The two squads stood puzzled in front of the tower.
They were smart enough to know that this could not be a good sign.
If the small baddies were absent, that meant that there had to be a big baddie around…
“The tower, for now…” Jiang Qing’e said after some hesitation. “When the purification light clears the area, we can search it better.”
There were no objections. Sure, it was strange that the Others were missing, but that was no reason to abandon the mission at this point.
Reactivating the tower would also give them a measure of safety.
They moved into the purification tower cautiously. Everything looked to be in place, and they began the reactivation.
Hum!
As the purification tower began to glow, the spreading light started to push the black mist back, and their vision improved by the moment.
They all felt a wave of relief. That, at least, was going as planned.
It seemed like they had just gotten a level two purification tower for free. If it wasn’t for their worries that this was part of something worse, they would be pretty happy with the result.
After the purification tower was completely activated, Jiang Qing’e gave the orders. “Maintain formation. We will scout the area. Do not be separated.”
Although their speed would be limited, this was the safest way to proceed, especially when they weren’t sure what was happening.
There were no objections, and Jiang Qing’e hefted her heavy sword and took point, scouting the area for clues.
They moved at a prudent pace. There were many more stone ruins in this area, which used to be a purified spot. However, at some point in history, the dark tide came in a tidal wave and smashed many of the structures here, and it was now merely a purification tower.
The group kept their resonant powers at the ready, but they met with no obstacle more troublesome than broken walls.
This was way too sanitized to be normal.
As they crossed another broken wall, Li Luo suddenly halted. A cold trickle of fear ran down his spine. Things had gone quiet. His comrades’ footsteps were gone.
He looked towards Jiang Qing’e’s position. Empty. All around him, not a soul was to be seen.
He looked back at the purification tower and saw that it was still glowing. Still, it brought no relief.
Had they walked into a trap?
Weren’t the Others gone?
He pulled out his shortswords, running Water Edge over them.
The wall in front seemed to swirl and warp before his very eyes, then a grinning face appeared.
The grin was evil, and the mouth opened unnaturally wide. Inside the mouth was an abyss—nothingness… fathomless.
His fear built up within him, colder and colder, and then suddenly it was gone. Li Luo felt the beginnings of a smile on his own face, a dark urge that twitched his lips up slightly at first. Soon enough, he was grinning widely.
He took a step towards the smiling face.
Just then, the greenwood comforter on his chest released a burst of icy power, and his mind clarified for a moment.
His two resonant palaces roared to life. Dual powers of green and blue surged out of him instinctively, lashing out wildly.
BOOM!
He was himself again, scrambling backwards with a forehead of cold sweat.
He screwed his eyes shut, afraid to look at the sinister smile on the wall.
Shing!
A powerful and familiar power bloomed around him, a comforting light that dispelled the dark madness in him.
Jiang Qing’e’s light resonant energy.
Li Luo opened his eyes to find himself in a half-standing ruin. Before him were the smashed fragments of a black wall, which seemed to have just been smashed by Jiang Qing’e’s sword.
“Are you alright?”
Li Luo hesitated. He had been utterly manipulated, a puppet commanded. No ordinary Other could have done that. This one was far more powerful than anything they had encountered thus far.
“What… was it?” he asked, voice shaking.
“Corrupting illusion realm,” Jiang Qing’e said grimly. “Only a very powerful Disaster Class Other could have made one that strong.”
“Corrupting illusion realm? Disaster Class?” No wonder the takeover had been so completely immersive.
“Where are the others?” he asked hurriedly.
His question was answered almost as soon as he asked it. They crawled up from the opposite side of the newly broken wall.
Evidently, they had been taken by the corrupting illusion realm too, and Jiang Qing’e shattering the wall had freed them all.
“That was way too strong,” Tian Tian muttered weakly. “Even we were taken without realizing it.”
“Are you alright?” Li Luo asked his squadmates.
They shook their heads miserably. “Luckily, Senior Jiang saved us with her light resonant energy before the illusion realm fully took hold.”
Li Luo was relieved on their behalf. So they hadn’t seen that smile of madness.
He had only managed to shrug free of it by repelling it with his dual resonances.
“There’s something off about this place. What was the smiling face on the wall?” Li Luo asked.
She didn’t reply, cocking her head and listening intently. Suddenly, she attacked, sending a beam of light straight at Li Luo.
Shing!
It whistled past his shoulder to connect with the approaching Qiu Bai, sending him flying backwards.
Everyone was stunned.
“Nobody move,” Jiang Qing’e commanded.
They all stood there, afraid. Surely Jiang Qing’e had her reasons…
Qiu Bai got to his feet, hurt and disbelief written across his face. “Leader, what are you doing?”
Jiang Qing’e moved her hands swiftly, creating a ring of light that expanded into a hoop. She laid it on the floor.
“Qiu Bai, step into the circle of light.”
Qiu Bai hesitated, looking at the circle. Then he snickered.
It was a snicker that had Li Luo’s scalp crawling. Qiu Bai’s mouth was growing wider and wider. It tore his cheeks, and still it was growing, fresh blood dripping down his chin.
It was the same grin as the one on the wall from before!