Chapter 2152: The Only Way to Survive

This blade qi was even more ferocious than before; the Nine Nether Emperor waved his hand casually, and layers upon layers of gang qi surged forth — it was precisely the "Wave Severing" saber technique He Lingchuan knew best.

But wielded with the Nine Nether Emperor's power, it could sever not just waves, but tsunamis.

He Lingchuan didn't even look back, abruptly leaping down from the hilltop; several cold flashes streaked overhead, and four or five saplings snapped at the waist.

"This is for my life." He even saw a faint red glow condensing on the other's Floating Life Saber.

Yuan Force!

He Lingchuan's scalp went numb. This "Nine Nether Emperor" of unknown origin actually wasn't a knockoff, because Yuan Force cannot mistake its master.

So this "Nine Nether Emperor" was the genuine article!

Facing this Nine Nether Emperor — combat power ferocious, Yuan Force abundant, at his historical peak — how was He Lingchuan supposed to fight?

The Nine Nether Emperor killing him would certainly be even easier than when he just killed the original body.

Right then, he also heard a dull *kala-kala* sound coming from due north.

The Tongtian Tower's great gates were closing!

He Lingchuan had just stood up when a flash crossed his vision — the Nine Nether Emperor had already closed in right before him!

Damn, why did he usually cultivate so diligently, training his movement arts this well? Who could have guessed that in the end, he would screw himself over!

"Wait. Why are you killing me?" he hurriedly shouted, "The Nine Nether Emperor always has a reason for killing. If you kill indiscriminately, you're not the Nine Nether Emperor! If you're not the Nine Nether Emperor, you can't kill me!"

Can't win in a fight, so he could only reason it out.

The Nine Nether Emperor actually stopped, then slowly raised his saber, the tip pointing at He Lingchuan's — left hand.

His left hand was still clutching that Ringed Snake Necklace.

He Lingchuan shook his left hand: "I'll give you the necklace, will you let me go then?"

The Nine Nether Emperor shook his head.

Though he still didn't utter a word, his meaning was very clear:

You're going to die here today!

Last time the Tongtian Tower sent He Lingchuan in, it was to have him kill the original body;

Then this time sending the Nine Nether Emperor in, it obviously intends to kill He Lingchuan.

Only then is a reincarnation, a cycle, completed.

He Lingchuan knew he couldn't beat the other — ten of him couldn't beat him either.

This valley was also a dead ground; he couldn't escape, and sooner or later he'd be caught by the Nine Nether Emperor —

This "sooner or later" was just a few breaths' time.

He Lingchuan pressed his bleeding abdomen and retreated with difficulty, looking like he was at his wit's end.

The Nine Nether Emperor didn't seem to want to waste time either; two steps closed the distance, and he swung his saber again.

Saber light rolled back like the Milky Way reversing; He Lingchuan's paths of retreat — front, back, left, right — were all sealed off.

If he was caught in the slightest, he'd be doomed to be smashed to pieces.

But just as the bone-chilling saber light illuminated He Lingchuan's face, he suddenly vanished.

Where He Lingchuan had stood, a light, fluttering cicada slough fell, and in a blink was shredded to fragments by the saber qi.

"Li Dai Tao Jiang" — this was a divine ability He Lingchuan had already mastered in this era.

Earlier when he rushed toward the Tongtian Tower gates, he had also considered enemies might emerge from within, so he quietly tossed the Ghost Shadow Cicada Slough by the door. Such a drab little thing, blending into the surroundings, was very hard to detect.

The Nine Nether Emperor was lured out by him, drawn away from the Tongtian Tower, and He Lingchuan used the Li Dai Tao Jiang technique to swap his own position with the Ghost Shadow Cicada Slough, striding in a single step back to the Tongtian Tower's gates!

The azure great gates were right before his eyes, and already half-closed, leaving He Lingchuan at most two or three breaths of time.

Not to mention the Nine Nether Emperor had struck empty air and immediately turned to pounce over.

Time was precious. He Lingchuan stared at the darkness inside the gate.

Charge in, and he could leave this place of right and wrong, shake off the "Nine Nether Emperor's" pursuit, and return to reality.

This was the only way to survive.

For the original body to wait for this gate to open, who knows how long he suffered in this Thin Mist Valley.

Now He Lingchuan, using his own wit, had fought for this sliver of survival.

A chill rose at the back of his head — the focused attention from a powerful opponent.

The Nine Nether Emperor had locked onto him once again.

Without looking back, he knew the Nine Nether Emperor had already arrived, about to strike a killing blow.

Fast, fast, jump into the gate, and he'd be safe.

Yet at this moment a voice in his heart questioned him:

Really? Is the path to survival the original body believed in really real?

If "returning to the Tower" isn't the true way to leave Thin Mist Valley, what would be the result of him rashly jumping through the wooden gate?

He had descended into this strange valley with only a Floating Life Saber in hand; besides that he had nothing, not even the incense dough balls he used most handily during that period.

But why did the Floating Life Saber happen to still contain a Ghost Shadow Cicada Slough?

Was it specially left for him to escape the Nine Nether Emperor's pursuit, to flee into the Tongtian Tower?

He Lingchuan had already determined this was a trial bestowed on him by the secret treasure. Since it was a trial, traps were inevitable.

The most headache-inducing question came again:

If the exit isn't in the Tongtian Tower, how else is he to escape Thin Mist Valley?

Don't forget, the Nine Nether Emperor is already right before his eyes; he has no time to think further, no time to hesitate!

He Lingchuan's gaze fell once more on the Ringed Snake Necklace in his left hand.

He naturally remembered, the litany Zhao Man Du Da Sa Man spoke still had a second half:

"The future has replaced the present."

To the Nine Nether Great Emperor, relative to the present "him," he is the future.

He killed the original self, which is "the present self devouring the original self";

The Nine Nether Great Emperor killing him is "the future replacing the present."

If he does not go out, he will certainly be killed by the Nine Nether Great Emperor, with no chance of survival.

So, what should be done?

Staying means certain death.

Jumping into the Tower to Heaven might still offer a sliver of hope.

For any sentient being, this is not even a choice; they will inevitably follow instinct toward survival.

But He Lingchuan's mind raced at lightning speed in this instant.

There is an initial question, also the most important one, which is especially easy to overlook after the intruder has experienced killing and being hunted:

"Where is this?"

He Lingchuan originally thought this was a trial ground specially opened by the Immortal Ancestor's relic, but after discovering his own cultivation was only at the entry level while the Nine Nether Great Emperor standing opposite him possessed yuanli, he realized this inference was wrong.

The yuanli unique to He Lingchuan absolutely cannot attach to any individual outside of "me," not even to a character fabricated by the relic.

This is determined by the unique belonging nature of yuanli.

The relic might be able to simulate many other powers, but it should not be able to simulate yuanli, because this is not a power unique to He Lingchuan himself.

It is the power of connection; it is the aggregative force of mutual influence between He Lingchuan and countless individuals.

It is complex and changeable, absolutely not a static force that can be directly quantified.

But the Nine Nether Great Emperor opposite him, whose power he used, is indeed his yuanli, which he can easily confirm.

So everything returns to the original question:

What exactly is this place?

Who is "he"?

And who is the Nine Nether Great Emperor?