Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 1020: Su Nu

Not long after, Su Nu was startled awake. She abruptly turned her head, her face full of alertness, and shouted, "Who’s there?!"

"Junior Sister, don’t be alarmed. It’s me." A figure flashed into sight. It was the handsome young man from before.

"Senior Brother..." Su Nu relaxed instantly. The vigilance in her eyes faded away, replaced by trust.

She exhaled softly, her face breaking into a bright and delighted smile as she said sweetly, "So it was Senior Brother who arrived first. Where are the others?"

The young man was momentarily dazed by Su Nu’s radiant smile. However, he failed to notice the fleeting trace of complexity that flashed across her eyes as she spoke.

"They should be on their way. I didn’t expect the first trial to be a Puppet Battle. Otherwise, we could have met earlier at the previous stage." The young man stepped forward and finally noticed the bloodstains on the ice and Su Nu’s pale condition. His face changed sharply, and he hurriedly said, "Junior Sister, you’re hurt?"

Su Nu nodded, her tone weak and tinged with grievance. "I was injured during the first trial and forced to suppress it. Just now, I was ambushed by Ice Lizards, which stirred my internal wounds again. I had to stop and heal."

"With your cultivation, Junior Sister, it shouldn’t have been difficult to pass the Puppet Battle! I see now, our master and the others have been protecting you too well. The puppet beast in the final stage isn’t easy to handle. You’ve been too focused on cultivation. Although your progress has been astonishing, you’ve lacked real combat experience. When facing true danger, you panic and lose rhythm."

The young man clapped his hands, as if he had discovered the root of the problem, and said encouragingly, "After we leave Seven-Kill Hall, you should ask our master to let you go out and train. I’ll accompany you and keep you safe."

"Thank you, Senior Brother." Su Nu bowed politely, then put away her meditation mat. "With you here, I feel much safer. We’d better hurry before someone else takes the Soul-Cleansing Liquid. The others will catch up soon."

"Alright!" The young man nodded without a trace of doubt and flashed to her side.

But the instant he came closer, Su Nu’s smile vanished. Her gaze turned icy as she suddenly struck out with her palm. A black palmprint, condensed from devilish qi, surged toward the young man’s vital spot.

"Junior Sister, you—" The young man was horrified. He could never have imagined that this innocent, pure girl in his eyes would suddenly attack him, and with killing intent no less.

They were too close. Caught off guard, he only had time to twist his body aside. Just as he moved, a strange feeling gripped him. His heart sank. Embedded beneath the ice, a string of jade bangles suddenly appeared. Their arrangement formed a spiritual array, and his step had landed right in its center.

Boom! The ice exploded violently, shards scattering across the sky.

Jingling... The jade bangles trembled, ringing crisply like chimes.

But to the young man, that sound was no melody; it was the tolling of death itself. He hastily summoned his life-bound astra, a silver chain named the Immortal-Binding Chain. Yet, the moment the chain appeared, a fierce gust of wind struck.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of black light. A chill crept into his heart as he realized that a barrier had suddenly formed between him and his astra, rendering their connection sluggish.

Upon the silver chain coiled a tiny black serpent made entirely of devilish qi. Its tail was tethered to Su Nu’s left hand. Her right hand formed seals rapidly, and her crimson lips parted softly. "Explode!"

The jade bangles trembled faster and then shot toward the young man. In his terrified gaze, they detonated.

Boom! The spiritual array self-destructed, pulverizing everything nearby.

Su Nu retreated swiftly to avoid the shockwave. She carefully scanned the surroundings. Seeing no other figures, she flashed back to the blast’s center. All was silent. The young man appeared to be dead.

"Stop pretending. I know you’re not dead." Su Nu’s voice dripped with disdain. Devilish qi surged from her palm, forming a devilish saber that slashed downward.

Clang! The long saber struck resistance.

The young man reappeared, his hair disheveled, his robes in tatters. He looked utterly wretched, clutching only a broken fragment of his astra. His aura was frail.

He glared at Su Nu’s delicate face, eyes burning with hatred. "Vicious woman! I’ve no enmity with you. Why did you set me up?"

"Vicious woman? No enmity?" Su Nu sneered and said nothing, striking again.

Already gravely injured, the young man was no match for her. Soon, he was captured alive.

Su Nu tossed him onto the ice, her gaze complicated. "Senior Brother, for the sake of our decades together, if you answer one question honestly, I’ll give you a quick death and spare you the agony of a soul search."

The young man stayed silent, his eyes seething with hatred. Su Nu ignored it and continued coldly, "You were sent by the alliance leader and your master, Old Ghost Xun, to watch me, weren’t you? Why did they really take me in?"

At her words, the young man’s expression changed. Shock flickered in his eyes.

"As I thought." Su Nu sighed softly. "Are you wondering how I found out? Granny Yue staged it all, pretending I was discovered by the alliance leader by chance, taken as his disciple for my outstanding talent. In truth, she offered me up as a gift. She thought I’d lost my memories, but I remembered everything!"

Her tone grew sharp, filled with deep hatred. "She used dozens of us sisters as sacrifices to refine the so-called Five-Yin Mystic Body. Only I survived. Granny Yue succeeded; she offered me up and must have gotten what she wanted. For decades, I’ve played the fool, letting you all manipulate me, but my fear has only grown. Even if I possess the Five-Yin Mystic Body, my cultivation has progressed far too fast. What are you planning to do with me to raise me at such cost? You said you came to meet me, but you’re really here to monitor me, aren’t you? I bet there are merchant alliance spies at the inner hall entrance too!"

Her voice grew shrill, each word trembling with fury as she fixed her eyes on him.

"Junior Sister, you’re overthinking it. You gained the alliance leader’s favor only because of your talent. For all these years, my master and the alliance leader have guided your cultivation and never mistreated you." He sighed softly and closed his eyes.

Seeing his stubbornness, Su Nu no longer hesitated. She pressed her palm against his brow. Moments later, his qi depleted and died.

"There’s a barrier in his primordial spirit to block soul searching... Just as I thought. You all truly take me for a fool." Su Nu gave a cold snort. Looking down at his corpse, she hesitated briefly, then conjured a flame and reduced it to ashes.

She drew out the command token and tried to destroy it, but the token was unyielding, bound to her bloodline, and refused to be discarded.