The Double-Cross and Escape

“Haha! Double-crossing each other? Not bad, not bad at all.”

After hearing Yuan Xing’s cold explanation, Lei Lie clapped and laughed heartily.

“In this world, the more blatant a conspiracy is, the more convincing it becomes. On the contrary, those who use grand principles like friendship and universal love as excuses only make people think they are hypocritical snakes with hidden tricks up their sleeves.”

Yuan Xing’s unabashed admission of greed and betrayal had actually calmed Lei Lie’s suspicious heart. To Lei Lie, this was the “honest” behavior of a true cultivator.

“But…” After laughing, Lei Lie looked at Yuan Xing, his gaze turning icy. “With such a scheming mind, how could I dare to keep you around?”

“Hey, what are you afraid of?” Yuan Xing smiled easily. “We’ll enter the Spirit Realm soon. There won’t be any high-level monsters like the Human-Faced Owl inside. Even if I wanted to cause trouble, I wouldn’t have the opportunity.”

“Heh, even so, wouldn’t it be safer without you?” Lei Lie countered. “I already know the Spirit Realm is hidden within this owl’s territory. What further use do I have for you?”

“That’s where you’re wrong. You only know it’s in this general area, but this territory is vast. Without me to guide you, finding the entrance will take a tremendous amount of effort. And here, time is life. The longer you delay, the greater the chance that another cultivator stumbles upon it. You understand how this business works, don’t you?”

“Hmm… That makes sense.” Lei Lie pondered for a moment and nodded.

Storm Valley was crawling with cultivators. There was no telling if someone might happen upon this area by pure luck. The sooner they secured the treasure, the safer they would be. Furthermore, as Yuan Xing pointed out, the Spirit Realm—a blessed “Cave-Heaven” nurtured by the earth’s veins—rarely housed powerful demon beasts. There wouldn’t be a repeat of the previous battle where Lei Lie could be caught at his weakest.

The Spirit Realm was an underground pocket of high-density spiritual energy, perfect for nurturing the Morning and Evening Dew.

“Alright, you will follow me,” Lei Lie conceded. He then paused, his eyes shifting to the motionless form of Xiao Siyu behind Yuan Xing. “However, this woman…”

“She’s dead,” Yuan Xing said flatly.

“Heh.” Lei Lie smiled, a cruel glint in his eyes as he stepped toward her. “I need to check for myself to be at ease.”

Lei Lie passed Yuan Xing and walked toward Xiao Siyu. Though he claimed he was merely “checking,” his steps were cautious, and his fingers were already twisting into a complex hand seal. He wasn’t just looking; he was preparing a strike to grind her bones to dust, just to be absolutely certain there were no surprises.

Yuan Xing turned around, watching Lei Lie’s back with a slight frown. This was the plan he and Xiao Siyu had devised, but they had underestimated Lei Lie’s pathological caution. In their original plan, Lei Lie was supposed to lower his guard upon seeing the “corpse,” allowing Xiao Siyu to deliver a fatal ambush. Instead, Lei Lie was going to “nuke” the body from a distance.

Reality was often messy. No matter how meticulous the layout, a single variable could lead to total failure. This was exactly why Yuan Xing preferred to avoid risks unless he was in total control.

Fortunately, he was in control.

Seeing Lei Lie about to unleash his spell, Yuan Xing called out softly from behind, “Hey!”

At that moment, Lei Lie’s focus was entirely on the “dead” woman. Yuan Xing could have easily ambushed him and ended it then and there, but doing so would reveal his true strength to Xiao Siyu.

So, he just said “Hey.”

But a simple “Hey” from a “weakling” wouldn’t startle a Late-stage cultivator. So, as he spoke, Yuan Xing allowed his hidden power to surge for a split second.

He briefly exposed his true Foundation Establishment aura.

The release was incredibly fast—a fleeting, suffocating pressure that vanished as quickly as it appeared. But it was enough. In that instant, Lei Lie felt a vast, terrifying power behind him that far exceeded his own. Terrified, he instinctively spun around to face the “true” threat.

In a life-and-death battle, a qualified expert never misses an opening.

The moment Lei Lie was distracted, Xiao Siyu, who had been gathering her Qi while lying in the dirt, struck.

BOOM!

A massive pillar of ice erupted from the ground, shattering Lei Lie’s protective True Qi. It pierced through his chest with a sickening crunch, pinning him to the earth like an insect on a board.

“Haha! Done!” Xiao Siyu jumped up, hands on her hips, laughing triumphously.

Yesterday, she had almost died at his hands. Now, the tables were turned. The revenge was sweet, and the threat was neutralized.

“Congratulations,” Yuan Xing said, stepping forward with a smile.

“Hehe, it’s all thanks to your idea about feigning death. Otherwise, winning wouldn’t have been this easy.” Xiao Siyu patted Yuan Xing’s shoulder with a proud grin.

“It all depended on you seizing the opening,” Yuan Xing flattered her.

“Alright, let’s get ready to head to the Spirit Realm… Ah! Watch out!” Xiao Siyu’s expression suddenly changed. She grabbed Yuan Xing and leaped back.

A bolt of electricity slammed into the spot where they had been standing. The sky suddenly darkened as countless flashes of lightning flickered in the air.

“Dammit! He’s still alive!” Xiao Siyu hissed.

She set Yuan Xing down and shielded him, staring at the blinding glow ahead. Lei Lie, despite being impaled by the ice pillar, was now glowing with a violent blue light, acting as a lightning rod for the surrounding atmospheric energy.

Xiao Siyu had been too caught up in her victory to deliver a finishing blow, giving Lei Lie the chance to unleash a desperate ultimate move. Faced with the lightning-saturated sky, Xiao Siyu didn’t dare charge in blindly. She summoned her silk artifact, letting it circle her protectively.

As they watched, Lei Lie, at the center of the electrical storm, suddenly transformed into a streak of pure light. He shot into the sky, merging with the lightning, and vanished over the horizon. The thunder faded, and calm returned to the valley.

“Eh?” Xiao Siyu was stunned. No follow-up attack?

“He made a feint,” Yuan Xing noted. “He created a massive spectacle to distract you so he could burn his essence and escape.”

“What? He ran away?!” Xiao Siyu exclaimed.

Yuan Xing shrugged. Lightning-based movement techniques were the fastest in the world. Even he couldn’t have caught up in time without revealing his full power.

“He’s severely injured,” Yuan Xing said. “He won’t be a threat to us for a while. There’s no need to chase him.”

“I disagree.” Xiao Siyu frowned deeply. “Even if he can’t fight, he could find allies to hunt us down.”

“Storm Valley is massive. How would they find us?”

“Are you slow? Did you forget? He knows the Spirit Realm is in this area. He’ll just bring a search party here. It’ll be easy to find us!”

“Oh?” Yuan Xing paused, then gave a dry, wry smile. “Actually… let’s go. The Spirit Realm isn’t here.”

“What?” Xiao Siyu froze. “Didn’t you say it was nearby? Why else would I risk my life to kill that Human-Faced Owl?!”

Yuan Xing had lied about the location specifically to force her into a desperate fight to test her limits. Of course, he couldn’t admit that.

“Let’s move, quickly,” Yuan Xing urged. “If we delay and he actually brings back help, we really won’t be able to get away.”

“Oh! Right, right. Let’s get out of this cursed place first.” Xiao Siyu didn’t press the issue further. She quickly summoned her flying artifact and took off with Yuan Xing.