"Wen Sheng will take you somewhere tomorrow."
"Where?"
"Ancient Dragon Ruins".
Lu Zhaozhao opened her mouth wide, not knowing what to say for a moment.
After a while, he said, "What kind of place is that, and why should I go there?"
Wei Zhanjie's gaze was deep. He stood up and looked at Lu Zhaozhao, his tone calm: "I thought you had already guessed it."
Lu Zhaozhao was also looking at him. In fact, both of them understood what was going on, but they just didn't say it out loud.
But today, it seems the time has come.
"Nan Yuan once said that you peered into the secrets of heaven and discovered that I am a variable in this world. This shouldn't be the first time you've encountered such a variable, right?"
Lu Zhaozhao looked intently at Wei Zhanjie and asked the question that had been buried in her heart for a long time: "Was the last variable the Heavenly Gang Immortal?"
She asked tentatively, and Wei Zhanjie lowered his eyes and remained silent, seemingly acquiescing.
Lu Zhaozhao continued, "A thousand years ago, your plan was thwarted by him. On the day you died, he successfully ascended to heaven. So you believe that you are the one who was punished by the Heavenly Dao. You are unwilling to accept this and you want to prove that you were right. But the Heavenly Gang Immortal has already ascended to heaven, so you need to find someone similar to him. That person is me, right?"
As she spoke, Wei Zhanjie moved closer, and the moment she finished speaking, his hand covered her neck.
As the tension tightened, the air suddenly thinned, forcing Lu Zhaozhao to look up and meet his gaze. She naturally saw the anger in his eyes and the emotions hidden beneath.
"What, did I make myself too clear? Did you break down?"
She spoke haltingly, her face turning red from holding it in.
The pressure on her neck increased, and she completely stopped breathing. Just before she lost consciousness, the hand loosened its grip.
Losing her support, Lu Zhaozhao collapsed to the ground. Taking in the long-awaited air, she gasped for breath in revenge, her trachea aching from the exertion.
"You're quite good at guessing. So tell me, what should I do next?"
Wei Zhanjie knelt down on one knee, supporting himself with his hand on the side. His eyes were indifferent, as if he would immediately strangle Lu Zhaozhao if she said anything wrong.
Lu Zhaozhao was not afraid. She looked him straight in the eye and said clearly, "You want me to walk the same path as the immortals, to become the second immortal, and then kill me, right?"
Wei Zhanjie looked at her, smiled—a dangerous and cruel smile—and nodded, saying, "And then?"
"I had my suspicions before, wondering what you were up to by going through all this trouble. Now I understand. The immortal had experienced a thousand years of demonic rampage, training himself within it, so you let me experience that illusion as well. When the immortal triumphed at the Golden Palace Banquet, you specifically had Nan Yuan lure my master to the Demon Dragon Tomb, had the demon army entangle the other disciples, ensuring I could obtain what was inside, and had Cheng Sangji disguise himself as a rogue cultivator to ensure everything went smoothly. Most importantly, the immortal had suffered broken bones and lost his life, but after rebuilding his cultivation, his mind was even stronger. So, back then, you knew Nan Yuan wanted to kill me, and not only did you not stop him, but you probably even encouraged him, didn't you?"
Wei Zhanjie nodded, signaling her to continue.
Lu Zhaozhao took a breath and forced herself to continue, "The ancient dragon ruins you mentioned..."
She paused for a moment and said, "The book doesn't record any related deeds of immortals, but given that it's been a thousand years and some things were deliberately destroyed, it's not surprising that there are omissions. So, you've come here today to tell me something, right?"
She asked the question for the third time today, finishing her sentence in one breath, staring blankly at Wei Zhanjie.
This time, he finally said a few more words.
"Yes and no, but you don't need to know too much. I'm only here to say one thing: there is an ancient dragon spirit hovering in the ruins. Although it is not a physical entity, it is very powerful. I need you to slay the dragon."
"You yourself said it's powerful. What if I can't do it?"
"Then go die."
Lu Zhaozhao immediately grabbed his arm, looked at him angrily, and said, "What right do you have to decide my life or death!"
"Because your life is in my hands now."
He said it in a sinister tone, with a hint of threat in his voice.
Lu Zhaozhao was furious. She glared at him and gritted her teeth, saying, "There have always been cases of people being caught off guard and suffering losses. If you raise these 'gu' creatures today, you'll have no one to complain to when you suffer the backlash in the future."
Wei Zhanjie raised an eyebrow, his disdain evident in his expression. He laughed out loud, glanced at her, and then pushed open the door to leave.
Lu Zhaozhao lowered her eyes, calmed herself down, and looked at the sword hanging on the wall.
The ancient dragon race was ordained by heaven and existed since the beginning of time. After a thousand years of development, it gradually declined after the rise of the human, demon, and monster races. Later, it split into two branches: one remained in its original location, while the other entered the Western Regions and became the demon dragons.
The demon dragon held absolute power in the western region, forcing the demon and monster races to unite, which became the basis for the current situation in the western region.
Later, Wei Zhanjie entered the Western Region, became the Demon Lord, beheaded the demon dragon, and brought it back to the Western Region.
But what does this have to do with the Celestial Immortal?
Could it be that it has some connection with the branch that was left behind?
The matter is now settled, and the events of that year are impossible to verify, but the present situation is urgent.
Tomorrow she will set off for the Ancient Dragon Ruins. The Ancient Dragon has long since disappeared, and what remains inside is merely a wisp of a spirit, but it is unlikely to be weak.
The dragon race was already incredibly powerful, and their unprovoked extinction is truly lamentable. This wisp of remnant soul will surely be difficult to deal with.
"The road ahead is uncertain."
Lu Zhaozhao sighed.
It was quiet outside the window, except for the occasional scream, but no one knew what had happened.
She sat by the window, waiting for dawn to break, for the new moon to set, and for the sun to rise.
Wen Sheng arrived very early. He hesitated at the door for a while, then gave himself a pep talk and made up his mind before knocking.
But before he could even touch it, the door was opened from the inside.
Lu Zhaozhao appeared at the door, and Wen Sheng's hand was placed in front of her before she could retract it.
His expression was somewhat dazed, and Lu Zhaozhao couldn't help but chuckle. Wen Sheng immediately snapped out of it, withdrew her hand, smiled shyly, and a blush crept onto her cheeks.
Seeing that he hadn't followed up for a while, Lu Zhaozhao couldn't help but remind him, "Aren't you going to take me with you?"
"Oh, right." He was a little flustered and at a loss. He immediately took a step forward, but his back looked a bit stiff.
Lu Zhaozhao followed behind him, and after a while, she called out, "Wen Sheng."
"Um?"
Upon hearing this, Wen Sheng immediately turned around, her eyes sparkling like a little puppy.
Lu Zhaozhao considered for a moment, then said tactfully, "We've met before, and we're familiar with each other's ways. Hmm... but this time you seem too reserved. I'm thinking, you don't need to be so cautious; it makes both of us uncomfortable."
Wen Sheng remained silent like a puppy caught in the rain, her watery eyes misty, making Lu Zhaozhao wonder if she had spoken too harshly.
Fortunately, he recovered quickly, and their relationship resumed afterward. However, the nervousness and restraint he inadvertently revealed in his words and actions could not be hidden, which caught Lu Zhaozhao's attention.
The journey wasn't long, and we arrived quickly.
The western border is already desolate, and this place is even more barren, with temperatures higher than other places.
Turning left and right until the lava appeared in front of her, Lu Zhaozhao finally understood the origin of the heat wave.
"The ancient dragon ruins are right below here."
Wen Sheng said, her eyes involuntarily shifting away.
"This is lava, I can't go down there."
Lu Zhaozhao said.
Wen Sheng paused, then said somewhat stiffly, "He won't let me help you."
After saying that, they looked at each other as if burned, and then quickly looked away.
This "he" is most likely Wei Zhanjie.
Lu Zhaozhao also understood the source of Wen Sheng's guilty conscience along the way.
The chances of her never returning from this place are too high. Having Wen Sheng send her here is no different from having Wen Sheng be the executioner.
"I'm sorry..." he said softly, his voice trembling with fear.
There's a reason for every wrong, and Lu Zhaozhao wasn't someone who couldn't distinguish right from wrong. She waved her hand to show that she didn't blame him, and then walked to the edge of the lava to study it.
Lava occasionally splashed out, melting the nearby rocks.
After watching for a while, Lu Zhaozhao suddenly burst out laughing.
Wei Zhanjie, oh Wei Zhanjie, you truly lived up to your reputation.
Lu Zhaozhao sighed inwardly, noting that this place was extremely similar to the lava she encountered in the Western Region during the illusion, suggesting that it was also based on this reality.
"They even considered this; this plan is truly meticulous."
Lu Zhaozhao muttered to herself, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Wen Sheng looked at her in confusion. The next second, before he could even exclaim in surprise, Lu Zhaozhao jumped into the lava in front of him without hesitation.
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