A Trap Set Specifically for Him, Caught in a Dilemma
A Trap Set Specifically for Him, Caught in a Dilemma
The sky gradually darkened, and a mass of black clouds drifted in from the distance, blotting out the heavens and the earth.
All was silent. Apart from the occasional roar of a ferocious beast from far away, the stillness of this place was enough to make one’s skin crawl.
The night wind blew past, sending sand and stones tumbling across the ravines. Towering, precipitous peaks rose on all sides, making it impossible to spot any other Cultivators.
Tuo Ba Qing Yu had never imagined that in such a remote place, she would still encounter other people.
Earlier, at the border of the Great Wilderness, she had run into a powerful enemy. After exchanging blows with them, she had been seriously injured, which was why she had no choice but to find a place to recuperate.
She had thought this place was remote and uninhabited, that no one would disturb her.
Tuo Ba Qing Yu’s eyes were frosty as she stared at the several Cultivators walking toward her, and she snapped, “Who exactly are you people? I don’t know you.”
The leading young man with a scar on his face sneered, “Fourth Miss Qing Yu, how forgetful the noble can be.”
“Do you still remember some time ago, a man in ragged clothes accidentally bumped into you on the street, and afterward you had him hacked to death with blades, because you felt he had dirtied your clothes?”
“My poor little brother... he died just like that, without ever knowing why.”
As he spoke, a bone-deep, towering hatred surfaced on his face, as if he and Tuo Ba Qing Yu shared an irreconcilable feud.
“I have never seen this so-called brother of yours.”
“Nor do I remember any such incident. You’ve got the wrong person.”
Tuo Ba Qing Yu’s brows furrowed tightly as she rebuked them coldly.
She truly had no memory of ever ordering anyone hacked to death.
And given her temperament, even if someone had bumped into her, she would never do such a thing.
This person before her was clearly spouting venomous slander, maliciously throwing mud at her name.
Her first thought was that her father Tuo Ba Yun Tian’s political enemies at court were using this opportunity to frame and slander her.
After all, she never made enemies without reason in her daily life.
“Heh heh, yes, of course you wouldn’t remember. After all, he was just an insignificant nobody. To you, crushing him was as easy as crushing an ant. But he was my own flesh and blood, my little brother. I cannot fail to avenge him.”
The scar-faced young man laughed coldly up at the sky, as if venting all the rage and hatred he had accumulated over this period.
“You’re spouting blood libel. I never did any such thing.” Tuo Ba Qing Yu’s face was full of fury.
“No point in more words. Today, I will avenge my dead brother.”
“But before that, if I can have a taste of Fourth Miss Qing Yu, then our lives won’t have been lived in vain.” The scarred man laughed loudly, wasting no more words as he swung his blade and charged straight at her.
Terrifying blade qi swept out, carrying an icy killing intent, surging forward like a vast ocean that shattered even the clouds in the sky.
At the same time, the people behind him also struck. They were no amateurs—their coordination was seamless, and almost instantly, Tuo Ba Qing Yu was forced onto the back foot.
“Who exactly are you people?!”
“I have no grievance with you!”
Tuo Ba Qing Yu’s figure flew backward, shock appearing on her face. In the very first exchange, she felt her blood and qi churn violently, her injuries flaring up once more.
She had never imagined she would be no match for this scarred man before her.
There was no way he was some nameless nobody.
One had to know that even injured as she was now, she was still strong enough to sweep aside most of the Young Prodigies within Great Yu’s borders.
This scarred man who had suddenly appeared, claiming to avenge his brother, was absurdly powerful.
“I’m just a man avenging his little brother. Today, no one can save you.”
The scarred man said no more. He struck again, a snow-white long blade appearing in his hand, slashing out with a resonant ring like a heavenly dragon piercing the sky, lighting up the entire night.
This was blade qi infused with killing intent of the utmost extreme—impossible to condense without having slaughtered tens of millions.
Below, a great mountain could not withstand it. Its peak cracked apart under the pressure of that terrifying blade qi, great fissures splitting open—a horrifying sight.
Boom!
Tuo Ba Qing Yu’s expression changed. The peak she stood on shattered, dozens of boulders weighing tens of thousands of jun exploding apart under that slash, collapsing with a thunderous roar.
Then the summit caved in entirely, shattered rocks hurtling through the air, dust and smoke billowing everywhere, the world sinking into gloom.
Throughout the endless mountain ranges, countless beasts fled in terror in all directions, plunging into chaos.
Many fierce beasts cowered on the ground in fright, trembling uncontrollably.
Flap flap flap...
Flocks of birds burst into the sky, trying to escape this dreadful place.
But the moment they rose into the air, they disintegrated, shredded by the killing intent saturating heaven and earth, bursting into blossom after blossom of blood.
They were annihilated on the spot, body and soul, nothing left behind.
Only blood mist lingered and swirled. The killing intent was like a blade, extinguishing all living things—anything that entered was destroyed without exception.
“Wah...”
Tuo Ba Qing Yu was simply no match for the scarred man. After a few exchanges, she was coughing up blood repeatedly, and could only transform into a divine rainbow and flee into the distance.
Her heart roiled with shock. His strength could absolutely rank among the very top of the prodigies participating in this Hunting Event.
Yet he had still chosen to strike only after she was injured.
Such caution was not something an ordinary person could possess.
“Run? I’d like to see who can save you today.”
The scarred man’s expression was cold and merciless as he pursued her from behind, heavenly blade in hand.
Thousands upon thousands of blade qi slashed out, crushing everything in their path, splitting open every mountain range ahead, collapsing them into ash—a display of terrifying might.
This scene drew the attention of many in the outside world.
Though it was night, the assembled ministers were all beings of profound cultivation, and they could easily make out the scenes displayed within the Colorful Exquisite Black-Yellow Treasure Tower.
Tuo Ba Qing Yu, owing to her outstanding beauty and powerful talent, was somewhat famous in the imperial capital.
Moreover, her father was a high-ranking minister of the current court, wielding immense power.
So many people were familiar with her, and all of them now showed looks of shock.
At this moment, deep in the Great Wilderness, she had fallen into grave danger—besieged by many, coughing up blood again and again, her aura withering, forced to flee for her life.
The scarred man leading the pursuit had even boasted openly that he would have a taste of Tuo Ba Qing Yu.
One had to admit, his audacity knew no bounds.
Such words were tantamount to mortally offending Tuo Ba Yun Tian—a fate ten thousand times more horrifying than mere provocation.
Even if he managed to leave the Great Wilderness alive, he would never make it back to the imperial capital alive.
Although the scarred man was hunting Tuo Ba Qing Yu under the pretext of revenge, in the eyes of Great Yu’s ministers, that hardly mattered.
Which of them had climbed this far without innocent blood on their hands?
“This Tuo Ba Qing Yu is in danger. Given her current state, at most a quarter of an hour before she’s caught.”
One minister said gravely. Although Tuo Ba Qing Yu had activated an extremely precious life-saving escape treasure, her magic power was ultimately finite.
The moment her magic power ran dry would be the moment she was caught, humiliated, and killed.
Thinking this, many people secretly glanced toward Tuo Ba Qing Yu’s father—the current Grand General Who Guards the Nation, Tuo Ba Yun Tian.
Tuo Ba Yun Tian stood behind Emperor Yu, his face extremely dark, countless flames of fury flickering in his eyes, his fists clenched tight.
Anyone could see the rage of this Grand General Who Guards the Nation.
He had watched the entire sequence of events from beginning to end. Whether the scarred man’s tale of vengeance was true or false, he would never permit his daughter to be humiliated and killed!
This would be an utter disgrace!
“Which force’s disciples are these?” His figure was steeped in gloom as he stared at the displayed scene.
The scarred man and his group all wore matching attire, embroidered with exquisite saber-and-sword patterns.
“Those look like... disciples of the Heaven Saber Sect?”
A minister beside him said hesitantly.
The Heaven Saber Sect was a third-rate sect within the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty—there was no way it could have produced a prodigy like the scarred man.
“They are not from the Heaven Saber Sect. They merely slipped in under that guise.”
Tuo Ba Yun Tian was no fool; he saw through it at a glance.
This group had clearly planned this long in advance, deliberately donning the uniforms of Heaven Saber Sect disciples to pass off the fake as genuine.
This only stoked his fury further. He wished he could charge into the Great Wilderness alone to rescue his daughter.
In the distance, the Heaven Saber Sect’s Elder had gone deathly pale with fright, collapsing limply to the ground, trembling nonstop, feeling that his sect had been dragged into a catastrophe.
Although the scarred man’s group all wore Heaven Saber Sect attire, he did not recognize a single one of them.
If anything happened to the Grand General’s daughter in the Great Wilderness, their Heaven Saber Sect would very likely be implicated—the consequences would be unthinkable.
“That fellow is truly insolent.”
Emperor Yu’s brows were also furrowed. He had been closely watching the Second Prince Yu Lie, but his attention had been drawn to Tuo Ba Qing Yu’s plight.
“It seems the other side came prepared. This Fourth Miss of the Tuo Ba household looks to be in grave danger.”
Hearing the surrounding murmurs of discussion, Gu Changge seemed unable to bear it either, and couldn’t help shaking his head with a soft sigh.
Hearing this, Emperor Yu nodded, saying with some anger, “That such people have infiltrated this Hunting Event—when the time comes, I will certainly hold those responsible accountable for their dereliction of duty.”
...begging for flowers...
His heart shook with rage. He had never imagined so many outsiders could have slipped in.
Did that not mean the other prodigies were equally in danger? The Second Prince Yu Lie might encounter the same assassination attempt.
Gu Changge’s expression shifted slightly as he said, “With something like this happening, does Your Majesty Emperor Yu have no contingency plan?”
Emperor Yu sighed and explained,
“Young Master Changge, there is something you may not know. In the past, there have indeed been cases of imperial clansmen perishing during the Hunting Event.”
“Even I cannot interrupt this hunt and break Great Yu’s tradition.”
“However, every disciple who enters carries a communication jade. When they encounter danger, they can notify their fellow clansmen. That counts as our countermeasure.”
Gu Changge put on a look of sudden understanding. “I see. So now we can only pray that the Tuo Ba household’s Fourth Miss fends for herself?”
Emperor Yu nodded somewhat heavily, then said, “Now it all depends on whether General Tuo Ba’s other children can arrive in time to rescue that girl Qing Yu.”
Tuo Ba Qing Yu had practically grown up before his eyes. He had even considered having the Second Prince Yu Lie take her as a consort.
So seeing her in mortal danger, his heart could not bear it; it was heavy indeed.
“General Tuo Ba’s other children?”
A thoughtful smile appeared at the corner of Gu Changge’s mouth as his gaze turned toward the Colorful Exquisite Black-Yellow Treasure Tower.
He naturally knew the rules of the Hunting Event well, so he was not worried about outside interference in what happened within.
By now, Tuo Ba Qing Yu was probably already sending pleas for help to her third brother Tuo Ba Xiaoyao or her second sister Tuo Ba Lingqiong.
Gu Changge wanted to see whether Tuo Ba Xiaoyao was truly hiding his abilities, or whether this was all he amounted to.
Would he watch his own sister die without lifting a finger... or keep hiding?
After all, Tuo Ba Lingqiong’s side had also run into danger and could not extricate herself safely.
“Damn it!”
“Who is scheming against me?! If you have the guts, come at me!”
Tuo Ba Yun Tian had naturally also seen the scenes displayed within the Colorful Exquisite Black-Yellow Treasure Tower. His expression grew even uglier, veins bulging on his forehead.
There was a hillside where sword light dazzled the eyes, radiant glows surged to the heavens, and terrifying killing intent filled the world, as if billions of sword beams had erupted, pouring down like a mountain torrent.
Tuo Ba Lingqiong was sent flying backward, coughing blood, as a mysterious masked young woman across from her thrust a sword that pierced through her arm.
His second daughter had now also encountered a powerful enemy, beset by danger on all sides—naturally, she had no chance of going to rescue his fourth daughter.
This filled him with boundless fury. He was certain his political enemies were scheming against him.
Could he now only place his hopes on that good-for-nothing third son of his?
Hatred filled Tuo Ba Yun Tian’s heart, but even more so, a deep helplessness and sorrow.
He knew exactly how much Tuo Ba Xiaoyao was worth.
Even if he went to rescue Tuo Ba Qing Yu, it would be throwing his life away for nothing. What use could he possibly be?
“That girl Qing Yu is in danger?”
Deep within the Great Wilderness, the night was thick. Inside an extremely damp cave, a bonfire flickered.
Tuo Ba Xiaoyao sat cross-legged on the ground, dressed in black robes, his face resolute and wooden.
But at this moment, a Jade Talisman in his palm was emitting a faint glow, causing his expression to change drastically.
Tuo Ba Xiaoyao shot to his feet, his face shifting between light and shadow.
Given Tuo Ba Qing Yu’s temperament, unless she had encountered truly mortal danger, she would never send him a distress signal.
The current situation must be that his second sister could no longer help her, which was why she had turned to him.
This was already the most desperate, the very last resort.
“What on earth happened? Even Second Sister can’t get away?”
Tuo Ba Xiaoyao raised his head to glance at the sky. The night was like a curtain, exuding a blackness that made his heart palpitate.
He suddenly felt a deep unease, as if a pair of eyes up there was watching his every move, seeing through him utterly and completely, leaving nothing hidden.
Tuo Ba Qing Yu’s temperament made it impossible for her to have provoked any mortal enemy.
This was definitely no coincidence.
“If I go rescue Qing Yu, then all these years of hiding, all these years of biding my time and concealing my brilliance... everything will be exposed.”
“Everyone will learn of the many abilities I’ve kept hidden.”
“I might even repeat the same mistakes of my previous life...”
Tuo Ba Xiaoyao’s expression turned extremely ugly. His fists clenched tight, his face flickering between resolve and hesitation, trapped in an agonizing dilemma.
A certain intuition was even telling him—this was a trap set specifically for him.
The hatred in his heart!