Chapter 671: Chapter 531: Here it Comes
Realizing the danger, Yang Xiao immediately tried to extract himself and flee, but it was too late. What remained of the old man’s left hand clutched onto Yang Xiao’s wrist with a vice-like grip that even Yang Xiao couldn’t break free from. What was more horrifying was that the old man’s mutilated body seemed to take root on the ground.
The real old man had long since died, his carcass now made into a puppet. It seemed the enemy had been aware of someone’s presence nearby and had set a trap to ensnare him. Without hesitation, Yang Xiao pulled out a kitchen knife and, with a backhand sweep, chopped off the old man’s wrist and desperately fled backward as the old man’s laugh tracked him like maggots nibbling at his heels.
But things did not go as he expected. The old man merely sneered and didn’t give chase, alerting Yang Xiao to the danger. Almost instantly, he realized what the problem was. He feared he had been unconscious for no short amount of time, yet during this period, the horrific scene had not been discovered by the night patrols of the Academy. Was that possible?
There was only one explanation—the space had been isolated. The restriction set by that person was still in effect, that vast net that covered the sky!
With this realization, Yang Xiao violently grabbed a broken piece of wood from the ground and hurled it forward. Sure enough, after flying out seven or eight meters, the wood mid-air seemed to be sliced by an invisible blade and shattered into pieces.
This person had been capable of killing two elders single-handedly and was clearly beyond his own ability to contend with. Yang Xiao had never considered engaging in combat with this person; his only option was to flee.
The space was sealed; his only chance lay with the Soul-Capturing Mirror!
The enemy seemed to have gauged his strength and was not at all flustered. From the attack until now, Yang Xiao hadn’t even located the attacker’s position. The difference in strength between them was as vast as the divide between the clouds and the mud.
With extreme speed, Yang Xiao finally found the tree where he had hidden before. Not far beneath that tree was a puddle of water. His left hand clenched the Soul-Capturing Mirror, ready to activate its power. The escape went much smoother than Yang Xiao had imagined, which unnerved him inexplicably.
meters.
meters.
meters.
Until he could see the puddle, reflecting the moonlight, just two steps away—but at that moment, his sense of unease finally materialized. One step, two steps, three steps... Yang Xiao ran more than a dozen steps but still hadn’t reached the puddle. The water in front of him was like a mirage in the desert; it looked real yet was untouchable.
The puppet old man’s laughter grew more piercing, as though mocking a junior like Yang Xiao amused him greatly. This wasn’t a fight; it was just a game, a life-or-death game whose outcome seemed predetermined from the start.
Yet Yang Xiao still hadn’t given up, running desperately. Suddenly, a chilly gleam sliced through the air towards him, and by the time he noticed, it was already inches away. Judging by its trajectory, it would sever his neck and head, just like the middle-aged elder’s fate. At the last critical moment, while still in the running motion, Yang Xiao’s left foot stumbled slightly, causing him to lose balance. He watched as the chilly gleam brushed past his cheek and, the next second, he lunged forward and fell into the water. The placid surface of the water didn’t ripple in the slightest as Yang Xiao’s figure disappeared instantaneously.
In the moment before he escaped into the Mirror World, he heard the old man’s mocking laughter abruptly cease.
"Huff—"
"Huff—"
Lying on the cold and damp ground for a good half-minute, Yang Xiao slowly got up. The fall had been anything but light. Reflecting on what had just happened, he confirmed that it was his "big sister" who had lent him a hand. It was the stumble that broke the restriction binding him in place, allowing him to escape into the Mirror World.
At the same time, the stumble had also allowed him to avoid the lethal strike. Otherwise, by now, he would have been decapitated.
"My sister cares for me the most." Yang Xiao looked down at the Drama Robe with sincere gratitude, but the Drama Robe was unresponsive, dead still.
Even though he was in the Mirror World, Yang Xiao dared not linger for long. First, he needed to be wary of the Mirror Ghosts, and second, he was concerned about the one who had attacked him—their strength was probably at the peak of the You Level Middle. Such a figure could have bizarre abilities, and if they followed him into the Mirror World, it would be truly terrifying.
Looking down, the half of the old man’s left arm still gripped his wrist. Yang Xiao muttered an apology to the elder and raised his kitchen knife, severing several fingers in succession to finally remove the half arm and threw it aside. He then turned and swiftly left, following the path memorized in his memory.
He traveled a great distance, almost reaching the limit of the Mirror World he could maintain, before he dared to re-emerge, by then it was the latter part of the night. Completely exhausted, he flopped onto his bed in his apartment without even bothering to wash up.
After resting for a while and feeling slightly less dizzy, Yang Xiao pushed open the bathroom door. Opposite the entrance was a mirror, and at first glance, it shocked him into a cold sweat. His face was covered in blood, a grotesque sight.
No, that’s not right—it wasn’t his face, but the mask on his face!
Under Yang Xiao’s horrified gaze, the flesh and blood covering the mask gradually receded, revealing the mask with the number 31 written on it. It all happened in the blink of an eye.
Belatedly, Yang Xiao understood—it was the Drama Robe’s self-protection mechanism. If someone were to memorize the number, they could lock onto his identity and find him.
It was only by a stroke of good fortune and the enemy’s underestimation that he had managed to escape death this time. If he encountered them again, he wouldn’t be so lucky.
Suddenly, Yang Xiao’s brows twitched as he seemed to realize something. He promptly began to undress, and indeed, as he did so, he tore off a large piece of skin and flesh at the location of his heart, as big as half the size of his palm. There’s no such thing as a free lunch; this was the price paid for his "big sister’s" intervention.
