Everyone was shocked. The space behind them was disappearing far too quickly. It wouldn't be long before they were engulfed, and no one knew what would happen then.
But Jiang Zuo knew. If they allowed themselves to be swallowed up, they wouldn't actually die. Instead, they would be teleported into the Ancient Battlefield.
However, the Ancient Battlefield wasn't scheduled to open yet. Anyone who entered would be almost instantly obliterated. The Evil Qi there had become so potent that even touching it was lethal.
Kun Tai asked, "Is it disappearing on your end too?"
The person nodded. "Yes. We should work together to find a solution."
The Water Qilin asked, "You don't have a solution?"
The man shrugged. "I don't."
The man looked like a youth, with handsome features. He wore a Daoist robe and radiated an ethereal aura.
"I'm Nangong Sui. I just happened to find my way here. Oh, and I picked something up inside. To show my sincerity, I'll give it to you."
With that, Nangong Sui produced a Wooden Token from behind his back. Carved on it were the words: Spiritual Position of King Qin Wu.
Xu Dong and the others cried out, "The Spiritual Talisman!"
This was the Spiritual Talisman—the very reason they had come.
Nangong Sui then deliberately tossed the Spiritual Talisman to Xu Dong's group, pointedly ignoring Jiang Zuo.
Holding the Spiritual Talisman, Xu Dong had no intention of giving it up.
Jiang Zuo, however, paid them no mind. While they were talking, he had already finished drawing an Array on the ground—one specifically designed for the Ancient Battlefield.
'It should be able to get me out of here.'
He then walked up behind Ximen Linglong. "Don't move."
Ximen Linglong didn't understand, but she remained perfectly still. Then, from a distance, Jiang Zuo placed an imprint of the Array on her.
Only then did he turn to Nangong Sui. "Do you have a way out?"
Nangong Sui held up his hands. "I just said I don't."
Jiang Zuo nodded, then asked, "Do you want to get out?"
Nangong Sui was taken aback. "Fellow Daoist, you have a way?"
"I do. Just tell me if you want to leave or not."
A flicker of joy crossed Nangong Sui's face. "I do! As long as you can get me out of here, Fellow Daoist, I, Nangong Sui, will be sure to reward you generously."
Then Jiang Zuo looked at Nangong Sui and said, "I want a Spatial Treasure."
Nangong Sui froze. Even Ximen Linglong and the others were stunned. Spatial Treasures were incredibly rare; just because he asked for one didn't mean Nangong Sui would have it.
And indeed, Nangong Sui replied helplessly, "But I don't have a Spatial Treasure."
Jiang Zuo ignored him. "Three minutes. In three minutes, this place will be completely devoured. I'll give you thirty seconds. After thirty seconds, I'm leaving. By then, the space here will be too unstable. Even if you find a way out, you'll just die in the spatial vortex."
Nangong Sui said hurriedly, "Fellow Daoist, I really don't have a Spatial Treasure! How about I owe you? I'll find one for you once we're out!"
Jiang Zuo said, "I only want the Spatial Treasure. I don't want anything inside it. You have twenty seconds."
At this, Xu Qing and the others grew anxious. "What about us? Aren't you going to get us out?"
Kun Tai added frantically, "Fellow Daoist, let's talk this over! We'll give you the Spiritual Talisman right now."
Xu Dong immediately threw the Spiritual Talisman over. "Fellow Daoist, if the three of us get out, we'll reward you handsomely too!"
In any case, they also knew how to make a grand, empty promise.
Jiang Zuo caught the Spiritual Talisman, then said, "Ten seconds."
He then turned to the Water Qilin. "You can return on your own, can't you? I need to send Ximen Linglong out first. Have her perform the Summoning again later. You can confirm her safety for yourself then."
With a snap of his fingers, the imprint on Ximen Linglong's back flashed, and she vanished on the spot.
The Water Qilin also vanished in the same instant.
At this, the others began to believe him.
"Five… four… three…"
Jiang Zuo's every count sent their hearts racing. Nangong Sui was still trying to hold out, while Xu Dong and his group were terrified Jiang Zuo would abandon them.
They would be doomed. The path behind them was completely gone, and the line of annihilation was about to wash over them. The space was truly beginning to collapse.
Nangong Sui yelled, "Fellow Daoist, I really don't have one! What do you want me to do? I'll give it to you when we get out! Will that work?"
"Two… one."
"Take it! Just get me out of here!" Without another moment of hesitation, Nangong Sui threw a Silver Ring.
Jiang Zuo caught the ring, a smirk playing on his lips.
With another snap of his fingers, the Array on the ground flared to life, and in that instant, everyone vanished.
Jiang Zuo's Array was designed to take everyone with him. 'I suppose you could call that merciful,' he thought. He had just been making a gamble.
A gamble that Nangong Sui would cave.
When Jiang Zuo reappeared, he was standing by a riverbank.
He held the Spiritual Talisman and the ring. 'I'll have to keep a low profile for a while.'
Jiang Zuo then left the riverbank. The exit point was random, so the chances of running into the others were extremely low.
As long as they hadn't all materialized in the same spot, Jiang Zuo wasn't worried about them finding him.
After inspecting the ring, Jiang Zuo felt a bit resigned. 'Looks like that Nangong Sui found some really good stuff in there. This ring was probably his old one, and he just got his hands on a bigger Spatial Treasure. He really made out like a bandit.'
The Spiritual Talisman, on the other hand, was an unexpected bonus, though Jiang Zuo had no use for it.
It was late at night, and Jiang Zuo returned home as quickly as possible.
When Jiang Zuo got home, he saw the medicinal concoction he had prepared earlier in the day and felt a wave of frustration. He had lost his Innate Two Qi. Although he could still manage to absorb the medicinal energy, the efficiency was less than one-ten-thousandth of what it should be.
'What a complete waste that would be.'
After some hesitation, Jiang Zuo decided to wait two or three days for his Innate Two Qi to recover before he absorbed the medicine.
'Su Qi is coming back tomorrow. I just have to keep her out of this room.'
'If it comes to it, we can just have a fight. Start a cold war and sleep in separate rooms.'
Just then, Jiang Zuo noticed a notification from the Tianhe App. 'Hmph, another one-star review with no explanation.'
Jiang Zuo just chuckled to himself. His part of the commission was done, he had been paid, and he could pick up the Profound Iron Wood tomorrow.
'That means I'll have gathered materials for both the fire and metal attributes. I hope they'll be of some help.'
'If nothing else, I can use them to strengthen my Innate Two Qi.'
「The next day.」
Jiang Zuo was up at the crack of dawn. Or more precisely, he was woken up by his phone.
Someone was calling him.
It was Su Qi. "I… I'll be home this afternoon. Do… do you want me to make you something to eat?"
Jiang Zuo thought for a moment before replying, "No, thanks. I haven't had much of an appetite lately."
Jiang Zuo's voice was as emotionless as ever, sounding somewhat cold.
Su Qi said, "Are you still mad? Something really did come up. I could have been back sooner, but there was an unexpected incident."
Jiang Zuo said flatly, "Mm, I know."
The other end of the line went silent. Su Qi didn't know how to handle Jiang Zuo's attitude. Before, they would have at least argued. Now, he wouldn't even do that.
Then, they hung up.
Jiang Zuo frowned. 'Honestly, I'm more used to living on my own. Having another person around complicates things.'
Suddenly, a thought struck Jiang Zuo. 'Maybe I should just let things go as they were supposed to. We could just get a divorce.'
'I'm actually quite curious how Su Qi would have developed afterward. If we divorce, perhaps I can see a rough approximation of that original path.'