The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

As the Pseudo Heavenly Dao spoke, a clear image suddenly materialized before Lu Sangjiu’s eyes.

In a dark cave, Duan Xingyun lay there, his clothes torn and his face pale. He was covered in large patches of blood, almost completely lifeless.

Beside him, Li Qiancheng had a full head of white hair and a face covered in wrinkles. He lay there, his breathing faint, like an old man on the verge of death.

And then there was Shen Yuzhao... He was charred black from head to toe, burned almost beyond recognition. She could only faintly sense a sliver of Spiritual Energy protecting his Elixir Field Heart Meridian.

Finally, there was Luo Linlang. She had practically become a person of blood, covered in horrific wounds with almost no part of her body left unscathed. She was just barely hanging on by a thread.

Next to them, Lu Sangjiu also saw herself.

She was, surprisingly, the one who looked the most unharmed in the group. She had no terrifying injuries, just a few minor wounds that made her look disheveled, and a weakness from having exhausted her Spiritual Power. That was all.

The Domination Map Blade was currently protecting them, seemingly struggling against some terrifying power.

Lu Sangjiu’s fingers gradually tightened into fists. Her eyes were filled with pain, but she bit her lip, stubbornly refusing to show the slightest hint of weakness.

Even so, the Pseudo Heavenly Dao could clearly sense her emotional turmoil.

His voice was filled with mockery. ”They’re about to die. And it’s all your fault.”

”Are you in pain? In despair? Do you feel guilty? Full of regret...?”

His voice seemed to possess an ability to pluck at her heartstrings, luring her, step by step, toward the abyss.

With his every word, the emotions in Lu Sangjiu’s heart were amplified, until she was almost completely submerged in anguish.

The Pseudo Heavenly Dao watched Lu Sangjiu’s state with satisfaction, then asked her in a very soft voice, ”Do you... want to save them?”

”...I do!”

Lu Sangjiu gave her answer with almost no hesitation.

’Of course I want to save them.’

Her master, who could be absent-minded but was always so gentle, accepting, and protected them all with everything he had.

Li Qiancheng, who had a fiery temper but always shouldered the responsibility of the eldest disciple, trying his best to become steady and reliable.

Luo Linlang, who cried at the drop of a hat and had the wildest imagination, who seemed so unreliable but would shield her with her own life at the most dangerous moments.

Shen Yuzhao, who was timid and afraid of pain, who wouldn’t even squeak when bullied, but would endure the agony of being burned by scorching flames to swing his sword when she needed him.

They weren’t related to her by blood, but they had long since become more than family... How could she possibly watch them die just like this?

The Pseudo Heavenly Dao felt Lu Sangjiu’s Divine Soul practically trembling, as if it were screaming with her intense desire to save them.

He chuckled softly, like a king who had won in the end, victory completely within his grasp.

”If you want to save them, you have two choices.”

”The first choice: you willingly become my slave, your soul to be imprisoned by me forever.”

”The second choice... kill Xie Ningyuan. Let his Divine Soul be utterly annihilated, never to enter the cycle of reincarnation again.”

”So, how about it? As long as you make one of these choices, I will help you save everyone.”

”You know as well as I do, even if I only hold a portion of the authority of this world’s Heavenly Dao, saving a few mere ants is a trivial matter for me.”

Lu Sangjiu believed that he did indeed have the power to save them.

Right now, their lives were hanging by a thread, and it seemed there was no other reliable way to save them besides him.

But those two conditions of his... Lu Sangjiu gritted her teeth, unable to make a final decision.

The Pseudo Heavenly Dao smiled. ”As much as I’d like to have an interesting slave like you... admit it. People are selfish.”

”No matter how deep your feelings for Xie Ningyuan are, is it worth sacrificing yourself for him?”

”Although I’ve been planning for a long time and had hoped Ye Zhiyao would live up to my expectations and bring me all the fated treasures of this world...”

”...compared to having that guy’s Divine Soul utterly annihilated, I would much rather see him die.”

”In other words, Lu Sangjiu, if you just kill Xie Ningyuan, not only can your friends and family live, but you can also continue on your path.”

”You can kill Ye Zhiyao, seize all the destiny I bestowed upon her, become the savior of this world, and then ascend to the Upper Realm in infinite glory.”

”Aren’t these all the things you’ve been pursuing?”

”Kill Xie Ningyuan, and everything will be within your grasp. Isn’t that a good deal?”

His bewitching words, one by one, caused a very obvious look of conflict to appear on Lu Sangjiu’s face.

She was wavering!

The corner of the Pseudo Heavenly Dao’s mouth twitched, and a trace of ridicule gradually crept into his indifferent eyes.

Humans, after all, are ruled by their emotions and desires.

No one in this world can resist all temptation—unless the price isn’t right.

Ignoring Lu Sangjiu’s struggle and pain, the Pseudo Heavenly Dao’s voice carried a soul-piercing power, applying one final bit of pressure. ”Make your decision. I have no more patience to wait.”

Lu Sangjiu closed her eyes, beads of sweat forming on her forehead from the immense pressure.

She knew that every word she was about to say would decide the fate of Duan Xingyun and the others.

No matter the outcome, she would be shouldering their fates.

She recalled all the friends and family she had met on her journey. Their smiling faces flashed before her eyes, and everything she had experienced with them seemed to become clear once more.

Finally, Lu Sangjiu took a deep breath. The unease and confusion in her eyes gradually faded, replaced, bit by bit, with resolve.

The Pseudo Heavenly Dao’s lips curled into a slight smile. ”Well then, you can tell me your choice now.”

Lu Sangjiu gazed at the figure in the lakeside pavilion and said, word by deliberate word, ”Actually... I have a third choice.”

The smile on the Pseudo Heavenly Dao’s lips slowly faded. For an instant, it was as if he was back at his first meeting with Lu Sangjiu.

She had done the same thing then, delivering a merciless slap just when he was confident that he had everything under control.

His gaze turned bone-chillingly cold. ”What... did you say?”

Having said what she wanted to say, Lu Sangjiu’s expression seemed to relax considerably.

Her words were brief but incredibly firm. ”I don’t need you. I can save my master and the others myself.

”Now... I don’t want to listen to your damn blabbering anymore. Get... the hell... out... of my head!”

The Pseudo Heavenly Dao’s eyes widened. Furious, he seemed to want to say more, but he was blocked by an irresistible will and could only watch helplessly as he was ejected from Lu Sangjiu’s consciousness!

「Upper Realm.」

In a leisurely and elegant grotto-heaven, two exceptionally beautiful maids were playing among the flowers outside a house.

Suddenly, they seemed to sense something. The smiles on their faces froze, and their expressions turned serious. They hurried into the house.

”Young Master!”