Chapter 499: I'm About to Ascend

Lu Sangjiu, of course, wasn’t going to answer such a personal question.

Her expression cooled as she looked at Yan Xue. “Ms. Yan, I don’t believe we’re familiar enough to be asking each other such private questions, are we?”

“Just as I haven’t asked how you faked your identity to enter the Immortal Cultivation Secret Realm, nor have I asked what business you have here at the Fan Family’s residence.”

Yan Xue blinked. “Do you want to know? If you want to know, just ask. Maybe I’ll even answer you.”

Lu Sangjiu: “…”

‘What’s with that tone, like she’s trying to trick a child? She can’t possibly think I’d fall for that, can she?’

Lu Sangjiu remained silent, simply staring at her with a blank expression.

The stare continued until Yan Xue began to feel a bit uncomfortable. She sighed and shrugged helplessly. “Alright, it seems you’re not very interested in me. I’ll stop asking, then.”

“Getting back to the point, the main reason I’ve said so much to you today, Ms. Lu, is that I’d like to… invite you to team up with me in the Secret Realm. How about it?”

“Team up?” Lu Sangjiu raised an eyebrow slightly. “Ms. Yan, your skills are extraordinary. You shouldn’t be short on teammates. Why ask me specifically?”

“That brings us to a key issue…” Yan Xue gave a light cough. “This Secret Realm isn’t as simple as you think.”

“Ms. Lu, we might encounter many dangerous things inside, just like that time in the Immortal Cultivation Secret Realm.”

“I’ll be fine on my own, but having an extra person is always good insurance, right?”

Lu Sangjiu didn’t speak, just quietly watched Yan Xue.

Her intuition told her Yan Xue wasn’t telling the truth, or at least, not the whole truth.

‘There must be some other reason she wants to team up with me. I just don’t know if she has any ill intentions.’

‘You can never be too careful,’ Lu Sangjiu thought. After a moment of consideration, she didn’t agree immediately. Instead, she asked, “Ms. Yan, you’re so powerful. If I team up with you, what if you try to set me up?”

Yan Xue was taken aback, then sounded somewhat exasperated. “Ms. Lu, how can you think of me like that? Am I that kind of person?”

“Besides, if I had wanted to harm you, I had plenty of opportunities in the last Secret Realm, right?”

Lu Sangjiu was completely unmoved. “Last time, weren’t you in a hurry to chase after that troublemaking Demon Cultivator? You probably didn’t have the time to deal with me.”

Yan Xue: “…”

‘This Lu Sangjiu… she’s tougher to deal with than I thought.’

She was left speechless for a long moment before finally saying resignedly, “So… are you planning to refuse my invitation, Ms. Lu?”

Although she asked, she knew very well that Lu Sangjiu didn’t intend to refuse. Otherwise, she would have just turned and left instead of staying here to argue with her.

As expected, Lu Sangjiu shook her head. “I just feel that since there’s no trust between us, teaming up would be useless.”

“To increase our mutual trust… how about we both swear a Heavenly Dao oath?”

Yan Xue froze. “…Huh?”

A moment later, with a deadpan expression, Yan Xue followed Lu Sangjiu’s lead, pointing to the heavens to swear an oath: “I vow that during this trip to the Secret Realm, I will harbor absolutely no ill intentions toward Yan Xue…”

She rattled off a long list of “will nots,” eliminating any possibility of harming her teammate.

As their voices faded, the Heavenly Dao oath between the two was sealed.

Only then did Lu Sangjiu, beaming, extend a hand to Yan Xue. “Ms. Yan, a pleasure doing business with you!”

The corner of Yan Xue’s mouth twitched. With a look that spoke volumes, she reached out and shook Lu Sangjiu’s hand, forcing out a reluctant, “Heh… a pleasure!”

‘As if!’

For the next few days, they peacefully waited for the day the Secret Realm would open.

During this time, Lu Sangjiu wandered around the courtyard a few times and finally caught sight of her target, Ye Wucheng.

Lie Rufeng had shown her a Memory Stone of Ye Wucheng, and it was a perfect match.

However, he seemed to be an aloof and eccentric person who disliked interacting with others.

He only came out to ask a maid for something before hastily returning to his room. Lu Sangjiu couldn’t even find a chance to strike up a conversation.

‘But at least I’ve confirmed he’s here. That makes things easier. I’ll just find a chance to make a move inside the Secret Realm.’

She passed this news on to Lie Rufeng and the other, then spent the next two days focusing on her cultivation.

Meanwhile, in the Chixiao Sect of Beidie Palace, a beautiful maid was kneeling before Ji Li.

Her expression was filled with excitement. “Master, we’ve received a report and have basically confirmed it. Lu Sangjiu should be at the Fan Family’s residence in Black Obsidian City, within the Demon God Palace’s territory!”

‘After all this time and effort, we’ve finally found her!’

‘We can finally avenge Ms. Fu Ling!’

Her expression was ecstatic, but Ji Li just frowned slightly. “Demon God Palace…”

‘Why did she have to go there of all places? Even with my cultivation, I generally avoid going near the Demon God Palace.’

‘What’s more, I’d be going there to kill someone. It would definitely cause a huge disturbance, and I’m afraid it would alert some of the nearby High-level Demon Cultivators.’

Sensing Ji Li’s hesitation, the maid calmed down a little. “Master, if it’s inconvenient for you, let me go!”

“According to the report, she just recently advanced to the Early Stage Heavenly Immortal realm. I’m already a Mid-stage Golden Immortal. I can definitely cut her down!”

Ji Li glanced at her. “Fu Ling was also a Golden Immortal, and Lu Sangjiu hadn’t even gone through her Ascension yet.”

As he spoke, he gently lifted her chin. “Banxia, you’re the only capable maid I have left by my side. I can’t afford to lose you to her as well.”

“But…” Banxia was clearly unwilling to accept this. She truly wanted to avenge Fu Ling herself.

Unfortunately, Ji Li cut her off. “Forget it. It would be more appropriate for me to hire a Daluo Golden Immortal to make a move.”

“…No, I should say, an Asura.”

The corners of his lips curled up. ‘That’s a Demon Cultivator’s territory. If an Asura makes the move, it won’t attract any trouble.’

‘I went to great lengths to bait her with the Ten Thousand Fusion Stones this time, and I finally tracked her down. I can’t lose this golden opportunity.’

「Spirit Void Realm.」

There was a slight difference in the flow of time between the two realms. While it seemed Lu Sangjiu had only been gone for two years, twenty years had already passed in the Spirit Void Realm.

Now that the seal on the Spirit Void Realm’s World Origin had been released, the Spiritual Energy was rich and dense. Everyone’s cultivation speed had increased significantly, and Xie Ningyuan was no exception.

At his normal pace, he should have undergone his Ascension long ago.

Now, however, he had to desperately suppress his cultivation, all to give Lu Sangjiu more time.

He had also considered not following Lu Sangjiu’s plan and facing things on his own.

He just needed to convince Gu Jue not to contact Lu Sangjiu when it was time for his Ascension.

But… he couldn’t bear to let all her hard work go to waste.

‘She’s trying so hard to save me. If I still end up dying, or if I don’t even need her help in the end, how heartbroken would she be?’

And so, he could only cling to his longing for her, waiting day after day.

“Mr. Xie!”

He was sitting on a mountain peak, staring blankly at the sunset, when he was startled by someone calling his name.

Turning around, he saw Luo Linlang happily waving at him. Her first words were a critical hit: “Mr. Xie, I’ve advanced to the Late-stage Tribulation! I should be able to go through my Ascension soon!”