205: Chapter 205 I also want to see how many lives you have.

An unknown space, a mountain peak,

Chi Wanhe and Xia Yingying stood at the summit, their gazes falling upon two items ahead.

A wooden zither floated silently three feet off the ground. Its deep, restrained wood possessed the color of warm glazed jade, and seven strings flowed with a faint light. On one side of the zither's body, four Dao seals—'Harmony, Stillness, Purity, and Distance'—were naturally engraved, exuding an air of profound mystery.

Chi Wanhe's gaze swept over the wooden zither, but she was quickly and firmly drawn to the ancient tripod beside it.

This tripod was cast entirely from an unknown black iron, exuding an ancient majesty that seemed to suppress all things.

Upon the tripod's belly, a Black Tortoise Divine Beast was perched, with the tortoise and snake entwined, head to tail, lifelike. The patterns on the tortoise shell extended outward, transforming into a continuous relief of miniature mountain ranges that spread between the tripod's legs.

On the inner walls of the tripod, the Big Dipper was sparsely engraved, surrounded by fine patterns of wind and frost.

At a glance, a chilling, murderous aura as cold as the Arctic abyss rushed toward them.

"This tripod..."

Chi Wanhe’s elegant brows furrowed slightly as an inexplicable sense of familiarity welled up in her heart.

"It looks a bit familiar? Revered Master seems to have a similar one, though it's much smaller and lacks this sense of weight..."

She pondered silently to herself.

"Junior Sister, which one is calling out to you?" Chi Wanhe asked in a low voice.

Xia Yingying pointed toward the wooden ancient zither: "It’s this one, Eldest Senior Sister!"

Just as the two were about to step forward, a sudden change occurred!

Light and shadow coalesced beside the nine heavens ringing jade zither, and the phantom of a woman slowly appeared.

The woman wore a luxurious and intricate Palace dress. Her features were beautiful, and her temperament was elegant. She looked at Chi and Xia with a smile, her eyes filled with scrutiny and... satisfaction.

"You have come."

Chi Wanhe instantly pulled Xia Yingying behind her, her spiritual energy surging as she stared warily at the suddenly appearing phantom: "Who are you?"

The woman chuckled softly:

"No need to be nervous, little girls. I am the artifact spirit of this nine heavens ringing jade zither."

She raised her slender hand, pointing toward the nearby shuofang tripod. "Since you have come as candidates for the zither's Revered Master, you must pass a trial. Do you see the musical note imprints entangled on the tripod's walls? Go and clear them; that is the first trial."

"Go on."

As Xia Yingying looked at the woman's kind smile, her Celestial Spirit Body instinctively sent out a strong sense of repulsion and warning.

This person might not have killing intent, but she harbored ill intentions!

After the woman's voice fell, Xia Yingying remained motionless.

"Don't go!"

A clear, cold voice, like ice and jade clashing, broke the brief silence.

Another woman's figure appeared on the other side of the nine heavens ringing jade zither, confronting the woman who claimed to be the artifact spirit.

She wore a celestial dress that faded from moon-white to dark black, the hem fluttering despite the lack of wind. Her face was so cold she didn't seem like a Mortal, and her eyes seemed to contain an eternal galaxy. Her aura was ethereal and otherworldly, completely out of place with this Small World on the brink of collapse.

"You?!" The face of the woman claiming to be the artifact spirit changed slightly. "You... are fine?"

Qing Shang's gaze swept indifferently over Di Fuling, her eyes cold:

"Your tricks are useless against me. I am not human; your Soul erosion methods have no effect on me."

She paused, her cold gaze falling upon Xia Yingying.

"Moreover, she was able to reach this place because I guided her with my remaining strength."

Di Fuling's phantom became more solid, her aura as deep as the abyss and vast as the sea, standing as an equal against Qing Shang:

"So what if you've awakened? It’s just a waste of effort! We have been entangled for countless years; how much of your power is even left? Once I completely refine your artifact spirit Origin, it will be the time I transcend the Third Tribulation of a Loose Immortal!"

"Is that so?" Qing Shang's voice was calm.

She no longer looked at the blustering Di Fuling but turned to Xia Yingying, a slight ripple appearing in her eyes:

"Are you willing to become the true Revered Master of the nine heavens ringing jade zither?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Di Fuling's expression changed drastically, and she understood instantly.

A flash of madness crossed Di Fuling's eyes: "So that was your plan, but I won't let you succeed so easily..."

Before she could finish, an old voice rang out abruptly, carrying respect and a hint of pleasant surprise:

"Old Ancestor Ling!"

A figure stepped out from a spatial crack and bowed respectfully to Di Fuling.

Alarm bells rang in the hearts of Chi Wanhe and Xia Yingying.

This person was none other than the old man from the Wanxian Dynasty they had seen earlier in the Guest Welcoming Hall! How could he be here?!

Di Fuling was also startled, then her beautiful eyes burst with light: "You... the Bloodline in you... are you a descendant of my Di Family? Which branch are you from?"

Di Hongshen was excited, and his expression became even more respectful:

"Reporting to Old Ancestor, this Junior is Di Hongshen, a descendant of Heavenly Ancestor Di Futian! Heavenly Ancestor ordered me to come and retrieve the shuofang tripod! I just never expected..."

"Hehe... Heavenly Ancestor, Di Futian?"

Di Fuling's smile suddenly vanished, turning icy cold.

"You never expected I would still be alive? He... likely only told you to come and get the tripod, but didn't mention I was still here gasping for my last breath, right?"

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Di Hongshen's forehead, and he was extremely embarrassed: "This... Heavenly Ancestor indeed did not mention that Old Ancestor was here..."

Di Hongshen felt something was wrong; it seemed Old Ancestor Ling was dissatisfied with the Heavenly Ancestor?

"Humph!" Di Fuling snorted coldly, temporarily suppressing her anger. There were more important matters at hand.

"I do indeed need your help! Go quickly and erase the musical note imprints on that tripod!"

She pointed a finger at the shuofang tripod.

"I shall obey Old Ancestor's decree!"

Di Hongshen agreed without hesitation. Then, he looked at Chi Wanhe and Xia Yingying, his killing intent laid bare.

"But before that... I ask Old Ancestor's permission to let this Junior first clean up these two troublesome Moonshadow Sect Juniors! They know too many secrets and must not be left alive! This place is isolated from the outside; the Moonshadow Sect will never know!"

Before his voice had even faded, the terrifying pressure of the fifth level of Void Tempering erupted. Di Hongshen's withered palm transformed into a claw that tore through space, striking directly at Chi Wanhe and Xia Yingying.

Qing Shang glanced at Di Fuling, then at Chi Wanhe and the other, a flicker of dimness passing through her eyes.

The two of them had been entangled for a long time, restraining each other, and they simply could not move too far from the zither and the tripod.

Otherwise, Di Fuling wouldn't have had to resort to deception.

The shadow of death descended!

Chi Wanhe's face turned pale. She immediately activated the Life-saving jade talisman bestowed upon her by her Revered Master, Ling Hao!

A layer of black light barrier instantly enveloped her and Xia Yingying!

Di Hongshen's claw slammed violently against the light barrier, producing a deafening explosion.

"Oh? A protective Magic Treasure bestowed by your Revered Master?" A flash of surprise crossed Di Hongshen's eyes, but it quickly turned into a sneer. "Without a source of power, let's see how many strikes you can block!"

Chi Wanhe looked anxious. This light barrier could block a single strike from the Tribulation Transcendence Stage, but as Di Hongshen said, without a power source, it wouldn't last long.

Just as Di Hongshen's second claw was about to fall, a bone-chilling pressure suddenly descended.

The space across the entire mountaintop froze!

"I, too, would like to see just how many lives you have!"