not dead. Hearing her words, Yao Jun could not help but be shocked. It was still alive? Despite being inside such fierce spatial distortions? To survive something like that, exactly how strong was that Demonic beast?