“Absorb!” A powerful suction surged through Lin Jiu, making her heartbeat quicken further as a subtle thrill bubbled up from the depths of her spiritual sea. The Karma Lotus quivered softly. The red mist it was absorbed swirled, nearly obscuring its golden glow. Under Lin Jiu’s palm, the monster visibly shrank, and in the span of just a few breaths, its outline began to resemble a human form.
Ji Yuan felt the weight on his tail suddenly lighten. Glancing back, he saw the monster he had coiled was shrinking rapidly, but before he could process what was happening, the monster pressing on his midsection slammed its massive claw into his head. Ji Yuan had no choice but to set his suspicions aside and continue wrestling with the remaining creature.
In the blink of an eye, the monster beneath Lin Jiu’s palm revealed its true form—the most senior Nascent Soul cultivator among the Wang family. In the original story, this person had successfully passed this level, only to be eliminated by Liu Qingyin and Wang Weizhi in the next round.
Dazed, the person looked at Lin Jiu and mumbled, “Th-thank you?”
Lin Jiu gave a quick nod, not wasting time with pleasantries. She immediately pressed her hand against the second monster, which Ji Yuan had conveniently restrained, making it easy for her to proceed.
Halfway through the absorption process, Lin Jiu heard Huang Chuan’s voice again. “Child, you never cease to amaze me. Not only are you unaffected by the devil haze, but you also have the ability to free others from their suffering. Truly amazing! You have perfectly passed this stage! Now, I look forward even more to meeting you. Continue forward—I await you ahead!”
‘Objective complete!’ Lin Jiu thought. The unfamiliar term ‘devil haze’ briefly flickered through her mind but was quickly set aside—there were more pressing matters to deal with.
Her heart raced, but her movements remained steady. While continuing to channel the Karma Lotus to absorb the lingering red mist, she cautiously asked in her mind, “Senior Huang Chuan, I have a question. Would you be willing to answer it?”
“Ask away.”
Lin Jiu asked, “Are the people in this illusion created by the True Illusion Mirror?”
Huang Chuan’s voice fell silent. For a moment, Lin Jiu even wondered if she had imagined the entire exchange.
It wasn’t until the monster beneath her hand fully reverted to human form that the aged, ethereal voice echoed once more through the nothingness, “A clever child deserves the finest rewards.”
Then the voice faded into nothingness.
Lin Jiu didn’t ask any further questions. The scene before her began to distort, and her vision abruptly went black. In the next instant, a bright light pierced her eyes. Right ahead, a sandfall cascaded from the sky above into an endless abyss, each grain shimmered faintly as it flowed past, scattering light that illuminated a sand-like platform suspended in the void. Lin Jiu moved her eyes slightly, noticing the ground beneath her feet was composed of smoothly flowing sand, dense and uniform, with water-like movement.
Wang Weizhi stood not far ahead, his sword brandished, apparently facing off against Qin Yunxi and Liu Qingyin.
“Wang Weizhi, is this really necessary?” Qin Yunxi said in a calm tone. “Chaos is about to descend. I don’t wish to become your enemy. Step aside.”
Wang Weizhi’s red hairband fluttered lightly as he stood firm, his silhouette as firm as a still mountain. “Stop flattering yourself,” he smirked, his tone playful. “Don’t make it sound like I’m afraid of you, Great Sword Immortal Qin.”
Qin Yunxi’s gaze shifted past Wang Weizhi’s shoulder and locked onto Lin Jiu, whose vision was gradually clearing. As their eyes met, his pupils constricted slightly. “There’s no time,” he said in a low voice to Liu Qingyin. “Keep Wang Weizhi occupied. I’ll kill Lin Qiu.”
Liu Qingyin pressed her lips together, a trace of hesitation flickering in her expression. After a moment, she exhaled softly and uttered a single word: “Alright.”
Wang Weizhi’s posture shifted slightly, his tone turning serious. “So, Great Sword Immortal Qin, you’re really willing to abandon the treasures in this secret realm just to kill Wei Liang’s wife? Are you so desperate to risk being disqualified? What if I told you Lin Qiu already told me everything while we both lay on the bed earlier? What then? Will you kill me too? I doubt the two of you have what it takes.”
Qin Yunxi’s expression changed briefly before he regained his composure and smiled. “If you knew, you wouldn’t be reacting like this. Qingyin, do it.”
“Are you insisting on killing her?” There was no emotion in Wang Weizhi’s voice.
“Indeed,” Qin Yunxi replied firmly. “Are you going to stop me?”
Wang Weizhi let out a slight chuckle, sheathed his sword, and stepped aside.
Lin Jiu wasn’t surprised by this outcome. If Qin Yunxi were to kill her here, he would be disqualified immediately, removing one of the strongest competitors—a scenario that benefited Wang Weizhi in every way. While they had some acquaintances, it wasn’t like they were friends. Expecting Wang Weizhi to risk himself to help her out of some faint sense of camaraderie would’ve been foolish.
Though she understood the logic, Lin Jiu still felt a pang of bitterness as she watched Wang Weizhi step aside without hesitation. ‘See? That’s the fate of a supporting character. No such thing as friendship, not even a sliver.’
Qin Yunxi strode over to Lin Jiu in just a few steps. With a sharp metallic clang, his frosty blade was unleashed, gleaming coldly as its tip pressed against her slender neck.
Lin Jiu couldn’t move a muscle. The moment the cold blade touched her skin, every hair on her body stood on end. A primal, most instinctive fear surged from her feet, raced up her spine, and hit her mind like a bolt of lightning. She knew Qin Yunxi had been waiting far too long for this moment! Striking while she was completely immobile would ensure no variables. She had overheard his secret, a secret so damning to him that he had no choice but to kill her.
‘Is this man really Wei Liang?’ Lin Jiu’s large, bright eyes reflected her growing doubt. From the impression she had formed from the novel, Wei Liang was a pedantic and somewhat stubborn man who, during the war between humans and devils, had missed countless opportunities simply because he couldn’t bring himself to harm innocent lives. It was hard to associate such a person with the concept of ‘silencing the witness.’
Lin Jiu sighed inwardly. Her eyes, however, stared unwaveringly into his eyes. For some reason, she saw in his gaze emotions she couldn’t comprehend—a heavy vicissitude, like that of someone who had carried immense weight for far too long.
“My apologies. I’ll take care of your family,” Qin Yunxi stated coldly.
As the last word fell, his icy blade sliced forward without hesitation!
Blood splattered—but it wasn’t Lin Jiu’s.
Qin Yunxi froze, his expression momentarily stunned. The scene before him seemed to slow, unfolding frame by frame.
First, he saw a black crow blocking his blade. The cold sword cut through it with ease, severing its body cleanly. In an instant, feathers, skin, muscle, bone, and organs were cruelly divided into two symmetrical halves. The edges of the cut feathers were unnervingly neat.
Then the blade continued forward, slicing into Lin Jiu’s slender, pale neck. A thin line of blood appeared as her head tilted slightly to the side before falling to the ground.
Blood sprayed out belatedly. The two halves of the dying crow, now on the ground, struggled weakly toward Lin Jiu’s fallen head. With its last strength, it used its wings to cradle her face gently.
‘At last… it was done.’ Qin Yunxi let out a long breath, a wave of weightlessness overtaking him. Turning, he gave Liu Qingyin a deep look before his feet lifted off the ground, and he vanished into the void.
Qin Yunxi—eliminated!
“Tsk.” Wang Weizhi smirked and glanced regretfully at Lin Jiu’s fallen body. Shaking his head, he muttered, “What a pity. She was an interesting woman, but her strength and luck just weren’t enough.”
Liu Qingyin averted her gaze slightly, as if unwilling to look.
Moments later, the remaining three Wang family cultivators were ejected from the secret realm one after another, leaving only ‘Wang Hanling’ behind. The figure moved strangely, staggering toward Lin Jiu’s headless corpse.
“Oh, dear!” he said with a sinister laugh. “Such a shame, such a shame! What a fine beauty, gone to waste! To be honest, I was quite looking forward to spending a quiet time together with you… But alas, you’ve abandoned me! What a pity. No worries, though. Allow me to take care of your burial.”
He even mockingly lifted his sleeve to wipe away a fake tear. Suddenly, he felt a chill run down his spine as if someone were breathing lightly against the back of his head.
“Uh?”
Ji Yuan turned around in terror, but all he saw on the sand platform were the upright figures of Wang Weizhi and Liu Qingyin.
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