“Coward!”
Bai Feifei was furious.
She had hoped to drag Ling Xiao into this mess, but who would’ve thought he’d show no interest in the treasure chest at all.
“Something’s off!” Dantai Lingzi shook her head.
“What’s off?” Bai Feifei asked, puzzled.
“Faced with a treasure chest, how could Ling Xiao just ignore it? He’s not the type to shy away from trouble. That chest must have a problem!” Dantai Lingzi explained.
Hearing this, Wang Nan’s brows furrowed.
He had been so eager to seize the chest that he hadn’t checked its contents. Now, with Dantai Lingzi’s words, he suddenly felt something was wrong.
*Crack!*
Wang Nan broke the lock on the chest.
“Stones!”
“How is this possible!”
The chest was filled with nothing but stones, not a single treasure.
“Damn it, Ling Xiao, did you steal the real chest?” Wang Nan demanded coldly.
“Hey, hey, let’s be reasonable. I’ve been with you all this time. When would I have had the chance to steal it?” Ling Xiao shrugged.
“Then why didn’t you join me to grab the chest? You clearly knew it was fake,” Bai Feifei accused.
“Idiot woman, didn’t you notice? This Wang Nan isn’t the one who came in with us. He looks the same, but his aura is completely different,” Ling Xiao said coldly.
“He’s Demon Flame Heavenly Venerate!” Leng Hao suddenly shouted.
“Exactly. He’s just a wisp of Demon Flame Heavenly Venerate’s soul left in the Moonlight Pagoda, using another disciple’s body to persist,” Ling Xiao nodded. “Earlier, in the passage, I injured him. While he was recovering, he must have encountered Wang Nan and taken over his body. The real Wang Nan is probably dead—truly dead.”
“What!”
Bai Feifei and Dantai Lingzi carefully examined Wang Nan’s aura. As Ling Xiao said, neither his aura nor his strength matched the real Wang Nan.
“Now you understand why I didn’t act? Fight Demon Flame Heavenly Venerate? I’m not crazy,” Ling Xiao shrugged.
“No wonder he could break my attack. It’s actually Father!” Bai Feifei’s face lit up with joy.
After all, Demon Flame Heavenly Venerate was her adoptive father.
“Father, kill Ling Xiao quick! This kid killed Hei Suo, eliminated Ming Tian, and even poisoned your daughter. He’s utterly despicable!” Bai Feifei shouted.
“Idiot woman, don’t count on him. I told you, he’s just a puppet clone of Demon Flame Heavenly Venerate, heavily restricted in the Moonlight Pagoda. You think he can kill me? Keep dreaming.
“Besides, Senior Sister Dantai, Senior Brother Qin Wu, and Senior Brother Wu Yang would likely side with me, right?”
Ling Xiao had a reason for exposing Demon Flame Heavenly Venerate’s identity.
With his scheme revealed, Demon Flame would likely try to silence them.
To survive, they’d have to ally with Ling Xiao.
Everyone here was smart. Teaming up with Ling Xiao might be risky, but at worst, they’d be eliminated. Aligning with Demon Flame Heavenly Venerate was like making a deal with a tiger—certain death.
As soon as he spoke, everyone except Bai Feifei moved to Ling Xiao’s side, forming a temporary alliance.
“Feifei, let’s go!”
Demon Flame Heavenly Venerate wasn’t foolish; he was cunning. Knowing he couldn’t silence them now, he didn’t push it. As long as he wasn’t captured, their accusations lacked proof.
He left with Bai Feifei. The second stage was over, and the sealed gate opened.
“Congratulations on completing the second stage. Each of you receives 100 Moonlight Points. Please leave within a quarter-hour, or you’ll be deemed eliminated!”
Demon Flame Heavenly Venerate, using Wang Nan’s body, and Bai Feifei left first.
The remaining eight reverted to a state of mutual wariness.
Without a common enemy, this was inevitable.
“Junior Brother Ling, don’t you find it odd?” With a quarter-hour left, Dantai Lingzi wasn’t in a rush to leave. She looked at Ling Xiao and asked, “Every stage only rewards 100 Moonlight Points, the same for everyone. Isn’t that unfair?”
“Indeed, it’s not entirely fair, since performances vary,” Ling Xiao nodded. “But it doesn’t matter. Your performance during the stages is factored into the Moonlight Points, just not tallied yet. They’ll probably calculate it all at the end.”
“I see. Having a good master makes a difference. I don’t have that luck,” Dantai Lingzi sighed.
Ling Xiao had investigated her. Dantai Lingzi was an anomaly. When she joined the sect, an inner-door elder took her as a disciple, but he died tragically on a mission.
Later, another elder took her in.
But within a month, that elder died too.
This happened repeatedly. Five Heavenly Venerate-level elders of the Moonlight Sect took her as a disciple, and all died mysteriously on missions, their bodies never found.
Rumours spread that she was cursed to doom her masters, and since then, no one took her as a disciple.
Yet her cultivation progressed rapidly.
Lacking a master, she knew little about the Pagoda Ascension Ceremony. Despite participating twice before, she was eliminated in the first stage both times. This was her first time reaching the second stage.
“Can I ask you something?” Ling Xiao said suddenly.
“Go ahead, Junior Brother Ling.”
Ling Xiao smiled, “Why does Senior Sister Dantai seem so hostile toward me? I don’t think I’ve offended you.”
Such a question was rarely asked directly, as people seldom answered honestly.
But Ling Xiao wanted to gauge her reaction.
“Hehe…”
As Dantai Lingzi began to speak, a cold voice rang out: “The third stage, ‘Forbidden Zone of Life,’ has begun. This is the second-to-last stage of the Pagoda Ascension Ceremony. In the past thousand years, only two have passed it: Demon Flame Heavenly Venerate and Sect Leader Chang Yueying. The rules are the same as the previous stages—survive. Whether you find the gate to the fourth stage is up to you!
“Hint: From now on, there’s no time limit. If you’re capable, you can stay in the Moonlight Pagoda to cultivate forever, but that’s difficult! Each passing day, stronger monsters will hunt you!”
“Junior Brother Ling, we’ll head out first!”
Dantai Lingzi smiled, turned, and left with Liu Lie.
Wu Yang and Qin Wu left too, not daring to stay with Ling Xiao, fearing they’d die without knowing how.
Only four remained: Ling Xiao, Dai Yuling, Leng Hao, and Shangguan Lei.
