Yan Rui saw the cold light flickering on the wooden sword.
Fear surged in his heart. His legs and arms, though in excruciating pain, were forgotten as he no longer felt them.
Almost crying, his voice hoarse, he pleaded, "Don’t kill me! Don’t... I am willing to be your beast of burden, willing to be your slave..."
His father had told him that as long as he kept his life, he would still have a chance to turn things around.
But as soon as he took out his Qiankun Bag, Nanli struck twice with her sword.
No matter how much Yan Rui tried to channel his spiritual energy to defend himself, it was all in vain.
He watched in horror as his arms were severed.
"Ah—You Evil Girl..." Yan Rui rolled on the ground in pain, cursing in filthy words.
Nanli showed no mercy.
With a swift motion, she struck once more.
His head rolled off, tumbling across the ground, facing upward, frozen in a final look of shock and fear, his mouth slightly open.
Yet his soul slowly rose from his body.
He thought Nanli couldn’t see him and cursed, "Nanli, just wait! I’ll return to Penglai Island! I’ll have my mother use all of Penglai Island and the Sima House’s power to slaughter you and your entire family!"
Nanli looked up, her eyes cold as ice.
"No... it can’t be... I’m dead, I’ve turned into a soul, and you can still see me?!" Yan Rui, in panic, tried to flee.
Without expression, Nanli took out a Ghost Summoning Talisman and trapped his soul inside.
The thunder in the sky grew deafening, and lightning snakes filled the swirling storm clouds above.
She wasn’t in a hurry.
Quickly, she summoned her sword and set up a protective formation near the thunderclouds with talismans.
Sima Xin would certainly get the news and immediately notify Qingwu to stop her from crossing the tribulation.
Nanli set up another illusion formation in a different location, then entered the thundercloud vortex to prepare for her tribulation.
As expected, Sima Xin didn’t know where her son was, but since she had sent Sima Yue to Jialan Celestial Mountain, she quickly contacted Qingwu.
Panic showed on her face. "A’Rui said Nanli has obtained the power of the Glassy Bottle, what is going on?!"
Even Qingwu was taken aback.
"What?" He instinctively patted his Qiankun Bag, where he had just taken the Glassy Bottle from under the Divine Buddha Sect’s Spirit Tree.
"How does she have the Glassy Bottle?!" Sima Xin looked at him furiously, her eyes wide with anger. "What are you doing? How could you let the Glassy Bottle fall into the hands of the enemy?!"
Qingwu clenched his teeth, muttering under his breath, "It’s Ye Wukui! It’s her!"
Had Ye Wukui divined it, or had it been the will of the heavens?
It was as if the Glassy Bottle had truly found its rightful owner!
The Upper Realm was vast, but with Qingwu’s abilities, he could sense the direction where the strange phenomenon had occurred.
Narrowing his eyes, he said, "She has absorbed the power of the Glassy Bottle and should have regained some of her strength. Her cultivation level has likely advanced. She’s currently undergoing her thunder tribulation; it’s not hard to figure out her location."
Sima Xin was furious with him.
If he hadn’t dawdled, they wouldn’t have ended up in this situation.
But she could only curse him in her heart. To kill Nanli, they would still need Qingwu.
"Venerable Master, time is of the essence!" Sima Xin still clung to hope. "If we wait any longer, A’Rui’s life will be lost!"
"Don’t worry." Qingwu’s face darkened.
Now that Nanli had obtained the Glassy Bottle, the situation was different from before. He would no longer hold back.
Only then could they secure the Glassy Bottle of Jialan Celestial Mountain!
He called on four elders and together, they headed east.
Sima Xin let out a quiet sigh of relief.
However, she still called for Yan Hu, saying, "A’Hu, you come with us. If Qingwu hesitates again, you must take action!"
Yan Hu, worried, feared retribution from the heavens.
Sima Xin said, "The Nine Heavens Fan is a celestial artifact; it can block some of the heavenly punishment. If the time comes, you must use the Nine Heavens Fan to protect yourself."
"Mother... but this is father’s legacy, the celestial artifact used by all the island masters of Penglai Island..." Yan Hu was reluctant.
"Nanli knows about her past life. She will seek revenge! Don’t you understand? The sooner we deal with her, the less we’ll lose. Once she gathers all the Glassy Bottles and regains her full power, even ten or eight celestial artifacts won’t stop her!" Sima Xin said with rage, tears brimming in her eyes. "A’Hu, you are now the island master. You must make the right decision!"
Yan Hu felt moved. He nodded grimly.
But wasn’t Nanli also a tragic figure?
However, as a son, an elder brother, and the island master of Penglai, he knew he couldn’t afford to be lenient at this crucial moment!
To the east, sure enough, dark clouds gathered, thunder roaring.
Yan Hu had undergone the Nascent Soul thunder tribulation before, but this one was terrifying! The pressure nearly suffocated him.
At the center of the vortex, he saw a graceful figure standing, enduring the heavenly thunder.
Her expression showed no pain, as if the thunder was nothing more than a child’s game to her.
Qingwu arrived first and saw Nanli before Yan Hu did.
This time, Qingwu’s killing intent was clear. The four elders stood at the four corners, ensuring Nanli couldn’t escape.
Then, Qingwu raised his sword and struck out with terrifying force, clearly intending to end Nanli’s life in one blow!
Nanli was undergoing her tribulation, and with no one to protect her, she was like a fish on a chopping block.
Just as Yan Hu thought she was doomed, Nanli suddenly turned into a wisp of smoke.
Qingwu was momentarily stunned.
Then, he realized, "It’s an illusion formation! It’s a mirage!"
But the thunderstorm above them quickly closed in.
Before they could react, dozens of heavenly lightning bolts struck down together!
Qingwu initially thought it was another illusion, but as the lightning drew near, he realized it was real.
His expression changed. He immediately used his spiritual energy to block the heavenly thunder.
Yan Hu quickly wielded the Nine Heavens Fan.
But his cultivation was far below Yan Buxiu’s, and using the Nine Heavens Fan drained him considerably.
Not only him, but the four new elders of Jialan Celestial Mountain were also panicked, shouting in distress.
Qingwu gritted his teeth, using all his strength to block the dozens of bolts of lightning.
This wasn’t a difficult task for him, just exhausting more energy.
But once the thunderstorm cleared, a talisman fell from the sky, its power evident.
Qingwu glanced at it and nearly spat blood.
Yan Hu moved closer and looked at it, even more confused. "What is this talisman? I’ve never seen anything like it before."
Despite reading many talisman books on Penglai Island, Yan Hu had no recollection of this particular talisman.