The Ethereal Domains

Chapter 124: Smash You With An Egg!

Smash You With An Egg! . . .

Within the confines of the icy cave, Gu Jin-Long's mind churned with a tumultuous mix of anger and bewilderment. He grappled with the shocking betrayal of Cha-Eun Xiao, an alliance forged in earnest to foster mutual growth and strength. Gu Jin-Long had pledged his unwavering support, harboring grand ambitions of elevating Cha-Eun Xiao to the role of dominator within their world. His sincerity had been unquestionable, and he firmly believed that his presence would only prove advantageous to his once-ally.

"I never once entertained the notion of breaking my promise," Gu Jin-Long muttered to himself, frustration etched across his face. "My commitment to aiding his ascent is genuine. In fact, I could have assisted him in becoming the dominant force in this realm. My intentions are truly earnest. It would undeniably serve his interests for me to remain alive."

The inexplicable act of betrayal had left Gu Jin-Long deeply perplexed. He couldn't discern any logical motivation behind Cha-Eun Xiao's decision to take his life. To Gu Jin-Long, the treacherous move appeared remarkably unwise, even foolish.

"This is beyond strange," he continued to mutter, his voice laced with bitterness. "There must be concealed motives at play. I am compelled to unravel this enigma, and once I have all the answers, I shall ensure he endures a lifetime of torment."

A potent cocktail of fury and humiliation coursed through Gu Jin-Long's veins. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had been manipulated and deceived by Cha-Eun Xiao all along, gradually led toward his own demise. In retrospect, the signs of treachery had been there, hidden beneath the surface but cleverly concealed by his anxiety and fear. Cha-Eun Xiao had masterfully guided him toward the precipice of doom.

However, in light of these revelations, Gu Jin-Long was resolved to deny Cha-Eun Xiao any semblance of peace or solace. He cherished the prospect of exacting revenge with a fiery determination.

As his mind swirled with thoughts of vengeance and retribution, Gu Jin-Long was suddenly jolted from his musings by an unexpected observation. The enigma of Cha-Eun Xiao's inexplicable disappearance had plagued him, a disappearance so swift and subtle that he had failed to detect its occurrence.

Gu Jin-Long, despite his immobilized state, possessed a heightened spiritual awareness that allowed him to perceive the world around him. Yet, the manner in which Cha-Eun Xiao had vanished from his sight remained a profound mystery.

"How did he manage such an incredible feat?" Gu Jin-Long pondered aloud, his frustration palpable. "I may be physically immobile, but my spiritual senses are keen. I should have noticed his departure, and yet I failed to do so. How did he accomplish such a feat within this cavern?"

In the midst of his contemplation, a realization struck him with the force of revelation. It was a glaringly obvious detail that had eluded him due to the overwhelming anxiety that had clouded his thoughts—the bone-chilling temperature within the cave.

The oppressive, gelid qi emanating from the Cosmic Hades filled the cavern, rendering it a hostile environment unfit for prolonged habitation. Even cultivators of the Grade of Tianyuan would struggle to endure the frigid conditions. Yet, Cha-Eun Xiao had moved effortlessly through the cave, defying the numbing cold, despite possessing a lower cultivation level.

"It's the gelid qi from the Cosmic Hades!" Gu Jin-Long exclaimed, a newfound realization dawning upon him. "There's a formidable force at play within this cave. Had I not been well-cultivated, I would have succumbed to the harsh environment long ago. It would have undoubtedly aided Cha-Eun Xiao. The question remains—how does he manage to thrive in this treacherous climate with his seemingly weaker capabilities?"

As Gu Jin-Long pondered this perplexing question, a flicker of movement caught his eye. Cha-Eun Xiao reappeared before him, prompting a renewed surge of tension in their tumultuous confrontation.

Within the frigid confines of the cave, the exchange between Cha-Eun Xiao and Gu Jin-Long had escalated to a fever pitch. Gu Jin-Long, believing his freedom was imminent, took a sadistic pleasure in taunting his captor.

"Hey, hey... I am about to be free," he jeered, a malevolent grin spreading across his face. "Just you wait, Feng! I will find my way to your abode! Your family... haha... I shall unleash unspeakable horrors upon every member of your accursed clan. The men shall be rendered limbless, condemned to a wretched existence where they shall writhe in perpetual agony. They will be akin to helpless worms crawling through the muck of life. The women, I must admit, shall receive a somewhat kinder fate. The ugly ones shall meet their end swiftly, while the beautiful ones shall be auctioned off to the brothels, condemned to a life of servitude. I shall ensure that you endure torment for the remainder of your days, Feng Zhi-Ling... Hahahaha..."

In response to this macabre proclamation, Cha-Eun Xiao sneered defiantly. "You? Perhaps in your next life."

With a surge of determination, Cha-Eun Xiao raised the enigmatic egg, a symbol of his last resort, and brought it down upon Gu Jin-Long's head with a resounding impact that reverberated through the cave's icy chamber.

"Even as death beckons, I shall not allow you to escape justice," he proclaimed with fierce resolve. "Feel the full force of my ultimate strike, you despicable fiend!"

The egg struck its target with a deafening thud, an act of desperation born from Cha-Eun Xiao's profound disappointment and despair. He had painstakingly crafted an elaborate scheme to vanquish Gu Jin-Long, only to watch his efforts fall flat. Now, with no other recourse left, he had embraced this perilous gamble.

Cha-Eun Xiao was acutely aware of the egg's significance within the Space—a linchpin of immense power. Yet, striking Gu Jin-Long with the egg came with a perilous risk. It could shatter the egg, potentially triggering a cataclysmic explosion within the confines of the Space. But Cha-Eun Xiao was ready to make this sacrifice.

"Even in death, I shall not permit you to live," he vowed resolutely. "We shall share our fates, whatever they may be."

As the egg descended upon Gu Jin-Long's head, an astonishing turn of events unfolded. Gu Jin-Long's seemingly impenetrable skull, which had withstood countless blows from various weapons, shockingly succumbed to the force of the egg. Blood sprayed forth, mingling with fragments of red and white matter that spilled from the shattered cranium. It was a sight akin to soy sauce splashing upon tofu—an outcome beyond anyone's wildest expectations.

The once formidable skull had been breached, leaving both Cha-Eun Xiao and Gu Jin-Long stunned by the unexpected turn of events. The man who had endured relentless punishment from a myriad of weapons had met his demise at the hands of an egg, an outcome that defied all reason and explanation.

The cave bore witness to an astonishing turn of events as Gu Jin-Long's seemingly invulnerable skull succumbed to the force of the egg wielded by Cha-Eun Xiao. A surreal sense of disbelief hung in the air as the once-untouched head now lay shattered and broken.

The peculiarity of the situation did not escape Cha-Eun Xiao, who couldn't help but marvel at the unexpected outcome. He muttered to himself, "Such a solid head actually got broken by an egg! The whole skull was broken! Gu Jin-Long's head remained unharmed after being hit by all kinds of weapons! Yet now it was broken by an egg!"

In the realm of idioms, there existed the phrase 'throwing an egg against a rock,' a concept synonymous with futility. After all, it was universally accepted that attempting to shatter a rock with an egg was an exercise in absurdity. But in this astonishing instance, the rock had been cracked while the egg remained unscathed, defying all logic and reason.

Gu Jin-Long's agonized screams filled the cave, punctuating the surreal turn of events. He found himself grappling with the unimaginable pain and shock of his head's newfound fragility. "What the hell is this?" he pondered, his thoughts a chaotic whirlwind.

Cha-Eun Xiao, who had initially approached this desperate course of action as a means of mutual destruction, was equally stupefied by the results. He snapped back to reality, realizing that pondering the surreal would serve no purpose. He had a chance to eliminate Gu Jin-Long, and he intended to seize it.

The egg had proven its efficacy, and Cha-Eun Xiao resolved to exploit it to its fullest. Without hesitation, he relentlessly attacked Gu Jin-Long, employing the egg as a makeshift bludgeon. "Smash you to death! Die! Die! Die under my egg! You mother fxcking evil son of a bxtch..." he exclaimed, each strike accompanied by a resounding thud.

Though Gu Jin-Long's shoulders had regained mobility, he was incapacitated by the relentless barrage. Initially, his screams had pierced the air, but as the relentless strikes continued, they gradually faded until there was only silence.

In a matter of moments, Cha-Eun Xiao had delivered hundreds of blows with the egg, each strike fueled by a fervent desire to end Gu Jin-Long's existence. His initial intent to target vital areas gave way to a frenzied assault that spared no part of his adversary's form.

When the assault finally ceased, Gu Jin-Long lay before Cha-Eun Xiao as a grotesque mound of mangled flesh. The battle had reached its gruesome conclusion.

Strangely, the formidable cultivator of the Grade of Daoyuan had met his demise at the hands of an egg—a weapon beyond the wildest imagination. Cha-Eun Xiao bore no responsibility for this unexpected outcome; the egg had proven itself as the harbinger of death, and he had merely been the instrument of its fury.

As the cave returned to a stillness unbroken by the gelid qi of the Cosmic Hades, Cha-Eun Xiao, still grappling with the surreal nature of the battle's conclusion, could only sit upon the cave floor, his chest heaving with exhaustion.

Amidst the overwhelming fatigue and astonishment, one truth remained undeniable: an egg had emerged as the unlikely hero of this extraordinary confrontation. Cha-Eun Xiao gazed at the egg with a mixture of surprise and gratitude, acknowledging that it had been the beacon of hope in his darkest hour.

Meanwhile, the Cosmic Hades had ceased its release of frigid qi, restoring a semblance of tranquility to the cave. Cha-Eun Xiao, physically and emotionally drained, took a moment to collect his thoughts. He pondered the enigma of this strange battle, grappling with the confounding reality that an egg had emerged as the instrument of salvation.

With a heavy sigh, Cha-Eun Xiao reflected on the improbability of it all. "All those sharp weapons couldn't hurt him… Stones couldn't hurt him… Yet an egg did… How? The smashed meat in front of me is real. That couldn't be false." His thoughts were filled with a potent mix of disbelief and awe as he sought to make sense of the inexplicable.

It had been an exhausting and arduous endeavor, one that Cha-Eun Xiao couldn't help but reflect upon. The act of dispatching this villain had drained him to the brink of exhaustion, pushing the limits of his endurance to their very edge. He pondered, "To kill a villain, I nearly got exhausted to death!"

Indeed, this had been the most formidable and physically taxing challenge Cha-Eun Xiao had ever faced. The mere thought of it left him both mentally and physically drained. He couldn't help but question why it had been so overwhelmingly taxing to vanquish this particular foe.

As the lifeless form of Gu Jin-Long lay before him, a curious phenomenon unfolded. From the shattered remnants of the villain's corporeal form, a peculiar white mist began to emerge. This mist ascended into the air, coalescing into a distinct human shape.

It bore the unmistakable visage of Gu Jin-Long himself.

The revelation of this spectral figure left Cha-Eun Xiao profoundly taken aback. He hadn't considered that individuals of the Grade of Diyuan possessed the capacity to cultivate their own souls. As long as a soul remained intact and uncorrupted, it retained its vitality for a certain duration. During this interval, it had the potential to seek out a suitable vessel to inhabit, thereby enabling its former owner to be reborn.

Cha-Eun Xiao was well-versed in the intricacies of this process. He understood that his inability to contend with the soul rendered this development inconsequential. Moreover, even if Gu Jin-Long were to find a new host, he wouldn't pose a threat to Cha-Eun Xiao for the next two decades at the very least. In fact, Gu Jin-Long would need to exercise caution to avoid falling into Cha-Eun Xiao's grasp, as he would essentially be a vulnerable incarnation of his former self—easy prey for Cha-Eun Xiao.

Consequently, Cha-Eun Xiao regarded the apparition of Gu Jin-Long's soul with an air of indifference. He harbored no immediate concerns regarding this ethereal manifestation.

Gu Jin-Long's disembodied soul, however, refused to depart quietly. Instead, it confronted Cha-Eun Xiao with an air of defiance and spoke aloud. "Why?" it questioned, its ethereal form hovering in the air without immediate departure.

"Why did you kill me? I placed my trust in you and was willing to extend my aid. I provided you with a wealth of resources and was prepared to offer even more to assist you in your ascent to becoming a grandmaster of dan-making, perhaps even the dominator of this world. With my support, you could have achieved that ambition with relative ease. Yet, inexplicably, you chose to end it all yourself..."

Gu Jin-Long's soul bore an expression of confusion and betrayal as it addressed Cha-Eun Xiao. It was a moment filled with perplexity and lingering questions, with the former adversary seeking answers to the mysteries of their fatal encounter.