Chapter 448

Chapter 448: Free Riding

An Li was lost in thought.

If she hadn’t betrayed Lu Ye, there would be no need for her to act so recklessly. Just by going a little crazy, Lu Ye had already been moved enough to compromise with her.

And now?

An Li couldn’t even count how many times she’d self-harmed.

Yet, the Darkness Origin hadn’t even cast a glance her way.

Did that mean her actions were now pointless?

But An Li didn’t want to back down.

The Darkness Origin probably hadn’t felt defeat yet. All she had to do was hold on a bit longer. Once the Darkness Origin failed a few times, it would naturally come begging her, and by then, she’d be in control.

She had to persist!

As for whether the Darkness Origin could surrender to Lu Ye?

Absolutely not!

Because the Darkness Origin had no effect on Lu Ye, who would never accept its surrender.

An Li made up her mind and suffocated herself again.

Just before she passed out, she even heard a sigh of relief that made her feel a pang in her heart.

Their connection was simply too strong. Even after reincarnating, she still bore a faint scent of the Darkness Origin, a scent so unwelcome in this world that everyone looked at her as if she were an annoying monster, even as a newborn.

No one would feel sad about her dying; at least that was a relief.

An Li couldn’t help but feel utterly drained.

She even found herself missing the Vermilion Bird.

…

Lu Ye still hadn’t shown up at the Forgotten Sea.

As time passed, the Darkness Origin grew increasingly irritable.

It wasn’t usually so impatient; the main issue was that its collaborator, Yin Qingcheng, had repeatedly made wrong forecasts, making it very uneasy.

Since Lu Ye wasn’t coming and there was not a shred of information, it decided to take the initiative and find Lu Ye.

Of course, it wasn’t going directly; it had a group of rejuvenated people do the searching instead.

These Void Realm folk had returned to their youth, but at the cost of becoming pawns for the Darkness Origin.

As soon as the cultivation practitioners heard they were to assault the Heavenly Gate, they began to hesitate.

The Nine Heavens might be vast, but Lu Ye’s identity as a reincarnated Celestial Lord had already spread far and wide, and this person was known for his spite.

Even if they went to find him, who could guarantee he wouldn’t retaliate against their factions?

Plus, they’d heard Lu Ye was pretty broke lately.

Every day, he worried about not having a powerful backing to rob; he was about to go crazy.

Now, if they went over there, wouldn’t it just give him a reason to rob them?

If they ended up causing their clans to perish, how would they face their ancestors?

“Lin Daoist, if it’s against anyone else, we’re willing to fight to the death, but we can’t go against Lu Ye!”

“Lu Ye is ruthlessly vengeful; just getting involved with him can bring disaster. We can’t go against him,” someone chimed in.

“Yeah, poking the bear that is Lu Ye is just asking for trouble,” the crowd murmured.

The Darkness Origin wasn’t going to waste its breath on this group. The one conversing with them was its representative.

It was the esteemed Darkness Origin; why stoop to talk with these people?

Once, there had been a Quasi-Emperor who took refuge with the Darkness Origin, but upon aging beyond survival—even within the Darkness Origin—he had to reincarnate.

Now, he was back in the fold, named Lin Wuye.

Lin Wuye listened to their chatter, a cold expression on his face.

“Do you think this is me bargaining with you?” he said coldly.

“Lin Daoist, this isn’t about bargaining; we really can’t…”

Before he could finish, thick black mist erupted from his seven orifices, the intense corrosion making the Void Realm practitioner scream in agony.

His body was melting away inch by inch, an abominably tragic sight.

The screams made every Void Realm strongman furrow their brows.

But in their eyes, there was little fear.

They were effectively dead men anyway; going back to youth was just fine, but at the cost of their families suffering?

No way!

Since the Sixth Heaven was a home-focused realm, everyone was fiercely loyal to their families.

“Are you now willing to go?” Lin Wuye asked coldly.

No one answered, silence suffocated the air. But this silence was loud and clear.

Lu Ye had swept from the First Heaven to the Fifth Heaven; now it was all showing results.

Lin Wuye frowned slightly, his gaze landing on one person.

“Are you willing?”

To his surprise, that person suddenly yelled, “Screw you!”

He charged straight for Lin Wuye.

Of course, the outcome was predictable; before his attack could land, he turned into a wisp of black mist and dissipated.

Lin Wuye’s frown deepened.

He looked at another person.

“You’ve just returned to your youth; there’s a chance to walk the Dao again, and you’re going to give up this rare opportunity out of fear?”

Someone sighed lightly.

“Don’t waste your breath; we already discussed this before we came. We’re fine with doing other tasks, even if it’s mining, but we won’t do anything that may invite disaster upon our family!”

With that, over a hundred Void Realm practitioners nodded in agreement.

Lin Wuye was getting a bit annoyed.

“You’ll end up dead this way!”

“We’re already dead men walking!”

“You have a chance to live!”

“We can also choose to die.”

Lin Wuye felt like he’d just swallowed a fly; it turned out this bunch of old geezers came here thinking they could freeload.

Someone could make them young again? What a great deal! Let’s go, folks!

What? You want us to work? Nah, thanks!

“I don’t believe you’re not scared of dying!”

Lin Wuye pointed at one man, “Are you going or not?”

“Screw you!”

Melt!

“Are you going or not?”

“Heh… pah!”

Melt!

“Are you going or not?”

“You’re a real idiot.”

Melt!

“Are you going or not?”

“Go screw your mother!”

…

One by one, the Void Realm practitioners melted away.

Although these old folks weren’t the sharpest tools in the shed, they certainly had their principles.

Saying they wouldn’t go was no bluff; if they did, just imagine what Lu Ye, who was so strapped for cash, would do to their families.

Later, their descendants would ask, “Why is our family so poor?”

Someone would say, “Oh, it all started with a scaredy-cat ancestor…”

Did they want that kind of shame? They would be tarnishing their family name for generations!

Bottom line, killing Lu Ye? Not interested; whoever wants to do it can go ahead; it’s a no from them.

And as for dying?

Please, they were already on borrowed time anyway.