Chapter 100 The Sash of the Stretching Rainbow (2/2)
The infernal priest too caught notices of the strange lengthening tendrils of the adornment, its ribbons billowing, as it drew closer towards him. ”The Sash of the Stretching Rainbow!” His eyes immediately went wide with astonished recognition as he gasped with shock, and he turned in mid-air, immediately fleeing as quickly as he could for dear life! What a stark difference to the calm and reticent demeanor he wore earlier!
But the priest's desperate attempts to escape were in vain; as if imbued with a life of its own, the embroidered accessory of my sword shook itself free of the hilt and streaked across the sky like a blazing-red comet, catching up to the priest in no time! Its ribbon sash elongated in the blink of an eye like a giant squid's tentacles and coiled around priest swiftly, incapacitating him! The immobilized Hong Tianhua, realizing his teacher was beyond help, was about to bolt to freedom himself. But before he could do so, another curl of ribbon appeared from the Sash. In a flash, the ribbon extended at an immeasurable length and shot straight at him, binding him tightly like his mentor!
The two men crashed to the ground, the ribbons constricting around them so tightly like a snake trying to strangle its prey! The muscles and sinews surrounding where the ribbon gripped them began to swell due to the tremendous force and their face reddened like glowing embers! But the merciless Sash continued tightening its grip with utmost callousness that parts of their bodies began to burst, causing blood and viscera to spatter everywhere!
My companions and I clambered to our feet. Holding on to each other, we limped and staggered towards the two men. ”You should have just used this from the start,” Yuan Chongxi grumbled to me, ”We're getting injured for nothing!” I merely ignored him. The Sash was still constricting its preys hard without remorse that the bindings were biting into their skins and their flesh, now purplish-red, were caked in their own blood! Bloodied and crippled, the priest hissed through gritted teeth, ”Kill me, boy! Others will come for you! Murong Hai's protection will only last for so long...” Before he could finish, he began shuddering wildly, his body contorting violently before an acrid fetor filled the air! What remained was the carcass of a huge weasel, still shaking against the tight clench of the ribbon. The carcass became completely still just moments later. It was dead. Hong Tianhua himself too did not last long; his remains too transformed back into a dead weasel, just like his teacher!
I kicked at the carcasses, flipping them over, but the Sash of the Stretching Rainbow vanished! We ransacked both carcasses but to no avail! We then split up and looked amongst the nearby bushes; Lin Feng even used Hong Tianhua's sword to slice open the carcasses, but the Sash was still nowhere in sight!
I felt my knees giving way suddenly and I immediately fell to a sit on the ground, too tired and wearied. The Sash was Master Six's gift for me! He would surely be angry to know I had lost it!
It was only due to my badgering pesters and beggings that the immortal had only given me the Sash, I grimaced! Before parting with him, Master Six had reminded me to remember that I have to carry this item with me at all times and the item must not be exposed to fire and water and it should not be kept in extremely tight spaces. These were his explicit instructions which I had have been carefully adhering to. But the Sasha was now missing and Master Six would never forgive me for this! I turned sullen and morose despite our ultimate triumph against the Creed. We conducted another round of search again, flipping every stone that we could find and rummaged through every bush and thicket in our way. Still, the Sash continued to elude us, until I remembered suddenly Master Six's final words, ”The Sash can only be used once. Use it wisely.” Its disappearance might actually be fated after all!
We called off the search and relayed our location to Zheng Shuang and Zhu Jun, leaving them both to explain everything in logical terms in their investigation reports. We hobbled down the hill and into our car before we journeyed back to the Center.
The battle today has expended much of my mana and inner energies that I was so dizzy by the time we returned. ”Shiyan,” Yuan Chongxi's voice came as I was on the brink of a blackout, ”the old weasel had said that Uncle Hai's (my father) protection will only last for so long. Is he hinting more danger for you in the future? What is he trying to imply?” But I could neither remember about nor reflect upon the demon's last words. I managed to grunt before I blacked out for good, ”I am who I am... Murong Shiyan!”
Yuan Chongxi merely snorted in response and went quiet immediately, plunging deep into slumber himself.
But when I got up later, I found myself at home, my wounds fully dressed and bandaged! I shook my head, trying in vain to dispel any shred of weariness and soreness that lingered, and found Master Six beside me!