Chapter 1306: A Trap

When Domain Lord Liuli heard that God Monarch Si Tian wanted to challenge her, she flashed a sweet smile. Stepping forward, she said with a laugh, “You want to challenge me? I’m afraid I don’t feel like accepting your challenge… But what about you? Would you be willing to challenge me instead?”

She did not respond to Si Tian’s challenge, instead turning to ask the God Monarch Bing Que.

“I won’t challenge you. I figure two beads are enough, I don’t need any more.”

The God Monarch Bing Que, who rarely spoke, answered in such a timid tone that it sounded almost pathetic.

Si Tian secretly rejoiced. If the God Monarch Bing Que refused, then he got the opportunity! Never mind how many beads he could win, if he happened to kill Domain Lord Liuli, all her beads would become his. Although it looked like she was wagering just one, in truth everything on her person was essentially at stake. He had seen Yi Tianyun taking beads from her hands before; after each victory, they returned the beads to her. So if Si Tian killed her, he would claim the lot.

“Alright. Since he won’t challenge me, I’ll accept your challenge,” said Domain Lord Liuli with a note of resignation. If the God Monarch Bing Que wasn’t going to fight, she had no choice but to face Si Tian.

“Great!”

Si Tian almost wanted to cheer. He turned to the Venerable Spirit.

“Senior Venerable Spirit, she has agreed. Shall we begin now?”

He was eager to start, afraid Domain Lord Liuli might regret it later.

“Yes,”

The Venerable Spirit replied with a wave of his hand, separating the two in a special battle arena. No sooner had the arena formed than Si Tian charged forward at once. His arms sprouted razor-sharp claws, his body rapidly expanding into a massive Dragon-Leopard form, adorned with dragon scales for durability and the explosive might of a leopard. Each claw rivaled the strength of a middel grade Heavenly Dao weapon. This was his natural gift: fierce talons capable of tearing the heavens, combined with the power of dragon blood to multiply his shredding force.

In the blink of an eye, Si Tian appeared before Domain Lord Liuli, claws ripping down mercilessly. He wanted to shred her into pieces. The savage blow distorted the very space around her, leaving nowhere to run.

“Die!”

Si Tian’s face was ferocious, venting all his pent-up frustration, he’d lost to God Monarch Lu Yuan earlier and felt deeply aggrieved. But now he could slaughter a half-step Heavenly Venerable, proving his own might. More importantly, he’d gain enough beads to handle the next trial.

Domain Lord Liuli’s eyes went cold. Already prepared, she flourished the blue ribbon coiled around her hand, deftly winding it around Si Tian’s claw.

Normally, such a ribbon should have been torn to shreds by those claws. But the moment they collided, the fierce talons were immediately entangled by the blue ribbon. In the blink of an eye, it bound them thoroughly, robbing the devastating strike of all power.

“No…!”

Si Tian’s expression changed. He tried to reverse his move, not expecting his attack to be neutralized so effortlessly. That fearsome, ripping claw turned limp, unable to exert any force.

“Too late!”

Domain Lord Liuli’s eyes gleamed with blue light. With a flick of her wrist, the ribbon slid up the captured hand, ensnaring much of Si Tian’s arm and fixing him in place.

“I’ll cut it off!”

Si Tian clenched his teeth and, without hesitation, severed his own arm. He leapt backward as blood splattered around him.

Domain Lord Liuli waved her ribbon, flinging the blood aside so not a single drop touched her. Still, Si Tian had escaped, sacrificing his arm to avoid being wrapped up entirely and strangled.

Of course, this ribbon was no ordinary artifact. It was a top-tier High-Grade Heavenly Dao weapon, superior to most others of the same rank.

Having lost an arm, Si Tian quickly focused on stopping the bleeding; his limb would regenerate in time. Nonetheless, Domain Lord Liuli’s display of power left him shaken to the core. Only now did he realize he had walked straight into a trap.

She wasn’t weak at all. Despite being a woman, her style of combat countered him completely. Reflecting more carefully, he realized all those beads in her possession had practically acted as bait, luring them into challenging her. Nobody would challenge Yi Tianyun now that they’d seen how he slaughtered God Monarch Lu Yuan, nobody wanted to face the so-called “speed king” who could outrun even Kunpeng.

The God Monarch Bing Que must have sensed something was off, which was why he refused a match.

But Domain Lord Liuli gave him no chance to regroup; she instantly pressed the attack, waving her ribbon again. It extended in concentric arcs, like thick walls blocking every escape route.

“Blue Ice Twist!”

She yanked the ribbon tight, constricting the space around him. Si Tian tried desperately to break free by rushing her, but from the beginning, she had dictated the battlefield. His defeat was inevitable.

After a few explosive exchanges, Domain Lord Liuli wrapped him again with the ribbon. Ultimately, she wrenched it hard, crushing Si Tian God Monarch into bloody fragments.

All too easy, a clear case of “softness conquering hardness.” It was never really in doubt.

“I’ve won,”

Domain Lord Liuli said, gathering the spoils of victory. She walked back to Yi Tianyun with a radiant smile.

“Amazing job,” Yi Tianyun remarked. “He hardly put up a fight. You toyed with him from start to finish, he looked no different from an ordinary God Monarch despite being half-step Heavenly Venerable.”

He shook his head; Domain Lord Liuli’s combat style was fearsome, maximizing the principle of softness overcoming brute strength. A single misstep against her, and defeat was certain.

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This battle ended easily, letting Yi Tianyun see that Domain Lord Liuli’s strength wasn’t weak at all, in fact, she was very strong!

“I’m only taking advantage of one area. If it were something else, it wouldn’t have been so simple,” Domain Lord Liuli said humbly. She knew the opponent she faced happened to be one she could naturally counter. Otherwise, it would have been much trickier.

Right after, they both looked at the God Monarch Bing Que. Yi Tianyun smiled and said, “Which of the two of us do you plan to challenge?”

Now, only the God Monarch Bing Que remained. He had kept a low profile, and no one knew the true extent of his power. Perhaps the Investigation Eye could reveal a lot, but a real fight was the only way to see how strong he really was.

“I already said, I’m not that interested. Two Ten Lives Heavenly Beads is enough; I don’t need more,” the God Monarch Bing Que replied, his face twitching slightly. In truth, it wasn’t that he didn’t want extra beads; it was that he’d seen how powerful they were. Rash action could get him killed.

The best method was not to fight at all. Two beads might be a bit lacking, but at least it wasn’t “nine deaths and one life”, it would be “eight deaths and two lives.” Overall, still manageable.

If he fought them, it would be more like “ten deaths, no life.” Even if he tried surrendering, he’d remain stuck here, which was no different than death.

“Alright…”

They sounded a bit disappointed. Originally, they avoided God Monarch Si Tian’s challenge in hopes the God Monarch Bing Que would step up. If they displayed impressive might, how could he agree to fight? He’d naturally target someone with more beads. Even if Si Tian didn’t dare challenge, they could have ended with nine.

Nevertheless, the total was still decent: eight beads, meaning four each, which was pretty good.

“It appears you have no more duels to fight?” the Venerable Spirit asked with a smile. “If that is all, you may distribute the beads among yourselves. Allow me to reiterate: the more beads you hold, the better your rewards and the lower the difficulty. On the other hand, fewer beads means poorer rewards and a much higher level of danger!”

“Senior Venerable Spirit,” Yi Tianyun asked, pondering a moment, “if we each enter with four beads, would we get placed in the same area for the trial?”

“No. Each of you will be sent to an independent space, so you can’t interfere with each other,” the Venerable Spirit replied.

“I see…”

Yi Tianyun frowned. That meant even if they each held four beads, they wouldn’t enter the same place. No helping each other.

“It’s okay. I’ll just take fewer. You get five, and I’ll take three, seems fair,” Domain Lord Liuli suggested.

Yi Tianyun thought for a moment, then said, “Let’s do it this way: I’ll take one, you take seven, that’s the best arrangement.”

“What!?”

Domain Lord Liuli was stunned. Even the God Monarch Bing Que was dumbfounded. The Venerable Spirit only kept smiling in silence, leaving the choice to them.

“We’ll do it that way. Or have you forgotten what I’m capable of?” Yi Tianyun asked with a slight grin.

“Capable of…?” Domain Lord Liuli was initially puzzled, then realized what he meant, her eyes lighting up in sudden understanding. But she still looked worried. “But would it really be that way? Won’t they set a harder trial for you based on your earlier performance?”

What Yi Tianyun was referring to was his talent for fighting above his level. Given his current cultivation, there was no way they’d pit him against a half-step Heavenly Venerable. Even if they did, he might still manage, he’d already proven it.

Ordinarily, for a Heaven Monarch, they’d likely send an opponent around the Third or Fourth Level God Monarch realm, which he could annihilate. That was the loophole Yi Tianyun banked on. Domain Lord Liuli caught on right away but feared they might adjust based on what he’d displayed before.

“No worries. I’m sure it’s purely determined by cultivation, and it won’t deviate too much,” Yi Tianyun said with a laugh. “The Venerable Spirit already stated it was by cultivation, not by prior actions.”

“That’s true…” Domain Lord Liuli brightened, her concerns easing. If it really went by cultivation level, Yi Tianyun would have no trouble at all.

Since he’d surely pass his trial with ease, he might as well give Domain Lord Liuli more beads, maximizing her potential reward. Although they wouldn’t reach ten, at least they’d have seven, a sizable haul from this Upper Heavenly Venerable’s trove.

After talking it over briefly in private, they quickly settled on their plan. Yi Tianyun would keep only one bead and walked up to the gate to place it.

“Senior Venerable Spirit, I’ve chosen my difficulty, this is it,” Yi Tianyun said.

“Very well. Now, I’ll open the difficulty you selected.” The Venerable Spirit didn’t care what they chose. He only obeyed his master’s instructions.

Rumble…

Soon, the massive gate slowly opened. Yi Tianyun turned to Domain Lord Liuli with a smile. “We’ll meet again soon!”

“I’ll be waiting!” Domain Lord Liuli nodded emphatically, watching as Yi Tianyun stepped into the teleportation portal.

“Crazy… Absolutely crazy. He could’ve had more beads, yet he’s going into nine deaths, one life himself!” The God Monarch Bing Que shook his head. But he didn’t dwell on it and inserted two beads to open the door for himself, quickly leaving.

Finally, Domain Lord Liuli placed seven beads into the door. When it opened, she strode through. The place quieted again, reverting as though nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, the beads embedded in the gate were retrieved by the Venerable Spirit. Once again, he had ten Ten Lives Heavenly Beads that none of them could take away, they had to be returned to him.

Holding those beads, the Venerable Spirit looked upward and said, “This round ended so fast, far faster than before. The last time took ten thousand years of struggle. This time, it’s barely been a few years and it’s all over.”

He raised his hand, and the Ten Lives Heavenly Beads vanished. The next instant, they reappeared high above the fourth floor, crashing to the ground to create another crater.

At that same moment, a wave of cultivators sensed the disturbance.

“A treasure! Some rare treasure has appeared…”

They all rushed over, exactly mirroring what had happened with Yi Tianyun’s group before, unaware that it was simply another test, not truly a treasure.

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