Seeing this, Patriarch Ji Yin’s expression also shifted slightly. After a moment of silence, he spoke calmly, “Since Brother Man has doubts, I won’t hide it any longer. My disciple is of great use to us in retrieving the treasure from the inner hall. If he has offended you in any way, I hope you can show leniency.”
As Patriarch Ji Yin spoke, Han Li felt extremely frustrated. When had he ever offended this Barbarian Beard? On the contrary, it was he who had been forcibly robbed of his jade pillar in the great hall by this old devil, and he was still seething with anger about it!
Of course, these thoughts remained strictly in Han Li’s mind; he would never dare voice them aloud.
“Offended? I don’t even know this kid! How could he have offended me? I was just taking a closer look and found his cultivation technique somewhat interesting, so I decided to test him out. But how could a Core Formation cultivator be of any use in the inner hall? You’re not trying to deceive me with lies, are you?” Barbarian Beard waved his hand dismissively, speaking lazily.
Hearing this, Ji Yin frowned and hesitated for a moment before glancing at the scholar-robed elder. Seeing this, Qing Yi smiled faintly and transmitted a message to Barbarian Beard through lip movements.
At first, Barbarian Beard showed a look of disdain at their secretive behavior, but after hearing a few more words from the elder’s transmission, his expression suddenly changed, and he looked at Han Li in surprise.
He then transmitted a few questions to the elder and soon showed a look of sudden understanding, his face darkening.
“Ji Yin, no wonder you inexplicably took on a disciple. So he actually has… Hmph! You certainly have quite the plan!” Barbarian Beard narrowed his eyes, shooting a sharp, sword-like gaze at Patriarch Ji Yin as he spoke coldly.
“Brother Man, there’s no need to be angry. If you were in my position, you’d likely do the same. Besides, since we’ve brought this matter to light, we have no intention of keeping it all to ourselves. We still need to rely on your strength to retrieve the treasure,” Patriarch Ji Yin replied calmly.
“That’s true. Without my help, those hypocrites like Wan Tianming wouldn’t even give you a chance to retrieve the treasure. But let’s be clear: if we do manage to obtain the treasure, how do you plan to divide it?” Barbarian Beard’s expression softened slightly as he spoke.
“How about we divide it into four equal shares, including one for Fellow Daoist Han?” the scholar-robed elder suggested immediately, as if he had already considered the matter.
However, as soon as these words were spoken, Barbarian Beard’s expression turned hostile.
“Qing Yi, do you take me for a fool? Dividing it equally among four? How could you even suggest such a thing? In that case, you can deal with Wan Tianming yourself, since we’d all be getting the same share,” Barbarian Beard retorted with a sarcastic tone.
“Brother Man, don’t be angry. Ahem! It seems my suggestion was indeed inappropriate. How do you think we should divide it, then?” The elder remained unperturbed by the sarcasm and instead asked with a smile.
“I don’t care how much you two get, but I must take half. After all, Wan Tianming alone is enough to give you two a hard time. Since I’ll be dealing with him, taking half isn’t too much,” Barbarian Beard stated sternly.
Neither Ji Yin nor the elder showed surprise at this demand, as if they had anticipated his greed.
“Half? Brother Man, your appetite is far too large. Don’t forget, without my disciple’s help, our chances of successfully retrieving the treasure are pitifully low. My disciple deserves a larger share,” Patriarch Ji Yin said unhurriedly.
“Hmph! A mere Core Formation cultivator deserves to share the treasure with us?” Barbarian Beard didn’t even glance at Han Li as he spoke.
Han Li’s face twitched slightly at this but quickly returned to normal.
“Hehe! If he were just a rogue cultivator, he certainly wouldn’t be worthy of sharing the treasures inside the Void Sky Cauldron. But since he’s now my disciple, he naturally deserves his share,” Patriarch Ji Yin insisted, showing no intention of backing down.
A fierce glint flashed in Barbarian Beard’s eyes, and he was about to say more when the elder interjected with a compromise.
“How about this? There’s no need for further argument. Let’s divide the treasure into five shares. Brother Man takes two, and the rest of us take the remaining three. That should be fair, right?”
Hearing this, Barbarian Beard paused, stroked his beard, and fell silent.
Patriarch Ji Yin immediately expressed his agreement. “I can accept these terms. What does Brother Man think?” he asked, looking intently at Barbarian Beard.
“Fine. Although I’m not entirely satisfied, it’s better than the previous suggestion,” Barbarian Beard said reluctantly, frowning.
He could see that Patriarch Ji Yin and the elder had formed an alliance, and this proposal was likely their bottom line. Given the circumstances, he couldn’t push too hard.
While the demonic path experts were busy dividing spoils they hadn’t even obtained yet, Wan Tianming and his group were also secretly discussing their plans for retrieving the treasure.
“Sect Leader Wan, how confident are you that your Golden Silk Worms can retrieve the Void Sky Cauldron? Many seniors have tried to obtain this treasure in the past, yet none have succeeded. I fear we might be setting ourselves up for disappointment!” Daoist Tian Wuzi asked with concern.
“Don’t worry. Originally, my Golden Silk Worms alone wouldn’t have been enough, but since we found the Sky Blue Flower earlier, if I sacrifice the worms and feed them this flower during the retrieval, we have at least a thirty to forty percent chance of success. That’s already quite high,” Wan Tianming replied calmly.
“I understand the logic, but I still feel uneasy. Forgive me; it seems my cultivation is insufficient, and my mind is not yet tempered enough,” Tian Wuzi said somewhat apologetically.
“Haha, even the Twin Sages of Heavenly Star would be anxious about a treasure like the Void Sky Cauldron. This is only human nature. We may be cultivators, but we are not truly desireless immortals,” Wan Tianming chuckled.
“However, Sect Leader Wan, what do you think those demonic path fellows are whispering about? Earlier, it seemed like they were having some internal conflict, but now they’re laughing and talking as if nothing happened. Could they be plotting something?” the farmer-like cultivator interjected.
Wan Tianming glanced coldly at the demonic path experts who had just finished their discussion. “Although demonic path cultivation techniques are powerful, they often distort the cultivator’s nature, leading to inconsistent behavior. There’s nothing unusual about that. What’s important is that we must not allow the Void Sky Cauldron to fall into the hands of the demonic path, even if it means we don’t obtain it ourselves. After all, Patriarch Ji Yin’s mutated fire python is one of the spirit beasts capable of retrieving this treasure,” he said gravely.
“Sect Leader Wan is absolutely right! If the demonic path obtains this treasure, their influence will only grow. Right now, when the Star Palace is at its weakest, we must not allow the demonic path to replace them and dominate the Chaotic Star Sea,” Tian Wuzi nodded in agreement.
Wan Tianming was very satisfied and was about to say more when suddenly, a brilliant red and blue light erupted from the direction of the giant mountain. The mountain wall near the canyon entrance shook violently, splitting open to form two narrow passages that seemed to lead directly into the canyon’s interior.
Outside each passage stood a stone tablet about three to four feet tall. One was inscribed with the words “Crystal Path,” and the other with “Magma Road,” written in ancient script.
Immediately, some of the cultivators closest to the passages rushed forward.
However, as they approached the entrance of the Magma Road, a scorching wind blew out, causing dizziness and parching their mouths. Meanwhile, from the Crystal Path, a chilling white cold air continuously seeped out, accompanied by the howling of fierce winds, sending shivers down their spines.
“Han Li, let’s go. We’ll regroup at the end of the Icefire Path. Which path do you want to take? Although I cannot personally escort you through, I can give you one or two treasures to ward off the cold or heat,” Patriarch Ji Yin said, standing up with renewed vigor and turning to Han Li with a concerned expression.
Having heard about the Icefire Path from Fairy Zi Ling while passing through the Ghost Mist, Han Li knew that once he stepped into the passage, he would be teleported to a predetermined location within the canyon by the restrictions. The chance of being teleported together with others was very low, which was why Patriarch Ji Yin made this offer.
“I’ll take the Magma Road. I happen to have a fire-resistant robe that might be of some use,” Han Li said after a moment of thought.
“Very well. Take this. With your cultivation and this item, you should have no trouble passing through,” Patriarch Ji Yin said without hesitation, taking out a blue jade pendant from his storage bag and handing it to Han Li.
“Well, well! I never thought you, Ji Yin, would be so generous for once. Isn’t that your prized White Rhino Pendant?” Barbarian Beard remarked with a mocking smile as he happened to witness the exchange.
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