Chapter 25: Rift

Tang Yun glanced at the unconscious Lin Xiyue, gritted his teeth, and jumped into the rift.

In the space-time rift, the wind howled and space was distorted. Tang Yun felt as if he were in a huge vortex, pulled by a powerful force, constantly spinning.

After an unknown amount of time, Tang Yun finally landed. He opened his eyes and found himself in a strange world.

This world was dark and humid, and the air was filled with a decaying smell. Around him were dense jungles, trees twisted, branches and leaves withered and yellow, as if they had been dead for many years.

"This is... the Taixu Illusory Realm?" Tang Yun looked around vigilantly.

Suddenly, a cold voice sounded in his ear: "Welcome to my world, Tang Yun."

Tang Yun turned around abruptly, seeing an old man in black robes with a withered face standing behind him. The old man exuded a powerful aura of Gu poison, making one's hair stand on end.

"Who are you?" Tang Yun asked in a deep voice.

"I am the residual soul of past Gu Kings." The old man laughed insidiously. "You have trespassed into my domain, so don't even think about leaving alive."

As soon as the words fell, countless poisonous insects surged out from the surrounding woods, densely packed, making one's scalp tingle.

"Seeking death!" A cold light flashed in Tang Yun's eyes, and he condensed a ball of True Qi in his hand, blasting it toward the poisonous insects.

Wherever the True Qi passed, the poisonous insects burst one after another, turning into pools of green liquid.

"A bit of skill." The Gu King sneered. "However, this is just an appetizer."

He waved his hand, and more poisonous insects surged out from the woods, lunging toward Tang Yun.

Tang Yun defended against the attacks of the poisonous insects while vigilantly observing his surroundings. He knew this was just the entrance to the Taixu Illusory Realm, and the real danger was still ahead.

Suddenly, an image appeared before Tang Yun's eyes. In the image, he was surrounded by countless poisonous insects, his body eaten away until it was riddled with holes, in excruciating pain.

"This is... my future?" Tang Yun was startled.

Just as he was distracted, a poisonous insect took the opportunity to burrow into his body.

Tang Yun felt a sharp pain, and the True Qi within his body began to disorder.

"Hahaha..." Seeing this, the Gu King laughed triumphantly. "You've been struck by my Gu poison, so just wait for death!"

Tang Yun gritted his teeth, enduring the sharp pain, attempting to force the Gu poison out of his body.

Just then, the Taixu Armor in his hand suddenly vibrated, and a powerful force surged into his body, helping him suppress the Gu poison.

"This is..." Tang Yun felt a joy in his heart; he knew this was the Taixu Armor protecting him.

He hurriedly concentrated his mind, guiding the power of the Taixu Armor, and began to refine the Gu poison within his body.

However, just then, the True Qi within his body suddenly went out of control, and the light of the Taixu Armor also began to flicker.

"What's going on?" Tang Yun was startled.

"Your heart is in chaos." The Gu King's voice sounded again. "You saw your own future, you were afraid, you wavered. If this continues, you simply cannot control the power of the Taixu Armor."

Just as Tang Yun was about to be consumed by the Gu poison, the unconscious Lin Xiyue's fingers moved slightly.

At the same time, a point of golden light flickered at her glabella, like fireworks suddenly blooming in the night sky, dazzling and eye-catching.

"This is... Taixu bloodline?" Tang Yun was stunned. A powerful force radiated from Lin Xiyue; this force was pure and warm, completely out of place with the cold and humid environment around them.

Lin Xiyue slowly opened her eyes, golden light flowing in them, as if they were two brilliant gemstones. She looked at Tang Yun, her eyes filled with unfamiliarity and confusion: "Who... are you?"

Before Tang Yun could answer, Lin Xiyue suddenly let out a painful groan; she clutched her chest, her body trembling violently.

"What's wrong?" Tang Yun hurriedly supported her and asked anxiously.

"My... my body..." Lin Xiyue said intermittently. "It hurts so much..."

Golden light constantly surged from her body, resonating with the Taixu Armor in Tang Yun's hand. The light of the armor became even more dazzling, and a powerful suction force pulled the two of them tightly together.

Tang Yun felt a warm current surge into his body; the Gu poison within him actually began to dissipate, and his disordered True Qi gradually calmed down.

"This... what is going on?" Tang Yun's heart was filled with confusion. He looked down at Lin Xiyue, only to find her face turning pale, her forehead covered with fine beads of sweat.

"My blood..." Lin Xiyue said weakly. "My blood can dissolve Gu..."

Only then did Tang Yun understand; it turned out that Lin Xiyue's bloodline had the effect of dissolving Gu. He hurriedly used True Qi to protect Lin Xiyue's heart meridian, while guiding the power of the Taixu Armor to help her stabilize her bloodline.

As time passed, the golden light within Lin Xiyue gradually converged, and her face regained some color.

And the Taixu Armor, after absorbing Lin Xiyue's golden blood, shone brightly; on the originally dim armor, a lifelike phoenix pattern appeared, its wings spread, as if about to be reborn from the ashes.

"Phoenix Nirvana!" Tang Yun's heart moved; he knew this was the ultimate form of the Taixu Armor.

At the same time, the Gu King's residual soul let out a sharp scream: "Impossible! This is impossible! You all must die!"

His voice was filled with fear and despair; he couldn't understand why Lin Xiyue's bloodline could restrain his Gu poison, and why the Taixu Armor would recognize Tang Yun as its master.

"I say you can live, so you can live!" Tang Yun sneered. He reached out and grabbed the space-time rift, as if holding a thin piece of paper.

The surrounding space began to distort, and the Gu King's residual soul let out a miserable scream; his figure gradually became blurry, finally disappearing into the space-time rift.

Tang Yun let go, the space-time rift slowly closed, and the surrounding environment returned to calm.

He looked down at Lin Xiyue, finding her already asleep. He gently picked her up, his heart filled with confusion and incomprehension.

Who exactly was Lin Xiyue? Why did she possess the Taixu bloodline? Why could her blood dissolve Gu? All these mysteries were like a tangled mess, winding around his heart.

Just then, Tang Yun suddenly remembered what Lin Xiyue had said earlier: "My blood... my blood can dissolve Gu..."

A thought moved in his heart. Could Lin Xiyue be from the Heavenly Medical Sect?

The Heavenly Medical Sect, a mysterious medical sect, said to possess medical arts that could bring the dead back to life, and also proficient in various poison and Gu arts.

If Lin Xiyue really was from the Heavenly Medical Sect, then all of this made sense.

Tang Yun held Lin Xiyue and walked out of the Taixu Illusory Realm.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Xiyue slowly opened her eyes.

"Tang Yun..." she called out weakly.

"You're awake." Tang Yun let out a sigh of relief and said softly.

"I... what happened to me?" Lin Xiyue looked at Tang Yun in bewilderment.

"You were struck by Gu poison, but I've already helped you dissolve it." Tang Yun explained simply.

"Gu poison?" Lin Xiyue frowned; she seemed to have no memory at all of what had happened before. ===== CHAPTER 26 =====