Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Your Fatal Trial is Here, Run
At this moment, Ye Zhiyao was in a complete frenzy. Knocking her unconscious and taking her away was definitely the most sensible course of action.
Of course, Lu Sangjiu very much wanted to kill her. But for one, she wasn’t capable of it, and for another, Qin Yu was still here.
’If I suggest knocking her out, Qin Yu will agree,’ she thought. ’But if I suggest killing her, I’m afraid he’ll turn around and help Ye Zhiyao kill me instead.’
Sure enough, when she suggested knocking her out, Qin Yu readily accepted.
But the moment Ye Zhiyao saw Qin Yu siding with Lu Sangjiu, she became even more unhinged.
"Lu Sangjiu... You really do deserve to die!"
Even the senior brother who was usually kindest to her had turned against her. And then there was Gu Jue, the man she adored, who also hadn’t taken her side.
The sword in Ye Zhiyao’s hand suddenly moved faster, her killing intent growing stronger.
The stone chamber was still shaking violently, and rocks occasionally fell from above.
In the midst of their fight, Lu Sangjiu heard the faint sigh of the Sword Immortal.
"I am quite satisfied with the show today."
"Now that a successor has been found, this wisp of my consciousness is about to dissipate completely. This place will be buried deep underground forever."
"As for you juniors, while I don’t find all of you particularly pleasing, I won’t refuse if you wish to stay and keep me company."
"Go on, fight. Kill. Even as a mere wisp of consciousness, I deserve to be sent off by such a spectacular finale."
The Sword Immortal rambled on, as if providing a musical accompaniment to their battle.
Due to her injuries, Lu Sangjiu was now at only sixty percent of her full strength.
Even teaming up with Qin Yu, it was a struggle to fight Ye Zhiyao, who was as ferocious as if she were on drugs.
Now, utterly annoyed by the Sword Immortal’s rambling, she finally couldn’t help but roar in fury.
"Shut up!"
"Keep you company in death? Who the hell do you think you are? Do you think you’re worthy?!"
The Sword Immortal had probably never been cursed at so impolitely, especially not with words so full of contempt.
For a moment, he seemed stunned by the tirade and actually fell silent.
But soon, the Sword Immortal’s voice rang out again, clearly laced with suppressed fury. "Your name is Lu Sangjiu, isn’t it? Very good. I will remember you."
He said, "One day, should you ascend to the Upper Realm, I will settle this score with you properly!"
Lu Sangjiu hadn’t paid him much mind, but his last sentence made her jump in shock.
She whipped her head around to look at the stone statue. "You... your true body ascended to the Upper Realm?"
Her surprised expression must have pleased him, as the Sword Immortal suddenly laughed.
"Scared now? Too late."
"Lu Sangjiu, I hope you live long enough to see that day. I will make you regret today’s arrogance!"
With that, the Sword Immortal let out a great laugh, and this wisp of his Divine Thought completely dissipated.
Lu Sangjiu was speechless.
Her feelings at that moment were incredibly complex.
All sorts of questions flashed through her mind, but she couldn’t afford to dwell on them now.
The stone chamber was collapsing rapidly, and Lu Sangjiu had no more time to waste on Ye Zhiyao.
She used the last of her strength, employing the Flying Cloud Step to rush toward the exit.
Seeing this, Ye Zhiyao ignored Qin Yu and chased after Lu Sangjiu.
But she didn’t know that Lu Sangjiu was intentionally acting as bait.
Once she had drawn all of Ye Zhiyao’s attention, Duoduo, who had been hiding and waiting for the right moment, struck Ye Zhiyao squarely in the back with an Ice Condensation Technique!
Duoduo’s Ice Condensation Technique was incredibly potent. After hitting Ye Zhiyao, it rapidly froze half of her body.
Ye Zhiyao’s movements froze, and Qin Yu, who was behind her, seized the opportunity to get close and knock her out with a single chop to the neck.
Without pausing, he scooped her up and rushed toward the exit.
Lu Sangjiu had already gone ahead. After Duoduo attacked, it leaped to Lu Sangjiu’s side and was recalled into her Spirit Beast Bag.
The whole process was perfectly smooth. Lu Sangjiu didn’t even spare a backward glance as she slipped straight through the doorway.
As she emerged into the light, Lu Sangjiu heard the joyous voices of Li Qiancheng and Shen Yuzhao cry out, "Little Junior Sister!"
Lu Sangjiu answered their call but didn’t head toward the safe area where they were standing.
The moment she was out, she spotted it: a stalk of Hell Grass, growing right on the collapsing ground!
It was strange. When Lu Sangjiu had first arrived, she had scanned the vicinity with her Divine Sense and found no trace of Hell Grass.
Combined with the original novel’s vague description, she had assumed the Hell Grass was inside the place of inheritance.
But the area inside was small, and there had been absolutely nothing.
Yet the moment she came out, she spotted the Hell Grass right away.
For a moment, she felt as if the Hell Grass were a trap set for her by the damned Heavenly Dao, beckoning to her provocatively amidst the cataclysmic collapse.
Lu Sangjiu could almost hear it taunting her: ’Don’t you want to save your master? Do you dare risk your life to come and get me?’
The opportunity to get the Hell Grass was fleeting, and Lu Sangjiu had no time to deliberate.
An image of her unconventional master, Duan Xingyun, protecting her flashed through her mind. Gritting her teeth, she dashed toward the Hell Grass.
At the same time, Qin Yu also emerged, carrying Ye Zhiyao.
But their luck seemed particularly bad. The moment they got out, a huge boulder crashed down, and the ground beneath their feet suddenly gave way, sending them plummeting downward.
Compared to Lu Sangjiu, who was unharmed, they were clearly the ones in greater need of help.
Li Qiancheng subconsciously moved toward them, intending to help.
However, halfway there, he suddenly heard Shen Yuzhao’s terrified shout from behind him. "Little Junior Sister, what are you doing?!"
Li Qiancheng’s heart leaped in alarm. He whipped his head around and saw that Lu Sangjiu wasn’t running to safety. Instead, she was charging toward another collapsing area!
Without a moment’s hesitation, Li Qiancheng changed direction and rushed to save Lu Sangjiu instead.
When Qin Yu saw Li Qiancheng coming to their rescue, his heart had filled with gratitude and guilt. He felt that his previous disagreements with Li Qiancheng had been completely out of line.
But he never, ever expected Li Qiancheng to turn around and run off.
The grateful expression that had just formed on Qin Yu’s face instantly froze in place.
Qin Yu was speechless.
Words failed him. He could only rely on his own strength, protecting Ye Zhiyao while struggling to escape the area that was collapsing into the abyss.
Meanwhile, Lu Sangjiu was already exhausted from her battle with Ye Zhiyao. Though she was desperately charging toward the Hell Grass, the ground was collapsing far too quickly.
A wave of weightlessness washed over her. The Hell Grass was right before her eyes, but it seemed she would never reach it...
As her body plunged downward, a rope suddenly tightened around her waist, arresting her fall.
Lu Sangjiu looked up in pleasant surprise, only to see that Li Qiancheng had rushed over at some unknown point and saved her just in time.
And just like that, her pleasant surprise turned to sheer terror.
Another burst of strength erupted from within her, and she dug her hands into the nearby rock face, trying to climb.
"Eldest Brother, go!" she screamed. "Your fated death is here! Don’t worry about me, just go!"
