“Hmph! Do you really think it’s up to you whether you go or not now? If you refuse, I’ll end you right here. Do you truly believe that just because of the Star Palace’s two old fogies’ earlier words, our Extreme Yin Island wouldn’t dare to make a move?” Wu Chou’s small eyes glinted with menace as he spoke.
For some reason, though Wu Chou was only playing the villain to pressure Han Li on the orders of the Extreme Yin Ancestor, he genuinely disliked Han Li. This animosity felt almost innate and utterly irrational.
Naturally, Han Li held no favorable impression of Wu Chou either. Hearing this, he merely cast a cold glance at him before ignoring him and addressing the Extreme Yin Ancestor instead: “Although I don’t know what great use you have for my spirit beast, I am well aware that if a spirit beast’s master dies, no one else can tame it. Moreover, I could always command the Bloodjade Spider to self-destruct in a critical moment—I assume you wouldn’t want to see that, Senior?” His words carried a hint of threat, causing the middle-aged man opposite him to pale slightly in surprise.
Han Li understood clearly that Wu Chou was merely a paper tiger; the real authority here lay with the Extreme Yin Ancestor. Thus, he had no intention of wasting time engaging with Wu Chou.
However, this dismissive attitude infuriated Wu Chou. A flash of malice crossed his face, and he opened his mouth to hurl insults at Han Li, but the Extreme Yin Ancestor beside him raised a hand to stop him. “Well, I admire bold juniors. Since I need to borrow your Bloodjade Spider, I naturally won’t make you come for nothing. Once we reach the inner hall, I will…”
Just as the Extreme Yin Ancestor was about to promise some reward, his expression suddenly darkened, and he fell silent. He slowly turned his head, fixing a fierce gaze in a certain direction, his eyes filled with hostility.
“Who’s eavesdropping there? Show yourself!” the Extreme Yin Ancestor’s voice was sharp, dripping with killing intent, clearly enraged.
Han Li’s heart skipped a beat. He instinctively thought Xuan Gu had been discovered and began frantically considering how to handle the situation.
But when an aged voice responded, Han Li was taken aback.
“Brother Wu, why so angry? I merely happened to pass by. Surely you don’t mean to start a fight?” A green glow shimmered, and an elderly scholar in Confucian robes materialized out of thin air dozens of yards away, smiling as he regarded the Extreme Yin Ancestor and the others.
It was none other than that “Green Icy Scholar” who was somewhat acquainted with the Extreme Yin Ancestor!
“Fellow Daoist Qing! You’ve been following me!” Recognizing the man, the Extreme Yin Ancestor’s killing intent wavered, and he asked with an extremely unpleasant expression.
“Following? Not at all. I was merely strolling around and happened to see you and this young fellow talking from afar, so I flew over to say hello. I didn’t expect to upset you so. Had I known, I would never have been so rash.” The scholar chuckled dryly and offered a casual explanation.
Ignoring the Extreme Yin Ancestor’s pale face at this excuse, he glanced down at the Bloodjade Spider and clicked his tongue in admiration.
“So this is the Bloodjade Spider? Truly a rare spirit beast. According to analyses by senior cultivators of the past, this spirit beast is one of the best for retrieving the Void Heaven Cauldron, with a far higher success rate than your Fire Python or Wan Tianming’s Golden Silk Worms.” The Green Icy Scholar shook his head as he spoke.
Strolling around? Then why conceal yourself? Hearing such a brazen excuse, the Extreme Yin Ancestor grew even more furious. Seeing the scholar eye the Bloodjade Spider and reveal the secret he had been trying to hide, his expression turned even darker.
“And this must be the junior you’ve been so concerned about, Brother Wu. I, too, enjoy mentoring bold young men. How about it? Would you like to become my disciple? I’ve never taken one before.” The scholar’s gaze shifted from the Bloodjade Spider to Han Li, his eyes glinting as he spoke words that left the Extreme Yin Ancestor livid and Han Li stunned.
“Take me as your disciple?” Han Li blinked, unsure whether to feel pleased or bitter.
“Fellow Daoist Qing, what is the meaning of this?” The Extreme Yin Ancestor’s face was icy, tendrils of black energy swirling around him as he stared at the elder and spoke word by word.
“Heh, just a joke, Brother Jiyin. No need to be so tense. If I really took this young man as my disciple, I’m afraid you’d fight me to the death. But if Barbarian Saber knew about this Bloodjade Spider, I wonder if he’d have the same idea?” The elder chuckled lightly, a sly glint flashing in his eyes as he spoke nonchalantly.
This eased the Extreme Yin Ancestor’s expression slightly, but the mention of Barbarian Saber gave him a headache.
Originally, the Extreme Yin Ancestor had planned to keep the Bloodjade Spider a secret, incite others to drive the righteous path cultivators out of the inner hall or let both sides weaken each other, then pretend his Fire Python failed to retrieve the treasure while secretly using Han Li’s Bloodjade Spider to obtain it. That way, he could claim the Void Heaven Cauldron for himself. As for his earlier promise to share the treasure, he had long discarded it without any intention of honoring it.
But to his dismay, his careful plans were now disrupted by this old fox. Killing him to silence him was not a sure bet, and even if it were, he wouldn’t act rashly with Wan Tianming and other righteous path cultivators to deal with. He couldn’t afford to weaken his side’s strength.
The mention of Barbarian Saber made the muscles on the Extreme Yin Ancestor’s face twitch. He had experienced the power of Barbarian Saber’s Tuo Mo Magic Art firsthand in the past, and even with his recently mastered “Heavenly Capital Corpse Fire,” he had little confidence in facing him. If Barbarian Saber used the same excuse to take Han Li as a disciple and then demanded the lion’s share of the treasure, there would be nothing he could do. Unless…
The Extreme Yin Ancestor was pragmatic. Seeing that the secret of the Bloodjade Spider could no longer be kept, he immediately began thinking of how to avoid being shortchanged in retrieving the treasure.
A thought struck him, and he looked at the elder with a strange expression, vaguely guessing the intent behind his words. Seeing this, the scholar smiled slightly and sent a sound transmission, his lips moving faintly.
The Extreme Yin Ancestor’s expression shifted uncertainly.
“Well, what do you think of this proposal?” The elder’s transmission was brief, and he soon resumed speaking aloud.
“Fine, I agree.” The Extreme Yin Ancestor agreed almost without hesitation, his face dark.
“Good, that’s settled. Now, which of us do you think should take him as a disciple?” The elder looked satisfied, then glanced at Han Li and spoke leisurely.
“Let him choose whom he wishes to acknowledge as master. That seems fairer.” The Extreme Yin Ancestor pondered for a moment before replying.
The elder was taken aback, a strange look flashing across his face, but after a brief consideration, he nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, the Extreme Yin Ancestor showed a rare smile. He then turned to Han Li on the ground and said coolly, “I assume you’ve heard our conversation. Your Bloodjade Spider is crucial for retrieving the treasure this time, and we will not let it go no matter what. If you think I dare not kill you because you’re its master, you are gravely mistaken. I know a convenient method to refine spirit corpses—I could always kill the Bloodjade Spider and turn it into a demon corpse. However, this would greatly reduce its cultivation base, so I would only resort to it as a last resort. If you fear we might harm you after succeeding, either of us can take you as a disciple. Then we would be on the same side, and you would receive a share of the treasure if we succeed. You seem clever; you should know what choice to make.”
The Extreme Yin Ancestor delivered this mix of threats and temptations calmly. Since the scholar’s appearance, Han Li had been uneasy, but now he seemed somewhat swayed.
In truth, Han Li was inwardly lamenting his misfortune. The moment the Green Icy Scholar appeared, he knew the situation had worsened. He had held onto a sliver of hope that these two old monsters would conflict, allowing him to slip away in the chaos. But they were far too cunning, reaching an agreement in just a few words.
Even if Xuan Gu jumped out to help now, it would likely be futile.
His threat of having the Bloodjade Spider self-destruct seemed useless now—they would probably restrain it before he could act. And as long as there was a sliver of hope, he wouldn’t choose certain death by angering Nascent Soul stage cultivators.
It seemed refusal was not an option.
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