Chapter 24: A Barrier Within the Black Mist?

"You didn't take the initiative to apologize, and now that I've come to your door to give you the chance, you actually ask me if something is the matter?"

Ji Ling rolled his eyes so far back they nearly touched his brain. He retorted immediately, "I actually wanted to apologize to you, but just think about how you've been acting these past few days! Every time I tried to walk toward you, you dodged me like I was the plague! Did I ever have a chance?"

Nangong Lingyue, however, remained entirely righteous. She looked at Ji Ling and said, "You made me angry, so of course I didn't want to talk to you! Isn't it only natural that I avoided you?"

"But how am I supposed to apologize if you're avoiding me?" Ji Ling asked in return, looking bewildered.

"I didn't want to talk to you, so of course I avoided you!" Nangong Lingyue threw the question right back at him.

Ji Ling's brain stalled for a moment. He frowned, feeling like something wasn't quite right.

"But, but how can I apologize if you're avoiding me?"

"I didn't want to talk to you, so of course I avoided you!"

"How can I apologize if you're avoiding me?"

"I didn't want to talk to you!"

"Then how am I supposed to apologize?"

"That’s your problem! What does that have to do with me?! If you really wanted to apologize, you could have found a way! You’re just not sincere!" Nangong Lingyue didn't realize at all that she was being unreasonable; instead, she grew even more self-righteous.

Ji Ling felt like his internal processor was starting to overheat. He scratched his head, feeling as if puffs of white smoke were rising from the top of his head.

Seeing Ji Ling’s comical expression, Nangong Lingyue couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"Dummy!" she said with a pout. "If I was avoiding you, couldn't you have just called out to me?"

"Wow, that makes so much sense!" Ji Ling couldn't help but nod, giving her a thumbs-up.

Nangong Lingyue looked at him and said, "Forget it, I won't hold it against you. I actually do have a reason for finding you."

"Alright, tell me," Ji Ling nodded.

Nangong Lingyue clicked her tongue slightly, frowning as she analyzed the situation. "I'm not sure if my analysis is correct, but this whole thing is truly bizarre."

"Bizarre? Let's hear it." Ji Ling watched her, signaling for her to continue.

Nangong Lingyue nodded immediately. "We went fishing by the sea today, right?"

"Yes," Ji Ling gave a slight nod.

"I accidentally got stung by a jellyfish. People at the beach said to rub it with sand, so I crouched down to find some." She showed Ji Ling the slightly red, swollen back of her hand. "But that's not important. The important thing is that when I stood up, I suddenly bumped into an 'air wall'."

"An air wall?" Ji Ling’s brow furrowed, his eyes filled with confusion. "You mean, it’s invisible, but you can feel it?"

"Yes, exactly! That's it!" Nangong Lingyue nodded vigorously. "It's invisible but tangible. I could clearly feel a wall there, yet it was transparent. I could see everything behind it, but I couldn't walk through it."

"Roughly how long was this wall?" Ji Ling asked in a low voice.

Nangong Lingyue shook her head. "It was very, very long. In short, I couldn't find the end of it."

"No end..." Ji Ling mused, then looked up at her. "So, what do you suspect it is?"

"I suspect it's a barrier. Have you heard of barriers? Like something that traps people inside so they can't get out..." she explained her theory.

Ji Ling smiled and shook his head. "In all the battle reports from various countries regarding the 'Anomaly Invasions,' such a situation has never occurred. A barrier seems unlikely; it's all a bit too mystical."

"But I think it is a barrier! We might be trapped inside, which is why we can never get out!" Nangong Lingyue remained firmly convinced of her theory.

Ji Ling continued to shake his head. "Your idea leans toward a conspiracy theory. Who do you think would deliberately trap us? Our own people? Or the enemy?"

"The enemy, of course! Like those villains from the Beautiful Country!" she declared.

Ji Ling chuckled. "The Beautiful Country is indeed wicked, but I don't think they have the power to control the Black Mist, let alone create a so-called barrier. We can't get out of the Black Mist because we haven't been able to find the Boss."

"Exactly! We can't find the Boss because we've been locked away by a barrier! The Boss might be on the other side!" Nangong Lingyue insisted. "I'm not saying the Beautiful Country controls the mist—I agree they don't have that ability. But what if a deity with barrier-manipulation powers set one up inside our mist zone, and by sheer coincidence, it isolated us from the Boss of this invasion? That's why we can't find it!"

"Then, if the Boss and we were separated, how did the Black Mist, which is nourished by the Boss, manage to pass through the barrier and spread to our side?" Ji Ling countered immediately.

"Uh, that..." Nangong Lingyue was momentarily speechless.

Ji Ling stood up and said with a smile, "Alright, there's no point in us guessing blindly. Do you remember where it is? Take me there."

"Now?" Nangong Lingyue looked at him in shock. "It's quite far, over ten kilometers away. It's already dark, isn't it a bit dangerous at night?"

"Just tell me if you remember the general direction!" Ji Ling cut her off.

"I do! I have a great sense of direction! Plus, I left markers along the way on my way back," she said immediately.

"Good. Let's go. I have a way to get there quickly." As he spoke, Ji Ling channeled his divine power, and a pair of massive wings unfurled from his back.

The wings were a pale blue, and upon closer inspection, they appeared transparent, made of light rather than flesh and bone. Bolts of lightning flickered across them, appearing truly majestic.

"Wow! Is this also the power of Yinglong?" Nangong Lingyue gasped. "So cool!"

"I remember Ji Yun also has a pair of wings—the wings of Lei Zhenzi. They look so tacky and ugly! They're nowhere near as impressive as yours!"

Ji Ling smiled and whispered, "Lei Zhenzi is actually... one of my contracts, too."

"Oh, right. All his deities were stolen from you, even his Divine Space was stolen from you!" She nodded. "Don't worry! Once we get out of this Black Mist and go back, I will definitely help you expose his and Ji Tianxing's ugly true colors!"

"Good." Ji Ling smiled slightly and nodded at her. "However, to take you there, you'll need to... erm, not be afraid of heights..."