Chapter 86: A Thought Between Life and Death
Ye Zhao Zhao was closing in on Li Shuang when she suddenly noticed something unusual on the map—Li Shuang’s crimson marker, once stationary, was now streaking across the terrain at an alarming speed.
Her expression shifted subtly.
The prey she had already grasped—could it truly escape her clutches?
On the Snow Mountain, that useless Long Yan had failed to kill Li Shuang, setting off a chain of events that had since spiraled beyond control.
This time…
She would not allow past mistakes to repeat.
Li Shuang… must die.
Only her death would ensure that her fortune, her unparalleled talent, and the Sword Spirit she had only just awakened would become Ye Zhao Zhao’s.
She would replace Li Shuang. She would seize her destiny. She would become the true favored daughter of the heavens.
Ye Zhao Zhao could already picture the disbelief and despair in Li Shuang’s eyes the moment she fell. The very thought sent a tremor through her body—not of fear, but of exhilaration.
Perhaps…
It was fate itself that dictated she be the one to personally end this rivalry.
She had no intention of waiting any longer.
Taking a deep breath, Ye Zhao Zhao commanded, “System, unseal my cultivation!”
Once her strength returned to the Nascent Soul Stage, it would take but a few breaths for her to catch up with Li Shuang—and a single strike to annihilate her completely!
This was no longer a battle of talent.
Li Shuang was merely at the Energy Refining Stage.
Energy Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul.
Between them lay an insurmountable chasm of two entire realms.
No matter how gifted a genius may be, before such overwhelming disparity, they were nothing but an insect waiting to be crushed.
The moment her cultivation was unsealed, Ye Zhao Zhao’s speed surged to an unfathomable level.
Li Shuang felt the suffocating presence behind her instantly. A chill ran down her spine, and beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
Something was wrong.
This wasn’t right.
Within the Langya Secret Realm, even the fiercest Demonic Beasts never exceeded the peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage.
Yet the aura bearing down upon her wasn’t just from a Foundation Establishment cultivator. It wasn’t even from a Golden Core expert.
She had once lingered at the Nascent Soul Stage for a long time—she knew exactly what this oppressive might signified.
Someone was hunting her…
With the power of the Nascent Soul Stage!
Such a thing was unheard of!
The Langya Secret Realm had existed for countless years, and never had there been a case of a cultivator breaking through its restrictions.
Yet, the malice emanating from this individual was all too familiar.
The one pursuing her was—
Ye Zhao Zhao?!
Li Shuang’s gaze flickered.
If it had been anyone else, their pursuit might not necessarily mean her death.
After all, with the sudden intrusion of the Demon Race, the disciples of the Six Great Righteous Sects should be standing together as allies.
But if Ye Zhao Zhao had suddenly regained her Nascent Soul Stage cultivation…
Li Shuang knew without a doubt—
She was here to kill her.
Li Shuang’s eyes darted swiftly.
Alone, she had no chance of surviving against Ye Zhao Zhao at this level.
But she also refused to believe that Ye Zhao Zhao could sustain her Nascent Soul Stage cultivation indefinitely.
If she could, then with how deep her hatred ran, she would have already struck the fatal blow without hesitation!
Right now…
There was only one thing Li Shuang needed to do.
Stall for time.
As long as she could hold out long enough, she might still have a chance to survive.
Her mind raced through her options.
Without hesitation, she veered toward the distant roars of beasts.
After unlocking the Heaven and Earth Furnace, her next plan had originally been to hunt the Demon Race.
Now, with Ye Zhao Zhao’s abrupt interference, she might as well redirect the trouble her way.
However—
Ye Zhao Zhao was simply too fast.
Li Shuang didn’t have enough time to lure her into the Demon Race’s den.
In the span of just a few blinks—
A cold voice rang out from behind her.
Ye Zhao Zhao had already caught up.
“Senior Sister Li, where are you heading? Why not travel with me?”
Ye Zhao Zhao’s voice carried a chilling edge. In her eyes, Li Shuang was already a dead woman; there was no need to conceal her intentions from a corpse.
Li Shuang did not respond. Instead, she turned and fled at full speed, her sleeve flickering with an almost imperceptible movement.
Ye Zhao Zhao let out a cold laugh.
This Li Shuang had keen instincts.
But!
It was too late!
Before absolute strength, all struggles were futile!
In an instant, Ye Zhao Zhao was upon Li Shuang. Raising her palm, she struck downward, aiming directly at Li Shuang’s crown.
The strike fell like a thunderbolt.
Ye Zhao Zhao’s eyes flashed with anticipation. She could hardly wait to witness the fear contorting Li Shuang’s face.
Yet, in the next moment—
The air filled with swirling yellow sand.
Ye Zhao Zhao’s expression shifted slightly.
Where was Li Shuang?
What was happening?
A person as large as Li Shuang—vanished into thin air?
Could it be—
Had she been utterly obliterated by the strike?
Ye Zhao Zhao’s heart pounded with excitement as she waited, but her expression soon darkened.
Something was wrong.
If Li Shuang had truly died, the System would have immediately responded.
Her cultivation, her talent, her destiny—all of it should have been transferred to Ye Zhao Zhao.
Yet now…
There was no reaction from the System at all!
“System! Where is Li Shuang? Didn’t she die? Why is there no feedback?” Ye Zhao Zhao demanded, unwilling to accept the truth.
The System’s voice remained cold and unwavering: “The System does not err. The lack of feedback means only one thing: Li Shuang is still alive.”
Ye Zhao Zhao’s face darkened further.
She cast a glance at the map.
The red marker representing Li Shuang had disappeared entirely.
Yet the System insisted she was alive!
How was this possible?
The System’s indifferent voice echoed again: “She must have entered some kind of unique space. But she cannot stay there forever. Eventually, she will have to come out. Recommendation: remain here and wait. Additionally, be advised, you have expended five breaths’ worth of your sealed Nascent Soul Stage power. You now have… only four breaths left.”
Ye Zhao Zhao’s expression twisted once more.
She had never expected—
Li Shuang to remain completely unscathed while she herself had consumed more than half of her limited power.
Only four breaths remained.
This meant she had but one final chance!
Damn it!
So this was the so-called Heaven’s Mandated Heroine?
This Li Shuang was truly difficult to kill.
Ye Zhao Zhao’s expression fluctuated before she ultimately chose to sit cross-legged on the spot.
The System had said Li Shuang had entered some strange space.
What kind of space could keep Li Shuang hidden forever?
She would simply wait here like a coiled serpent.
The moment Li Shuang emerged—would be the moment of her doom.
…
Inside the Inheritance Space
Li Shuang solemnly bowed to Su Mu. “Many thanks, Senior.”
At the final moment between life and death, she had entered the Inheritance Space, narrowly avoiding Ye Zhao Zhao’s fatal strike.
Su Mu smiled faintly. “It was your own diligence that allowed you to truly step onto the path of the Emotionless Dao. Only then could the Inheritance Jade Slip fully activate. I was able to alter its form, turning it into mere grains of sand. So long as it remains unmoving, no one can detect it.”
Now—
Amidst the boundless desert, a single grain of sand was, in truth, the transformed Inheritance Jade Slip.
Su Mu’s ability to craft illusions was truly unparalleled. The Jade Slip concealed within the endless dunes was utterly undetectable.
At this moment—
The Inheritance Space had changed once more.
No longer a blank expanse, it now revealed a simple bamboo house.
Before the house lay a tranquil pond, where Su Mu sat with a bamboo fishing rod, casting his line in leisurely silence.
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
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