Pre-death assessment

"You're doing all this to force me to reach the fifth realm?"

From the very beginning, Ling Wu hadn't explained anything to him.

Instead, she deliberately widened the rift between herself and him.

On the surface, it's about drawing a line between oneself and others, but in reality, it's about becoming independent and self-reliant.

Is it about making a breakthrough when you feel most powerless?

He was constantly guiding his thoughts and his heart!

Ling Wu slapped Liu Ruyan's hand away: "It's just that you happen to be a little short of the fifth realm, so you're just trying it out casually. That's not my main purpose."

"Then what other purpose do you have?" Liu Ruyan asked.

"I told you before that the first three levels of the pre-death assessment space are forbidden to have any experts at the fifth realm."

Ling Wu then slowly said, "Do you know why?"

"What is it?" Liu Ruyan, of course, had no idea.

Because Ling Wu didn't say it at the time.

"The reason is something like Lei Zhenyu."

Ling Wu continued, "Once a fifth-realm expert appears, it will draw out certain things!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ruyan's expression changed slightly again.

Wait, something's not right!

So, Ling Wu's ultimate goal in getting himself to the fifth realm was to make him do the kind of thing Lei Zhenyu did.

In the end... it still comes down to sacrificing oneself?

He did not sacrifice himself in the second instance.

But he planned to sacrifice himself in the third stage.

Damn it, I don't want to be used by him anymore!

Liu Ruyan immediately clenched her fists: "You..."

"Don't worry, you won't die."

Ling Wu seemed to know what she wanted to say, so he interrupted her directly.

"Last time it was just Lei Zhenyu alone, but this time... I'm here too!"

A fifth-realm expert is certainly no match for a clone seed.

But with myself added, that's certainly enough.

hum!

Just then, a buzzing sound suddenly came from the heavens and earth.

Ling Wu and Liu Ruyan both continued watching.

Suddenly, a dark red light pattern appeared around the beast king lying on the ground below, barely alive.

Then, a dark red aura suddenly gathered from all directions, centered on it.

These dark red auras of death, invisible under normal circumstances, permeated the entire pre-death assessment space.

And now, everything has come together.

Looking down from above, the Beast King resembled a dark red vortex, devouring the dark red matter that existed between heaven and earth.

As it devoured, the damage left by Ling Wu on its body was repaired little by little at a speed visible to the naked eye.

At the same time, its originally slightly reddish metallic body began to completely transform into a purplish-gold-red metallic color.

"This Beast King... is it the hidden BOSS in this pre-death assessment space?" Liu Ruyan frowned.

"It's the power of the Death God's clone seed."

Ling Wu let out a breath, then recounted the matter of the Death God's clone seed to Liu Ruyan...

After hearing this, Liu Ruyan was quite surprised.

Therefore, Ling Wu's primary purpose was never actually any assessment or reward.

It is the fruit formed from the seeds of the Grim Reaper's clone!

He's basically... stealing Death's food!?

"So... when you invited me to join your team, wasn't it all just to use me to lure out the clone seed?"

Liu Ruyan then asked, "If I hadn't met Lei Zhenyu in the second level, would I indeed have been the one to die?"

"Who says summoning the Death Seed means certain death?"

Ling Wu slowly said, "It's just that if it were Lei Zhenyu, doing it this way would be simpler."

"What's so simple about it? Isn't it the same? He's already dead!"

Liu Ruyan said in a deep voice, "If I were to reach the fifth realm in the second level, the one who dies would die, and I would die instead."

"That's not necessarily true."

Ling Wu smiled and said, "If it were you, I would naturally find a way to keep you alive."

"Heh, hindsight is 20/20?" Liu Ruyan chuckled, not believing it.

If he had a way to survive, why didn't he let Lei Zhenyu survive?

Who are you trying to fool by saying this after the fact?

"Lei Zhenyu was never supposed to reach this third level."

Ling Wu continued, "Even if he doesn't die, he can only disappear in the second level."

"What does this mean?" Liu Ruyan asked, puzzled.

Even if Lei Zhenyu can't complete the level, he can still survive in the second level.

"Aren't you curious? Lei Zhenyu is dead, yet Lei Yun doesn't hate me at all?"

Ling Wu then asked, "Even you hate me, Lei Yun, who lost her younger brother, why?"

"Because she loves you so much she can't help herself," Liu Ruyan scoffed, making a teasing remark.

"Because Lei Zhenyu died in the first level long ago."

Ling Wu continued, "The second level of Lei Zhenyu is merely a summoned creature created by Lei Yun. Her summoning ability is to summon a relative of hers."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ruyan was immediately taken aback.

Lei Zhenyu was just a summoned creature?

No wonder, no wonder he met the requirements to pass the level but didn't pass it at all.

He also said that he had never received any prompts in his mind.

That's it!

It turns out he wasn't a real person at all!

"So... so if Lei Yun wanted to, she could summon a new Lei Zhenyu now?"

Liu Ruyan continued.

"Yes, Lei Zhenyu is useless in this third level, so there's no need to summon him." Ling Wu nodded.

"Then why didn't you come sooner...?"

Liu Ruyan stared intently at Ling Wu, wanting to complain about why he hadn't said so earlier.

But after thinking about it, if Ling Wu had told him earlier, how could he have reached the fifth realm here?

This is why Ling Wucong never explained it to him in the first place.

He had it all planned out long ago!

"So... if I hadn't broken through to the fifth realm just now, would I be dead here?"

Liu Ruyan then asked, "Are you gambling? Gambling that I can break through?"

"So I arrived shortly afterward, didn't I?"

Ling Wu smiled and said, "I told you I was just giving it a try. If you fail to break through, I'll rescue you at the last moment."

"Then... I have no choice but to sacrifice Karina to lure out the clone seed!"

"I didn't expect you to be so capable, actually reaching the fifth realm."

He had made two plans in advance.

In any case, we must get our hands on the fruit.

Fortunately, Liu Ruyan did not disappoint her expectations.

She successfully reached the fifth realm.

Then everything will be much easier from here on out.

With Liu Ruyan at the fifth realm and himself, they would certainly be able to deal with the hidden BOSS in this third level of assessment space.

"Any more questions?"

Ling Wu then asked.

Liu Ruyan took a deep breath.

That's it, it's completely gone now.

Ling Wu's primary objective from the very beginning was to draw out the clone seed.

There are only two solutions: either a fifth-realm expert appears, or Karina is sacrificed.

And coincidentally, he had the opportunity to reach the fifth realm, so he arranged everything from the beginning until now.

If he fails, he will sacrifice Karina!

Fortunately, he had indeed been fooled by him and had been tricked into becoming a fifth-level expert.

"So... are we still teammates?"

Liu Ruyan then asked.

"It's up to you."

Ling Wu smiled and said, "I never forced anyone to be my teammate."

"Yeah?"

Liu Ruyan chuckled: "Weren't Li Qingxue and the others the ones you forcibly brought down?"

"They...are different."

Ling Wu smiled and shook his head.

"What's different?" Liu Ruyan asked curiously.

"I'll only tell you, but you're not allowed to tell anyone else, okay?"

Ling Wu looked at her.

Liu Ruyan frowned slightly, then nodded emphatically: "I promise I won't tell!"

Ling Wu then leaned close to Liu Ruyan's ear and whispered, "Actually... it's not their first time in the pre-death assessment space, they just don't know it."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ruyan was immediately shocked.

What... what does this mean?

It wasn't their first time here, but they didn't even realize it.

"Could it be... that they have amnesia?" Liu Ruyan then asked.

You'll find out later!

Ling Wu smiled and continued, "It's a promise, a secret!"

"I……"

Liu Ruyan was speechless.

They thought that Ling Wu and they weren't here for the first time.

As it turns out... none of Ling Wu's entire team were here for the first time?

So, each of them has a hidden side?

boom!!!

Just then, the beast king below finally completed its repair and the final step of its evolution.

The emergence of experts at the Fifth Realm has seriously threatened the balance of the entire assessment space.

Therefore, the seed forcibly chose the strongest vessel, which is the beast king in front of it, and awakened prematurely.

As the seed and the beast king completely merged, a dark red beam of light shot into the sky.

A dense aura of death began to permeate the entire third level of the pre-death assessment space.

"This feeling... is the same as that guy upstairs."

Liu Ruyan narrowed her eyes slightly.

In the second level, when the giant infant appeared, it also emitted this eerie aura of death.

"This is different!"

Ling Wu smiled: "The second one was still in infant form, but this one in front of me... has clearly grown up!"

It is certainly more powerful than the second level.

"Just how strong are you right now?" Liu Ruyan then asked.

"Slightly stronger than you," Ling Wu replied simply. "About the same as that guy at the second level."

"Then if we join forces... do we have a chance of winning?" Liu Ruyan then asked.

"call……"

Ling Wu let out a soft breath, then slowly said, "The truly strongest one in this third level is not this clone seed, but another guy."

"If that guy doesn't make a move, our chances of winning are naturally very high."

He was referring, of course, to the four city lords.

"What do you mean, 'this guy' and 'that guy'?"

Liu Ruyan was confused: "Isn't this guy in front of us a hidden boss? What other being could be stronger than him?"

Ling Wu smiled: "Of course I do, and they're much stronger than this guy in front of me!"

Because he is Ding Si, one of the Ten Heavenly Stems!