Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I wasn’t dead.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw the perpetual gray mist of Mass Grave Valley hanging overhead. Beneath me was black soil saturated with yin energy. The sword that had pierced my chest was gone, replaced by a sword-shaped brand seared into my very bone and blood. The Ninefold Heavenly Tribulation had scorched my meridians into a shattered mess, but it had also jolted something awake inside me.

It was an Ancient Mirror suspended within my sea of consciousness.

Its surface was fractured, its edges wreathed in lightning patterns. Yet, the reflection within wasn’t my face, but pages of blood-soaked names.

The first line: Wei Fuyuan.

The second line: Lu Wenxue.

The third line: Wen Zhaoye.

Behind every name were the same three words.

Tribulation Bearer Deceased.

When I reached the final page, there was my name: Su Yingzhu. It was followed by an additional annotation: Gate-Locking Key, awaiting activation.

I stared at those words, a chill running through my entire body. It turned out I wasn’t the only “monster” in the Tianxuan Sect born specifically to block tribulations for others. Many had already died before me.

The Ancient Mirror vibrated slightly, and a strand of unfamiliar memories flooded in.

Three hundred years ago, the Ascension Gate of the cultivation world collapsed, and the Heavenly Dao no longer permitted mortals to ascend. Since then, some major sects had begun secretly cultivating Tribulation Bearers-individuals with special constitutions who could endure lightning tribulations on behalf of genius disciples, stealing opportunities for ascension that were never meant to be theirs. And the most suitable catalyst for this formation was the Gate-Locking Key, which could resonate with heavenly lightning.

My Tribulation-Bearing Bones weren’t a gift from heaven.

They had been artificially refined.

I sprawled on the ground, retching violently, my throat filled with the taste of blood. Just then, the Ancient Mirror flickered again, revealing a new line of text: In seven days, the Tianxuan Sect will open the Ascension Gate. Disciples of the ten peaks shall serve as the sacrificial fuel.

I snapped my head up.

So, what they wanted was never just to help Xiao Zhixiao cross his tribulation.

They intended to use me to turn the entire Sect into a fire that would burn open the gate.

Footsteps suddenly echoed from outside Mass Grave Valley. Dragging my broken body, I hid in a crevice between the rocks. I watched as two Enforcement Disciples descended with lanterns to search for corpses.

“She’s been burnt to ash. What’s the point of searching?”

“Elder Yi isn’t satisfied. He said Su Yingzhu’s remains must be brought back. She’s the Gate-Locking Key; even her bones are useful.”

“What about Sword Venerable Xiao? I heard he went into seclusion after the tribulation?”

“Seclusion? More like he’s suffering from Backlash. Regardless, the Sect Leader has already taken over Zhixiao Peak. Once this grand ceremony is over, who’s going to care about a Sword Venerable who’s practically crippled?”

I clamped my hand over my mouth, staying silent until the two men had disappeared into the distance. Only then did I slowly crawl out from the crevice.

It turned out that behind the cheers of success, even Xiao Zhixiao had been a pawn in their game.