Tavern of the Spear: Desire for Pleasure

Chapter 146 I will not accept punishment

Bai Yu's steps came to an abrupt halt at the edge of the central square. His intuition, like a taut string, constantly reminded him of the danger here. The square was deserted, so silent that even the air seemed to have frozen, and not even the wind could penetrate this eerie space. Bai Yu's gaze swept over the tall statue in the center of the square. The statue's face was blurry, yet it exuded an invisible sense of oppression.

Emilia stood beside the statue, her back to Bai Yu, seemingly observing something. Her figure appeared exceptionally lonely in the empty square, but Bai Yu felt no pity. His vigilance was at its peak, especially after the series of bizarre events that had occurred before; he would never easily trust anyone again.

"Bai Yu, why aren't you coming over?" Emilia suddenly turned around, her face showing a hint of fear and helplessness, her voice trembling slightly, "Something seems off here... something's not right here."

Bai Yu didn't answer, only stared coldly at her. His gaze was completely unwavering, as if he were looking at a stranger. His intuition told him that Emilia's behavior was too deliberate, as if she were acting. Her fear and helplessness seemed more like a facade.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Emilia's voice was tinged with anxiety as she took a small step forward, seemingly wanting to get closer to Bai Yu.

"Stop." Bai Yu's voice was cold and firm, his gaze sharp as a knife. "Stop acting, Emilia. Who are you? Why did you bring me here?"

Emilia stopped abruptly, her expression freezing instantly. A cold glint flashed in her eyes, and a sinister smile curled at the corners of her lips: "Oh? You saw through me? What a pity, I thought I could play a little longer."

Bai Yu's heart sank. Sure enough, his intuition was correct. The Emilia before him was not some old friend from Titan, but a hostile being. He leaned forward slightly, ready to respond to any unexpected situation.

"What exactly do you want?" Bai Yu's voice carried a hint of suppressed anger.

Emilia's smile grew even more sinister. Her body slowly rose into the air, and the ground beneath her feet began to freeze, the ice rapidly spreading outwards from her. The temperature of the entire plaza plummeted, and a bone-chilling cold filled the air.

“What do I want to do?” Emilia’s voice became low and hoarse, as if it came from the depths of hell. “I just want you to become ‘a part’ of this city.”

Bai Yu's pupils contracted sharply. The ground beneath his feet had begun to freeze, and a chill spread rapidly from his soles. He knew he couldn't hesitate any longer. He whirled around, wanting to escape this eerie plaza, but in that instant, a cold figure suddenly appeared before him.

It's Emilia.

She moved incredibly fast, appearing in front of Bai Yu almost instantly. Before Bai Yu could react, Emilia's hand had already reached out and grabbed his collar.

"Where do you want to go?" Emilia's voice was tinged with mockery, her eyes filled with sarcasm.

Bai Yu's heart sank, and he leaned back abruptly, trying to break free from Emilia's control. However, Emilia's strength far exceeded his expectations; her fingers gripped his collar like iron clamps, making it impossible for him to break free.

"Let me go!" Bai Yu roared, his right hand suddenly swinging out, trying to strike Emilia in the abdomen. However, before his fist could even touch Emilia, it was repelled by an invisible force.

“It’s no use, Bai Yu.” Emilia’s voice carried a hint of contempt. “Here, you are no match for me.”

Before she could finish speaking, Emilia shoved Bai Yu hard, causing him to lose his balance and fall backward. He slipped and tumbled into the central square.

The moment his body touched the plaza floor, a bone-chilling cold swept over him. His limbs stiffened, and he struggled to breathe, as if bound by an invisible force.

“Welcome to the ‘Frozen Lands,’ this is my exclusive domain.” Emilia’s voice came from afar, carrying a hint of cold laughter. “Here, you will forever be a part of this city.”

Countless thoughts flashed through Bai Yu's mind. He knew he had to find a way out as soon as possible, otherwise he would truly be trapped here forever. His eyes quickly scanned his surroundings, trying to find any clues he could use.

Suddenly, his gaze fell upon the statue in the center of the square. The statue's face was still indistinct, but on its base, a line of small characters was engraved. Bai Yu squinted, trying to decipher the characters.

“The city…follows the rules…only the rules…break…the rules…” Bai Yu read those words in a low voice, his heart suddenly jolted.

Rules? Could this be... the key to unlocking this frozen land?

A thought flashed through Bai Yu's mind. He abruptly raised his hand, closed his eyes, and knew he had no choice but to take a gamble. If he succeeded, that would be great; if he failed, he would be finished.

"Emilia!" Bai Yu suddenly shouted, his voice tinged with provocation, "Do you really think you can trap me?"

Emilia's figure slowly floated in front of Bai Yu, a disdainful smile on her face: "Oh? What other methods do you have? Here, you can't resist at all."

Bai Yu's lips curled up slightly, revealing a cold smile: "Is that so? Then you can try it."

Before he finished speaking, Bai Yu slammed his fist into the statue beside him. This punch contained half of his power, and the powerful spacetime force directly shattered the spot where his fist touched, successfully destroying a corner of the statue.

"No...you can't do this!" Emilia's voice was filled with terror. "If you do this, we'll both die, you know that?!"

Bai Yu did not answer, but clenched his fists tightly, letting the violent power of spacetime continue to spread.

At that moment, a dazzling white light emanated from the statue in the central square, the frozen ground began to melt, the cold air gradually dissipated, and the force binding his body vanished in an instant.

“It’s over, Emilia.” Bai Yu’s voice carried a hint of determination. “Your conspiracy has come to an end.”

Emilia's body gradually dissipated in the white light, eventually turning into a wisp of black smoke and disappearing into the air. The ice covering the entire plaza also melted, and the temperature gradually returned to normal.

Bai Yu let out a long sigh of relief, his body swaying slightly as if he almost fell. He knew he had just escaped a close call. However, he felt no relief, for he knew the secrets of this city were far more complex than he had imagined.

He looked down at the vanished fist, a complex emotion welling up inside him.

Bai Yu lowered his head, his body trembling slightly, his breathing rapid and heavy. His thoughts were a jumbled mess, his mind replaying everything that had just happened. Emilia's appearance, her disguise, her conspiracy, and her knowledge of his past—all of this left him feeling incredibly confused and uneasy.

“Why…why does she know about Emilia?” Bai Yu murmured, his brows furrowed, his eyes filled with doubt and anxiety. He clearly remembered that his encounter with Emilia was on Titan, an extremely secretive adventure known to almost no one except the two of them. Yet, the imposter Emilia had been able to describe that past so accurately, down to the smallest detail.

Countless thoughts flashed through Bai Yu's mind as he tried to find a reasonable explanation. He didn't believe that someone could have been lurking around him and spying on everything he did. After all, he had two powerful masters whose strength was unfathomable and whose perception far surpassed that of ordinary people. If someone could truly be following him silently, his masters couldn't possibly have been completely unaware, much less let it go unchecked.

"Could it be... some kind of special ability?" Bai Yu muttered to himself, a vague unease creeping into his heart. He had heard legends about mind control and memory reading, but those abilities mostly existed in ancient texts, and almost no one in reality could master them. Moreover, the ability to read his memories so accurately, and even impersonate Emilia, was simply inconceivable.

Just as Bai Yu was lost in thought, a strange sensation suddenly washed over his body. His limbs began to feel heavy, as if being pulled by some invisible force. His vision blurred, and the surrounding scenery began to distort, as if the entire world was collapsing.

"This is... spatial power?" Bai Yu's heart skipped a beat, and a hint of wariness flashed in his eyes. He had once heard his master mention that spatial power was an extremely rare ability that could forcibly pull a person into another dimension. And those who wielded this ability were usually extremely powerful beings.

Bai Yu's body began to gradually become transparent, as if he were disappearing from this world. He gritted his teeth, trying to stay conscious and resist the pull of this force. However, no matter how much he struggled, that force was like an invisible chain, firmly binding him and dragging him into an unknown abyss.

"No... I can't just be pulled in like this!" A strong will to survive surged within Bai Yu. He knew that once he was pulled into another space, he would completely lose control and might never be able to return to the real world.

He quickly looked around, trying to find the one who had used spatial powers. However, there was no one around; only the tall statue in the central square still stood there, as if coldly watching him.

"Who...where is it?" Bai Yu's voice was tinged with anxiety, his gaze sharp as a hawk's, sweeping across every corner. However, no matter how hard he searched, he found no suspicious traces.

Just as his body was about to completely disappear, a thought suddenly flashed through Bai Yu's mind. He abruptly raised his hand and pulled out an ancient talisman from his robes—a life-saving item his master had given him before he left. The talisman was covered with complex runes and emitted a faint glow.

“Master said that this talisman can save my life in a critical moment… Now, I have no choice but to take a gamble!” Bai Yu gritted his teeth and pressed the talisman against his chest.

The talisman instantly erupted with dazzling light, which surged out like a tide and quickly enveloped Bai Yu's body. The spatial force that was pulling him gradually weakened under the light, as if it had been suppressed by some powerful force.

"It works!" A glimmer of hope surged in Bai Yu's heart. He gripped the talisman tightly, letting the light continue to spread. His body gradually returned to solidity, and the surrounding scenery began to stabilize.

However, just when he thought he had broken free from the shackles of spatial power, a deep laugh suddenly came from the void.

"Heh... I didn't expect you to have such tricks up your sleeve."

Bai Yu's pupils contracted sharply, and his body tensed instantly. He turned around quickly, his gaze sweeping like a knife towards the direction from which the sound came. However, there was still no one there; only the low laughter echoed in the air.

"Who is it? Show yourself!" Bai Yu's voice was filled with suppressed anger, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"No need to look anymore, I'm right here." The voice rang out again, tinged with mockery and sarcasm.

Bai Yu's gaze suddenly sharpened, landing on the statue in the center of the square. The statue's face was still blurry, but under the light, its eyes seemed to gleam with an eerie light.

"It's you...?" Bai Yu's voice was tinged with disbelief.

"That's right, it's me." The statue's voice was deep and hoarse, as if it came from the depths of hell. "Bai Yu, you have violated the rules of the city. You have damaged the buildings, and you deserve to be punished. Your accomplices have already been taken to the place of punishment, and you must also receive your due punishment!"

A chill ran through Bai Yu's heart. He knew he was facing not just a powerful enemy, but someone who controlled the entire city. However, he did not back down; instead, a resolute glint flashed in his eyes.

"No matter who you are, I will not obey you, so I will not accept punishment." Bai Yu's voice was resolute, and the talisman in his hand once again burst forth with dazzling light.

The statue's laughter grew even more rampant, and the entire square began to shake violently, with cracks appearing in the ground as if something was awakening from the depths of the earth.

"Then let's see, Bai Yu." The statue's voice carried a chilling killing intent. "Let me see just how capable you really are."

Bai Yu leaned forward slightly, his gaze piercing as he stared intently at the statue. He knew that the upcoming battle would determine his life or death, and the fate of the city.

"Come on!" Bai Yu roared, his body suddenly rushing towards the statue, the talisman in his hand emitting a dazzling light, like a burning star.