The monster chasing Ji Yuan closely had no idea it was a trap. Driven by pure rage, it only wanted to tear the blood serpent to shreds! With a mighty swing, it raised its massive fist, ready to smash the fragile house—and the boy inside it—into pieces.
The boy was about to meet his end under the crushing blow of the iron fist!
At such a critical moment, Liu Qingyin, having just escorted the family of three away from the battlefield, stumbled back toward the scene. “Stop!” she cried out as she dashed forward, but was too far to make it out. The scorching pain of the devil blood coursing through her veins left her unable to fly with her sword or extend her spiritual aura beyond a short distance.
As Lin Jiu watched the scene, her emotions grew conflicted. Just days ago, when Liu Qingyin had indiscriminately slaughtered fish, birds, and insects outside Yunshui Plain, she had thought that this female lead was on the verge of blackening. But seeing Liu Qingyin now, it was clear that she was still the same kind-hearted female lead from the original plot, someone with a little bit of a savior complex.
Qin Yunxi had surely told Liu Qingyin that this place was merely an illusion. She must have realized the people here were not real, and allowing the mutated Wangs to commit massacres would cause their disqualification. If she did so, she would immediately advance to the next level, freeing herself from the torment of the devil blood.
And yet, Liu Qingyin still chose to save these ‘ordinary people.’
Human nature truly was the most complicated and unpredictable thing—Lin Jiu’s eyes flickered as she extended her aura chain once more. Hooking it onto a distant flagpole, she propelled herself forward, narrowly avoiding the monster’s massive fist as she swooped in to rescue the boy from the rice jar.
The added weight of the child threw off her balance, and she nearly collapsed upon landing. Knowing Liu Qingyin was watching her from behind, Lin Jiu resisted her usual tendency to roll clumsily to the ground. Instead, she kicked off with her toes, spun like a swallow in midair, and landed gracefully, standing tall as she sheathed her sword.
Turning around, she saw Liu Qingyin staring at her intently. “Ah, Qingyin,” Lin Jiu said casually, “Perfect timing. Take this child to safety, then come back to assist.”
“…” Liu Qingyin intuitively felt something was off, and yet she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what. Her lips pressed together, but her gaze softened as it fell on the bewildered child. “Alright,” she finally said, taking the boy into her arms and quickly hurrying off to safety.
Once again, Lin Jiu leaped upward with her aura chain, landing on a high enough vantage point to survey the entire battlefield. She needed to find the right opportunity to test her theory, but the situation below was too chaotic, making it hard to take any action for the time being.
Liu Qingyin soon returned, avoiding eye contact with Lin Jiu. “Where’s Wang Weizhi? Did he already leave?” she asked.
“I don’t know. We got separated,” Lin Jiu replied absentmindedly, her eyes fixed on the center of the battlefield.
Liu Qingyin’s gaze flickered. “Do you know how to pass this level?”
Lin Jiu showed a slight smile. “Don’t harm anyone and endure until the very end, right?”
After a moment of silence, Liu Qingyin nodded, “Yes.” Her expression grew complicated as she glanced at Lin Jiu, who stood with such ease and confidence. Her lips pressed together, but in the end, she didn’t reveal what Qin Yunxi had told her before leaving.
‘Remember this, Qingyin. The goal of this level is to let four participants advance while eliminating the rest. Only by staying true to yourself and refraining from harming others can you endure until the end. But there’s a loophole—or rather, a shortcut. If you take your own life, you’ll immediately pass to the next level, as you can no longer harm anyone. I’ll leave first to make sure Lin Qiu doesn’t escape. You’ll need to adapt to the situation. If you can endure, do so. But if others resort to this method, remember—there are only four available spots.’。
Liu Qingyin’s mind raced. Wang Weizhi was currently unaccounted for, but to be on the safe side, she would assume that he had successfully passed this level. Qin Yunxi had also exited by taking his own life, leaving only two remaining spots.
The serpent was highly cunning, luring the other monsters into killing the illusion inhabitants in order to eliminate them. He was clearly a formidable opponent, one with his own agenda.
The current situation was clear: the serpent, Lin Qiu, and herself were the remaining contenders. One of them had to be eliminated. It would be safer for her to take the lead and leave now, letting the other two fight for the final spot.
Determined, Liu Qingyin silently made her decision.
“You stay here and observe the situation. I’ll go into the houses below to rescue more people,” she said, avoiding Lin Jiu’s gaze. Perhaps out of guilt, she refrained from looking her in the eye.
From her position on the rooftop, Lin Jiu looked down at Liu Qingyin, whose shifty demeanor betrayed her true intentions. Feeling a bit like a proctor watching a student about to cheat on an exam, Lin Jiu replied calmly without giving anything away, “Alright, take care.”
“Mm.” Liu Qingyin quickly left.
Lin Jiu knew the female lead was sneaking away. Ji Yuan’s cunning was evident to all, and Liu Qingyin wasn’t willing to risk staying any longer. Once Liu Qingyin exited the stage, Qin Yunxi would likely have her stall Wang Weizhi while he finished her off.
‘There’s not much time!’
Lin Jiu calmed herself down, focusing intently on the blood serpent Ji Yuan, who was weaving through the rubble. The three massive monsters thundered after him, flattening countless buildings in their wake. Lin Jiu knew her own strength was no match for such overwhelming force—charging in now would be like throwing an egg against a stone.
She waited for what felt like an eternity, but no opportunities presented themselves. By her rough estimate, Liu Qingyin had been gone for nearly half the time it takes an incense stick to burn. If nothing changed soon, she might have to abandon her plan altogether…
Just as Lin Jiu raised her sword, preparing to stab herself to take the shortcut out, the chance she had desperately waited for suddenly appeared!
Two of the monsters burst out from behind opposite sides of a tall wall, colliding with a deafening crash. Ji Yuan seized the moment, coiling his long tail around both of them, intending to hurl them far away to crush an old beggar cowering against a wall fifty meters away. However, he underestimated the combined weight of his ‘package’ and failed to lift them, even after two attempts.
At that moment, the third monster charged in and threw its massive body onto the serpent’s midsection, pinning him down and rendering him momentarily immobile.
Lin Jiu’s heart pounded. Without hesitation, she conjured the aura chain and quickly leaped off the rooftop, hooking onto one of the horns atop a monster’s massive head.
Saying she wasn’t nervous would be a lie. Her limbs felt weak, her arms slightly numb, and the sound of her rushing blood seemed to roar in her ears.
The black crow perched silently on her shoulder, unmoving.
The nearly 200-meter distance closed in the blink of an eye. Through the chain formed with her aura, Lin Jiu could feel the monster’s coarse, unnatural texture and the overwhelming stench of blood and decay that hit her senses. Holding her breath, she put all her focus on the current task, retracting the chain as she swung her crimson sword. Her feet landed squarely on the monster’s broad back. With no time to hesitate, she activated the Karma Lotus, placing her palm firmly on the monster’s body.
“Absorb!”
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Translator’s Note:
We had a small emergency, so sorry for the missing update last week >_<
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