Split Zone No.13

“I guess you just can’t forget about me,” Nie Zun said.

I walked towards him slowly, finding 500 meters too far apart. “What’s wrong with not being able to forget? You’re the one I love. Do you expect me to just let go like this just because you’re being cold and cruel? I have to forget about the past two years just like this?” I looked at Nie Zun as I spoke.

He didn’t answer me for a long time. He simply looked back at me with a helpless gaze.

I closed the distance between us and took his hand as I reached him.

“I heard that you don’t have a soul splitter. Did you know about this from the very start?” I asked, looking up at him. He kept his eyes on me as he let me hold his left hand.

“Yes, I knew that.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that?”

“Would you have cared in the past?”

“You haven’t told me about it even when I care about it now.”

I squeezed his hand. “Tell me why you’re acting this way.”

“Your MF is down to zero once you deactivate your split symbol. It’s Du Yue’s territory here in the Gate of Heaven. What are you going to do?”

“Don’t change the subject. Tell me. Give me a reason.”

“I seem to have told you before, Li Shen. I’m tired of this. There is too much to face and too much to bear when I’m with you. I’m tired of it.”

Haha, can’t you find a better reason for this even if you’re really tired of me?

I could force myself to believe it if this happened to someone else. But you’re Nie Zun, and it’ll be more believable if you told me you had a change of heart.

You’re somebody who has been ostracized and seen as a devil since you were young. You would never feel tired of this if you had been through all that from such a young age.

You’re like this, just like I am.

I let go of him suddenly. Keeping my eyes on him, I stepped back, putting about 10 or so meters between us.

“Go if you’re tired,” I said as I looked at him.

“You know that I can’t leave now.”

“Then help me.” I picked up Piercer and handed it to him.

“Help you with what?”

I looked down at Piercer. “Help me conquer this living weapon.”

Nie Zun narrowed his eyes. “Are you kidding? How are you going to conquer it when you don’t have any MF right now?”

I shrugged. “Who said that we had to have MF when conquering a weapon? Would a loyalty gained by oppression last? All you have to do is attack me with Piercer.”

“Stop joking around. Even if you’re right, it’s not practical to do this without any MF at all.”

“If you’re not willing to help me on this, I’ll just have to do it myself.” I lifted Piercer, but Nie Zun snatched it away from me quickly.

“I guess I shouldn’t have returned the weapon to you.”

I smirked at him. “Have you not taken enough from me? I’ve given you my heart, and you’ve taken the living weapon. How about you just take my life away too?”

Nie Zun’s brows furrowed slightly. “So you’re upset about me taking your heart?”

“Shouldn’t I be?”

Nie Zun’s eyes seemed to sigh. “You’ll just end up being more confused if that heart stays inside of you. Your second personality cannot appear without that heart. Without your second personality, those who’re eyeing it won’t be able to do anything either.”

“Stop it. I don’t want to listen to this. Just tell me if you’re going to help me conquer Piercer or not.”

Nie Zun gazed at me for a while before he lifted Piercer in the air.

As if possessed by some sort of demonic energy, Piercer floated in the air between us. Black fog surrounded Nie Zun’s left hand and his eyes looked like they belonged to a spirit from hell.

“Come on out.” He sounded merciless. There was no warmth in his voice at all.

Surrounded by that black fog from his palm, the purple-colored Piercer seemed to dance in the air like a levitating snake.

It was coupled with the hair-raising sound of a female calling out in a low-pitched voice.

I stared at Nie Zun and focused on all his movements, trying to find out what exactly he was doing.

It was not only his attitude towards me that had changed. After getting his blood changed, he seemed to be more demonic than before. He was ruthless every time he attacked, and I could feel that his attacks and the way he used MF were different from all of us. This probably would have something to do with the fact that he did not have a soul splitter.

I had a nagging feeling that once we get to the bottom of this, I’ll be able to uncover the reason that he chose to leave me.

Before I could tell what he was attempting, Piercer produced a bright light. I heard a loud scream before Piercer transformed into a lady who stood right in front of me.

I was surprised by how she looked this time. She did not look as terrifying as before. She was no longer mottled with flesh and blood, and her skin was no longer peeling off.

She was in a purple dress, in a color very similar to Piercer’s skin. She could not be considered beautiful, but she was not ugly either. She just looked cold and distant.

Her face was pale and her hair fell across her shoulders.

“You are... Piercer?” I didn’t know what to say suddenly.

The purple-clad female smirked. “Weren’t you trying so hard to get me out? Why’re you pretending to be shocked when I’m here now?” This is definitely the female soul in Piercer.

“I didn’t expect for you to look like that.” Slightly upset about being misunderstood, I tried to explain my reaction.

“There are many things you can’t imagine. I really don’t know what that couple was thinking when they actually gifted me to someone like you.”

“Didn’t you hate them?”

“Hate is the only thing I know because of that. But if they gave me to you, this means they probably don’t treat you as a friend either. Everyone knows about Piercer’s curse. They’ve really overlooked that.”

“No, it wasn’t something they overlooked. It was a calculated decision on their part. It’s best to give me something cursed in case I end up being a threat to them or end up being in their way.”

“Aren’t you positive. Do you really think you can overcome my curse?”

I looked at her in confusion. “Your curse? Do you mean that Piercer’s curse is caused solely by you?”

Piercer smirked. “This is one way you can interpret it. Anyway, since you’ve tried so hard to summon me and you’ve even enlisted the help of a devil on it, I’ll give you a chance to conquer me now that I’m out.”

She glanced at Nie Zun when she mentioned the word ‘devil’.

Nie Zun seemed to have turned into a mute after she appeared. He was just standing there in silence.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I had to take advantage of this moment when Piercer’s soul was out. I spoke without hesitation, “What do you want me to do?”

Piercer laughed mercilessly. “To conquer me, you’ll have to go through all the pain I’ll be putting you through. You’ll have to come into Piercer’s space alone. Are you sure you dare to do it?”

There was nothing I was afraid of. It’s just that...

Subconsciously, I glanced at Nie Zun.

He remained silent.

I couldn’t tell what he was thinking from that unfathomable gaze of his.

How difficult it is when you fall in love with someone like this.

“You can give me your hand once you’ve decided.” Piercer stretched her hand out towards me. It looked thin and pale, as if it belonged to a malnourished child.

I looked at Nie Zun again. After being sure that he wouldn’t stop me on this, I reached out to Piercer.

Seeing the hesitation in me, Piercer grabbed my hand. Right at that moment, I felt a pain in my empty chest. Piercer sensed it too as she asked in shock, “Where’s your heart?”

I pointed at Nie Zun and said, “He took it.”

“You really fear nothing.” Piercer shot a cold glance at Nie Zun before saying, “I’ll advice you to give up sooner rather than later if that’s the case. You’re trying to conquer me without MF? It’d be difficult for you to even overcome my MF maze.”

“Enough talking. This opportunity has landed right in front of your doorstep. Just do what you do, no need to care about me.”

“You’re thinking too much. Who cares about you? This devil of yours won’t let me off the hook if I accidentally did anything to you.”

So it was Nie Zun she was afraid of.

I asked Nie Zun, “Don’t interfere no matter what happens, okay?”

Nie Zun nodded calmly this time.

“Look, he’s made it clear now. Can you bring me to that illusion of yours already?”

Piercer regarded me coldly for a few seconds before reaching out to me. “Let’s go. This is your choice. Don’t blame me for swallowing your soul without any hesitation when that happens.”

“Enough with the talking already. I chose to lose all that MF, and I chose to look for you as well. Did I say I was going to blame anyone?

“You’ll just have to do your thing and let me see if you’re really a good weapon which I should be risking my life to conquer.”

Piercer smirked. “You sure talk big. I’ll bring you along to have some fun since I’ve got the time.”

She then pressed her palm against mine.

As if given an anesthetic, I began to lose my grip on my consciousness. Was I about to end up in another space again? A space created by a mere living weapon no less?

Now that I think about it, life was full of trials and tribulations, but I seemed to always forget the important things which happened in my life.

My biggest problem was that I was not resolute enough.

As our palms touched, a black fog which looked similar to that from Nie Zun’s emanated from her palm.