Chapter 469: Struck it Rich

After dividing everything up, no one planned on staying any longer.

Although they had agreed to part ways, there was only one path out. Besides, they might still encounter other dangers, so it was better for everyone to stick together for now.

So, Lie Rufeng took the initiative to speak. "Ms. Lu, if you would, please stay by my side."

He didn’t quite trust Lu Sangjiu, so he’d only feel at ease if he kept her by his side.

Lu Sangjiu understood his reasoning, so she said nothing more, simply nodding and continuing to walk beside Lie Rufeng.

They hadn’t had time to talk before. Now, with the path out proving uneventful, the journey grew dull. Tang Ming couldn’t resist trying to strike up a conversation with Lu Sangjiu.

It wasn’t out of any particular fondness for her; he was simply curious.

He had noticed earlier that while Lu Sangjiu used a Demon Artifact, there were no fluctuations of Demonic Qi from her. Yet, the energy she wielded didn’t seem to be Spiritual Energy, either.

Well, he couldn’t say it *wasn’t* Spiritual Energy, because he could feel it contained some. In short, it was very strange—something he had never encountered before.

"Ms. Lu, are you really a Loose Cultivator?"

Without turning her head, Lu Sangjiu grunted in affirmation. "The genuine article."

"If you’re a Loose Cultivator, then who did you learn all your skills from?"

Tang Ming continued, "I’ve been watching. Even though your cultivation is only at the Earth Immortal level, the power you wield is far greater than Ruxin’s and mine."

"While neither of us are core disciples of the sect, our skills are still quite decent. The average Loose Cultivator is no match for us."

"For someone as powerful as you... you just don’t seem like a Loose Cultivator, no matter how I look at it."

He was clearly trying to probe her background. Lu Sangjiu, of course, had no intention of telling him, so she just gave a dismissive reply, "Maybe I’m a genius."

Tang Ming was speechless. "..."

The corner of his mouth twitched, but he knew she just didn’t want to talk about it.

Not wanting to press his luck, he changed the subject. "Speaking of which, Ms. Lu, since you’re so powerful, have you considered joining our Qiyue Sect?"

"The Qiyue Sect usually only accepts young disciples, but we occasionally have Cultivators join after their Ascension.

"Because of that, the sect sets aside a few spots each year to recruit those at the Earth Immortal Level. As long as your talent is high enough, the sect will accept you. Want to give it a shot?"

His offer might have been a genuine invitation for Lu Sangjiu to join the Qiyue Sect, but it was also a test to see if she was someone who had achieved Ascension from a lesser world.

But Lu Sangjiu didn’t give anything away, replying impassively, "No, thank you. I’m just naturally a wild and free spirit."

Tang Ming was speechless. "..."

He could tell Lu Sangjiu was extremely guarded and unwilling to reveal the slightest bit of personal information.

And so, he had no choice but to curb his curiosity.

He sullenly fell silent, and the group quieted down once more.

On the way back, they didn’t encounter another swarm of Fire Scorpions. Whether it was because they had killed most of them or simply scared them off, it was impossible to say.

They did run into a few other demon beasts about halfway, but their strength was average at best. The group worked together and dealt with them in just a few moves.

Just as the cave entrance came into view, Lu Sangjiu thought her little adventure was finally over. But the instant she stepped outside, she felt something was wrong.

"Ambush!"

Lu Sangjiu and Lie Rufeng shouted almost in unison.

But it was too late. All of them had already walked into a Sword Array.

Countless streams of Sword Qi assailed them. As the group scrambled to defend themselves, Lu Sangjiu heard Lie Rufeng’s voice cry out.

"The Flying Dragon Sword Formation... It’s the Poison Dragon Sect! Show yourselves, you cowards!"

The words had barely left his lips when a man’s sleazy cackle echoed out. "Heh heh, the boy knows a thing or two."

"That’s right, we’re from the Poison Dragon Sect! So what if we’ve shown ourselves? What can you do about it? You should worry about breaking my Sword Array first!"

Lu Sangjiu risked a glance and saw a short, stout man emerge from behind a nearby boulder. He was clearly the one who had spoken.

Two more men followed behind him. One of them was dragging a person along, and who could it be but Duan Yiyi?

All her previous arrogance was gone. She was bound, disheveled, and had tear stains on her face.

Upon seeing them, she anxiously tried to speak, but when she opened her mouth, not a sound came out. Her voice had clearly been sealed.

One look was all it took for Lu Sangjiu to guess what had happened. She figured that this "young miss," Duan Yiyi, had stormed off on her own in a huff and run right into these men.

Then, to save her own skin, she had sold them out.

Of course, ’selling them out’ wasn’t entirely accurate. She most likely thought Lie Rufeng’s group could defeat these men and had intended for them to rescue her.

But in any case, this mess was definitely Duan Yiyi’s fault.

’This young miss is really something else,’ Lu Sangjiu thought. ’Her talent for attracting trouble is right up there with Ye Zhiyao’s.’

’She left the group and still managed to drag a new batch of enemies to us. Unbelievable.’

Lie Rufeng and the others had probably reached the same conclusion. But she was a fellow sect member, after all, and seeing her current plight, they couldn’t bring themselves to blame her at a time like this.

In any case, the four of them had no spare energy to be distracted. The Sword Array was truly formidable. While they could hold it off for now, they hadn’t found the key to breaking it.

With their opponents now out in the open, launching sneak attacks from time to time, the group was hard-pressed to defend themselves.

Just then, Lie Rufeng suddenly shouted, "Ms. Lu, work with me!"

Before Lu Sangjiu could even ask what he was planning, he suddenly turned and dashed toward the right side of the Sword Array.

At that moment, he was beset by Sword Qi from both front and back, and all three members of the Poison Dragon Sect were targeting him.

It was obvious Lie Rufeng couldn’t possibly fend off all the attacks by himself. Without another word, Lu Sangjiu knew exactly what he needed from her.

’Unbelievable...’ she thought. ’A moment ago, he looked like he didn’t trust me at all, and now he’s putting his life in my hands!’

She had no time to complain. In her haste, she could only draw the Domination Map to help him block the attacks.

At this moment, the short, stout man who had spoken earlier narrowed his eyes. "Hmm? Look at that woman. Isn’t that a Demon Blade she’s using?"

The man beside him nodded. "Clearly. But we’re close to the Demon God Palace’s territory. It’s not that strange to see a Demon Blade, is it?"

"No, don’t you think that blade looks familiar?"

At his words, the other man suddenly realized. "Holy shit, the wanted poster!"

He hastily rummaged through his storage space and quickly pulled out a wanted poster—the very one issued by Ji Li of the Chixiao Sect.

Ji Li knew Lu Sangjiu possessed the Thousand Faces of Life, so a portrait alone obviously wasn’t enough.

Therefore, the poster also included detailed descriptions of Lu Sangjiu’s other features, one of which was the Domination Map Blade.

Comparing the poster to the woman before them, the three men from the Poison Dragon Sect grew ecstatic. "It’s her! It’s really her!"

In an instant, their gazes toward Lu Sangjiu filled with greed. "This is great! We’re really going to strike it rich this time!"