Chapter 191 - 190: The Twice-Vanquished Foe

Jiang Li didn’t know those things, so who was this person in front of her?

He wasn’t Jiang Li, and he wasn’t Chi Yizhong. So who was controlling the person standing before her?

The crucial questions were why that person had chosen Jiang Li, and what their goal was.

As Chu Liangyu pondered, she unconsciously glanced up. A bird seemed to flit across the vast, cloudless sky, but she was in no mood to admire the sight.

’The sky... The heavens?’

’That’s it, the heavens!’

Suddenly, a smile touched Chu Liangyu’s lips. She seemed to have understood her current situation.

’Worthy of the Heavenly Dao, which has existed for millions of years. It saw through my Heart Demon at a glance and even laid such an intricate trial.’

’If I hadn’t asked Jiang Li that question on a whim, I really wouldn’t have noticed anything was amiss.’

The design was ingenious. She was already mentally exhausted after the great war and had even worried afterward that Jiang Li might not truly be dead.

She never expected that worry to manifest as her Heart Demon. Or perhaps, Jiang Li had always been both her rival and her Heart Demon.

She had won through her own schemes, but his influence lingered, casting a shadow over her mind.

Chu Liangyu now understood the situation, but the question was how to break out of this illusion.

’Could it be... I have to kill Jiang Li all over again?’

’But I’m just a soul here. How am I supposed to kill Jiang Li?’

’This is incredibly difficult.’

Even though she knew her objective, Chu Liangyu lacked the means to achieve it. The frustration was suffocating.

As Chu Liangyu desperately searched for a solution, her soul was automatically pulled along behind Jiang Li to the Xihe Tribe.

The Xihe Tribe was surrounded by Jiang Li’s forces, a mirror image of the day Chu Liangyu had led her own people to surround Ten Thousand Beasts City.

"Go ask them if they are willing to submit. If not, kill them."

Jiang Li’s methods were simple, but they were also the most swift and effective.

Whether it was her imagination or not, Chu Liangyu felt her soul grow heavier with each goal Jiang Li accomplished, as if it were being filled with water.

The water in her soul had already reached her waist. If it filled up completely, she feared her trial would end in failure.

At this thought, a sense of anxiety began to creep into Chu Liangyu’s heart.

As Jiang Li’s progress quickened, Chu Liangyu found herself under more and more constraints. Her soul’s automatic trailing was one of them.

But thankfully, once she arrived, she could still move about freely within the immediate area.

The first thing Chu Liangyu did was search for Xiong Jiaojiao. Her best bet was to get Xiong Jiaojiao to help stop Jiang Li from conquering the tribe.

But first, Chu Liangyu had to find a way for Xiong Jiaojiao to see her.

Everything here was an illusion, but she still had to play by its rules. The only method Chu Liangyu could think of was to enter her dream.

That was the common term for it. In principle, it involved using one’s spiritual power to influence, and even communicate with, another person.

Realizing this, Chu Liangyu didn’t dare waste a second and began her attempt.

Her first words were a projection: "Jiaojiao, can you hear my voice? If you can, you must stop the tribe from being conquered."

After she spoke, Chu Liangyu stared intently at Xiong Jiaojiao’s face, watching for any change in her expression.

But Xiong Jiaojiao just continued with her task, having heard nothing at all.

Chu Liangyu’s heart sank. Her only idea had failed. It seemed she would have to find another way.

’Since this is a trial from the Heavenly Dao, there must be a way out. It can’t be a completely hopeless situation.’

’Otherwise, this whole trial would be a joke.’

"A way out? Where could it be?" Chu Liangyu muttered to herself as her soul unconsciously drifted back to Jiang Li’s side.

When Chu Liangyu arrived, only Chu Yue was standing beside Jiang Li. The father and daughter stood in silence, watching the Xihe Tribe.

Chu Liangyu’s gaze lingered on Chu Yue. She had a feeling the key to this situation was somehow connected to her. She tried to communicate with her, but again, to no avail.

Unwilling to give up, Chu Liangyu’s soul began to circle Chu Yue, searching for that one sliver of hope—the key to her escape.

Chu Liangyu’s gaze scanned Chu Yue again from head to toe, finally stopping on her wrist.

On her wrist was a bracelet—a bracelet that was, in fact, Chu Liangyu’s own trident in disguise. She didn’t know if Chu Yue had asked for it or if Jiang Li had given it to her.

Chu Liangyu didn’t care about that right now. Her mind was racing. ’The trident is a weapon bound to my Divine Soul. Can I use it even in this Heart Demon’s world?’

Chu Liangyu’s heart began to pound. Her eyes fixed on the trident as she slowly reached out her hand. The moment seemed to stretch, time slowing to a crawl.

Finally, Chu Liangyu’s hand touched the bracelet-trident!

In that instant, the trident flew from Chu Yue’s wrist and returned to Chu Liangyu’s grasp. Her soul-form rapidly coalesced into a physical body—one made entirely of water.

"Beast Father, this..."

Chu Yue stared in astonishment at the figure formed of water, utterly at a loss for words.

Now with a body, Chu Liangyu didn’t hesitate for a second. She lunged toward Jiang Li, giving him no time to react.

"You... you can actually use water as a vessel?"

Jiang Li desperately dodged Chu Liangyu’s attacks. He tried to counter, but she was now made of water; his attacks passed right through her, completely ineffective.

Once Chu Liangyu realized this advantage, her assault grew even more ferocious, every strike aimed at a vital point. Within a quarter of an hour, Jiang Li was already losing ground.

Compared to her real-world battle with Jiang Li, this fight was ridiculously easy. A sense of satisfaction and excitement grew in Chu Liangyu the more she fought.

Even though this was only a Heart Demon trial, Chu Liangyu couldn’t resist the urge to torment him a little longer. By the time her anger had mostly subsided, Jiang Li was already lying on the ground, drenched in blood and gasping for his last breaths.

Without mercy, Chu Liangyu ran him through with her trident. His last breath dissipated completely.

In that same instant, the feeling of water filling Chu Liangyu’s soul vanished, and she felt normal again. Simultaneously, the scene before her fractured like a shattered mirror.

When the scene had completely dissipated, Chu Liangyu found herself in a pitch-black space.

Chu Liangyu tightened her grip on her trident, wary that this might be another trial, when a somewhat ancient voice sounded in her ear. "There are two trials. Congratulations on passing the first."

As the voice faded, Chu Liangyu’s body relaxed considerably. She opened her mouth, about to ask when the second trial would begin.

But before she could get the words out, a wave of dizziness washed over her. When she opened her eyes again, she was staring at an unfamiliar ceiling.

And... several enormous beast-like faces staring down at her!