The Array she had set up beforehand was now taking effect, but its multiple layers of defense only held until the third strike before shattering completely.
Lu Sangjiu immediately used the various Defense Treasures on her person to take the brunt, and with the addition of her Cultivation Technique, the Heavenly Origin Infinite Shield, she barely managed to endure through the sixth bolt of lightning.
Nine bolts in the Heavenly Tribulation. Only the final three remained!
Her Spiritual Energy was nearly depleted, but she still had Demonic Qi.
She formed the Heavenly Origin Infinite Shield with Demonic Qi once more. It nearly drained all her strength, but she managed to withstand two more bolts.
Only the final bolt of the Heavenly Tribulation was left. Lu Sangjiu gritted her teeth... ’I’ll have to rely on my body to endure this one!’
But the last bolt of a Heavenly Tribulation was always the strongest. It gathered in the sky for a long time before finally descending upon Lu Sangjiu with world-destroying might!
The instant she was engulfed by the lightning’s glare, Lu Sangjiu almost believed she was about to repeat the failure of her past life and die beneath this terrifying Heavenly Tribulation.
But to her surprise, the moment the tribulation lightning struck, she felt no pain.
All she saw was a dazzling flash of lightning. When her vision returned, she was astonished to find herself... by a lake?
The melodious sound of a qin drifted from the distance. Following the sound, she looked out and saw a pavilion in the center of the lake.
From afar, she could see someone in white robes sitting in the pavilion with their back to her, playing the instrument.
Translucent silk curtains billowed in the wind, obscuring the figure and making it difficult to see clearly.
She instinctively wanted to get closer for a better look, but when she tried to use Sword Control, she discovered she was like a mortal, completely powerless to cross the lake.
She grew anxious and couldn’t help but call out to the person in the center of the lake, "Who are you? And why am I here?"
The music stopped abruptly.
Then, a voice that seemed both distant and near echoed clearly in her ear.
It was a man’s voice, pleasant to the ear, but his words carried a cold indifference, a lofty disdain for all living things.
"You have been resisting the fate I bestowed upon you. Why... do you now ask who I am?"
Lu Sangjiu froze. She replayed his every word in her mind over and over. As unbelievable as it was, she could only arrive at one possible conclusion.
"...The Heavenly Dao?"
The man seemed to chuckle softly before asking, "Are you afraid?"
Lu Sangjiu’s expression turned grave, but after a frantic racing, her heart quickly calmed.
She slowly shook her head. "I’m not afraid."
"Then why is your voice trembling?"
She gave a light laugh. "Because... I’m excited."
"For so long, I’ve sometimes wondered if all my efforts were just a struggle pushing me toward a different path with the same destination."
"But your appearance today has finally allowed me to confirm that everything I’ve done has meaning."
"So... you’re getting worried, aren’t you?"
Lu Sangjiu had never imagined that she would one day be able to speak face-to-face with the so-called Heavenly Dao.
She was in a strange state, both perfectly calm and intensely exhilarated.
She knew this was her first, and possibly only, chance to truly face the truth of this world.
The man was silent.
After a long while, it was unclear whether he was lashing out in humiliation or genuinely found it amusing.
He sneered, "I could have killed you directly during this Heavenly Tribulation. I decided to give you a chance to meet me... and you have the audacity to think it’s because I’m afraid?"
His scorn and condescension could easily make one feel small and inferior, but Lu Sangjiu’s expression remained unchanged, completely unaffected.
Her tone was light, as if she were speaking to a complete equal.
"Is that so? Then why don’t you tell me your reason for wanting to see me?"
When someone is only a little stronger than you, you might be afraid. You might think of begging for mercy, of giving in, hoping for a lucky escape.
But... when someone is so much more powerful that they can decide your life or death at will, you might not be so afraid anymore.
Because you know that if they truly decide to kill you, then no amount of groveling or flattery will change the outcome.
And so, Lu Sangjiu was filled with just such a strange sense of calm.
The man paused, seemingly displeased by her reaction, but he didn’t say anything to rebuke her.
He simply said in a detached tone, "Haven’t you always wanted to defy the heavens and change your fate? Don’t you despise Ye Zhiyao for being my favored one?"
"Well then... I will give you this one chance, and only this one."
"You can kill Ye Zhiyao. You can kill Bai Heng. You can kill anyone who stands in your way."
"You can also protect those you wish to protect and cultivate smoothly all the way to Ascension."
"...Lu Sangjiu, I am letting you replace Ye Zhiyao as this world’s protagonist. Are you willing?"
His voice was calm, but his words held an inexplicable allure.
His every word seemed to transform into a beautiful future she could see.
She saw Ye Zhiyao, wretched as a stray dog, scorned by all.
She saw Bai Heng kneeling, humbly begging for mercy, only for her to cut him down with a single strike.
She saw her master, her senior brothers and sisters, and her friends, all free from their shackles and restraints, their faces beaming with happiness.
She also saw Xie Ningyuan.
His Heart Demon was gone. He was once again the Buddha Son of the past with a pure Buddha Heart, walking toward the future he was meant for, filled with goodwill and hope for the world.
...It was all so tempting, making her wish with all her being that it was real.
As Lu Sangjiu watched these visions, a smile unconsciously spread across her face.
’This... this is the happy ending I’ve always wanted.’
"So... what must I do to replace Ye Zhiyao and become this world’s heroine?"
She heard a faint chuckle, one that seemed to hold mockery, understanding, and perhaps even boredom.
A table suddenly materialized in front of Lu Sangjiu.
On the table were a brush, ink, and a book.
The book looked familiar, in a style Lu Sangjiu had seen before. But the title on the cover had changed from *The Cultivation Record of Ye Zhiyao* to *The Cultivation Record of Lu Sangjiu*.
She lowered her gaze and reached out, gently opening the book.
Everything she had already experienced was unmentioned. It began with a single sentence: *Lu Sangjiu breaks through to the Golden Core Stage and travels to Qingyun State alone.*
However, only that one sentence was clear. She tried her best to read the rest of the content, but it remained a blur.
The man’s voice sounded again. "Once fate has been glimpsed, it is subject to change. Are you sure you wish to keep reading?"
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