Chapter 14 - Transported to Another World!

The pill that Layla had taken was called the Nine-heavens restoration pill, an immortal medicine that could bring anybody below the [Tempered Soul] stage back from the brink of death. Such an incredible pill wasn't something that could be owned by just anyone, especially someone at the [Rousing Soul] Stage. Even a formidable [Expanded Soul] stage expert would be hard pressed to find one! Only the fallen blade princess Layla could possess such a thing whilst having such a weak cultivation. If Yu Yin had known that these pills were so valuable, he would have never been willing to part with them as easily as he did before.

Layla's body began glowing with a golden yellow light as her wounds healed at a visible rate. Her many fractured bones began to reform, and her crippled internal organs began to regenerate. The most shocking of all was that her mangled legs which were covered with deep lacerations going right down to the bone, were actually being restored to their original state! Layla had been incredibly lucky her alluring legs hadn't been severed completely in the life or death struggle she had just endured. Her face crinkled as her wounds disappeared, making her look as if she was withstanding torturous agony. Her semi-comatose self couldn't help but let out a tormented cry.

"Agghhhhhhhhhhh!"

The excruciating pain forced her awake from her stupor, causing the mist to vanish from her eyes. Her body spasmed as she endured the terrible afflictions her healing body induced upon her. After 2 minutes of this, her anguished wailing turned into ragged breathing. She sat up in a struggle, her trembling arms only just managed to support her weary body.

"Argh, why does the recovery process have to be so damn painful! Can't the Gods just give a girl a break?!"

It was nowhere as near as painful as the last time, but then again last time Layla wasn’t anywhere near as beat up. Layla weakly stood up and gazed down to observe her image, only to find that her dress was completely soaked in her own blood. She found that she was standing in a huge pool of red, stretching a meter in diameter. After examining her environment, she observed that she was situated beside a huge lake which extended as far the eye could see. A few deer were drinking from the far end of the serene lakeside, oblivious to Layla's intent gaze. The sounds of birds chirping resounded across the nearby woodland like they were singing in praise to the high heavens. The scenery was a wonder to behold, that is until a beastly roar reverberated across the land. The deer scampered away in a panic and the birds scattered in all directions as to escape this new-found threat. Layla narrowed her eyes.

"Tch!"

Layla’s soul energy had recovered just a little, yet it was already time to put it to use.

“[Dark Blade Array]!”

Layla’s four black scimitars appeared from thin air like normal. They each shot out in different directions until they formed the 4 points of a square around Layla and Yu Yin. They blades now stood horizontally and hummed as they floated in the air. They looked bloodthirsty as they subtly vibrated, ready to slice anything that came near.

"It’s not much, but this should keep us safe for a while..."

She collapsed onto the floor and let out a long sigh, before turning to look at Yu Yin's sleeping face. She started talking to him, fully well knowing that he couldn't hear her.

"You know, around about now is when I was planning to start my new life! My plan was to raid that hidden tomb and use my newly obtained riches to pay my way into one of the small sects that reside in this remote place. I was going to go and live there peacefully throughout my days..."

She let out another sigh.

"...You however, Yu Yin, were never part of my plan... Although I guess this is for the best, else I'd still be rotting in that dark prison right now."

A smirk spread across her beautiful face.

"You're not like most guys I know. All the others care about is saving face and putting on a good front, trying to suck up to pretty woman and the powerful hegemons that live across the worlds. You're not like that at all. You're unbridled in your words and aren't interested in such childish affairs. I like that about you!"

She raised her hand to brush a few stray hairs out of her face.

"As a thank you for all that you've done, I'll put my arrangements on hold to look after you for a while... at least until you've awoken."

With that, she sat in the lotus position and started meditating to recuperate her strength.

.

.

.

When Yu Yin awoke, the first thing he noticed was the humongous lake to his side. He was surprised by the sight of it and immediately began scrutinising. None of the areas he knew of in the Frigid Enigma continent contained such a huge lake, in fact, bodies of water in general were incredibly rare in his homeland.

"This isn't the Frigid Enigma Continent...."

Having come to this conclusion he further explored his environment, only to notice Layla only a couple of meters away from him at his side. She was roasting a small rabbit on a fire, rotating it around so it was evenly cooked. The blade array that she had constructed earlier was nowhere to be seen, as she took it down once she had recovered her soul power to 50%. Her blood which once painted the earth red had disappeared entirely and her dress had been restored to its rich purple colour, leaving no sign that she had ever been injured in the first place. She noticed him stirring and turned her body towards him, a beaming smile stretching across her face.

"Darling ,you're finally awake! It's about damn time already, you've been out for three days now!"

Yu Yin blinked a few times and slowly sat up. He winced at his own movement as his body will still sore from bloodforce exhaustion.

"So this is the Iron Turtle Dynasty huh?"

Layla rapidly shook her head and waved her hands.

"No no, this isn't my home! I'm never going to head back to that place in my life!"

She giggled upon seeing Yu Yin's now perplexed face and waved her hand, conjuring one of her black scimitars. She grabbed the scimitar and used it to slice off a chunk of meat from the rabbit, biting down on the cooked meat with an expression of delight.

"This place is an unnamed world far away from where we're from! Honestly, I don’t even know where we are in relation to the Frigid Enigma Continent. I didn't want to take you away from your homeland, but the circumstances forced me to take you with me. I hope you don't mind..."

She sliced off another portion of meat and offered it to him.

"Want some?"

Yu Yin snatched it from her in an instant, forgetting to thank her. He hadn't eaten for what seemed to him like an eternity so any bit of food he could get was a blessing, especially since he had lost all of his stored provisions when the coffin swallowed him before.

‘Another world huh?’ Yu Yin thought. That worked for him rather well.

‘I doubt Mother would be able to chase me over here…’ considered Yu Yin.

He hadn’t really had a plan for after raiding the wraith’s tomb. Any plan that existed looked like this: 1. Leave home with treasure, 2. Get more treasure, and 3. Don’t get caught. Being transported to another world ticked box number 3 just fine. After feasting on the rabbit for a while, he looked up at Layla inquisitively.

"What happened since I blacked out?"

Layla looked at him and smiled.

"Nothing much occurred after you dropped down like that. Once you used your freaky magic the coffin practically became a cripple, unable to lay a finger on us! Escaping with you and the lockets was smooth sailing from there. Unfortunately, that stupid coffin recovered too early so I had to teleport us here together..."

Yu Yin narrowed his eyes. That seemed like a lie. With all the factors and variables involved with a [Solid Soul] cultivator in the mix, escaping wouldn't have been that simple. However, Layla seemed unwilling to speak about such things, so he didn't press her any further. Instead, he looked at her intently upon her mentioning of the lockets. She noticed his wanting expression which quickly invoked her cordial laughter.

"Don't worry darling, I haven't forgotten about our deal! Here you go!"

She pulled out the dark-tinted locket and threw it towards him. He caught it with one hand and examined it closely. Its bronze sheen seemed to be blanketed by a murky darkness and the light of the sun seemed to avoid shining its rays upon its round shape. On the top, some words were engraved in an incomprehensible language that he couldn't understand.

"Don't try to open them. I've tried all kinds of methods to reveal their secrets, but it was all to no avail..."

Yu Yin narrowed his eyes looking at the locket in his hand.

"I want the other one..."

"Huh?"

"I want the locket with patterns!"

Layla looked at him with an incredulous look on her face, as if he were a complete retard!

"Why on earth do you want the other one? This locket is clearly made for women, why would you want something girly like this?!"

"Tch! That locket is clearly much more valuable than this one, it'll probably fetch a price twice as high!"

Layla took the other locket out of the bag and examined at the other locket with a looked of exasperation. It was engraved in beautiful floral patterns that encompassed its entire body. Like the dark-tinted locket, a line of incomprehensible text could be seen at the top. She furrowed her brows.

"Darling did you drop your man-card somewhere?! Please go and find it before you cross this line..."

"Shut up and give me the locket!"

She reluctantly tossed it over to him with a bitter look on her face while he tossed over the dark-tinted one. She really liked the look of that floral locket...

"Stingy..."

"What was that?!"

"Don't be silly Darling, I didn't say anything at all!"

A vein was bulging out of Yu Yin's forehead as he got more and more annoyed by her.

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

"Eh?! You were the one who called me Darling first! Don't complain to me now..."

Hearing her words, Yu Yin almost coughed up a mouthful of blood. It was about time he stopped calling his treasures his darlings…

Layla stood up and brushed off any dirt from her purple dress. She looked at him and gave him a smile that could only belong to a goddess. This smile was truly genuine, just like when he gave her the nine-heavens restoration pills.

"It's about time we walked our own paths, as I've delayed my plans long enough. I recommend you join a nearby school of cultivation to learn a few low-level soul techniques and to raise your strength. I personally recommend learning [Attraction], [Aura Burst], [Flight], [Camouflage], and [Barrier]. With those, you should be able to hold your own against any enemy you face! There's just one more thing I need to do..."

She raised her hand and slashed her own face with her black scimitar, leaving a severe wound that would make even the most seasoned warrior cringe. She rotated her soul power around her body, causing the wound to stop bleeding. Her perfect face was now crossed with an ugly scar, ruining any beauty that she once possessed. Yu Yin had a horrified expression as he beheld her actions.

"W-w-what'd you do that for?!!"

She smiled at him, making him wince at her now unsightly appearance.

"Don't you know Darling? Beauty is a curse in this world, not a blessing..."

She pulled out her last nine-heavens restoration pill and spoke to him reassuringly.

"Don't worry though, this change of mine isn't permanent. I change myself back at any time."

She turned around and started walking away from him.

"Farewell Yu Yin.... if you need me, I'll be at the first sect I find north from here. Just ask for me there if anything crops up!"

With that, she wandered away into the horizon, eventually disappearing from sight...