Chapter 454: Will You Die?

Everyone had returned with various rare treasures they had found, planning to immediately deliver them to the Gold and Silver Gate to be used as medicine for Xie Ningyuan.

But Lu Sangjiu stopped them all. "I’m sorry, everyone. I have a presumptuous request... I hope you can deliver the medicine a little later."

Everyone was surprised to hear this. "What do you mean? Daoist Lu, don’t you want Mr. Xie to wake up as soon as possible?"

There were many things Lu Sangjiu couldn’t tell them, so she simply said, "For certain reasons... I need to ascend to the Upper Realm before he wakes up."

"So... now that his life is no longer in danger, I’m being selfish in hoping he wakes up a little later."

"I can’t say more, but please, do me this favor."

To put it bluntly, these people were mostly Lu Sangjiu’s close friends and family. Their good relationship with Xie Ningyuan was also largely due to her.

Besides, they knew Lu Sangjiu’s character and were certain she wasn’t acting with ill intent.

So, after exchanging glances, they all nodded and agreed.

"No problem. If you can’t talk about it, Daoist Lu, then don’t. In any case, we all trust your decision and believe you would never do anything to harm Mr. Xie."

"But... didn’t we hear before that it’s no longer possible to ascend from the Cultivation World?"

"That’s why He Guang went down the wrong path. How are you going to ascend?"

Lu Sangjiu couldn’t reveal the location of the World Origin, but she could tell them about the situation.

"Actually, the information He Guang had back then was wrong. The World Origin of the Spirit Void Realm wasn’t stolen. It was just sealed away by some mysterious existence."

"Now, part of the seal has been released. Haven’t you noticed that the concentration of Spiritual Energy has started to gradually recover?"

Her words made the others realize. "Now that you mention it, that’s true! I’ve also felt that the Spiritual Energy has been much richer everywhere I go lately. Even my cultivation progress has sped up!"

"So, does that mean once the seal is completely broken, Ascension from the Spirit Void Realm will no longer be a problem?"

Lu Sangjiu nodded. "Exactly. And now that part of the seal is undone, I have a chance to ascend."

They all understood. Of course, no one had any doubt about whether Lu Sangjiu could ascend.

If someone with her level of talent couldn’t ascend, then they probably shouldn’t even dream of it.

It was just...

Yan Zui raised an eyebrow. "Are you really going to ascend before Mr. Xie wakes up? Without seeing him one last time?"

Lu Sangjiu paused, then shook her head. "We will meet again... in the Upper Realm."

Seeing Lu Sangjiu’s firm resolve, Yan Zui didn’t press the matter.

After all, just like with Lu Sangjiu, no one would question that Xie Ningyuan would eventually ascend.

But Xie Ningyuan was injured. Who knew how long it would take for him to wake up and cultivate to the point of Ascension? For the young couple to be separated for so long, and across two realms at that... Lu Sangjiu was truly willing to go through with it.

After saying all that needed to be said, Lu Sangjiu formally bid farewell to everyone.

"After seeing you all this time, I will enter seclusion to focus on my cultivation until I ascend."

"From now on... we might not see each other for a very long time."

"But I believe that with everyone’s talent, we will one day meet again in the Upper Realm. We can drink and chat happily then."

"And if all goes well for me, I might even build my own faction. Then, when you ascend, I can be there to welcome you all!"

This was something Lu Sangjiu had already thought about.

According to Gu Jue, after a normal Ascension, those with decent talent would be received by a sect.

However, the Spirit Void Realm’s receiving sect, the Xuantian Sect, had already been destroyed. After ascending, most Cultivators from the Spirit Void Realm would likely become Loose Cultivators. Only those with exceptional talent would have a chance to join other sects.

In any case, for Cultivators heading to a new environment, it was not an easy path.

Lu Sangjiu thought that if she and Xie Ningyuan both survived, she wanted to build her own faction to welcome her friends and family.

When she shared this idea, everyone was delighted. Amidst the clinking of glasses and toasts, they all couldn’t help but start fantasizing about the future.

"Starting your own sect is a great idea! I’ll be an elder then!"

"I can take on disciples too!"

"Haha, then we can all stay together! We’ll have company when we go out for training. That’s great!"

Listening to their dreams, Lu Sangjiu couldn’t help but smile, though her smile was tinged with a bit of bitterness.

She knew all these fantasies were built on the premise that she would survive and successfully save Xie Ningyuan.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Sangjiu raised her glass. "When you all ascend, if someone receives you and mentions my name, that means I’ve succeeded. If not... you’ll all have to find your own way."

"But no matter what, I believe all of you can carve out a bright future for yourselves. Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

The group drank almost until dawn before finally dispersing.

Lu Sangjiu and Luo Linlang helped each other back to the inn. However, Luo Linlang didn’t go back to her own room, instead wheedling her way into staying in Lu Sangjiu’s.

"Little Junior Sister, do you remember? We used to squeeze into one room just like this back then."

She said wistfully, "I’m so happy you have a bright future ahead of you, but... I also can’t bear to part with you. So just for today, please let me stay and sleep with you, okay?"

Who could refuse a wheedling senior sister?

And so, the two of them lay on the bed, with Luo Linlang curled up in Lu Sangjiu’s arms.

They didn’t sleep, just kept chatting and chatting, as if they had an endless supply of things to say.

Finally, Luo Linlang suddenly said, "Little Junior Sister... can you honestly tell me, this journey you’re taking... is it dangerous?"

Luo Linlang wasn’t a particularly perceptive person, but she knew Lu Sangjiu.

Throughout their journey, she had spent the most time with Lu Sangjiu out of the entire group and understood her the best.

Although Lu Sangjiu hadn’t stated her reasons, she was determined to ascend before Xie Ningyuan woke up. The only reason Luo Linlang could think of was that if Xie Ningyuan were awake, he might try to stop her.

And why would he stop her? The only reason she could come up with was potential danger.

The others had probably thought of it too, but their bonds were built on mutual respect. They could die for one another, but they wouldn’t pry into or interfere with personal matters that someone didn’t want to discuss.

The Great Dao of this world was, at its core, about having a clear conscience. Everyone had their own choices to make, which outsiders couldn’t and shouldn’t interfere with.

All they could offer were their blessings.

Luo Linlang wouldn’t stop Lu Sangjiu from doing anything, but... she at least wanted to understand things more clearly.

Hearing her question, Lu Sangjiu fell silent for a moment before admitting frankly, "Yes."

Luo Linlang was also silent for a while before her voice trembled slightly as she asked, "...Could you die?"

"...Yes."