Dongbo Xueying’s voice was cold and calm, yet You Lan could feel the bone-deep killing intent buried within.
“How could this happen? How could they reach me without my noticing?” Lord You Lan was frantic. What should he do? How could he survive?
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
Lord You Lan steadied himself, resolved on a plan, and immediately forced a smile onto his face. “Friends, why go this far? We’ve come to Hongshi Mountain, where the most important thing is to successfully pass the Liantian Vine. You know the dangers of the Vine—while the First and Second Vine Leaf Worlds are perilous, they mostly offer rare opportunities to uncover our hidden potential! It’s only from the Third Vine Leaf World onward that the trials become truly deadly. You must know that our chances of passing the Liantian Vine are slim indeed. But here in Hongshi Mountain, I, Lord You Lan, am the only one who can use Divine Rank scrolls.”
“Hmm?” Dongbo Xueying and Chen Jiu were both momentarily intrigued, realizing the truth of his words.
He, Chen Jiu, Mountain Master Mei, and Sword Sovereign were all Transcendent Knights!
Only Lord You Lan, who came from the Dark Abyss, could use Divine Rank scrolls.
“The trials of the Third Vine Leaf World are extremely dangerous. But I can help you—help you use Divine Rank scrolls and grant you their blessings,” Lord You Lan smiled, showing his white teeth. “With my help, your chances of passing through the Third Vine Leaf World would increase dramatically, wouldn’t they?”
“Compared to killing me, isn’t passing the Liantian Vine more important?” You Lan stared at the two before him.
Feeling a glimmer of hope, he continued urgently, “Later on, I won’t even have the chance to betray you, while you four can gang up and force me to use the scrolls for you. You can rest assured about that. I’m sure you each still have unused Divine Rank scrolls—I can help you activate them and grant their blessings to you.”
“Killing me brings you nothing.”
“Leaving me alive gives you a much better chance of success.” Lord You Lan pressed.
“Dongbo?” Chen Jiu turned to his companion, sending his words through mental transmission, “Maybe we should spare him for now and keep a close watch on him.”
“How? We planned to train in the canyon for a whole year. How could you keep an eye on him for that long? And once we face the trials in the Third Vine Leaf World, we won’t be able to monitor You Lan at all.” Dongbo Xueying replied mentally.
“But he really can use Divine Rank scrolls…” Chen Jiu transmitted back.
Nearby, Lord You Lan watched them closely.
Though he couldn’t hear their thoughts, he could clearly see Dongbo Xueying and Chen Jiu were discussing something.
“You make a fair point,” Dongbo Xueying finally said, turning toward Lord You Lan.
You Lan forced a smile, trying his best to appear cooperative and friendly.
“But… you still must die!” Dongbo Xueying’s voice turned icy. As soon as he finished speaking, his crimson spear slashed through the air in an instant, leaving behind a trail of red fire as it struck toward Lord You Lan.
“You—”
You Lan hadn’t expected that even though he was the only one capable of using Divine Rank scrolls, Dongbo Xueying still wanted him dead.
Yet he was decisive. Without hesitation, he pulled out his last Divine Rank scroll.
“Die!” With a crazed gleam in his eyes, You Lan summoned a black flame that erupted from nowhere and surged toward Dongbo Xueying.
Even before the black flame reached its target, You Lan didn’t wait to see the result—heimmediately transformed into a streak of light, attempting to flee.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Suddenly, countless Dongbo Xueyings appeared all around, surrounding him from every direction, some even right beside him.
“You think you can escape?” All the Dongbo Xueyings spoke in unison. The black flame swept over the original body that had attacked him, but the original easily dissolved into nothingness.
“This… this is…” Seeing thirty-six Mirage Avatars surrounding him, You Lan’s heart turned ice-cold as a terrifying realization struck him.
Panic surged through his mind.
He fled even more desperately.
“Boom~~~”
A terrifying gravitational force erupted around him. The invisible force dragged at You Lan, slowing his flight.
“Die.” A Dongbo Xueying materialized beside him, thrusting his spear straight at him.
You Lan immediately raised his hands to block, slowing the flow of time around him.
Whoosh.
As the spear approached, it disintegrated.
But this ‘Dongbo Xueying’ was just a Mirage Avatar—a fake. Although Dongbo Xueying could switch between bodies, he could only do so within a hundred meters. Thus, his true body was actually chasing rapidly from behind. Under the influence of the gravitational force, Dongbo Xueying’s speed had overtaken You Lan’s.
The Mirage Avatar’s spear startled You Lan into blocking, slowing him down.
And allowing the true body to catch up completely.
“Whoosh.” Another Mirage Avatar appeared, another spear thrusting forward with overwhelming momentum.
“Is this another fake, trying to slow me down?” You Lan merely swatted at it with his hand, trying not to lose speed.
“Boom~~~”
The spear, radiating destruction, spun forward, accompanied by a terrifying vortex of gravitational force. You Lan’s swat failed to stop it. His expression changed drastically: “It’s real!”
This spear strike was faster, stronger, and more bizarre than their previous encounter outside the Black and White Divine Mountains. It wasn’t just a casual strike—it was a powerful blow. Even if You Lan had used his full strength, it was uncertain whether he could have blocked it.
“Poof!” The spear spun and pierced through You Lan’s left chest.
His body instantly split into two halves!
The left chest area was torn apart. Upon being pierced by the spear, the devastating and destructive mysteries embedded within it obliterated that section of his body. The remaining half, which had split off in advance, immediately reformed into a whole demonic body.
“Your demonic body splits quickly,” Dongbo Xueying’s voice echoed around him. “Let’s see how many times you can do it.”
A swarm of Dongbo Xueyings surrounded You Lan, each launching spear strikes.
You Lan couldn’t tell which was real and which were illusions. Now, Dongbo Xueying’s Mirage Avatars had reached the strength of half-gods at their peak—no longer something You Lan could destroy with just his outwardly projected rules and mysteries.
“Dongbo Xueying, I can help you! I can help you!” You Lan enlarged his hands, turning them into massive shields to block the attacks from all directions.
Whoosh.
Yet the real Starstone Flame Cloud Spear still pierced through You Lan’s body once more.
As it pierced, his body immediately split into fragments. After being destroyed nearly in half by the spear strike, the remaining parts quickly reassembled.
“This body of yours really splits and reforms at will, changing size as you please,” Dongbo Xueying mused. “Pity—it still must die.”
“Without me, none of you can use Divine Rank scrolls!” Desperation filled You Lan as he urgently sent his mental cry, his voice echoing all around. “Chen Jiu! Chen Jiu! Stop Dongbo Xueying!”
This time, he truly felt the breath of death.
You Lan panicked.
He regretted.
He deeply regretted why, back in the First Vine Leaf World, he had schemed to kill them.
Yes, when he had stood on the central vine and seen Dongbo Xueying and Chen Jiu facing a deadly trap, he had laughed with satisfaction and delight. But Dongbo Xueying and Chen Jiu hadn’t died! Especially Dongbo Xueying, who had grown even stronger. Now, it was his turn.
“Why? Why did I provoke him again?”
“Ahhh, what should I do? I don’t want to die. I can’t die.”
“Should I crush the talisman?”
“No! If I crush the talisman and give up, I’ll be punished by the Abyss Oath, truly perishing and scattering my soul.”
“But if I don’t crush it, I’ll still die by Dongbo Xueying’s hand.”
You Lan’s mind raced with desperation.
Though he had the talisman, in truth, Chen Jiu, Mountain Master Mei, You Lan, and others had all sworn oaths. Since the Divine Beings had allowed them to descend here, they had left them no escape route. If they failed, they would die. Their subordinates were under fewer constraints, but if Chen Jiu died and the mission failed, Fu Shu outside would also perish.
“Don’t kill me! Whatever you want me to do, I’ll agree!” You Lan cried out.
“Poof!”
The final spear strike came.
Weakened to the point of barely maintaining his form, Lord You Lan watched helplessly as the spear pierced through his skull.
Whoosh—
His entire body was instantly annihilated, utterly obliterated. Clang! Clang! A pair of semi-transparent gloves fell to the ground, along with a storage ring, striking the rocky surface with a crisp sound.
Hearing the clear metallic sound, Dongbo Xueying finally allowed a faint smile.
Finally, he had taken him down!
“Dongbo.” Chen Jiu approached, sighing. “It’s only now, seeing You Lan dead, that I feel truly relieved.”
“As long as you don’t blame me, it’s fine.” Dongbo Xueying said.
“You were right. I shouldn’t have clung to foolish hopes,” Chen Jiu sighed.
Dongbo Xueying nodded.
Earlier, he had convinced Chen Jiu with just one sentence—throughout history, has anyone ever become a Guardian Disciple of Hongshi Mountain merely by relying on Divine Rank scrolls?
No!
The deeper the Liantian Vine trials went, the more they demanded true strength!
Moreover, keeping You Lan alive would always be a threat.
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