Chapter 129: In This Life, I Shall Never Fail You

The Nine-Section Thunder Whip, though only a low-grade spirit treasure, transcended the limitations of its rank thanks to its artifact spirit, Golden Hair.

When Yan Shu transformed the whip into a dragon, even she was startled by its sheer scale. She had poured her spiritual power into it for years, yet she had only used it once before—the day she left the secret realm. She had never before unleashed its full form; today was the first time in a decade. Golden Hair, seemingly having been suppressed for far too long, let out an excited roar upon assuming its complete form. That dragon’s cry echoed through the entire Xuantian Sect.

However, before it could fully revel in its excitement, the heavenly thunder descended. The once-exuberant dragon roar instantly transformed into a pained, low growl. Yan Shu, whose life force was bound to the whip, immediately felt the stinging heat of the powerful thunder. Though she was not struck directly, she felt as if her very internal organs were being scorched to ash. Fortunately, she had weathered countless heavenly thunders before and had even endured the lightning tribulations for Xiao Jihan; while the pain was excruciating, it was not entirely unbearable.

Sitting quietly beneath the thunderclouds, Xiao Jihan watched Yan Shu with calm phoenix eyes as she furrowed her brows to control the thunder dragon. He was not surprised that she had intervened; in fact, he had been certain she would. Yet, even with that certainty, he had wanted to witness it with his own eyes. That was why, this time, he had not left as he usually did to wait out his tribulation in solitude. Even knowing that she loved him deeply—to the point of disregarding her own life—he still felt uneasy, as if something were missing between them.

He was not Yuwen Che; he possessed no grand, altruistic heart. Even before Yan Shu, he had no intention of sacrificing himself in silence. He admitted to being a petty man; he wanted his partner to see every bit of his devotion, and he expected a return far greater than what he had given. And so, even knowing she might be hurt, he had stayed. He needed proof, time and again, of his place in her heart to feel secure.

But now, seeing Yan Shu’s knitted brows and pale face as she bore the heavenly thunder for him, even though it was all within his calculations, his heart could not help but ache. Xiao Jihan looked up; the thunder dragon circling above his head was shrinking at a visible rate, its body shifting from a vibrant cyan-purple glow to a dark, ominous black. Even though Xiao Jihan had never witnessed another person’s tribulation, he knew his own was far from ordinary. This was no mere test of ascension; this was a divine condemnation! He could not understand what he had done to warrant such punishment from the Heavenly Dao. The Heavens were indifferent, treating all living things as mere straw dogs. But why, he wondered, must he be the one chosen to play the part of the sacrificial dog?

Xiao Jihan’s brows locked together. Malice surged within him, and his spiritual power erupted. Suddenly, he reached up, tore the thunder dragon from above his head, and tossed it toward Yan Shu before turning his gaze upward to face the heavens directly.

Boom! Before the seventh strike of lightning had fully dissipated, the eighth descended!

She’s gone mad! The male lead has gone mad! The Heavenly Dao itself has gone mad! The male lead would never die, but she certainly would! Yan Shu didn’t even look at the thunder dragon on the ground; she lunged straight into the heart of the lightning!

Xiao Jihan, who was resisting the thunder with his own body, felt his heart leap violently at the sight of her rushing toward him. Even amidst the baptism of the heavenly lightning, he could see only her, and he could hear only the frantic pounding of his own heart. When she finally reached him, releasing her spiritual power to intertwine with his and resist the thunder together, Xiao Jihan was suddenly furious.

"Have you lost your mind?" he roared at her. "Get out of here!"

Lost her mind? No. Yan Shu cherished her life dearly! If she had stayed outside watching, that would have been true madness. The male lead wouldn't die, but she would! Once he could no longer resist, the lightning would inevitably turn toward her. Rather than waiting for that, she might as well drag him down with her—whether the lightning struck him or her, they would face it together! She refused to believe that if she clung to the male lead, she would still end up dead.

Yan Shu turned to look at him, gritting her teeth. "If we resist, we resist together! If we die, we die together!"

Without waiting for his response, she formed hand seals and released the Karmic Fire Red Lotus she had hidden within her body. Instantly, a brilliant red light erupted! The lotus, now with only nine petals remaining, unfurled slowly beneath their feet. As Xiao Jihan and Yan Shu sat upon the lotus pedestal, the petals closed around them, and crimson karmic flames spread outward.

Xiao Jihan watched Yan Shu as she channeled her power, a flicker of light dancing in his phoenix eyes. He curled his lips into a faint smile and whispered, "Very well. If we die, we die together."

He reached out, grabbed her hand, and interlaced his fingers with hers, pouring his remaining spiritual energy into her in a steady stream. Yan Shu was startled by his action, but as she felt the surge of his power, she instantly understood his intent.

She closed her eyes, focusing all her strength on controlling the Karmic Fire Red Lotus. Karmic fire could burn anything—and "anything" did not just mean people or objects. As the power of the seventh thunder strike faded, the eighth began to weaken under the relentless burning of the flames. Inside the lotus pedestal, Yan Shu and Xiao Jihan remained hand-in-hand, their fingers locked. Both had exhausted their spiritual reserves, and their faces were deathly pale.

It was a scene that should have been tragic or desperate, yet because of their calm expressions and striking beauty, framed by the red lotus and the surrounding karmic fire, it appeared hauntingly exquisite.

The eighth thunder strike dissipated. Yet, Yan Shu and Xiao Jihan did not let go of each other's hands, for they knew the ninth was coming. Gazing at the roiling thunderclouds above, Yan Shu asked herself: if she truly died here, would she regret it?

She thought, perhaps, she would not. Even without the threat of the Heavenly Dao, even without the protagonist’s plot armor, she would have rushed into the lightning today. Not for anything else, but for Xiao Jihan. To her, he was no longer just the male lead whose favor she had to painstakingly earn; he was simply Xiao Jihan. Ten years of companionship, the thoughtful care he had shown her at Wushang Peak for nearly a month, the pavilion, the spring... For these alone, she was willing to advance and retreat with him, to live and die by his side.

She had been nothing more than a wandering soul from another world; to have lived again and to have been cherished by her seniors was already a stroke of fortune. If she were to lose her life, it was simply fate. If her life could change the ending of the original book, ensure the safety of the Xuantian Sect, and secure a peaceful end for her seniors, then she felt it was worth it.

Xiao Jihan, his spiritual energy still entwined with hers, felt the firmness of her heart once more. He turned to her and said, slowly and resolutely, "Yan Shu, in this life, I will never fail you."