Chapter 99: The Unfathomable Nature of the Human Heart

When Gu Weiyu regained her sight, she found herself standing in an endless desert stretching as far as the eye could see.

She stood atop a sand dune, surrounded by barren desolation with no signs of life.

The vast sea of sand extended limitlessly, and no hint of greenery met her gaze.

"It's so quiet here!" Little Sprout poked out curiously, looking around in wonder.

But as soon as Little Sprout’s voice sounded, Gu Weiyu heard a rustling beneath the dune.

Alert, she swiftly extended her spiritual awareness downward.

Beneath the shifting sands, countless sand scorpions were rapidly climbing up the dune, poised to reach her feet.

Startled, Gu Weiyu quickly summoned Qing Tuan and mounted it, rising into the air.

No sooner had she left, the dune she had stood on became swarmed with dense sand scorpions.

From her vantage point, she looked down in disbelief—there was no place left to set foot on that dune!

Standing upright on Qing Tuan, she scanned the vast yellow sands; to the east, faint patches of green shimmered amid the ochre.

“Qing Tuan, head east!” Gu Weiyu commanded, pointing.

At her command, Qing Tuan surged forward, swiftly flying eastward.

Unwittingly, Gu Weiyu sat down hard on Qing Tuan’s soft back—fortunately, it was cushioned enough to spare her discomfort.

A sharp, piercing cry echoed from above, clear and loud, brimming with raw challenge.

Turning her head, Gu Weiyu saw a giant eagle circling down from the high sky, its gaze fixed on her and Qing Tuan.

Heavens! With giant eagles above and sand scorpions below, where was she supposed to retreat?

Yet, between the overwhelming sand scorpions and the few giant eagles, she chose to confront the eagle.

After all, the giant eagles were fewer in number; the sand scorpions were far more troublesome.

“This giant eagle looks intimidating, but it’s only at the peak Qi Refining stage,” the voice of Little Book echoed in her mind, offering advice. “Use your spiritual awareness to attack!”

“Got it!” Gu Weiyu’s eyes brightened at the suggestion. Though Little Book was sometimes unreliable, its knowledge was vast.

“Spiritual spear!” she commanded.

Gu Weiyu transformed her spiritual awareness into sharp, spear-like projections aimed at the giant eagle’s head.

A sharp eagle cry rang out again, this time laced with pain and fury.

The eagle’s once proud and aggressive assault faltered, and it circled midair, its piercing eyes fixed on the tiny human standing atop Qing Tuan.

Gu Weiyu met its gaze defiantly, silently urging Qing Tuan, “Fly east quickly!”

She had already spotted a small oasis to the east, likely a safer haven.

Qing Tuan accelerated once more, flying like an arrow toward the green refuge.

The giant eagle was unwilling to relent and pursued closely behind.

Qing Tuan had long since engaged its defensive shield, so Gu Weiyu only needed to focus on offense. Standing atop Qing Tuan, she unleashed her most powerful strike—the Thunder Sword technique!

The giant eagle twisted midair, narrowly evading her attack.

The sky was the eagle’s domain, a natural advantage over human cultivators, especially those at the Qi Refining stage who had yet to master sword flight.

Grimacing, Gu Weiyu retrieved a stack of assorted attack talismans from her storage space and scattered them like a shower of blossoms onto the giant eagle.

Fire, wind, metal—various elemental spells erupted on the eagle’s body like brilliant fireworks.

Startled by the onslaught, the giant eagle had never encountered such a vexing assault in its memory.

Its previously unstoppable momentum faltered; after circling the air resentfully a few times, it finally withdrew.

Gu Weiyu exhaled in relief as Qing Tuan continued toward the oasis.

Within a short incense’s burn, they arrived above the lush patch.

The green grass stretched like a velvet carpet, and Gu Weiyu dismounted, stepping onto the soft verdant ground. “This place...”

Before she could finish her thought, Little Sprout popped out and quickly burrowed beneath the grass, vanishing from sight.

That little rascal! Gu Weiyu chuckled and shook her head, then settled comfortably on the grass.

Her master had once explained that the tower levels they encountered in the Seven Treasures Trial Tower corresponded closely with one’s spiritual roots.

Earlier levels aligned with her own roots, while later ones might bring encounters with other cultivators entering the trial tower.

She had met several such cultivators before, but so far, none appeared here.

Wait—that is...

Gu Weiyu stood and spotted several dark figures rapidly approaching from a distant dune.

Her vision was remarkably sharp; though far away and their voices indistinct, she could clearly discern their clothing and expressions.

They, too, were suffering the relentless “welcome” of sand scorpions and giant eagles, caught in a pincer attack.

At this moment, they were desperately fleeing toward the oasis where Gu Weiyu stood.

The five were divided into two groups: three riding flying devices in front, and two struggling to traverse the dunes behind.

From their wary demeanor, Gu Weiyu judged they had only met after entering this tower level and were mutually distrustful.

Their movements revealed they were not allies; some were even hostile toward each other.

The flying devices moved faster, with one person controlling each craft.

The other two focused on dealing with the persistent giant eagle pursuing them from behind.

“Ah—!” Just as the three were about to enter the oasis, disaster struck.

One yellow-robed youth suddenly lost his grip and fell from his flying device.

The giant eagle, accelerating sharply, deftly snatched the youth with its talons, emitting a sharp cry.

In a blink, the eagle vanished into the sky with the terrified and struggling youth as a tiny black dot.

Elsewhere, likely shocked by this turn, one of the two struggling behind finally gave out, screaming a piercing wail.

His body and limbs became swarmed with biting sand scorpions.

Within moments, the harrowing screams ceased.

“Hey, aren’t you a little cold-blooded just standing there watching?” Gu Weiyu withdrew her gaze indifferently and turned to a girl in a light green dress who had just dismounted from a flying device.

“He’s no kin of mine. Why should I risk my life to save him?” Gu Weiyu’s lips curved in a faint smile as she said coolly, “Unlike some who sacrifice their companions just to save themselves.”

“You—” The girl’s expression suddenly changed, her eyes flashing with panic for a moment. “What nonsense are you talking about… I don’t understand a word…”

Purple Pen Literature