Chapter 237: You Run, I’ll Hold Them Off

Chapter 237: You Run, I'll Hold Them Off

Logically, having served under Ying Wujiu for many years, Lei Nu and the Corpse Puppet should have had at least a decent relationship, if not a good one. However, the problem was that one of them was extremely close to Shui Mei and couldn't stand this man who had hurt her sister, while the other was an emotionless corpse, incapable of social niceties, leading to a rather tense atmosphere.

The Corpse Puppet ignored Lei Nu's sarcastic remarks and coldly said, "Find Shui Mei."

Huh, when did this dead person become so perceptive?

Lei Nu sneered, "She doesn’t want you to find her. Corpse Puppet, if you dare act against orders, just wait until I report you to Lord Ying; you’ll regret it!"

With that, she turned and walked away, clearly intending to complain to Ying Wujiu. Seeing this, the Corpse Puppet’s eyes turned cold, and he slowly gripped the sword on his back, seemingly ready to act, but Lu Yan stopped him with his folding fan, "It’s fine, let her go."

The Corpse Puppet paused, "She will inform on us."

Lu Yan unfolded his fan with a swish, "You really don’t understand women. She’s just trying to scare you. If she reports you and gets Lord Ying to punish you, it would only make Shui Mei sad. What does she gain from that? We just need to lie low and pass the trial."

When the Corpse Puppet heard “make Shui Mei sad,” his gaze flickered slightly, and he finally put the sword back.

Lu Yan led the way, "Don’t just stand there, let’s go. We need to find the others."

The first trial set by the Demon Realm was to survive one day and night in an illusionary realm and possess at least two tokens by dawn. This meant what?

Each person only had one token, which implied that to get another, one had to fight and take it from someone else. In other words, the first trial would eliminate at least half the participants.

To put it bluntly, half of them might die.

Perhaps Lei Nu was deliberately seeking revenge, as it took Lu Yan and the Corpse Puppet about an hour to climb out of the desolate cave. As soon as they landed, they heard sounds of combat nearby. It turned out that two groups were fighting, and one of them was familiar—the disciples from Wuwang Sect who had been calling Lu Yan "Senior Brother."

"Xiao Quan! Hand over your token if you know what’s good for you, or I’ll break your arms and legs!"

"Chong Guang, if you dare kill us all today, our Wuwang Sect will never let you off once we leave this illusion!"

Chong Guang laughed, "What nonsense! If we get the heart, why would we fear your Wuwang Sect? After Nan Tuo died, who do you think will protect you? Do you really believe Tan Yue will side with you against me?"

Lu Yan observed the two groups fighting nearby, estimating their strength and finding them evenly matched. He whispered to the Corpse Puppet, pointing at them, "See? When they’re both weakened, we’ll swoop in and grab the tokens. That’s called winning without bloodshed."

Corpse Puppet: "Despicable."

Lu Yan: "..."

Why does this walking corpse speak so rudely? No wonder his wife kicked him!

Lu Yan had a good plan: wait for the two groups to weaken each other, then swoop in and grab the tokens, saving effort and achieving his goal. But Xiao Quan caught sight of Lu Yan out of the corner of his eye and shouted excitedly:

"Senior Brother Lu! Help us! These jerks from Ji Yang Palace are trying to ambush us!"

Lu Yan’s eyelid twitched, "..."

Chong Guang noticed the two hidden figures and pointed his sword at Lu Yan, sneering, "So you had backup, you useless lot. Perfect, we need two more tokens, and you two will do!"

He charged straight at Lu Yan, who casually flicked his fingers, sending Chong Guang’s sword flying into the ground.

Lu Yan ordered, "Corpse Puppet, attack! Crush these fools!"

The Corpse Puppet remained expressionless, "Why should I listen to you?"

Lu Yan: "Do you still want to remarry the princess?"

Corpse Puppet: "..."

It was clear that the Corpse Puppet now felt a new emotion: frustration. With a swift sound, his sword unsheathed, and he charged into battle like a fierce beast. Within moments, the disciples from Ji Yang Palace were either injured or lying on the ground groaning.

Lu Yan didn’t waste time, quickly collecting the tokens from their waists. When he reached the severely injured Chong Guang, who clung tightly to his token, Lu Yan glared at him:

"This is mine... mine... cough cough..."

Lu Yan epitomized shamelessness, "What’s yours? I found it, so it’s mine. Does it have your name on it?"

Chong Guang pointed to the name engraved on the back of the token, "That’s my name..."

Lu Yan roared, "How dare you write your name on my token?!"

Smack!

He knocked Chong Guang unconscious, bringing peace.

Ji Yang Palace had seven or eight people, and Lu Yan and the Corpse Puppet could easily divide the tokens. As they prepared to leave, Xiao Quan hurriedly followed with his junior brothers, "Senior Brother! Wait for us!"

Lu Yan stopped, "What do you want?"

Xiao Quan beamed, "Thanks to you, Senior Brother, we wouldn’t have survived against those jerks from Ji Yang Palace. There are eight tokens, enough for all of us."

He took six tokens from Lu Yan’s pile and distributed them to his juniors, "Here, keep your tokens. We’ll use these to leave the illusion."

Lu Yan was speechless, "Are you shameless?!"

Damn, when did he say they could share the tokens? This was the first time he met someone even more shameless than himself!

Xiao Quan was confused, "Senior Brother, didn’t you help us get these tokens?"

Lu Yan: "..."

Forget it; they were useless anyway.

Lu Yan sighed, "Fine, take them. Just don’t call me Senior Brother anymore. You’ve got the wrong person."

He firmly believed one thing: it wasn’t the formidable opponents he feared, but the idiotic teammates. Clearly, Xiao Quan and his group had the potential to be such teammates, so it was best to distance himself.

However, as Lu Yan and the Corpse Puppet walked ahead, Xiao Quan and his group followed at a respectful distance. Whenever Lu Yan looked back, they pretended to admire the scenery, and when he turned away, they resumed following. They continued this way until dusk, when Lu Yan found a spot near a stream in the forest to light a fire for the night. Only then did they stop.

Lu Yan sat by the fire, glancing casually to the side. He saw Xiao Quan and the others hiding in the nearby woods, swatting at buzzing insects and suffering from stings. They dared not come near him and could only huddle miserably.

After a moment of thought, Lu Yan suddenly relented, "Come over and warm yourselves by the fire."

Xiao Quan and the others were overjoyed, emerging one by one from the bushes. "Senior Brother, you finally acknowledge us!"

Lu Yan wasn't acknowledging them; he wanted information. The glow of the fire cast a warm hue on his face. "Didn't any elders accompany you this time? What if something goes wrong along the way?"

His question made Xiao Quan's eyes well up with tears as he wiped them away. "Senior Brother, you don't know. Since Master died, those bastards below have been stepping all over us. This trip to the Sword Inquiry Conference is a death sentence, and no one wanted to come. It just fell on us. We didn't even have an elder to escort us. If we hadn't met you, we would have been dead by now."

The Wuwang Sect was now in chaos. The sect disciples bullied the weak and feared the strong. After Nan Tuo's death, his lineage lacked a leader, and his disciples were weak and unskilled, making them easy targets for bullying.

Tan Yue must have had some reason to send them to the Sword Inquiry Conference, but wasn't it sending them to their deaths?

Lu Yan asked nonchalantly, "What about the Sect Leader? Why isn't he here?"

Xiao Quan revealed a shocking piece of news. "Isn't the Sect Leader already on Feijue Peak? Not just our sect, but the leaders of other sects are there too."

Lu Yan was slightly surprised. "Why?"

Xiao Quan looked puzzled. "They are powerful cultivators and don't need to participate in trials with us. They're waiting on the mountain. I heard it was an invitation from the Demon Lord. They'll join the Sword Inquiry Conference after passing the three trials."

Lu Yan breathed a sigh of relief. His concern had clouded his judgment. A master like Tan Yue wouldn't need to undergo trials. He must have been invited up the mountain by Ying Wujiu according to protocol. Everyone seemed harmonious on the surface, but it was a trap.

Lu Yan: "Didn't the Sect Leader give any orders?"

Xiao Quan was uncertain. "I overheard the Sect Leader and the elders talking. They said that the demons are evil and should be gathered during the Sword Inquiry Conference to make Ying Wujiu submit to the Immortal Sect. If he refuses, they will order his elimination."

Zi Kuai gave Xiao Quan a cold look, but Xiao Quan didn't notice.

Lu Yan chuckled. Tan Yue's intentions were clear to everyone. Ying Wujiu would never submit to the Immortal Sect; he was just looking for an excuse to attack the demon realm. "Warm yourselves by the fire. Let's leave the secret realm together tomorrow."

As they chatted, a rustling sound came from the dense forest nearby, followed by a low growl. Everyone immediately tensed up, wondering if they had encountered a wild beast hunting at night.

If it were a regular beast, it would be manageable, but the creatures in these woods were infused with spiritual essence and were far more formidable than ordinary animals.

Seeing a massive figure approaching, Xiao Quan's legs turned to jelly. He stuttered, "M-Mom! It's a tiger spirit!!"

It must be hundreds of years old!

"Roar—!!!"

As the figure drew closer, they finally saw the creature's full form—a giant beast, neither fully tiger nor cat, with two saber teeth and silver fur. It looked fierce and bloodthirsty.

Xiao Quan dropped his sword first. "Mom! We can't beat it! Run!!"

The Wuwang Sect disciples scattered instantly, but they still showed loyalty, pulling Lu Yan along. Zi Kuai remained seated by the fire.

The silver beast ignored Zi Kuai, digging its claws into the ground before dashing into the crowd like a white lightning bolt, knocking Lu Yan to the ground. Xiao Quan panicked. "Senior Brother, run! I'll hold it off!!"

Lu Yan cursed, "You're supposed to hold it off! Why are you running further away?!"

Just as he spoke, the beast let out a deafening roar, opening its bloody maw to bite down. Lu Yan quickly grabbed its mouth:

"Shut up!"

It was incredibly noisy.

The beast roared angrily: "Roar—!!!!"

Lu Yan's veins bulged. "General Feng Sha, if you keep this up, I'll go talk to the Lord!"

The beast's roar instantly turned into a meow: "Meow~?"