1: The price is my life, I bet you die now

"Lu Yuan, where else can you run?"

"Below Black Wind Cliff is a bottomless abyss. A Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator who falls will not even make a sound."

Li Mo's laughter swirled in the wind, entering Lu Yuan's ears.

Lu Yuan leaned against the cold cliff face, the last of his spiritual power dissipating in his Dantian, a needle-like emptiness making him dizzy.

He was once a Sect Genius, with Foundation Establishment in sight.

Now, he was nothing more than a stray dog with his Dao foundation destroyed and his Lifespan nearing its end.

He gasped for breath, his lungs filled with the metallic taste of his own blood and the dampness of the cliff.

Opposite him, Li Mo's figure was stretched into a distorted black shadow by the setting sun.

"Hand over that partial Pill Formula for the foundation establishment pill, and I might leave you a complete corpse."

Li Mo's voice was full of mockery; he savored the pleasure of a former Genius reduced to an ant beneath his feet.

His talent was once far inferior to Lu Yuan's, but now he was at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.

And Lu Yuan, a crippled Qi Refining Seventh Layer Cultivator with his spiritual power exhausted.

"Pill Formula?"

Lu Yuan laughed, his voice hoarse.

"You've hunted me for three years for it, destroyed my Dao foundation, severed my path to immortality, and now you still want it?"

"That thing was destroyed by me long ago!"

"You're courting death!"

Li Mo's face darkened, his patience exhausted.

The Low Grade Magical Artifact, the Qing Feng Sword, in his hand let out a soft hum, its tip gleaming with cold light.

The shadow of death had never been so real.

Lu Yuan closed his eyes.

He had less than three days of Lifespan left.

It was at this moment that a cold, emotionless voice boomed in his mind.

"[Detecting extreme threat to Host's life, activation conditions met.]"

"[Great Dao Options Exchange is binding... ]"

"[Binding successful! ]"

"[Welcome to the highest-risk, highest-reward casino in all the myriad realms! ]"

"[Newbie benefit: Host can use everything he possesses for his first transaction.]"

Lu Yuan opened his eyes.

The world hadn't changed, yet it had changed completely.

Above Li Mo's head, a translucent golden light screen, visible only to him, appeared.

"[Tradable Target: Li Mo]"

"[Identity: Qingyun Sect Outer Sect Disciple]"

"[Cultivation: Qi Refining Ninth Layer]"

"[Status: Killing intent boiling, about to strike]"

"['Death in half an hour' Put Option: Purchase price 2.9 karma points. If the target dies within the agreed time, you will receive equivalent Karma compensation.]"

"['Safe Departure' Call Option: Purchase price 0.1 karma points.]"

At the same time, another light screen unfolded before him.

"[Host: Lu Yuan]"

"[Cultivation: Qi Refining Seventh Layer (Dao foundation damaged)]"

"[Lifespan: 2 days 21 hours]"

"[Redeemable karma points: 3 points]"

Lu Yuan's heart, after three years of dormancy, beat so fiercely for the first time.

An illusion?

No.

The cold logic and clear numbers were incredibly real.

To bet his entire remaining life that his enemy would die within half an hour?

This was not a choice.

This was his only way to survive!

Li Mo looked at the expression on Lu Yuan's face, which went from despair to shock, then to an eerie calm, and assumed he was scared silly.

He sneered, "What, Senior Brother Lu, have you thought of a brilliant plan to turn the tables?"

"Or are you planning to jump down and gamble on finding some ancient Legacy?"

"Stop dreaming!"

He approached step by step, the coldness from his sword tip stinging Lu Yuan's skin.

"The gap between you and me is like heaven and earth, clouds and mud!"

"I was born stronger than you, and in the future, I will Foundation Establishment and Core Formation! And you are nothing but a stepping stone on my path to immortality!"

Lu Yuan raised his head, his dark brown pupils no longer holding fear, only a cold indifference.

He slowly spoke, his voice not loud.

"Your death was not decided by me."

"It has arrived."

"What?"

Li Mo was stunned, then flew into a rage.

Just as Lu Yuan roared the word "Buy" in his heart, he felt his vitality being drained, and his entire body rapidly declined.

He had less than a few hours of Lifespan left.

"[Transaction successful! ]"

"['Li Mo dies in half an hour' Put Option purchased, consuming 2.9 karma points.]"

"[Contract in effect, Great Dao notarized, execution begins.]"

"Playing tricks! Die!"

Li Mo roared, pushing off with his feet, his figure transforming into a green blur, his long sword thrusting straight at Lu Yuan's heart!

This sword strike was unavoidable!

Just then.

The hard bluestone beneath Li Mo's feet suddenly cracked with a "crunch," without any warning, forming a thin fissure.

His forward momentum veered, and his body became unstable.

"Hmm?"

Li Mo's heart grew agitated; he forcefully twisted his waist to exert power, stabilizing his body, and his sword strike became even more fierce!

But in the instant he adjusted his posture, a weathered rock on the cliff face above silently broke off.

"Thud," it was neither big nor small, but it landed right on his right shoulder.

The piercing pain made him grunt, and his thrusting sword slowed by half a beat.

"Damn it! Why is my luck so bad today!"

Li Mo was furious, feeling as if the entire world was targeting him.

He poured all his spiritual power into his sword, and the sword body glowed brightly.

Just at this moment, a vulture that had been circling for a long time was startled by the Sword Qi, screeching as it flapped its wings.

Whoosh—!

The huge wings stirred up sand and stones from the ground, rushing towards Li Mo, covering him head to toe.

Li Mo's eyes instinctively narrowed.

It was this thousandth of a second of distraction that caused his sure-kill sword strike to deviate by three inches, grazing Lu Yuan's clothes and fiercely stabbing into the hard rock wall.

And he himself, due to excessive force, could not completely stop his forward momentum.

In front of him was the cliff face that Lu Yuan's back was pressed against, and on it was a sharp crystal protrusion, inconspicuous, having been carved by wind blades.

Li Mo's head directly and forcefully slammed into it.

Pfft!

A soft sound.

That sharp crystal, with incredible precision, pierced his glabella, penetrating his entire skull.

Time seemed to stand still.

The anger, confusion, and horror in Li Mo's eyes solidified, then quickly dimmed.

Until his death, he did not understand why he, a Qi Refining Ninth Layer Cultivator, would die in such a ridiculous and absurd manner before a Qi Refining Seventh Layer cripple.

"Thump."

Li Mo's corpse softly fell, and the Qing Feng Sword clanged to the ground.

Lu Yuan slumped to the ground, gasping for air, watching the scene before him, his back already drenched in cold sweat.

He did not make a move.

What killed Li Mo was a stone, a gust of wind, a bird.

It was countless "coincidences" that could not possibly happen at the same time.

It was "fate" itself!

"[Target 'Li Mo's death' achieved, contract settled.]"

"[Congratulations, you have gained 10 karma points.]"

The cold voice in his mind seemed to have merely completed an insignificant transaction.

In the distance, several auras many times stronger than Li Mo's were rapidly approaching; one of them even carried the unique pressure of a Golden Core Stage Cultivator!

Lu Yuan's heart tightened.

He used his last bit of strength to grab the Storage Pouch from Li Mo's corpse, then stumbled and rolled down a hidden slope on the side of the cliff, disappearing into the dense bushes.

Half an hour later, in a dark and damp cave.

Lu Yuan was inventorying his gains, but there was no joy on his face.

In Li Mo's Storage Pouch, besides Medicinal Pills and dozens of Low-Grade Spirit Stones, only the Qing Feng Sword was still valuable.

This meager amount was a drop in the bucket.

The only thing that could truly save his life was the mysterious Exchange in his mind.

With a thought, the golden light screen reappeared.

"[Host: Lu Yuan]"

"[Cultivation: Qi Refining Seventh Layer (Dao foundation damaged)]"

"[Lifespan: 3 hours 45 minutes]"

"[karma points: 10.1 points]"

Looking at his pitifully short Lifespan, Lu Yuan did not relax in the slightest.

He had survived.

But his countdown had just begun.