Chapter 78: Under Attack
The three men walked slowly into the 99th floor, their footsteps echoing in the vast chamber. The one who appeared to be the leader of the group couldn’t help but think to himself that they were quite fortunate for having chosen this particular strategy.
From what he had witnessed, if they had decided to confront Li Yao directly in combat, they would have been the ones lying dead on the cold stone floor.
When they had observed the fierce battle between Li Yao and the demon, they were genuinely shocked by her power. He felt that Li Yao possessed Golden Core cultivation, or at least combat prowess equivalent to that realm.
The three brothers, with their mere early Core Formation realm strength, stood no chance against such a powerful opponent. Had they faced her head-on, even with a thousand lives, they wouldn’t be able to afford it.
"Eldest brother, as expected of you, to come up with such a plan," one of the brothers spoke, his voice filled with admiration that hadn’t been present during their earlier planning.
"That’s right, eldest brother really has great foresight," the other one added with equal reverence.
The eldest just looked at them before sighing deeply. These two—their faces changed as quickly as turning pages in a book. Just hours ago, they had vehemently opposed his suggestion to wait and observe, insisting instead on capturing Li Yao directly. If he hadn’t convinced them to exercise patience, they truly would have died without even a burial place.
At the center of the room, Li Yao struggled desperately to rise from her prone position. She managed only to lift her head to face the incoming opponents. She wondered with growing panic how they had gained entrance to this floor—it shouldn’t have been possible for more than one person to occupy a floor at the same time.
[They’re using a concealment treasure to deceive the pagoda,] the Empress spoke in her mind, her voice matter-of-fact despite the dire situation.
[It seems like quite a nice treasure too. You should take it,] she continued, as if discussing the weather rather than a life-or-death predicament.
Dammit, how am I supposed to take it? I can barely even stand, Li Yao thought bitterly.
[Oh, I forgot about that,] the Empress replied with surprising casualness.
"Hey, aren’t you too relaxed? I’m about to die, you know," Li Yao spoke aloud, frustration evident in her voice. She thought to herself that these three were all Core Formation realm cultivators. Under normal circumstances, she would have defeated them easily, but now, emptied of energy and barely conscious...
[Aren’t you forgetting something?] the Empress interrupted her gloomy thoughts.
Li Yao could only ask weakly, "Forgetting what?"
[You tell me,] the Empress replied jokingly, clearly enjoying herself.
"Hey, now is not the time for jokes. Do you really know of a way out?" Li Yao asked, desperation creeping into her voice.
[Fine, I’ll tell you...] the Empress finally relented.
When Li Yao heard the Empress’s suggestion, her expression transformed into a knowing smile. "Ah, I almost forgot about that," she spoke, her face brightening with renewed hope.
"Big brother, she’s smiling. Do you think we scared her too much?" one of the approaching brothers asked, confusion evident in his voice.
"Well, with that face of yours, which woman wouldn’t be scared when they saw you?" the other replied with a snicker.
"You..." The insulted brother prepared to retort, but the eldest raised his hand.
"Calm down," the eldest spoke sharply, causing them to fall silent immediately. "Be on your guard. I sense that this girl isn’t as simple as she appears."
"Eldest brother, aren’t you being too cautious?" one brother questioned.
"That’s right, she has already exhausted all her strength. What can she possibly do?" the youngest-looking one added dismissively.
The eldest just sighed deeply. These brothers of his truly possessed no sense of self-preservation whatsoever. Still, even he could tell that the girl had genuinely exhausted her strength—perhaps he was overthinking the situation.
When they drew closer to Li Yao, the eldest spoke with menace, "Little girl, this is nothing personal. Just blame heaven for making you so talented." He unsheathed his sword with a dramatic flourish, the blade gleaming in the chamber’s dim light.
"Big brother, aren’t we going to have fun with her first?" the second brother interjected with a lascivious grin, causing the eldest to facepalm in frustration.
"We have our mission. Don’t get distracted," he reprimanded sharply.
"Tch, I was just saying," the second one muttered, clearly disappointed.
The eldest cleared his throat in embarrassment. He had been trying to appear cool and intimidating, but his brother had ruined the moment entirely.
"Anyway, as I was saying—" But before he could finish his sentence, Li Yao suddenly rose from her position with impossible speed. The brothers didn’t even register when her sword materialized in her hand. In the next heartbeat, she had pierced directly through the eldest brother’s chest, splitting his heart perfectly in two with.
"It’s nothing personal," Li Yao echoed his earlier words with a cold smile as the brother coughed up blood, his eyes widening in shock as life drained from them.
Li Yao pulled her sword free in one fluid motion, swinging it elegantly to remove the blood. Crimson droplets splattered across the stone floor in a macabre pattern.
Only now did the remaining two brothers fully register what had just happened. "How is that possible?" the youngest spoke in utter disbelief, his face pale with shock.
In the next instant, both brothers were consumed by rage, their faces contorting with fury. "How dare you kill the eldest!" they roared in unison as they charged at Li Yao, weapons drawn and caution abandoned.
But Li Yao simply swung her sword in a perfect arc, cutting off both their heads in one fluid, almost casual motion. The precision and speed of her attack made it appear as though she had never been weakened at all.
She then swung her blade once more to clear the blood before sheathing it carefully. The sword clicked satisfyingly into place as the two severed heads of the disciples hit the ground with heavy thuds, their expressions forever frozen in shock and rage.
Li Yao walked over calmly and collected the spatial rings from the three brothers’ fingers, but she had no time to inspect her spoils as something extraordinary was happening within her body.
When she had realized she was in mortal danger, she had remembered the gift her senior brother had given her—something he instructed her to use only when she had no other choice. When she had opened the small package earlier, she was surprised to discover it contained what appeared to be a simple cake. Yet this ordinary-looking dessert radiated immense spiritual energy.
The moment she placed it in her mouth, she was first struck by its overwhelming sweetness. Then, before she could even swallow, the cake dissipated into pure qi, traveling throughout her body with startling speed. The energy was so potent that her core filled instantly, restoring her strength and allowing her to dispatch the three brothers with ease.
But the effects weren’t complete—she could feel the energy continuing to build within her, growing at an alarming rate. If she didn’t handle this properly, she might actually explode from the overwhelming power.
[Quickly, circulate the energy! Don’t let any of it go to waste!] the Empress shouted urgently in her mind.
Li Yao immediately assumed a meditative position and began circulating her energy, desperately struggling to refine the seemingly limitless power flooding into her core. Her body glowed with a faint blue light as she fought to control the surging tide of energy that threatened to tear her apart from within.
...
Outside the heaven testing pagoda, Elder Mei Zhiyuan instantly rose from his position, his face contorted with disbelief. "I-Impossible," he spoke, his voice trembling with rage and confusion.
The spiritual connection he maintained with his three subordinates had just been severed completely, this could only mean one thing—they had died. How could this happen? Could they have triggered some trap hidden within the pagoda’s?
But that was impossible, he had told them of all the traps in the pagoda, how could they fall for them? Could it be that the three trained cultivators couldn’t overwhelm a single girl? Was Li Yao truly that formidable?
His robes billowed around him as he charged towards the heaven testing pagoda, murderous intent radiating from his body like waves of heat. But before he could reach the entrance, two figures materialized before him, their gleaming swords pointed directly at his chest.
"Elder Mei, I don’t think this is appropriate," Elder Huang Fengqi’s soft voice cut through. Despite her gentle tone, her eyes remained sharp and vigilant.
"What do you think you’re doing? Are you trying to interfere with the test?" Elder Guo Shantian demanded, his eyebrows furrowed in disapproval and his sword firm.
The disciples and spectators gathered around the pagoda turned their attention from the test rankings toward this unexpected confrontation. Whispers rippled through the crowd. Had Elder Mei truly lost his senses because his disciples failed to secure positions in the rankings?
Elder Mei Zhiyuan glanced around nervously, noticing the growing crowd of witnesses. Dammit! Now that things had spiraled to this point, there was only one path forward.
"Everyone!" he shouted, his voice carrying across the courtyard. "Change of plans—attack!"
In the next heartbeat, chaos erupted. Throughout the previously peaceful gathering, concealed figures suddenly drew hidden weapons, faces transforming from passive observers to cold-blooded killers as they began cutting down the unsuspecting spectators around them.
"Not good, we’re under attack!" one person shouted above the sudden screams and clash of weapons. "Ring the bell!"