Chapter 430: Fate

Her mind had been too muddled to consider it before, but Ye Zhiyao’s attack had presented her with the perfect solution.

Though Ye Zhiyao was many Realms above her, she was also severely injured, which meant victory wasn’t entirely impossible.

’I’ll risk it!’

Lu Sangjiu gripped her Domination Map Blade and swung it back with sudden force!

The two were fighting within the bounds of the Heavenly Tribulation, its oppressive aura weakening both their powers. Otherwise, the combination of their battle and the tribulation would have likely flattened several mountains.

Lu Sangjiu was a seasoned fighter. Despite Ye Zhiyao’s higher cultivation, the fierce counterattack caught her off guard, throwing her into a panicked flurry. Lu Sangjiu had completely seized control of the fight’s tempo.

Before long, however, Ye Zhiyao began to adapt. Lu Sangjiu’s lower cultivation started to put her at a disadvantage.

Forced onto the defensive, Lu Sangjiu had no time to channel her Immortal Demon Attraction—the only technique she had that could kill an opponent two major Realms above her. Her situation was quickly turning dire.

Just then, the fifth bolt of the Heavenly Tribulation, which had been gathering for some time, finally struck!

BOOM!

As the thunder cracked, a flash of lightning once again engulfed them both.

The agony of the Heavenly Tribulation refining one’s body was more than any ordinary person could bear. For a moment, both Ye Zhiyao and Lu Sangjiu could only focus on surviving, forcing a halt to their battle.

But Lu Sangjiu knew this was likely her only chance.

So, despite the searing pain, she gritted her teeth, forced herself to adapt, and began channeling Spiritual Energy and Demonic Qi into each hand, trying to use this brief pause to unleash her Immortal Demon Attraction!

But whether Ye Zhiyao sensed the dangerous aura gathering around Lu Sangjiu or was simply desperate to kill her, she acted much sooner than Lu Sangjiu had anticipated!

A flash of sword light suddenly tore through the lightning, stabbing precisely toward Lu Sangjiu!

Ye Zhiyao’s eyes were filled with madness and anguish. "Die... Just die!"

Lu Sangjiu’s pupils constricted. Seeing the sword light racing toward her, she knew it was already too late to dodge.

Her only option was to prematurely unleash the Immortal Demon Attraction, even though it hadn’t gathered enough power to be lethal to Ye Zhiyao!

It was uncertain whether it could even stop Ye Zhiyao’s attack, and it would undoubtedly mean forfeiting this perfect opportunity to kill her.

But with no other choice, just as Lu Sangjiu was forced to release her Immortal Demon Attraction prematurely, a brilliant golden light flashed and suddenly appeared before her!

Although she couldn’t see what it was, Lu Sangjiu could feel the immense power it contained... It seemed strong enough to block Ye Zhiyao’s strike!

Lu Sangjiu immediately held firm, continuing to accelerate the channeling of her Immortal Demon Attraction.

Ye Zhiyao’s sword struck the golden light, and just as Lu Sangjiu hoped, it failed to break through its defense!

However, she wasn’t knocked back by the force, either. Instead, they were locked in a stalemate.

Then, they both got a clear look at it. The shard that had blocked the attack for Lu Sangjiu was a fragment of the Thousand Leaf Bodhi Tribulation!

The Thousand Leaf Bodhi Tribulation was an Immortal Artifact, after all. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t have been destroyed by a mere Divinity Transformation Thunder Tribulation.

But because Lu Sangjiu had triggered the tribulation from within it, the Heavenly Tribulation had likely sensed the artifact. Thus, the first bolt of Heavenly Thunder had been aimed with the express purpose of shattering it.

When the Heavenly Tribulation focused its full power on the artifact, not even an Immortal Artifact could withstand it. That was why it had been split in two by the very first bolt.

As subsequent bolts rained down, it shattered into even more pieces. The object now protecting Lu Sangjiu was one of those small fragments.

But Lu Sangjiu was deeply confused. ’It’s not an Immortal Artifact anymore, so why does it seem to have a will of its own? Why would it actively shield me from harm?’

Ye Zhiyao was even more bewildered. The Thousand Leaf Bodhi Tribulation was hers! True, their contract had been voided when it shattered.

’But if this tiny shard still has some consciousness, shouldn’t it be helping me, its former master?’

’Why is it helping Lu Sangjiu fight against me???’

Ye Zhiyao’s composure shattered once more.

She didn’t understand. She truly didn’t understand.

’Everyone helps Lu Sangjiu, and now even a damn fragment of an Immortal Artifact is helping her!’

’What kind of Magic Power does she have?!’

In reality, the Thousand Leaf Bodhi Tribulation had indeed shattered, and its original consciousness had dissipated when it was destroyed.

The fragments of the Thousand Leaf Bodhi Tribulation were now nothing more than ordinary, non-sentient objects.

However, it had once been an Immortal Artifact. Even its fragments still contained power, enough to block a bit of damage, but they certainly couldn’t last for long.

As for why it helped Lu Sangjiu... that was purely because it retained a sliver of "memory."

Ye Zhiyao had been its master, yes, but for an Immortal Artifact with a strong Buddhist nature like the Thousand Leaf Bodhi Tribulation, a person whose character it admired was far more important than a "master" bound by a mere contract.

The Thousand Leaf Bodhi Tribulation had been the clearest witness to both Lu Sangjiu’s and Ye Zhiyao’s conduct during the Thousand World Tribulation.

Therefore, with the contract broken and only residual memories and instincts remaining, the fragments would naturally choose Lu Sangjiu over Ye Zhiyao.

Unfortunately, they were only fragments in the end.

After about three breaths, the fragment of the Thousand Leaf Bodhi Tribulation could finally withstand the pressure no longer. As the golden light dimmed, it abruptly shattered into dust under Ye Zhiyao’s sword!

Ye Zhiyao’s eyes lit up. She could see hope again!

With the obstacle gone, the momentum of Ye Zhiyao’s sword didn’t falter as she continued her thrust toward Lu Sangjiu.

Lu Sangjiu now had no other choice but to unleash her Immortal Demon Attraction!

Ye Zhiyao was too close. Despite Lu Sangjiu’s conscious effort to pull back, she met the attack head-on. The tremendous force of the impact blasted her more than ten meters away, sending her to the ground where she coughed up blood relentlessly.

As the dust settled, Lu Sangjiu saw Ye Zhiyao lying on the ground, her body covered in horrific wounds.

But... she wasn’t dead!

Lu Sangjiu’s brow furrowed slightly. ’There wasn’t enough time.’ Even as she had launched the attack, she had realized it might not be enough to kill Ye Zhiyao.

’Fine. I’ll just have to continue!’

Lu Sangjiu gritted her teeth, enduring the full-body agony as she used her Domination Map Blade to shakily push herself to her feet.

Just at that moment, however, the sixth bolt of the Heavenly Tribulation crashed down!

Lu Sangjiu, who had just forced herself to stand, instantly felt her legs give way and she collapsed to her knees again. If not for her immense willpower, she would have certainly lost consciousness from that single strike.

’My body’s reached its limit... If I attack again, I’m afraid that even if I kill Ye Zhiyao, I won’t be able to survive the rest of the tribulation myself.’

Just as anxiety began to well up inside her, she suddenly froze.

...She could feel it. As that bolt of the tribulation struck, Ye Zhiyao’s life force had vanished completely!

’Ye Zhiyao... is dead?’

For a moment, Lu Sangjiu couldn’t quite believe it. ’After all my effort, in the end... Ye Zhiyao was killed by the Heavenly Tribulation?’

After a moment of dazed disbelief, a low laugh escaped her lips.

"Born from the Pseudo Heavenly Dao, died by the true Heavenly Dao... Is this what they call fate?"

"So be it. This is for the best."