Chapter 1081: Clash of Red and White

Yu Yanluo had been watching Zu An fight against Paper Bride. But suddenly, a burst of red light had flashed, and the two of them had vanished without a trace. It left her quite shaken. She quickly looked around, reaching out to sense the environment with ki. However, she didn’t sense Zu An’s aura at all, and even Paper Bride had disappeared.

She looked at Kong Qing and asked, “What did you do to him?”

Kong Qing replied seriously, “He was dragged into Paper Bride’s special space. They will probably not come out for quite some time.”

In the corner, Jian Taiding was elated when he heard that. The heavens do have eyes! That meddlesome bastard has finally disappeared!

He had heard about Paper Bride before. Countless experts had died because of her. They seemed to have been trapped within her personal fantasy land; once they were trapped, their very souls had been sucked dry, leaving behind only a hollow shell.

At that moment, he was praying that she would suck Zu An completely dry. That way, there will still be a chance between sister-in-law and me.

While Jian Taiding was in high spirits, Yu Yanluo was deeply worried. Her beautiful brows rose when she heard Kong Qing’s explanation. She said, “I do not believe you. How can she possibly form her own domain with her cultivation?”

If it were just an illusion, Zu An’s body should have still been present. And yet, his body had completely vanished! That meant he had been dragged into another space. Normally speaking, however, that was something only a grandmaster could do. The space was called a domain, and in their domain, they were the ruler.

To a certain degree, Yu Yanluo’s World Painting was also the beginning of a domain. However, her situation was special. Together with the libationer’s help, it was because of the World Painting treasure she had encountered in her earlier years that she had been able to create her own space. Even though it was miraculous, it was many times weaker than the domain of a grandmaster.

How had Paper Bride accomplished such a thing? How could she possibly have the qualifications to make a domain of her own?

Kong Qing shook his head and replied, “It is not a domain; rather, her skills are extremely special. That, along with some special encounters she had, is why she is able to create such a strange space of her own.”

The reason why Paper Bride didn’t fear Kong Qing, even though she was his subordinate, was precisely because she had that trump card. Even he felt some fear and restraint toward it.

Even though he was a fiend, Yu Yanluo was just too beautiful. When he saw her anger and worry, he couldn't help but say in consolation, “Madam Yu, please feel at ease. Brother Zu is the clan lord’s friend, and Paper Bride heard that earlier as well. I do not believe she will truly harm him.”

“If something really does happen to him, all of you will be buried along with him.” Yu Yanluo’s expression turned cold as she spoke with a frigid tone. Kong Qing frowned, but he didn’t say anything.

The dark elf couldn't help but scoff mockingly, “Well, aren’t you arrogant.”

At the moment, Kong Qing had the advantage without even doing a thing himself. The dark elf thought, Where does this woman get the courage to say these kinds of things? Are pretty women all so unreasonable?

Yu Yanluo closed her eyes, not paying the dark elf any attention.

Jian Taiding’s expression was completely ashen. He had still clung to his fantasy previously, but now, he was completely certain. His goddess-like sister-in-law, who showed disdain beyond contempt toward all men, did care a lot about that bastard Zu.

If she cared this much about me, even dying would be worth it. Jian Taiding leaned against the frozen wall, downcast. The cold coming from the wall made his body feel numb, but he felt even more numb inside. It was to the extent that he even forgot about his anger toward Zu An.

…

Zu An obviously had no idea what was happening outside. He discovered that he was in a forest. There was red cloth draped across the trees, as if some clan were holding a wedding.

However, it was a barren wilderness. The red cloth seemed completely out of place amid the withered trees and the dead bamboo. A thick layer of dried yellow leaves covered the ground, and a faint mist covered the forest. There even seemed to be some tombstones in the forest depths. The pitch-black crows on the trees cawed, making the place seem even more desolate and eerie.

Zu An frowned. What the hell is going on? Wasn’t I inside a frozen cave just now? Where is Yu Yanluo?

Right, I was fighting with Paper Bride just now…

He pinched his thigh, feeling a sharp pain. His flesh was clearly still there. He frowned. Don’t tell me this is a domain?

No, it can’t be. If this is a domain, wouldn’t that mean Paper Bride has grandmaster rank cultivation? She would’ve been able to crush me with just a single finger; why would she go to such an extent?

Suddenly, he heard musical instruments playing in the distance. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be the music of a wedding celebration. However, the music’s pitch was unusual. Not only did it carry no sense of jubilation, it instead conveyed a sense of strangeness.

A thick clump of mist surged out from a path leading to the east. There seemed to be several red figures bouncing around inside the mist.

As the music grew closer and closer, Zu An gradually saw more clearly that the figures were an escort for the bride. Some of the escort soldiers raised boards, while some played instruments, as they slowly escorted a marriage sedan. From their clothes down to their shoes, and even their hats, every single person in the troop was completely clad in red. It was quite the eye-catching sight.

Is Paper Bride sitting in that sedan? Zu An thought, remaining on guard.

Just then, shrill waves of Chinese oboe music began coming from the west as well.

The Chinese oboe really was a powerful instrument. No other instrument could overpower its sound. Zu An was no stranger to the instrument; he had often heard it in his previous world’s village funerals.

It was honestly quite laughable. Why did the bridal escort also have a Chinese oboe? They really did treat it as an instrument that could carry one from birth to death.

However, Zu An couldn't bring himself to laugh at all. He stared directly at the western path.

As the mist surged outward, the funeral procession slowly arrived. They were all dressed in mourning clothes, looking downcast and dejected as they carried a pitch-black coffin.

The ones at the front had a strange gait. Their bodies moved left and right as if they were holding some kind of soul-summoning ceremony.

Zu An turned around to look at the bridal escort. The ones at the front were singing and dancing in a festive manner. To some degree, their dance carried a shocking resemblance to the other group’s. Neither side seemed to have seen the other, and they didn’t show any intention of stopping as they moved toward the same spot.

Zu An felt his scalp go numb from the strange music. He had seen a similar scene before in ‘Mr. Vampire’. He had already been covered in goosebumps back then, and yet today, he had actually personally experienced it. The stark contrast was simply exponentially greater than it had been that time!

He quickly moved to the side of the road. He had always mocked movie characters for being stupid. Why did they always stand stupidly in the middle of the road, waitinguntil both sides met? As such, he sensibly chose to hide off to the side.

However, he quickly discovered that he was still too naive. He felt his eyes blur, and saw that the two groups were actually both slowly moving straight toward him. He looked at his feet, and saw that he was once again in the center of the road.

Huh? Zu An jumped to the side again, but his eyes blurred once more and he returned to the center of the road. What the hell?

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Zu An’s expression turned grim. He kicked off with his toes and flew into a nearby tree. I’m not even on the road anymore; let’s see what you’ll do now.

However, his eyes quickly widened in disbelief, because he suddenly saw that the red and white processions had actually reappeared in midair. They were stepping on empty air as they marched toward him.

Furthermore, after he had tried dodging back and forth, the two groups had already gotten closer. He could even smell the incense and candle burning of the funeral procession and the cosmetics of the bridal escort from where he was standing.

The white-clothed individuals and red-clothed individuals seemed to be half-jumping, half-walking. Their figures gradually became blurry and indistinct.

The hair-raising music continued as well. Zu An couldn't help but hold his forehead, feeling a bit dizzy.

Damn it, this dance is a confusion formation! Zu An suddenly realized, becoming alarmed. He summoned Hundredwarble at once. With a burst of shrill cries, the processions’ instruments all exploded. The vexing music also disappeared without a trace.

He felt relieved. The strange dance, the music, and even the incense and cosmetics had seemed harmless, so it had been difficult for him to be on guard against them. But added together, they would become a formidable bewitching formation. Once those trapped inside reacted, it would already be too late. If it weren’t for the fact that he had poison immunity, which had made the last part of the meticulous trap fail, he probably would have already been caught.

When the funeral procession and bridal escort saw that, they all charged toward him.

Zu An sneered, and flames erupted from his hands. These were clearly Paper Bride’s subordinates. Since they were paper, they would fear flames. As for the more precious primordial ki, he would save it for Paper Bride herself.

Sure enough, as the flame blade in his hands grew, the white-clothed and red-clothed individuals lost their heads. They were quickly burned away without a trace.

“Paper Bride, why haven’t you shown yourself yet?” Zu An called out. He had been on guard the entire time. However, Paper Bride still hadn’t ambushed him. As such, his eyes landed on the sedan chair at the very center.

However, no one came out from within. Zu An obviously wouldn’t be so rash as to raise the curtains himself, though. Instead, he slowly raised his flame blade and brought it down on the palanquin.

Suddenly, the coffin behind him moved, and the cover flew at him ferociously.

Zu An turned his blade around. However, the coffin lid was made of an unknown material; it was actually not cut in half, and instead flew backward.

The coffin flew over to join with its lid again. Then, the pitch-black coffin opened up like a large mouth, as if it would swallow Zu An whole.