127. A Strange Space

Lingyu was about to thrust her sword to end his life when she heard him shriek, "Wait!"

Lingyu’s hand paused, but she continued the thrust. Her target, however, was no longer his vitals, but several critical acupuncture points. For a cultivator, flesh wounds are easy to heal, but damage to the meridians is a decisive blow to one's strength. Though he had been run through by her blade, he had still possessed the capacity to act; now, with his meridians pierced, he was effectively crippled.

Strangely, despite the evident pain on his face, the look he directed at Lingyu held no hatred, but rather a flicker of joy.

"Cough, cough!" He wiped away the blood he had spat out and looked at her with hope. "You—you are not from this world, are you?"

Lingyu froze, her gaze turning strangely cryptic. This question triggered a series of unsettling thoughts.

The Blood-Robed Sect Leader tremblingly pulled a blood-red piece of fabric from his chest and held it out to her. "According to the traditions of the Blood-Robed Sect, from this moment on, you are the one and only Sect Leader."

Lingyu did not reach for it. Instead, she pressed her Kan-Li sword closer to his throat.

"My cultivation has already been crippled by you," the Sect Leader said. "What else do you have to fear?"

Lingyu gave a mocking laugh. "I am not a fool, to take something from an enemy who is still alive. If you have something to say, say it quickly; it will be too late soon. You know as well as I do that these people have cultivation too low to save you."

No sooner had she spoken than the priest-guards, sensing the disturbance, surged into the room. Seeing the scene, their expressions shifted in alarm.

"Sect Leader!" one of the priests cried.

The Blood-Robed Sect Leader waved him off. "It is the rule of the Blood-Robed Sect: whoever defeats the former leader becomes the new one. She is your Sect Leader now." He pointed at Lingyu.

The silence lasted only a few heartbeats before the crowd collapsed to their knees in a flurry, shouting in unison, "We pay our respects to the Sect Leader! May your fortune be eternal and your life span equal to the heavens!"

Immediately, someone stepped forward. "Sect Leader, how shall we dispose of this person?" They were referring to the former Blood-Robed Sect Leader.

Lingyu was baffled. If the Sect Leader’s cultivation still made him a threat, what about this mob? They were barely at the threshold of Qi Refining, and some were mere mortals. Even if they stood still and didn't fight back, they couldn't possibly harm her.

She turned her gaze back to the Blood-Robed Sect Leader. He knelt, clutching his wound. "I beg the Sect Leader to spare my life."

Lingyu was truly perplexed. If they had ulterior motives, it was a fact that she had crippled their leader. If they were sincerely defecting, wasn't this happening a bit too fast?

Seeing her silence, the Sect Leader struggled to control his injuries. "Sect Leader, there is no need for suspicion. The rules of the Blood-Robed Sect are as I said. Since I have been defeated, I must yield the position. Besides, my cultivation has been destroyed by you; even if I were to keep my life, I could never contend with you again. As for them, they are insignificant to a person of your stature."

He lowered his head and held the blood-red fabric above his head. "This is the token of the Blood-Robed Sect Leader and the hub of the formation’s restrictions. I beg for my life."

Though there was nothing unusual in sight, Lingyu did not immediately take the fabric. Instead, she channeled her spiritual web, scanning it inch by inch. There was nothing abnormal. In the face of absolute strength, there were no tricks to be played. The fabric in the Sect Leader's hand appeared exactly as he described: the central control hub of the altar formation. To master this was to master the entire Blood-Robed Sect.

Could it be that because of her overwhelming strength, the sect was offering their allegiance just to survive? Regardless, they were all Foundation Establishment cultivators; the former leader was no different from her.

After pondering for a long while, Lingyu finally swung the Kan-Li sword onto the Sect Leader's shoulder and reached out to take the fabric. There was no expected treachery. She successfully received the cloth and confirmed it was indeed the formation’s control hub. The moment she touched it, the entire layout of the altar and every facet of the Blood-Robed Sect appeared clearly in her mind.

Was there truly no trap?

Seeing Lingyu take the cloth, the former Sect Leader was overjoyed. He stepped back, prostrated himself, and shouted, "May the Sect Leader's fortune be eternal and her life span equal to the heavens!"

The priests and guards joined in: "May the Sect Leader's fortune be eternal and her life span equal to the heavens!"

"Shut up!" Lingyu curled her lip. "Who said I wanted to be your Sect Leader?"

The former Sect Leader was alarmed. "Why would the Sect Leader be unwilling? Is our sect too small?" He glanced left and right, then whispered, "Please dismiss your subordinates, Sect Leader. I have something precious to present."

Seeing Lingyu eyeing him with suspicion, he rushed to add, "My life is in your hands, Sect Leader. What do you have to fear?"

Even if she were worried, these priests and guards were useless. Lingyu considered it; she had to figure out what this life wanted of her, so she might as well play along.

"All of you, withdraw!"

"Yes, we obey." After bowing, the group of priests and guards retreated in an orderly fashion, even thoughtfully closing the door—though the door had a large hole punched through it by her, leaving it hanging crookedly and quite pitifully.

"What do you have to say?"

The former Sect Leader wore a humble smile. "Does the Sect Leader find it strange that, aside from myself, the Blood-Robed Sect consists only of low-level cultivators?"

Lingyu hummed, offering no answer.

The former Sect Leader continued, "The answer lies right here." He stood up before her and pressed a bookshelf on his right, causing a hidden compartment to pop open.

"Please look, Sect Leader," he said, stepping back and bowing. "These are the reasons I succeeded in Foundation Establishment."

Lingyu’s gaze swept over the compartment. It was filled with dozens of storage bags—she counted fifty or sixty of them.

Seeing Lingyu not reaching out for a long time, the Sect Leader quickly apologized, "I am guilty for making the Sect Leader do this herself." He stepped forward, took one of the bags, opened it, and shook it. A pile of items tumbled out.

Lingyu gasped at the sight. The Sect Leader didn't stop; he grabbed several more bags and emptied them as well. In just three or four bags, the room was already filled to the brim!

These were no ordinary items. There were spiritual herbs neatly arranged in jade boxes, and rare, precious ores—enough not only to refine her own natal spiritual sword but even to forge treasures for the Golden Core stage. She had never seen such wealth; surely, even her master, Perfected Wei, could not possess such riches. And this was not even a tenth of the total...

Lingyu quickly regained her composure, fixing a sharp gaze on the Sect Leader. "Where did you get these?" This was not a fortune a Foundation Establishment cultivator should possess, nor should it exist in a world with such sparse spiritual energy and low-level cultivation.

The former Sect Leader, likely accustomed to kneeling, immediately dropped to his knees at her sharp question. "Reporting to the Sect Leader, I was only able to achieve what I have today after discovering this hidden treasure..."

He began to recount his experiences in a torrent of words.

This Sect Leader had once been an incredibly ordinary Taoist. Because of his poor aptitude, he couldn't even enter the path of cultivation. Like the Taoist Xin Ji in the prison, he only knew a few Qi Refining techniques and was completely unremarkable in the remote Blood-Robed Sect.

However, his luck was far better than Xin Ji’s. He had accidentally stumbled upon a master’s hidden treasure, and from there, his cultivation skyrocketed until he successfully achieved Foundation Establishment. He then expanded the Blood-Robed Sect into the state religion.

At this point, the Sect Leader was full of pride. "The capital is only ten miles away. If the Sect Leader goes to see it, she will know how powerful my Blood-Robed Sect is. To say we rule the world would be no exaggeration."

In a world like this, it was indeed easy for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to rule the world.

However, Lingyu only sneered. "Didn't you just say that the tradition of the Blood-Robed Sect is to defeat the former leader? How did it become you expanding the sect?"

The Sect Leader froze, then quickly bowed his head heavily. "Sect Leader, spare me! I was vain and took credit for someone else's work. It was actually a predecessor of our sect who found the treasure. The story of the treasure is absolutely true!"

"Since it was your predecessor who found the treasure, how could someone with your poor aptitude defeat him and become the leader?"

"This..." The Sect Leader saw the murderous intent in her eyes. Her right hand remained on the hilt of her sword, the blade mere inches from his head, and cold sweat broke out. He swallowed hard, wiped his forehead, and said, "That predecessor's secret was accidentally discovered by someone, and that person poisoned him..."

"That person was you?"

The Sect Leader gritted his teeth and nodded. "Yes..."

"What was that predecessor’s cultivation level?"

"I didn't know at the time, but he hadn't yet reached Foundation Establishment."

Lingyu nodded slightly. "And then you used these things to reach Foundation Establishment in one go?"

The Sect Leader nodded again.

Lingyu stared at him, saying nothing further. The story was full of holes; it sounded like something he had made up on the spot to deceive her. Yet, she could not explain where these treasures came from. If her master wanted her to cultivate in the Three-Life Mirror, the story had to be consistent, didn't it? Or were these things all fake?

Lingyu reached out and summoned a jade talisman. She peeled off the seal and opened the lid; a burst of spiritual energy hit her. It was Tiankui grass, at least several hundred years old, with its spiritual energy perfectly preserved. She crushed the entire herb in her palm, and a surge of immense spiritual energy poured out.

"It really is real..."

Lingyu was baffled. Could the Three-Life Mirror create spiritual herbs this realistic?

The Sect Leader pulled a book from his robes and offered it. "I originally planned to follow the cultivation method and, upon reaching the Golden Core stage, find a way to leave this world. Unexpectedly, the Sect Leader descended from the heavens..."

"Leave this world?" Lingyu didn't take the book, but asked him.

"Exactly. The preface of this manual says that this alien world is actually a space inside a magical treasure. One cannot leave unless they reach the Golden Core stage. The original owner hid all his assets inside the treasure because he was being hunted by enemies. As for what happened after, it is not recorded."

These words matched the Three-Life Mirror. Could it be that this occurred before Wei Wuyang obtained the mirror? Was this world created by the Three-Life Mirror itself?

The more Lingyu thought, the weirder it felt. Could it be that something had gone wrong with the second life, and she had fallen into a world made real by the Three-Life Mirror?

"Sect Leader, if you wish to leave, I fear you must slowly cultivate to the Golden Core stage here," the Sect Leader said. "I beg the Sect Leader to spare my life; I will serve you well."

A mountain of treasures, obedient subordinates, and the claim that only the Golden Core stage could grant an exit...

Lingyu’s expression gradually softened.

Just as the Sect Leader began to smile, her sword pointed toward him, her eyes turning cold. "Hmph! When you asked me earlier if I was from this world, what was your true purpose?"