Chapter 2173: Temptation
Zu An was the one who consoled her instead, saying, “Don’t worry. I’ve already experienced countless things more dangerous than this, and yet I’ve made it through all of them. I’m now far stronger than back then and even have this old friend helping me. If I still can"t win, even I"ll begin to look down on myself a bit.”
Even though he could also just stand by the altar and kill the Skin-Flaying King again and again, he had to seize the authority if he wanted to obtain the Divine Dragon Immortal Medicine. Additionally, he really was worried about the variables that would form if the Skin-Flaying King pa.s.sed the trial. At that point, wouldn’t the entire world completely merge with h.e.l.l?
“But this is still too dangerous! I would rather you not take the risk. Even if the Skin-Flaying King obtains the World Law Beacon of this world, so what? We can just try and think of another solution then.” Shang Liuyu held onto his hand tightly without letting go.
Zu An shook his head slightly. “There are things that need to be done no matter what. I want to enjoy a safe and simple life too. Perhaps great power comes with great responsibility. If not me, then who else could we hope for to take on the risk?”
Shang Liuyu bit her lip. How could she not understand that he was the best candidate? But the pitch-black abyss was horrifying just to look at, let alone entering to partic.i.p.ate in some trial. The chances of making it out alive were slim.
When he sensed that she was still grabbing onto him firmly, Zu An continued, “Don’t worry. I’ve already wandered along the brink of life and death so many times over the years, so I have some experience. Trust me.”
“If you keep taking risks, one of these times, you might…” Shang Liuyu stopped midway through her sentence. “That’s not what I was trying to say. It’s just that this is too dangerous for you.”
“Yeah. If you’re still worried, then how about you give me a kiss as a reward once I return? I won’t be willing to die so easily if I know what’s waiting for me,” Zu An said with a laugh.
The giant statue rolled its eyes.
If this guy isn’t flirting, he"s thinking of how to flirt...
Zu An almost smacked himself on the mouth out of regret. He had seen so many movies in his previous world; did he still not understand what setting up these kinds of flags meant?
While he was thinking about how to offset that, Shang Liuyu suddenly threw herself toward him and said, “You don’t need to wait until you come back.”
Afterward, she gave him a kiss. Her soft lips carried the unique fragrance of a young lady. Zu An was immediately stunned. He reflexively reached out his hand to hug her, but Shang Liuyu jumped back, seemingly in alarm.
“Don’t misunderstand! It’s not because I like you or anything! I just wanted to do everything I could to encourage you.”
Shang Liuyu’s mind went blank as well. Their relationship had always been quite good, but it hadn"t reached this extent yet, right? Let alone the fact that he already had that kind of relationship with her big sister.
How can I…
Zu An touched his own lips. He smiled and thought to himself, I didn’t expect big sis Shang to also be a tsundere.
The giant statue coughed lightly. “Once you enter h.e.l.l, you will also die if something ends up happening to your physical body on this side. Thus, you need some way of protecting your body.”
Zu An looked at Shang Liuyu with a gentle expression. “Where else would I need to look? Of course I’ll have big sis Shang protect me.”
Shang Liuyu was alarmed. “Me? But what if I’m not strong enough?”
She wasn’t being humble. With her current cultivation, she was already quite strong in this world. However, there were just too many astonishing beings who had entered the Tomb of Ten Thousand Dragons this time. Whether it was those alien monster leaders or their elite subordinates, or those creatures that had been in the tomb to begin with… She could perhaps stall for a bit against one or two of them, but if there were too many opponents, she really was worried that she wouldn’t be able to ensure Zu An’s safety.
Zu An thought for a bit, then took out a formation disc. He set up several great defensive formations, then handed her the disc. “Hold onto this. If you have this formation, you should be able to defend yourself even if enemies come.”
Shang Liuyu hurriedly took it. With her cultivation and knowledge, she naturally knew how to control the formation disc.
Zu An then took out the Human Emperor Seal to use as the formation core. With Shang Liuyu’s current cultivation, she couldn"t make full use of the Human Emperor Seal on her own. But if she borrowed the help of this formation, she could just barely bring out its power.
Shang Liuyu didn’t refuse. When she sensed the might of the Human Emperor Seal, she calmed down a bit.
Then, Zu An continuously warned Shang Liuyu that if there really was no way for her to resist anymore, she had to protect the pendant he was wearing.
Shang Liuyu was stunned. “Is that pendant also a divine artifact?”
“That’s not it…” Zu An chuckled in embarra.s.sment. The pendant carried the sleeping Jing Teng, and it would be better not to disturb her for no reason. “You’ll know when the time comes. But you absolutely can"t disturb it without a good reason, or else the consequences will be too terrible.” There was no way he would admit that it was actually because he was worried about the two women meeting. If that happened, there would definitely be h.e.l.l on earth.
Shang Liuyu nodded. She remembered her warning firmly.
After Zu An finished giving her instructions, he nodded toward the giant statue. He leaped down just as he had been told to and vanished into the abyss.
Shang Liuyu’s beautiful eyes widened. She looked around vigilantly and clenched the formation disc tightly. She was also ready to take out her instrument at a moment’s notice.
When it saw how guarded she was, the giant statue chuckled. “There is no need for you to feel nervous. No one will come here.”
Shang Liuyu looked at the giant statue and suddenly asked, “What is your mission here? Is it to draw worthy candidates into the trial?”
“That is indeed the case. Once they finish the trial, my mission will be complete and I will disappear,” replied the giant statue.
Shang Liuyu shivered. “Then couldn’t you choose to never let those people pa.s.s for the sake of living longer?”
The giant statue chuckled. “Young lady, your imagination is quite strong. However, you cannot understand beings like us. Life and death do not carry much meaning for us.”
Shang Liuyu frowned. It was hard for her to understand what he was trying to say.
The giant statue didn’t try to help her; instead, it continued, “Right, you asked me what mission I have here. I remember that apart from guiding those suited to partic.i.p.ate in the trial, I also accepted a request from the Mermaid Ancestor of that generation, to pa.s.s on her inheritance to a successor.” He looked at Shang Liuyu and said, “You seem to possess the Mermaid King race bloodline and your temperament isn’t bad, making you a good candidate for receiving the inheritance.”
Shang Liuyu’s pretty brows furrowed. “Why did our Mermaid race"s ancestor need you to help her choose a successor?”
The giant statue chuckled. “Since you were able to come here, you probably pa.s.sed through three gates, right? In the past, the Mermaid Ancestor, the Ocean Deity, and I set up those three gates. The Mermaid Ancestor created the first gate. Because the Mermaid Race has always possessed the outstanding trait of being faithful and unchanging, if a Mermaid opened her gate and came here, her character would definitely be deserving of trust.”
Shang Liuyu thought, So that was the case. Unfortunately, the ancestor had probably never predicted the current complicated situation.
“Later, the gates the Ocean Deity and I set up had corresponding trials as well. The Mermaid Ancestor could not exist for as long as me, so she entrusted me, her friend, to help with this small matter,” said the giant statue.
Shang Liuyu shook her head. “I think it’s alright. I need to protect Ah Zu.”
“You aren’t even going to consider such a good opportunity?” The giant statue was a bit confused. “Either way, there is no danger here, and it won’t take that long for you to receive the inheritance. Once you return, you’ll be even stronger, which will help you protect him better.”
Shang Liuyu was a bit tempted. After all, this was indeed an extremely rare opportunity. But after just a moment of hesitation, she shook her head. “Forget it, I’ll give it a try once Ah Zu comes back.”
The giant statue sighed. “How can there be something so perfect in this world? It has already been far, far too long since the Mermaid Ancestor left it behind. Her last bit of power is already about to fade, or else I would not have even remembered this. After joining that trial, your friend will not come back for quite some time. By the time he returns, the last of your Mermaid Ancestor’s power will have already completely faded away.”