Chapter 198   The Culprit that Year

However, the green jade gourd started to glow brightly with a green light, enveloping her entirely within. The demon corpse was shocked and retreated a few steps.

“What happened? Hey, it’s a mysterious world in that girl’s green jade gourd,” One of the demon corpses said. Yun Shimo stopped and glanced at Hua Qiyue meaningfully.

Ouyang Youche, Ji Feng and the rest were all greatly astonished. Although they had retreated far away, they were still watching the 10 demon corpses’ approach and could feel the tenseness.

“Let me save her!” Although Ji Feng knew it was hopeless, he still strode out toward her.

“Don’t go... ” Ouyang Youche had just said this when one of the demon corpses waved its big sleeve. “Who’s so noisy?”

A powerful force surged out, gathering the remaining hundreds up in its sweep. It then let them all fall heavily in the distance.

Other than muffled thuds, there were the muffled groans of several men. But they were thrown so heavily and so oppressed by the aura of death, that all of them lost consciousness momentarily.

The faces of Hua Qiyue and Yun Shimo were ashen white. These demon corpses were still quite merciful, although it was the rules which stipulated they could kill no one else other than their targets.

“It’s not just a mysterious world, but also suppressed by a powerful heaven-and-earth force... If we try and suck it in, there will be an accident.”

One of the demon corpses said.

“You mean someone’s inside this mysterious world?”

“Yes.”

The demon corpses all stared at Hua Qiyue with some dread. “Then you shall take her place!”

The demon corpse said, imprinting an invisible palm print on Yun Shimo’s chest. “The Summoner’s Substitute!”

The Summoner’s Substitute! This meant that if the demon corpses were unhappy with their summoner, they could let another person take her place. But they would suck one-third less of the substitute’s blood and essence.

Hua Qiyue was shocked. “No... Yun Shimo, you’re crazy... ”

Yun Shimo did not hide and looked absolutely willing. He silently shut his eyes, allowing those 10 demon corpses to imbibe his blood and essence.

Hua Qiyue’s face turned completely pale. The energy and blood inside her were churning. Perhaps she was too upset. She felt a savory taste in her mouth and the scene before her eyes turned black. She lost consciousness.

No one knew how long it had passed.

Hua Qiyue started to move her fingers and she gradually regained consciousness. She had awakened from her fainting spell.

Hua Qiyue’s felt great pain and ache all over her body. She trembled, trying her best to open her eyes.

She discovered herself still lying on the grass. Everywhere around her were bodies from the battle—of those horrendously slain.

Eh?

The 10 demon corpses were gone. Was Yun Shimo alright? Hua Qiyue recalled the last scene and turned her head back in horror to look for Yun Shimo. But no one was around.

How strange...

Hua Qiyue struggled up on her hands. She discovered she had not much strength left.

She immediately took out a pill given to her by Yun Shimo to replenish her spiritual energy. Whoosh! Something struck her hand, knocking the pill off.

Hua Qiyue’s heart sank. Had something unforeseen happened?

The battle was over, yet no one had taken her back to the capital. And Yun Shimo was missing.

“Hehehe, Princess Jinghua, today’ll be your death anniversary. After all, sacrificing yourself in a battle is a great cause!”

Whiz, whiz. Two figures descended before her. One of them was stepping on her hand.

Hua Qiyue’s pale face was full of astonishment. She raised her head. These two men... weren’t they the Left and Right Custodians of the Changlong Emperor?

“Two of you... what do you mean by this?”

Hua Qiyue asked coldly. Yun Shimo was not here. How about the others?

“Hehehe... we don’t mean anything. Your Highness is someone’s whose future cannot be forecast. So you shouldn’t live on in this world!” The Left Custodian remarked coldly.

Hua Qiyue felt extremely puzzled. She could not understand what the man meant.

“Don’t get it? Haha, you shouldn’t be able to. But I ought to explain, to make you die unperplexed!”

The Left Custodian laughed wildly.

The Right Custodian gave a cold sneer. “Do you know who shattered your meridians when you were three?”

Hua Qiyue’s entire body shook. She glared coldly at the Right Custodian. “Who?”

She never expected that after a life-and-death battle, no one would take her away, leaving her to meet a crisis here. Hua Qiyue could see from their eyes their cruel bloodlust and strong murderous intent!

Haha, while Yun Shimo and she were doing their desperate best, trying to kill the Gnawing Devils Sect which was threatening Changjing Kingdom—the Emperor was treating them this way!

Great, just great!

“It was yours truly. Hua Qiyue, the Emperor’s got a divination master to forecast your future. You were too outstanding at three and had such powerful meridians. The Emperor felt it very strange. But your fortune dish’s all a blank. So you may end up a Demon or an Emperor... ”

The Right Custodian snickered coldly.

These two Custodians were both at the Great Completeness of Cultivation Dimension. They were a realm lower than Hua Qiyue. Her performance all this time had made the two Qi Artists quite nervous.

She was an upstart. They, as old men, would have no foothold anymore. Besides, Hua Qiyue had too many divine herbs with her. They had a covetous eye on her possessions.

Hua Qiyue stared with stunned astonishment at the smug Right Custodian. She felt a pang in her brain. Instantly, her memory at three began to replay itself clearly in her mind.

During a night when she was three, a man had suddenly barged into Hua’s Mansion. He cast the soundly asleep Hua Qiyue into the lake.

Hua Qiyue woke up in shock, struggling in terror. She saw a man’s grotesque face in the water. He was grabbing her hand, a powerful scorching Qi streaming in through the pores of her wrist. A boring pain made her faint immediately.

Later, a servant discovered Hua Qiyue in the lake and she escaped with her life. But since then, Hua Qiyue’s meridians had been shattered and she could no longer practice Qi Art.

Of course, since she was weak and sickly, the cowardly Hua Qiyue would end up getting bullied later.

So the culprit was this old man before her—the Right Custodian!

“Haha, I couldn’t kill you that night. So let me completely eliminate you today! I’m warning you, Hua Qiyue, don’t be so arrogant in Hades. Otherwise, your life will be hell there as well!”

The Right Custodian started to snicker coldly. A white halo, full of murderous aura, had colaesced in his hand. It looked like he would try to kill Hua Qiyue in one strike!

Hua Qiyue mobilized all the spiritual energy inside her and flicked out her right index finger. The Spirit Summoning Art!

The Right Custodian suddenly felt a strange force controlling his thoughts. His palm began to turn and crashed heavily toward the Left Custodian.

“Right Custodian, are you crazy? Trying to assassinate me?”

The Left Custodian was astounded. He stretched out his hand coldly and grabbed the other man’s palm cleaving down.

Hua Qiyue’s spiritual energy was too weak. The Right Custodian started a little and came to himself. But soon, the Left Custodian’s fist threw him to one side.

While the two of them were busy slugging it out, Hua Qiyue took out the emergency replenishing fluid Yun Shimo had secretly given her and swallowed it.

This emergency replenishing fluid could only be taken at an absolutely critical moment. Since Hua Qiyue’s spirit medicine could not replenish her anima energy, she only had this option left.

Sure enough, after drinking a few mouthfuls, Hua Qiyue felt her invigorated body relax. Her anima energy had recovered by half!

The Left and Right Custodians were still in a tussle.

“Left Custodian, I really don’t know what’s wrong. I was trying to kill the girl... hey, where’s that stinking girl?”

The Right Custodian had a great shock. He no longer saw Hua Qiyue on the ground. He raised his head and discovered Hua Qiyue standing there, coldly eyeing him.

“This stinking lass must have used some mesmeric art... ” The Left Custodian was quietly surprised. They could tell from the earlier battle that Hua Qiyue knew the Spirit Summoning Art.

“Left Custodian, let’s kill her together. How did this stinking girl’s anima energy recover so fast?” The Right Custodian hands were breaking out in cold sweat. A bright light emerged from his palm. He pushed it out and the halo struck Hua Qiyue with grim, murderous malice.

Hua Qiyue snickered coldly. She had now the powers to fully dismiss these two men.

She flung her big sleeve, immediately breaking the halo apart.

Hua Qiyue’s movements were as natural and smooth as floating clouds and flowing water. She must thank Yun Shimo for her secret trump card—the Replenishing Fluid.

The Left and Right Custodians were greatly astounded. They stared, shocked at the woman before them. She was so badly injured that she could hardly move. How did she regain her powerful energy so suddenly? She could not have recovered so fast even taking those pills.

“Left and Right Custodians... if you dare to touch a hair of Qiyue... I promise you’ll be dead!” From the forest came Huangfu Shenglin’s enraged voice.

A gush of warmth welled out of Hua Qiyue’s heart. Although Huangfu Shenglin was not so strong in Qi Art, his feelings for her were genuine.

Hua Qiyue’s face was frosty. “Come, don’t you wish to kill me? Let’s see if your Qi Art’s more powerful than mine.”

The Left and Right Custodians stared at each other. “Let’s attack. We can kill her if we join hands!”

Hua Qiyue glared coldly at the Right Custodian, the icy smile on her lips even more distinct. “I shall repay you for the humiliation and hurt I suffered at three!”

Saying this, Hua Qiyue brandished out the Drunken Flower Fan. She did not use this weapon during her fight with the Venerated Supreme Devil, since both the Devil and the Soul Puppets had mastered the art of suction. It could do nothing to them.

Besides, a divine weapon could only improve her powers. It could not help her execute her Killing Arrays. Naturally, she could not make use of the Drunken Flower Fan.

The color of the two custodians’ faces changed. They had heard of the Drunken Flower Fan, of course. For the two of them who had not mastered the art of suction, the lay of the land would proved a fatal disadvantage.

An aura of anima energy emanated from the fan. Its anima energy was as sharp as cold, twirling blades.

Hua Qiyue sneered coldly. “Give me your lives!”

Before her voice faded, her figure had soared into the air, disappearing from the sight of the two custodians. They were shocked. When they came to themselves again, they felt their bodies severed into two. An excrutiating pain had numbed their nerves.

The Left and Right Custodians collapsed, one after the other. Their widened eyes were staring at Hua Qiyue in the near distance.

Hua Qiyue had no expression on her face. Her eyes were cold and grim. She would repay twofold what she had suffered that night!

But just before the Right Custodian collapsed, he mobilized his remaining spiritual energy and sent out a signal flare. Boom! The signal flare detonated high in the sky.

Hua Qiyue narrowed her eyes. She had nothing more to fear at this moment. Even if there were more powerful Qi Artists from the capital, her physical and spiritual energies had already recovered somewhat.

Unless the person coming to kill her was Yun Shimo, she would be fine.

But where was Yun Shimo? Hua Qiyue’s heart missed a beat. She had recalled clearly Yun Shimo taking her place, having his blood and essence sucked away by those 10 demon corpses. In other words, he would be very weak. He could not possibly have left this place.