Book 3 Chapter 29 – Illusion

　　"It's Guo Xiang?" Qing Linglong was visibly surprised.

　　Li Yiming did not answer her. He nodded and pondered the reason behind Guo Xiang's repeated appearances.

　　"You know him?" Fang Shui'er was dumbfounded.

　　"He showed up in the previous domain, a key figure," Qing Linglong equivocated.

　　"What? It was the same for us…" Fang Shui'er was astonished by the revelation. She stared at Li Yiming, who was the only common denominator in both "coincidences".

　　"It's the third time." Li Yiming knew exactly why Fang Shui'er was looking at him. He himself was just wondering whether it was due to him or due to something in particular with Guo Xiang himself.

　　"This is no trivial matter. It's definitely not normal that someone with seemingly little to no relevance somehow manages to fulfill a pivotal role two times in a row." Qing Linglong made a mental note to herself and for the sake of the team.

　　"Let's focus on what's ahead of us. We'll think about this later." Li Yiming was overwhelmed by the quick succession of events unfolding around him and found it hard to settle down and consider the whole issue meticulously.

　　"Turn left at the next intersection and go below the bridge. You'll find Big Beard there," Zeng Qian pointed ahead. Qing Linglong turned toward a narrow entrance on the other side of the road, and the car made its way down a poorly paved road.

　　Hengjiang Bridge was a bridge connecting the newer and the older neighborhoods of Shangbei. It was built along the East-West axis, and the bridge itself was quite aged. Due to a new bridge built at Shangyou, the traffic on this bridge had declined. The outgrowths of weed and other undesirable vegetation, which were especially prominent under the structure itself, were the only forms of life still present in a desolate nook forgotten by all within the bustling metropolis.

　　"Over there." Zeng Qian pointed in a direction after getting out of the car and led the way. A few bugs could be seen flying around her body.

　　"Careful." Li Yiming reminded her and followed.

　　After a fair bit of walking, they arrived at where Zeng Qian wanted to bring them to. They found there a white dome of light, only about ten meters in radius, right next to a concrete pillar. They kept their distances and made sure to hide.

　　"He's inside, but my bugs can't penetrate the barrier," Zeng Qian remarked.

　　"How do you know?" Qing Linglong could not understand where Zeng Qian got the confidence to make the a.s.sertion.

　　"Look over there." Zeng Qian pointed at a rudimentary marking carved onto the pillar right next to the dome of light. "That's what we agreed on being the S.O.S. signal. With his character, I wouldn't think that he would call for help so easily. I initially thought that it was Liu Meng when I discovered the dome of light, but I found out about the marking when I made my insects circle around the dome, since they couldn't enter inside."

　　"Well, it seems like he didn't betray us. Rather, he was stuck here the whole time," Fang Shui'er sighed. Somehow, the discovery had brought a sense of relief to her and lessened her sense of guilt.

　　"Is this a Combat Boundary?" Qing Linglong's apprehension was growing. 'This does fit the description. But if it's the real thing, then isn't it suicide for us to be here?'

　　"This is just an Illusion Boundary. It's slightly different from a combat one. If I tried my hardest, I could probably achieve the thing, but it would be really small and it wouldn't last very long." Qing Qiaoqiao, who was the expert on focus-based techniques, rea.s.sured her sister after a careful observation.

　　"How many days has it been since you've lost contact with them? If we base our a.s.sessment on the area and the duration of this boundary, our enemy would be very strong." Qing Linglong a.n.a.lyzed the situation.

　　"The beast should be close by. If the fight is still ongoing and we can somehow slay it, then surely this barrier will also disappear." Fang Shui'er looked at around. Since she now knew that Big Beard had not betrayed her, she could not simply leave him to die; after all, they were a team.