After Severing Her Emotions, the Whole Sect Was Overwhelmed with Grief - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Lin Yizhi

“Die…?” Xiao Yu felt like his legs were about to give out. He forced himself to remain standing and asked, “Is there not even the slightest chance of survival?”

“Someone at the Qi Refining Realm? How could there be?” Ruan Xinyou replied seriously, counting on her fingers. “Even cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Realm don’t survive. Senior Brother, do you remember how many people have actually lived through the Bone Forest Trial over the years? I think… just three.”

“The Bone Forest Trial is held once a year and has run for over twenty sessions now. Aside from those three people, everyone else died.”

Even though Xiao Yu had already known the answer, hearing it again made his heart skip a beat. So Bai Ying was going to die? That girl he once visited every day… would disappear from this world?

Xiao Yu clenched his hands into fists. Back then, in order to deceive Bai Ying’s feelings, not only did he visit her daily, but he also brought her a bouquet of flowers each time. Bai Ying liked the color blue, so he always brought blue flowers. Every time she saw them, she smiled softly and said he was very thoughtful.

At the time, he thought she was the most gullible girl in the world. Thoughtful? They were just flowers. Worthless. He had given all his precious herbs and treasures to Ruan Xinyou. The ones he gave Bai Ying were the most common flowers picked from the roadside. And yet, she was so happy.

But now, Xiao Yu felt a deep sense of regret. He shouldn’t have been so stingy with her. If only he had given her better Treasure Artifacts, maybe she would’ve had something to protect herself with.

Xiao Yu couldn’t even remember how he got through the rest of that day. His mind was a mess the entire time. When he returned home, he forced himself not to think about Bai Ying anymore. He told himself no one could be more important than Ruan Xinyou.

But that very day, he overheard his friends talking about the Bone Forest Trial. One of them mentioned how his Junior Sister had only just entered and was immediately trampled by a Black Spirit Tiger, her neck bitten off, blood flowing everywhere. Then a group of Black Spirit Tigers rushed over and tore her body apart.

Xiao Yu broke out in a cold sweat.

He could no longer lie to himself—he did care about Bai Ying.

From that moment on, Xiao Yu started looking for her everywhere.

But both he and Su Yu were already at the late Foundation Establishment Realm. They were no longer eligible to participate in the Bone Forest Trial and couldn’t even enter the area to protect her. And the trial was unique—it didn’t have a fixed entrance. Every cultivator who signed up was given a special token, which would automatically transport them to the trial grounds when crushed. They couldn’t even wait at the entrance to stop her.

Xiao Yu and Su Yu searched desperately but failed to find Bai Ying. They could only wait until the trial began, observing the scene with everyone else through the Mirror of Heaven and Earth.

Meanwhile, Bai Ying had no idea anyone was looking for her. For the past two days, she had returned to the Cliff of Reflection, using its special environment to reinforce the Treasure Artifacts she had refined. She chose to participate in the Bone Forest Trial because it contained the rare refining material, the Mystic Crystal Stone. With that stone, she could upgrade her incense burner-type Treasure Artifact to the next level. Though her Divine Soul had awakened and her Divine Sense had broadened, it still wasn’t enough. She had to improve her cultivation quickly.

When Bai Ying was teleported to the trial grounds, many people were already present. Participants could choose to act alone or form teams. Before she even said a word, a few people approached her.

“How about teaming up with us?” one of them asked. “We’ve got plenty of Treasure Artifacts. You won’t be at a disadvantage if you join us.”

The speaker was Lin Yizhi, the son of the sect master. The others with him were his close friends. Unlike the rest, they had all been given Life-Saving Talismans by the sect master. Even if they were “killed,” they wouldn’t actually die—they’d be teleported out immediately.

Bai Ying looked at the young man in front of her and smiled. She recognized him. Lin Yizhi. Ruan Xinyou’s most devoted supporter.

In her past life, he had constantly smeared her reputation for Ruan Xinyou’s sake. Because of his special identity, many people believed him. Even those who had never met her began to hate her. With his help, Ruan Xinyou quickly gained the favor of the entire sect, allowing her to absorb Bai Ying’s luck more easily.

Looking at Lin Yizhi now, Bai Ying couldn’t help but smile. She immediately said, “Sure.”

On the other side, Ruan Xinyou was watching this scene unfold through the Mirror of Heaven and Earth. The corners of her lips curled upward.

So this was why both the First Senior Brother and Xiao Yu had been acting so strange lately. She hadn’t expected that they were both worried about Bai Ying. When Ruan Xinyou noticed her own luck value had dropped, her expression darkened instantly. She had no idea what kind of madness had overtaken them. One after another, they had started caring about Bai Ying.

She immediately contacted Lin Yizhi and cried, saying Bai Ying had bullied her again. Lin Yizhi agreed right away, promising to teach Bai Ying a hard lesson.

Ruan Xinyou then added that although she was bullied, Bai Ying was still her Senior Sister. She couldn’t bear to see her die in the Bone Forest Trial. Lin Yizhi was deeply moved by her kindness and promised he would completely ruin Bai Ying’s reputation but still make sure she stayed alive.

Ruan Xinyou couldn’t help but laugh.

Kindness? She wished Bai Ying would die! But Bai Ying’s luck hadn’t been fully absorbed yet. If she died now, who else could she draw it from?

When Lin Yizhi heard Bai Ying agree to join their team, he and his friends exchanged glances. Then he tossed her a Treasure Artifact.

“This is a healing-type Treasure Artifact. If we run into any beasts, we’ll handle the fighting up front. You just stay in the back and heal us.”

Lin Yizhi’s plan was simple. Since they all carried Life-Saving Talismans, they wouldn’t really die. He would lure a relatively dangerous beast to attack them. Then, when Bai Ying used the healing artifact on them, they would pretend it hadn’t worked—accusing her of purposely letting them die to steal their Treasure Artifacts.

Of course, Bai Ying wouldn’t know they had Life-Saving Talismans. Before their fake “deaths,” they would even give her one as if to say they cared for her safety, making her seem even more heartless.

This way, everyone watching through the Mirror of Heaven and Earth would loathe Bai Ying. Her reputation would be utterly destroyed. She would be like a rat in the street—hated by everyone. No one in the sect would ever accept her again.

Lin Yizhi was in high spirits as he led the group forward. Before coming here, he had spent a fortune obtaining a map of the Bone Forest Trial grounds. He knew a Flying Centipede was up ahead.

The Flying Centipede wasn’t particularly strong—they could barely manage it. But dying in that kind of situation would make Bai Ying look especially cruel for not healing them.

Soon, they arrived at the area where the Flying Centipede lurked. The moment they spotted it, Lin Yizhi and his companions charged forward.