Chapter 447: Unable to Agree

Lu Sangjiu let out a scoff. "As if falling into your hands and having my soul searched would end any better. It’s a dead end either way, isn’t it?"

"Enough with the nonsense. You’re willing to stand here and talk with us because you don’t want to fight either. You’re afraid the battle will take too much out of you, aren’t you?"

"What’s the matter? Scared we’ll hold you up for too long? Or that the commotion from our fight will be too loud and attract others?"

They were all in the Transcendance Tribulation Stage. As long as someone caught wind of the situation, they could arrive with a single Instant Teleportation. Time was indeed precious to him.

He Guang had stirred up so much trouble simply because he wanted to live, to achieve Ascension. As long as he had desires, he would fear death. And as long as he feared death, he would have reservations.

Don’t be fooled by He Guang’s righteous-sounding words. After his failed sneak attack, the moment he saw Xie Ningyuan was at the Transcendance Tribulation Stage, he didn’t dare to make another move.

The only reason he hadn’t agreed to Xie Ningyuan’s proposed deal was because he had his own concerns and wanted to secure a greater advantage for himself.

Lu Sangjiu laid everything bare with a single sentence. He Guang glanced past Xie Ningyuan at her and chuckled. "As expected of the woman who could entice the Buddha Son to feel worldly desires. You are indeed clever."

"Then let’s be direct. One secret isn’t enough to trade for both of your lives."

"I want you both to swear a Heavenly Dao oath to help me evade my pursuers and successfully achieve Ascension. How about it?"

Xie Ningyuan laughed. "You’ve really got it all figured out, haven’t you?"

Lu Sangjiu was equally contemptuous. "There’s no guarantee we’ll die if we fight it out. You think you can use that to force us to work for you? In your dreams!"

After a pause, she added, "How about this? We’ll tell you two secrets in exchange for our safety. That’s fair, isn’t it?"

"You want to achieve Ascension, right? You don’t necessarily have to kill people like you have been. I know another way."

Lu Sangjiu wasn’t lying. She was talking about the matter of the World Origin being sealed.

He Guang had likely received false information from Ji Li, mistakenly believing the World Origin had been stolen. That’s why he thought the only way to achieve Ascension was to kill people for their Spiritual Energy.

But in reality, all that was needed was to unseal the World Origin, a task Gu Jue was already working on.

Once the seal was broken, it wouldn’t be difficult for anyone in this world to achieve Ascension, let alone a single He Guang.

Lu Sangjiu had already considered it. ’Telling He Guang about this has advantages and no disadvantages.’

’After all, the only reason we want to kill him now is to stop him from committing more massacres.’

’If his reason for killing disappears, he probably won’t be so bored as to continue doing it. Killing isn’t a good thing for him, either. It only adds to his karmic debt.’

’That’s precisely why he only ever instigated wars before and never acted personally—to avoid being stained by the blood of too many people.’

’As long as He Guang stops killing, we can catch our breath. We won’t have to be in such a hurry to kill him.’

’We might not even need to kill him. He thinks he can escape his karmic debt that way, but in reality, the Heavenly Dao can’t be so easily deceived.’

’Especially since the current Heavenly Dao is Gu Jue. I doubt he would let someone with so much blood on their hands successfully cross their Tribulation.’

’Even if He Guang doesn’t die at someone’s hand, he will certainly perish during his Ascension Thunder Tribulation.’

’Resolving this without a fight would be the best possible outcome for us.’

Lu Sangjiu’s calculations were well-laid. Upon hearing her words, He Guang’s expression did indeed shift.

But then he smiled again. "Knowing one method is enough for me. Why would I need to know another?"

Xie Ningyuan said coolly, "All the people you had at your disposal are dead, aren’t they? A pity that the Spiritual Energy you need for Ascension is still insufficient."

"Are you planning to continue the killing yourself? Aren’t you afraid of accumulating too much negative karma and failing to pass the Heavenly Dao’s judgment during your Tribulation Crossing?"

He Guang just smiled. "Did you think I would be completely unprepared?"

"From the moment I started down this path, I already prepared for the worst-case scenario."

"That is, if I am stained by too much sin from killing... So, I’ve already created a substitute for myself in advance. I can have it bear the karmic consequences for me. I’m eighty percent confident I can pull the wool over heaven’s eyes."

’I didn’t expect him to have another trick up his sleeve,’ Lu Sangjiu thought. ’But with Gu Jue as the Heavenly Dao now, pulling the wool over heaven’s eyes will be difficult for him.’

Of course, she wouldn’t reveal this to him, so she just retorted, "An eighty percent certainty versus a one hundred percent certainty. Are you sure you want to choose the former?"

He Guang said flatly, "No one can ever be one hundred percent certain of succeeding in their Tribulation Crossing. They can only try to increase their odds."

"Your words are useless. I am not satisfied with this condition."

"You’ve stalled for long enough. I don’t have any more time to waste on you."

"Let’s cut to the chase. Do you agree to my condition or not? If you’re truly unwilling, then even if I don’t want to, I’ll have no choice but to act."

As he spoke, the Golden Seal on his forehead began to emit a faint Light, and the Spiritual Power around his body started to circulate. It was clear he was ready to strike if they couldn’t agree.

Xie Ningyuan’s eyes darkened. His own Spiritual Power began to circulate as well, and the top-grade Treasure, the Demon-Subduing Pestle, appeared in his palm.

"Are you feeling any better?"

Agreeing to He Guang’s terms was absolutely out of the question. A fight was now all but inevitable. So, Xie Ningyuan didn’t say anything more to He Guang, instead just asking Lu Sangjiu that one question.

The Elixir Pills Lu Sangjiu had taken were of the highest quality, and she had recovered seventy or eighty percent of her strength. However, her recent injuries were too severe for her to make a full recovery.

She gave a soft "mhm" and said, "Let’s fight."

Those two simple words conveyed both of their attitudes.

It wasn’t that they didn’t cherish their lives, but there were some conditions they would never agree to, even on pain of death.

It was a matter of principle. If they were to stoop to He Guang’s level, there would be no meaning in survival.

They had come together in the first place because they were of one mind. They didn’t need to discuss or deliberate; both understood the other’s choice.

He Guang’s eyes hardened. He sneered, "What a pity... I had intended to spare your lives, to leave behind a successor for the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect and honor our old connection."

"A pity... Since you are so stubborn, then you will die here today!"

In the next instant, the full might of He Guang’s Transcendance Tribulation Stage aura erupted.

The Golden Seal on his brow was a Divine Skill he had cultivated. When activated, it could help him predict his opponent’s movements a full breath into the future, making it an excellent support-type Divine Skill.

Now, in his eyes, Xie Ningyuan’s every move was predicted. He was completely suppressing him!

Xie Ningyuan had known this man wouldn’t be an easy opponent, but only now that they were truly trading blows did he feel how difficult he was to handle.

Although it was a struggle, he was holding on for the time being.

Of course, Lu Sangjiu wasn’t idle either. Although she was only in the Body Integration Realm, her combat prowess had always allowed her to fight above her level.

Fighting a Transcendance Tribulation Stage cultivator head-on was a bit difficult, but she could still play a significant role by providing support from the side.

Two against one, they weren’t at a disadvantage for the moment. But they both knew that if the stalemate continued, they would be the ones to lose in the end.

Just as the three were locked in a stalemate, their expressions all shifted at the same time...