Get Lost Female Protagonist! I Choose the Villainess! - Chapter 107:

Chapter 107: Ling Kong Dares—Why Don’t You?:

BOOM!

Suddenly, an explosion erupted, shaking the earth violently. From the cracked ground, a swarm of insect beasts surged up like writhing tentacles, crawling and clawing toward the surface in a frenzy.

Xia Yu’s expression changed instantly as she nearly fell into the chaotic swarm. Just then, Chu Mo rushed to her side, pulling her into his arms without hesitation. With one swift motion, he drew his sword and slashed down.

A burst of powerful sword qi erupted from the blade, slicing through the insect beasts beneath them, splitting their bodies in two. With Xia Yu in his arms, Chu Mo leapt down to the ground and quickly jumped up again onto the nearest building. Behind them, more beasts charged, their fangs bared and reeking with venom, lunging straight at the pair.

Chu Mo’s sword qi flared once more as he slashed upward.

“Ah! Ah! Ah!”

Countless streaks of sword light tore through the air, each one cleanly slicing apart the charging insect beasts. The mangled remains rained down mid-air and landed hard on the earth.

But even before they hit the ground, more insect beasts emerged from the depths and devoured the broken corpses, their hunger never satisfied.

Only after that did Chu Mo and Xia Yu manage to catch their breath.

Fortunately, the beasts were relatively weak—roughly equivalent to the 1st or 2nd stage of the Spirit Refinement Realm or Spirit Martial Realm—still within Chu Mo’s capacity to handle.

Once she regained her footing, Xia Yu turned to glare at Jiang Ruoxi, who stood not far away. Her eyes were full of icy resentment.

“Jiang Ruoxi! What do you mean by that?” she demanded coldly.

“What do I mean?” Jiang Ruoxi looked at her with a calm, indifferent expression. “If you couldn’t stand steadily on your own feet, how is that my fault?”

“You triggered the collapse of the ancient pagoda on purpose!” Xia Yu snapped, clenching her teeth.

If Jiang Ruoxi hadn’t disturbed that crumbling structure, they wouldn’t have stepped on it and fallen into danger.

“And you didn’t have the brains to avoid stepping there?” Jiang Ruoxi replied with a mocking smile. “Where I go is my own business. If you knew it was dangerous, why didn’t you go first?”

Xia Yu was momentarily speechless. She and Chu Mo had followed Ling Kong and Jiang Ruoxi for two reasons. The first was that they wanted to see them fall into trouble so they could gloat—or better yet, wait for them to beg for help. The second was that by trailing behind, they hoped to use Ling Kong and Jiang Ruoxi as a guide to avoid danger themselves.

“We’re all from the Sword Cloud Sect,” Chu Mo interjected. “Isn’t it inappropriate to fight among ourselves right now? The other four sects aren’t going to treat us kindly. We should be united.”

At those words, Ling Kong suddenly laughed.

You’re following us just to wait for the right moment to strike, and now you’re talking about unity?

Unity? That’s just a trick to get us to lower our guard so you can stab us in the back.

“There’s no need for this fake righteousness,” Ling Kong said coldly. “If you’re really scared, you’re welcome to keep following. But I can’t promise you won’t get caught in another collapse like that one.”

“Scared?” Chu Mo scoffed. “Ling Kong, I admit you’re capable. But if you can go forward, why can’t I?”

“Then go ahead,” Ling Kong said, spreading his hands.

With those words, Chu Mo fell silent. Going ahead was clearly more dangerous. But if they stayed behind, there was the risk that Ling Kong and Jiang Ruoxi would deliberately set them up again.

“Afraid?” Ling Kong sneered.

“You…” Chu Mo frowned, feeling both humiliated and hesitant. Deep down, he knew—yes, he was a little scared.

“In that case, we’ll take the lead. You’re free to do as you wish,” Ling Kong said indifferently and continued walking forward with Jiang Ruoxi.

Chu Mo and Xia Yu stood where they were, unmoving. It was obvious that Ling Kong and Jiang Ruoxi didn’t want them tagging along anymore. If they insisted on following, they might provoke them into something worse.

“Forget it. Let’s head back. There’s no need to follow them,” Chu Mo finally sighed.

“Why didn’t you go ahead then?” Xia Yu snapped, clearly irritated.

“Huh?” Chu Mo was startled. “Junior Sister, it’s more dangerous to lead. We should be cautious.”

“Ling Kong dares. Why don’t you?” Xia Yu looked at him with disappointment. “If he can do it, why can’t you?”

That comparison stung. She had always thought Chu Mo was stronger than Ling Kong. The only reason she stuck close to Chu Mo was to prove she could find a man stronger than Ling Kong. But now, that belief was crumbling.

Chu Mo grew increasingly frustrated. Yes, in terms of courage, he was indeed a step behind Ling Kong. It was dangerous at the front, and while Ling Kong dared to go, he hesitated.

“Junior Sister, it’s not about ability. If we go in front, I’ll have to split my focus to protect you. I can handle it, but I won’t let you get hurt,” Chu Mo reasoned. “Besides, what if we go ahead and they target us next?”

“So now I’m a burden?” Xia Yu’s expression darkened. “Ling Kong can walk ahead with Jiang Ruoxi, but you can’t with me? They’re not afraid of danger, but you are?”

“I didn’t mean that…” Chu Mo tried to explain, but she cut him off again.

“Jiang Ruoxi isn’t a burden to Ling Kong, but I’m one to you. Is that what you’re saying? You think I’m weak?”

“I… I didn’t mean that either,” Chu Mo muttered helplessly.

Why did she sound like a quarrelsome woman making things up to get mad? She wasn’t making sense at all. But she still looked cute to him.

“Alright, Junior Sister. The truth is, I just don’t want to waste too much energy right now,” Chu Mo finally said. “We’ll be stuck in this place for a whole year. Using up too much strength this early is foolish.”

“Since they want to charge ahead, let them. We’ll return to the others and regroup. Plan for the long-term.”

“Can a group of us really lose to just the two of them?”

“When the two of them run out of resources, it’ll be too late for them to beg us!” Chu Mo’s voice was firm. In his mind, even if Ling Kong was powerful, a lone wolf could never be stronger than a pack. That was how he justified it—he believed Ling Kong wasn’t invincible.

Hearing Chu Mo’s reasoning, Xia Yu finally let out a soft sigh. Although she had been furious moments earlier, she had no choice now but to swallow her frustration. It was true—this wasn’t the time for internal conflict. There would be chances later. Now was the time to think long term.

After all, they had an entire year to survive in this place.

With that, Chu Mo and Xia Yu turned around and began retracing their steps.

Meanwhile, Ling Kong and Jiang Ruoxi continued forging ahead through the ruins. Although they did encounter several dangers along the way, they handled them with ease. With the power of the Heavenly Ghostly Sword Technique, their combat strength approached the Spirit King Realm. Within the current ruins, they had no difficulty dealing with the insect beasts that lurked everywhere.

“If we had attacked earlier, we might’ve been able to kill Xia Yu and Chu Mo,” Jiang Ruoxi remarked as they walked.

Ling Kong chuckled. “Are you going to say that every time we have a chance to kill someone?”

“There’s no need to waste energy right now. Everyone here has defensive artifacts or life-saving methods. Even if we win a fight, it’ll consume too much,” he continued calmly. “Besides, if we exhaust ourselves and then get surrounded by swarms of insects or targeted by the other sects, that would be a real problem.”

“The most urgent matter right now is to find the Soul Jade Crystal. Everything else can wait.”

Jiang Ruoxi nodded. She understood it was best to follow Ling Kong’s plan and not act on impulse.

“Do you know where in the ruins the Soul Jade Crystal or the fragment of the Heavenly Ghostly Sword Technique might be?” Ling Kong asked with a smile.

“Of course I don’t,” Jiang Ruoxi said, glancing at him curiously. “You do?”

Ling Kong nodded. “It’s related to vitality.”

“Vitality?” Jiang Ruoxi looked confused.

“This part of the Heavenly Ghostly Sword Technique greatly boosts vitality when cultivated. It enhances healing and regeneration to a ridiculous degree,” Ling Kong explained.

The complete Heavenly Ghostly Sword Technique was a flawless set of martial techniques and combat skills. The fragment hidden in this ancient ruin specifically enhanced blood recovery and stamina.

“The food, resources, and medicinal pills we have now will last a month—maybe two at most,” Ling Kong continued. “After that, without food or water, it’s only a matter of waiting to die.”

“But if we can find that fragment first, we won’t need to eat or drink at all for the rest of the year.”

That was the power of the Heavenly Ghostly Sword Technique. It could absorb the spiritual energy of the world, replenish physical strength, and repair the body naturally—just like high-level cultivators who didn’t rely on external sustenance.

“So strong?” Jiang Ruoxi was surprised.

Exactly. They had to find the Soul Jade Crystal first. With it, they wouldn’t have to worry about living resources again.

The two of them pressed forward quickly.

Meanwhile, at the entrance of the ancient ruins, the rest of the group was facing another problem.

“We found a massive insect nest in that direction. We can’t move forward!”

“We hit the same thing—thousands of insect beasts blocking the way. After going a few kilometers, we had to turn back!”

“Same for us. There’s a deep rift ahead, and inside are countless insect beasts!”

“This whole place is disgusting. Everywhere is crawling with slimy bugs. There are insect eggs too—makes me sick to my stomach!”

“Are we seriously stuck at the entrance? No way forward in any direction?”

“If that’s true, then we don’t have the resources to survive here for a year!” Everyone gathered together after their explorations, their faces full of concern.

No matter which direction they chose, they couldn’t go far. At most, a few kilometers ahead, they would hit nests or swarms. There was no clear path forward. The terrain was blocked by insect lairs and filled with danger.

At this moment, someone turned to Chu Mo and Xia Yu. “Sword Cloud Sect—why are you two so quiet? Were you able to move forward in your direction?”

Chu Mo and Xia Yu exchanged glances, clearly surprised.

They had taken the same route as Ling Kong and Jiang Ruoxi.

If every other direction was blocked…

That meant only Ling Kong and Jiang Ruoxi had chosen the right path?

Was Jiang Ruoxi’s random choice actually the correct one?