When things went wrong, even a sip of cold water could get stuck in your teeth. Li Ke felt exactly that way right now.
What the hell was this supposed to be?
He'd run into Thresh while trying to activate the Illustration Book. Wait, hold on—Li Ke suddenly wondered if meeting Thresh had really been a chance encounter.
Watching the Zi Qiu Mountain Spirit gaze at him with shining eyes, Li Ke's mouth twitched twice.
Thresh's next words immediately gave Li Ke his answer, clearing up his confusion.
"My journey wasn't in vain. There's actually a soul like yours here on Purple Prison Mountain. You're even more extraordinary than the woman carrying a broken sword I met last time. How did you do it?" His handsome face lit up with frenzied delight, his deep pink eyes gleaming. Thresh tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
"Such a lovely scent, truly lovely. Do you know, child? My soul is trembling because of you." Like some deranged madman, Thresh shut his eyes, wrapped one arm around his shoulder, and moaned up at the sky.
"Lost soul, what's your story? The song your soul sings is one I've never heard before. Where did you wander here from? You're lost, aren't you? You need help—and as it happens, I can show you the way."
Thresh opened his eyes and looked at Li Ke.
His delight had been tinged with madness.
The Deities of Soul Blossom each existed because of an obsession. Thresh's obsession was seeking and tormenting.
Thresh was dangerous enough in the main world. The Thresh of the Soul Blossom world was worse still.
With Thresh staring at him, Li Ke stammered, looking up at him from the snake's head. After a long moment, he pointed at his own mouth. "Ah-ba, ah-ba."
"Mute?"
"Hahaha!"
"Lost soul, my child, there's no such thing as a mute soul!" As his voice fell, Thresh vanished from in front of Li Ke. Then his voice came from behind him.
"Hsss—"
Breath washed over the back of Li Ke's neck. He instinctively clutched at his throat and turned around, finding himself face-to-face with Thresh, who had bent down toward him. Only then did Li Ke realize Thresh was nearly three meters tall. Standing so close, face-to-face, made Li Ke feel a little sick.
Meeting those pinkish eyes, Li Ke felt as though he stood naked before Thresh. But what he felt wasn't shame—it was a fear beyond words.
Those eyes were like an abyss, devouring Li Ke's soul.
"Don't be afraid, child. This isn't real suffering."
[ Soul Strength is decreasing! ]
[ Summoner, escape immediately! ]
Escape your ass!
If I could escape, I'd have run already!
Hearing the system's voice, Li Ke cursed it in his mind.
This damn system—was it really trying to help him?
What a joke. Did it think he didn't want to run?
No, you damn system—why don't you tell me how to escape?!
"Let me see what makes you so unusual."
"Your soul is so melodious, so lovely. You're more extraordinary than trillions of souls I've seen!"
Thresh stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, then reached his long, slender hand toward the top of Li Ke's head.
His hand moved neither quickly nor slowly, but to Li Ke, time seemed to stop.
The purple bamboo forest vanished from view. In its place was a deep-violet lantern that had appeared behind Thresh,
His ability to adapt was truly impressive—so impressive that even Li Ke found it unbelievable.
Because even in this situation, Li Ke noticed that Thresh's fingernails were long, like the sharp claws of a beast.
Was this really what he should be thinking about right now?
Just as Thresh's hand was about to touch Li Ke's head, a clear, ethereal voice rang out.
"Stop!"
A flash of white light passed by, and Li Ke felt another force pull him backward, drawing him away from Thresh.
But Li Ke couldn't turn around. Thresh's expression had darkened, turning vicious and menacing. A pair of eyes appeared on the huge, old-fashioned purple lantern behind him. Then a crack spread from a point two-thirds of the way down, forming a terrifying maw.
[ Soul Strength is decreasing! ]
[ Soul is being healed! ]
[ Soul Strength is decreasing! ]
[ Soul is being healed! ]
The system's incessant beeping rang through Li Ke's mind. He lifted his head in pain, wanting to scream, but couldn't even manage a cry.
Behind him, the white light pulled at his body. In front of him, a purple-black light pulled at him too.
"Damn it! You again!" Thresh said coldly from in front of Li Ke.
"Long time no see, Thresh. Have you counted how many souls you've collected lately?"
The ethereal voice was lovely, with a faint trace of amusement in it.
"Get lost! This one's soul is mine!"
"I'm afraid not~ It's my duty to guide lost souls, Thresh. I won't hand him over to you. I won't."
"How many more times are you going to stop me?!"
"Of course, I'll keep doing so until you give up tormenting these lost souls, Thresh." The lovely voice didn't back down.
Li Ke looked toward the Advent timer in pain.
[00:10]
[00:9]
[00:8]
As he counted down, Li Ke waited for the Advent timer to reach zero.
What a joke.
He'd thought he could enter Soul Blossom whenever he wanted, and that dying wouldn't bring punishment or consequences. But now it was clear he'd been wrong. Powerful Demigods were fully capable of trapping him inside the Soul Blossom realm.
He didn't know whether being killed by them would send him straight back to the Soul Blossom realm, but now was obviously no time to experiment.
Li Ke didn't know who the other "Deity" who had appeared was. But the white light, and the fact that she was Thresh's enemy, told him the Deity helping him belonged to the Kanmei faction.
That was good news.
She was holding Thresh back for him. Otherwise, he might already have become part of the contents of Thresh's lantern.
3
2
The Advent timer reached its final second.
[ This Advent has ended! ]
[ Calculating exploration points. ]
[ Claiming accumulated rewards. ]
"Buzz!"
A strange light suddenly appeared between the gentle white glow and the deep purple light. In the next instant, Li Ke, caught between the two forces, vanished from the scene.
"No!"
As Thresh roared in anger, the two powerful forces collided. Purple Prison Mountain shook, the earth trembled, and the lake churned.
"Fox, you let him get away! I was so close—just a little more, and I would've succeeded." Thresh's voice grew pained and incoherent.
"That's a good thing, Thresh. I don't know how he did it either, but he seems clever. I like him, and I stopped you again this time~" The ethereal voice broke into a giggle.
"Well, until next time, Thresh."
"Let's hope there's never a next time!" Seeing the white light vanish and the Fox's tail shrink, Thresh said darkly.
There was nothing he could do to her. In the whole Soul Blossom realm,
no one could do anything to her.
Because she was the guide for lost souls, the Spirit of Salvation in this world.
And his sworn enemy.
In the Purple Bamboo Forest, Thresh bent down and looked at the tiny footprints on the ground. He touched them, his nose twitching.
"I won't let you get away, child. I'll find you."
"So close."
"Just a little more."
He plunged his hand into the earth and lifted it, cupping the soil marked with the footprints. Then he put the dirt into the lantern at his waist.
After that, Thresh vanished from the Purple Bamboo Forest.
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