135: Chapter 135: Not Worth Mentioning (Qian Renxue)

Wang Donger felt cold in her heart, but felt even more anger and injustice.

She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, saying, "Is there really no other way? Can Snow Empress only accept her fate?"

"Not necessarily."

Lu Jing reached out to put his arm around her shoulder, patted it gently, and comforted her: "I said, it doesn't matter if she cannot pass it. As long as we are still here, Snow Empress still has a way out. If she sacrifices to me, or accompanies us to become gods in the future, although it differs from the path she originally sought to rely on her own strength, it is ultimately another path to immortality, and it may not be worse. It's just... I always feel that, with Snow Empress's pride, she surely wants to fight for this chance of freedom and self-determination. What we can do is respect her choice, and... if she fails, preserve the last hope for her."

He looked at Wang Donger's still worried profile and added firmly: "Don't worry, Donger. No matter the result, Snow Empress will be fine."

Hearing this, Wang Donger's anxiety lessened slightly. She leaned gently on Lu Jing's shoulder, nodded, and cast her gaze back towards the purgatory of thunder, silently praying for Snow Empress in her heart.

---

Just as Lu Jing and Wang Donger were watching the heavenly tribulation from the hillside with fluctuating emotions, several powerful auras arrived almost simultaneously at the edge of the Sunset Forest, maintaining a cautious distance from each other as they gazed at the world-destroying scene in the depths of the forest.

The first to arrive were Qian Renxue and Porcupinefish Douluo.

Behind Qian Renxue, a pair of gorgeous and sacred golden angel wings were spread, emitting a soft yet impossible-to-ignore radiance in the dim sky, adding a touch of nobility and majesty to her stunning face.

Porcupinefish Douluo followed half a step behind her, scanning the surroundings with a vigilant expression.

Immediately after, three streaks of light landed on a nearby cliff; it was Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo Chen Xin, and Bone Douluo Gu Rong of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.

Ning Fengzhi was dressed in luxurious robes, his demeanor calm, but it was hard to hide the shock in his eyes.

Chen Xin and Gu Rong stood guard on his left and right, their auras heavy, their gazes like lightning.

Almost back-to-back, a faint dragon roar came from the sky on the other side, and a figure wreathed in blue-purple electric light landed with a boom, revealing an old man with a sturdy build, a resolute face, and an imposing manner that commanded respect even without anger.

Faint dragon-shaped phantoms circled around him; it was the Clan Leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, a level 95 attack system Titled Douluo — Yu Yuanzhen!

Several leaders and guardians of the continent's top forces had gathered outside the Sunset Forest, coincidentally, because of this sudden and terrifying heavenly tribulation.

After landing, Yu Yuanzhen's gaze first swept over the terrifying thunderclouds that blotted out the sky, his pupils shrinking slightly. Then, he looked at Ning Fengzhi and the others not far away and said in a deep voice: "School Master Ning, you have come as well."

Ning Fengzhi composed himself, cupped his hands at Yu Yuanzhen, and revealed his usual gentle smile: "Hasn't Sect Master Yu come as well? It is hard not to be alarmed by such an anomaly in the Sunset Forest."

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of confusion and inquiry: "What makes me curious, however, is, who exactly is the one undergoing the tribulation? Although the Sunset Forest is vast, I have never heard of such a powerful existence dwelling here capable of triggering a heavenly tribulation of this scale."

Yu Yuanzhen nodded slightly, his thick eyebrows tightly locked: "I have the same question. This level of heavenly might is certainly not something that can be triggered by the promotion of an ordinary hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast. Could it be one of the overlords from the Star Dou Great Forest, who has come here to undergo the tribulation for some reason?"

Although this guess was far-fetched, it seemed to be the only reasonable explanation at the moment.

As they spoke, their gazes fell simultaneously on the man and woman on the other side who were radiating a sacred aura and clearly came from the Spirit Hall.

Especially the woman with golden wings on her back and a peerless face; her temperament was too outstanding to be ignored.

Ning Fengzhi, who was the most quick-witted, let his gaze linger on Qian Renxue for a moment, especially after seeing the golden wings on her back that were extremely similar to the legendary Seraphim Spirit, and her attendant who had a profound aura but was clearly a Titled Douluo, he already had some guesses in his heart.

But he did not show it on his face. Instead, he stepped forward a few steps, cupped his hands politely in the direction of Qian Renxue, and with the impeccable, gentle smile of the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, he took the initiative to strike up a conversation:

"This young lady, your temperament is extraordinary; you must be no ordinary person. I am Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. May I ask what the young lady is called? Are you also here because of the anomaly here?"

His tone was gentle and polite, indicating his identity while also carrying a hint of probing.

He wanted to know if this woman, who was highly likely to have a close relationship with the High Priest of the Spirit Hall, Qian Daoliu, appearing here at this moment was a coincidence, or if there was a deeper meaning.

Facing Ning Fengzhi's proactive greeting and probing, Qian Renxue just turned her head slightly, her bright golden eyes sweeping over him indifferently, and a faint, distant, yet impeccable smile appeared on her stunning face.

She did not report her name, nor did she reveal any information about her identity, but simply responded with four words in her ethereal, pleasant, yet unquestionable voice, which held a sense of distance:

"Not worth mentioning."

After speaking, she turned her gaze back to the place in the depths of the forest where the thunder was most intense, as if she had no great interest in Ning Fengzhi, Yu Yuanzhen, or anyone else present.

Her attention seemed to be completely captured by the heavenly tribulation, and the faint white figure beneath it.

The smile on Ning Fengzhi's face stiffened slightly, but it quickly returned to normal, though a flicker of understanding and deeper contemplation flashed deep in his eyes.

Although the other party was vague, her composed demeanor, her confidence in facing the heads of several major forces of the world, as well as those iconic angel wings and the Titled Douluo attendant, almost confirmed her background — the Spirit Hall, and specifically the most core lineage.

It was just that her specific identity — whether she was of Qian Daoliu's bloodline, or had some other close connection, he did not know.

He did not ask further, just nodded slightly to Qian Renxue, then turned around, exchanged a look with Chen Xin and Gu Rong, and refocused his attention on the heavenly tribulation.

Yu Yuanzhen also just took a deep look at Qian Renxue and did not say much.

At the moment, figuring out the identity and outcome of the one undergoing the tribulation was the most urgent matter. As for why the people from the Spirit Hall were here, he could only temporarily suppress his doubts.

Each force had their own thoughts, yet they tacitly maintained their distance, holding their breath and concentrating, waiting for the first tribulation lightning that would decide the fate of a nearly seven-hundred-thousand-year fierce beast to strike down with a boom.

The air seemed to have solidified in this boundless heavenly might and the undercurrents of the standoff.