thefictionvixens Page 114
Page 114
"The root cause?" Ryougi Shiki frowned in confusion.
Before she could ask any more questions, Chen Xiao suddenly swept her up in his arms. Ryougi Shiki struggled instinctively, but froze the moment she looked up—Chen Xiao's face in the moonlight was almost eerily handsome, his black hair fluttering in the night breeze, and his eyes filled with boundless tenderness.
"Where are you taking me?" Her voice softened involuntarily.
"Find the murderer." Chen Xiao's pupils suddenly changed, transforming into a peculiar clock pattern. "Dimensional Eye, activate!"
The world instantly transformed into a collection of lines and undulations in his eyes. The bloodstains on the ground emitted a faint red glow, guiding the way. Chen Xiao, carrying Ryougi Shiki, moved through the mountains and forests like a ghost, his speed so fast that he almost left afterimages.
Ryougi Shiki gripped his collar tightly, the wind whistling past her ears. She had never experienced such speed before, as if she were going against the current of time.
A moment later, Chen Xiao stopped in front of a secluded mountain hollow. A strong, nauseating stench filled the air. In the moonlight, a blood-soaked figure was lying on a corpse, making gruesome chewing sounds.
Hearing the noise, the man turned around abruptly—his pale face was covered in blood, and bits of flesh clung to the corner of his mouth, but his originally handsome features were still vaguely discernible.
"Shiro Jun... Rio?" Ryougi Shiki gasped.
Chen Xiao tilted her head: "Our classmates?"
Ryougi Shiki glanced at him helplessly: "Besides your girlfriends, you can't even remember your classmates?"
Bai Chunli slowly stood up, his limbs twisted at bizarre angles. His eyes gleamed with a beastly green light in the moonlight, staring intently at Chen Xiao: "Chen Xiao... what are you doing here?"
"Looks like I'm quite famous." Chen Xiao chuckled lightly, but secretly tensed his muscles. He could sense the inhuman aura emanating from the other party—a twisted energy that was not possessed by an ordinary human, or even an ordinary magician.
Shirai Rio's mouth stretched to his ears, revealing bloodstained teeth: "Perfect... I'm starving." His voice became hoarse, "Shiki... do you know? Human flesh is the most delicious, especially flesh filled with fear..."
Ryougi Shiki's body trembled violently, and Chen Xiao could feel another personality awakening within her. He gently squeezed her wrist: "Don't rush, let me test the waters first."
Before he could finish speaking, Bai Chunli pounced like a wild beast! His fingernails grew long and turned into sharp claws, aiming straight for Chen Xiao's throat.
"Zeffect - Slow Down!"
The clock in Chen Xiao's eyes spun rapidly backward, and Shirai Junri's movements slowed tenfold. He calmly dodged to the side, simultaneously delivering a chop to the back of Shirai Junri's neck. However, to his surprise, Shirai Junri, who should have fainted, twisted her body, her sharp claws slicing across Chen Xiao's arm, drawing a trail of blood.
“It’s useless…” Shirai Rio licked the blood from her claws, her eyes narrowing in ecstasy. “I’m no longer human… I’m a higher being!”
Chen Xiao glanced at the wound on his arm and frowned slightly. His time manipulation abilities had limited effect on this guy; it seemed the other party had completely transcended the realm of humanity.
"Ghouls?" Chen Xiao asked tentatively.
"Clever!" Bai Junli laughed wildly. "To gain power, I willingly fell! Those foolish humans... their flesh and blood make me stronger!" He suddenly pointed at Ryougi Shiki, "And her... her eyes are the gift my master desires most!"
Chen Xiao's eyes sharpened: "Master?"
Realizing he had let something slip, Shiro Junri immediately shut his mouth and attacked with even greater ferocity. This time, he was even faster, almost becoming a blood-red afterimage.
"boom!"
A small knife flew out, and a burst of blood erupted from Shirasumi Rio's shoulder, but he only staggered slightly, and the wound healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Chen Xiao turned around in surprise and saw that Ryougi Shiki had thrown out a small knife at some point. But what was even more shocking was her eyes—those originally dark eyes had begun to glow blue.
"The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception?" Chen Xiao chuckled.
"Step back." Her voice was low and cold, completely different from her usual self. "This guy... I'm going to kill him with my own hands."
Chen Xiao took two steps back knowingly, observing Ryougi Shiki's changes with great interest. Is this the true "Weaving" personality?
When Shiro saw Ryougi Shiki's eyes, instead of being afraid, she trembled with excitement: "Yes, yes, yes! These are the eyes! The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception! Master was right, but I didn't expect you to awaken the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception so quickly..."
He didn't finish his sentence. Ryougi Shiki's figure appeared before him like a ghost, her short sword drawing a graceful arc. Shirai Rio retreated hastily, but still had half of her ear sliced off.
“Too slow,” Ryougi Shiki said coldly, the blue light in her eyes intensifying. She could clearly see the “death lines” on Shiro Junri’s body—those red, crack-like lines that, if cut along, would bring absolute death.
Shirai Junri roared, his body contorting and deforming, his bones emitting a sickeningly loud cracking sound. Countless lumps swelled up beneath his skin, eventually tearing open to reveal a hard, grayish-white outer layer. In the blink of an eye, he had transformed into a three-meter-tall monster, resembling a humanoid praying mantis, its mouthparts constantly dripping corrosive saliva.
"That's more like it." Ryougi Shiki's lips curled into a bloodthirsty smile as she took the initiative to meet him.
Chen Xiao initially wanted to intervene, but seeing Ryougi Shiki's effortless handling of the situation, he decided to observe first. He noticed that whenever Ryougi Shiki approached the "death lines," Shiro Rio would dodge in terror, clearly aware of the consequences of being hit.
The battle reached a stalemate. Although Ryougi Shiki could see the death line, Rio Shirai's speed and regenerative abilities were too abnormal, narrowly avoiding fatal wounds several times. Worse still, Ryougi Shiki's breathing began to become erratic, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead—maintaining the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception was taking too much of a strain on her.
"Catch it!" Chen Xiao suddenly tossed a small bottle over.
Ryougi instinctively caught it; it contained a bright red liquid. Without hesitation, she drank it all in one gulp, and immediately felt a warm current flow through her body, greatly reducing the burning sensation in her eyes.
“My blood has special effects.” Chen Xiao blinked. “Now, let’s end this farce.”
He formed hand seals, and the clock in his eyes spun wildly: "Zeffects—Time Stop!"
The world instantly turned gray. Falling leaves froze in mid-air, Shirai Rio's movements completely stopped, only Ryougi Shiki could still move. She looked at Chen Xiao in surprise, but he remained calm and composed.
"There's only a three-second time stop," Chen Xiao said through gritted teeth, feigning pain. People of Chen Xiao's strength sometimes don't need to take action themselves.
Without hesitation, Ryougi Shiki thrust out her short sword like lightning. In the instant that time resumed its flow, the blade precisely sliced across the most obvious "death line" on Shirai Rio's chest.
"No—!!" Shirai Junri let out a shrill scream. His body cracked like shattered porcelain, from which blinding blue light burst forth. What was chilling was that he was still struggling to crawl forward, trying to grab Ryougi Shiki's ankle.
"Why...why..." he asked hoarsely, "Master clearly said...I am immortal..."
Chen Xiao stepped forward and stomped on his wrist: "Who is your master?"
Black liquid dripped from Shiro Junri's lips, revealing a sinister smile: "You... will meet soon... He's been watching... especially you... Chen Xiao..." His gaze shifted to Ryougi Shiki, "and your power, he wants it more than anyone else..."
Before he could finish speaking, his body suddenly convulsed violently, then collapsed like a sand sculpture, turning into ashes that scattered in the wind.
The blue light in Ryougi Shiki's eyes gradually faded, and she swayed, almost falling. Chen Xiao caught her in time and found that her body temperature was frighteningly low.
"Have you merged with the Ryougi Shiki?" he asked softly.
Ryougi Shiki nodded weakly: "How did you know..."
"Just guessing." Chen Xiao smiled and picked her up in his arms. "We need to get out of here; the police will be here soon."
On the way back, Ryougi Shiki leaned against Chen Xiao, so exhausted she could barely keep her eyes open. But her thoughts were unusually clear: "Who is the 'master' Bai Chun mentioned?"
Chen Xiao gazed at the distant lights of Tokyo, his expression grave. "I don't know, but it's alright, I'll protect you." He looked down at Ryougi Shiki's pale face. "Your family's 'exorcism' background might provide some clues."
Ryougi Shiki paused for a moment: "The Ryougi family... is said to exist to approach the 'root.' Yin and Yang, the two polarities, give rise to all things..."
A hint of interest flashed in Chen Xiao's eyes: "Interesting. Perhaps the power awakened within you is the key that some people have been dreaming of."
He suddenly stopped and looked at the full moon in the night sky: "Shi, from today onwards, we have to look after each other. Since that 'master' has set his sights on you, he won't give up easily."
Ryougi Shiki didn't answer, but her hand quietly tightened its grip on Chen Xiao's collar. This man, whom she had once thought frivolous, showed a different side tonight that made him impossible to define simply.
Under the moonlight, their shadows merged into one as they headed towards the Ryougi family's shrine.
Chapter 120 The Root Style Has Also Been Mastered
The moonlight, like water, spilled onto the ancient stone steps of the Ryougi-ke Shrine.
Chen Xiao followed behind Ryougi Shiki, his gaze sweeping over the quiet buildings around them. Unlike the demon-slaying family mansion he had imagined, this place was surprisingly quiet, almost devoid of any human presence.
"Where are the family members?" Chen Xiao asked in a low voice.
Ryougi Shiki paused slightly: "Most of them are abroad handling exorcism matters... It's usually just me and a few servants here all year round."
Chen Xiao nodded thoughtfully. His "Dimensional Eye" captured the strange energy drifting in the air—a magical fluctuation he had never seen before, neither pure light nor absolute darkness, but a chaotic state in between.
Ryougi stopped in front of the main shrine: "This is enough... Thank you for bringing me back."
She turned to leave, but Chen Xiao grabbed her wrist. His expression was unusually serious: "Wait, what is that place?" He pointed to a path behind the shrine, hidden by a bamboo grove.
Ryougi Shiki followed his gaze, her expression changing slightly: "That's forbidden territory, outsiders can't—"
Before she could finish speaking, Chen Xiao had already released her hand and strode quickly toward the path. Ryougi Shiki hurriedly followed, "Wait! You really can't go there!"
But Chen Xiao's steps did not falter in the slightest. The closer he got, the more he could feel that strange attraction—as if something was calling to him. The bamboo forest rustled in the night wind, and at the end of the path was an ancient stone gate, covered with moss, with four faded characters engraved in the center: "Galan Cave".
"As expected..." Chen Xiao reached out and touched the stone door, feeling a stinging sensation at his fingertips. "There's a very strong barrier."
Ryougi Shiki grabbed his arm, her voice unusually anxious: "Don't touch it! That's a forbidden area for the Ryougi family; even members of the clan are rarely allowed to enter!"
Chen Xiao turned to look at her; in the moonlight, Ryougi Shiki's eyes flickered with fear and unease. He gently took her hand: "But I feel... this place is related to you, isn't it?"
Ryougi Shiki's fingers trembled slightly in his palm. After a long silence, she finally spoke softly, "This is...where I was born."
Chen Xiao's pupils dilated slightly. He looked at the stone gate again, this time using his "Dimensional Eye." Under this special vision, the barrier on the stone gate displayed a complex runic structure, but what shocked him most was that the fluctuation frequency of these runes was exactly the same as the energy on Ryougi Shiki's body.
“Interesting…” Chen Xiao’s lips curled into a smile. “This is not an ordinary forbidden area, but a passage connecting to the depths of the soul.”
He pressed one hand against the stone door, the clock pattern in his eyes spinning rapidly: "Calfstraighten—Time Reversal!"
The moss on the stone gate receded at a visible speed, and the barrier runes began to flicker erratically. Ryougi Shiki watched this scene in astonishment: "How could you..."
“A small application of time manipulation,” Chen Xiao said casually. “Barriers also decay over time; we just need to find their weakest point in time…”
With a crisp sound, the stone door slowly opened, revealing a dark cave entrance behind it. A damp, chilly air rushed out, carrying with it an ancient aura.
Ryougi Shiki unconsciously took a half step back, her face pale: "I shouldn't have come here..."
Chen Xiao took her hand: "But you need to face it. This is the source of your split personality, isn't it?"
Ryougi Shiki looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with shock: "How...how did you know?"
"Just a guess." Chen Xiao smiled and pulled her into the cave. "Now, let's see what secrets this 'Galan Cave' holds."
The cave was surprisingly spacious, with luminous crystals embedded in the rock walls, providing a faint light. The further they went in, the colder the air became, and Ryougi Shiki's breathing became rapid.
"Xiao... I'm a little..." She held her forehead, her body swaying.
Chen Xiao immediately helped her up: "What's wrong?"
"Headache... It feels like something... is calling me..." Ryougi Shiki's pupils began to dilate, and her originally dark eyes turned blood red.
Chen Xiao cautiously looked around. An eerie echo reverberated from the depths of the cave, like countless whispers. Twisted runes began to appear on the rock walls, unlike any magical system he had ever seen before.
Suddenly, Ryougi Shiki shoved him away and staggered backward. When she looked up again, her eyes had completely changed—sharp, manic, and a dangerous smile on her lips.
"Finally... I'm back here~." Her voice became low and hoarse, completely unlike her usual Ryougi Shiki. "Chen Xiao, I didn't expect you could open this barrier."
Chen Xiao narrowed his eyes: "The Two Elements Weaving?"
“Clever.” She flexed her wrists, her blood-red eyes standing out starkly in the darkness. “Although I have merged with the main personality, here… my power is strongest.”
Chen Xiao noticed her eyes—not the blue of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, but a deep, blood-red. At the same time, Ryougi Shiki's own consciousness seemed trapped within her body, her expression constantly switching between struggle and indifference.
"What do you want to do?" Chen Xiao asked calmly, secretly preparing to activate his ability.
Ryougi Ori—or rather, the personality that has taken over Ryougi Shiki's body—let out a low laugh: "Of course, it's about completely replacing her. This body... should have belonged to me all along."
She suddenly raised her hand, and a flash of red light appeared. Chen Xiao dodged to the side, and the rock wall behind him was neatly sliced open, the cross-section as smooth as a mirror.
“Look, this is the real ‘Mystic Eyes of Death Perception’.” Ryougi licked her lips. “Her half-baked blue Mystic Eyes are nothing but fakes.”