Chapter 377: Who Said You Could Leave?

Lu Sangjiu stared at the final bolt of the Heavenly Tribulation, one hand gripping the Domination Map Blade tightly. With her other hand, she pierced her own chest, letting drops of her heart’s blood fall to the ground.

"With my heart’s blood... I borrow the Power of Nine Netherworld!"

This was a suicidal tactic. The Power of Nine Netherworld was treacherous and unpredictable. By trading her heart’s blood for it, she risked being drained completely dry.

But she was at the end of her rope, with no other choice.

The immense Power of Nine Netherworld surged forth, and at the same time, Lu Sangjiu could clearly feel her blood being greedily devoured by something.

Meanwhile, outside the Heavenly Tribulation, Xie Ningyuan had been locked in a stalemate. Just as the final bolt descended, it was as if some force began to pull at it, forcibly splitting an ineffable power from within the tribulation and sending it speeding toward him!

The onlookers who witnessed this were all shocked. "He... he’s absorbing the Thunder Tribulation Power???"

"...Who on earth is he?"

It was no wonder they were shocked. The Thunder Tribulation Power was nearly equivalent to the power of the Heavenly Dao itself. How could a mere mortal body possibly absorb it?

Forget absorbing it; just how many people could survive withstanding a Heavenly Tribulation at all?

As for Lu Sangjiu, she also suddenly noticed that as the Heavenly Tribulation roared down, a portion of its power seemed to have been drawn away by something...

Her eyes flashed. She truly saw a hope of survival!

BOOM!

The Heavenly Tribulation slammed into the formidable Power of Nine Netherworld. The two forces canceled each other out, instantly creating a massive explosive shockwave.

Lu Sangjiu lay prone on the ground, shielding Duoduo tightly beneath her. She desperately maintained her Protective Shield, continuously re-forming it until she felt the terrifying power finally begin to dissipate.

’...I survived!’

Her vision blurred, and she was on the verge of fainting, but she still remembered she had one last thing she hadn’t finished.

Biting her tongue hard, Lu Sangjiu forced herself back to full awareness. She struggled to lift her head and saw Fu Ling not far away, looking just as wretched.

Her once-radiant Treasure Robe was now in tatters, and the Green Jade Lotus Lamp in her hand had grown dim. The tiny flame of Samadhi True Fire within it flickered listlessly, on the verge of extinguishing.

At this moment, Fu Ling no longer possessed the same arrogance and disdain for all life she had when she first appeared. She wiped the blood from her lips and staggered to her feet.

Her gaze fell upon Lu Sangjiu, and surprise was clear on her face when she saw she was still alive. "You..."

Before she could say more, several attacks suddenly shot toward her!

Her expression changed, and she hastily circulated what little Spiritual Power she had left to defend herself.

The moment she turned, she saw Fa Shan and Duan Xingyun launching attacks at her.

They didn’t know who this woman was, but knowing she was Lu Sangjiu’s enemy was enough.

’She just survived the Heavenly Tribulation, so she must be at her weakest. If we don’t kill her now, when will we get another chance?’

Fu Ling’s expression was grim. Her condition was terrible. Fa Shan, at the Peak of Unity Stage, was a significant threat on his own. Moreover, there was a whole group of people behind them; even if their cultivation levels were low, their harassment was enough to distract her.

With this realization, she lost all will to fight and turned to flee.

But just then, the Buddha Light around Xie Ningyuan gradually faded. His aura surged as his cultivation returned to the Body Integration Realm.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he struck out at Fu Ling, immobilizing her on the spot.

When Fu Ling turned and saw Xie Ningyuan’s face, she was instantly horrified, as if she were looking at some terrifying monster.

For the first time, fear of death showed on her face.

It wasn’t that she was powerless to break free from Xie Ningyuan’s hold, but her fear of him was almost subconscious, causing her to lose her usual composure and reason.

Frozen in place, she could only watch as Xie Ningyuan’s attack flew toward her face.

Yet at that very moment, a beam of light suddenly descended from the sky, enveloping Fu Ling completely.

The Magic Light trapped her, but it also protected her. Xie Ningyuan’s attack dissipated the instant it touched the white light, without causing the slightest ripple!

The heart that had been lodged in Fu Ling’s throat finally dropped back into her chest. She collapsed to the ground, panting for breath.

She quickly understood what was happening. Although she hadn’t been obliterated by the Heavenly Tribulation, her identity as an Upper Realm Cultivator had been exposed. Now, the Rule Power of this world was expelling her.

Fu Ling felt an unprecedented wave of relief wash over her, and she began to recover from her earlier terror.

Not daring to look at Xie Ningyuan again, she turned her beautiful, malice-filled eyes on Lu Sangjiu for one last glare. "You got lucky this time, but next time... I will kill you!"

As she spoke, her figure began to fade, looking as if she might dissipate completely at any moment.

All this time, Lu Sangjiu had been desperately mustering the last of her strength, preparing an Immortal Demon Attraction powerful enough to kill Fu Ling.

’But I never imagined something like this would happen!’

She bit her lip, her heart filled with indignation. ’Do I really have to just watch her leave like this?’

Just as she was about to throw her Immortal Demon Attraction out recklessly and see what happened, a dazzling beam of Merit Light suddenly shot toward Fu Ling!

The Merit Light carried no malice whatsoever and passed effortlessly through the glow of the Rule Power to envelop Fu Ling.

Fu Ling was stunned. She could feel that the Merit Light wasn’t harming her in the slightest. In fact, it was actively resisting the Rule Power, trying to keep her here!

At the same time, Li Qiancheng, who had been silent until now, suddenly acted.

As a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, he hadn’t been able to intervene in the previous battle, but now he could clearly sense the flow of the Rule Power.

The Pure Demon Heart he had received from Senior Fu Yangzi contained an understanding of the world’s Great Dao. Since this world’s rules were a part of that Dao, he felt a certain resonance when faced with the Rule Power.

’...Completely breaking it is impossible, of course, but maybe I can try to fight against it, even for just a moment.’

Li Qiancheng gripped a Spirit Sword he had just drawn. He closed his eyes and, relying on his understanding, unleashed a sudden slash toward Fu Ling!

Fu Ling was already terrified that Xie Ningyuan’s Merit Light was preventing her from leaving. Now, seeing the whistling sword strike, her face was a mask of utter horror.

’This is clearly just a lower world! Why are these ant-like people capable of such unexpected feats?’

But her terror was useless. At this moment, she was like a lamb to the slaughter, forced to watch helplessly as the sword descended.

The pillar of light enveloping Fu Ling wavered for a moment.

Then she clearly saw a crack appear in the part of it directly in front of her!

The crack wasn’t large, but it was undoubtedly a flaw in the shield of Rule Power that had completely isolated Fu Ling from the outside world.

It only lasted for an instant, but how could Lu Sangjiu, who had been staring at her intently, possibly miss such a perfect opportunity?

She unleashed the Immortal Demon Attraction she had been preparing for so long, sending it straight toward Fu Ling!

"We haven’t settled this... Who said you could leave?!"