“You two fellow Daoists are also aware of the power of time and space. That’s good—it saves me the trouble of explaining why I’m willing to cease hostilities.” Han Li swept a glance at Xueran and the others, his expression unchanged.
Xueran and Heilin’s expressions turned exceptionally grave. After exchanging a look, Xueran continued, “This woman has actually comprehended the Law of Time and Space. She’s indeed not someone to be trifled with. Let’s hear what she has to say. But if our objective here cannot be achieved, my brother and I will never back down easily.”
“You heard my companion’s words. We can give you a chance, but if you fail to satisfy us, even if you manage to escape, the rest of your clan will not be spared.” Han Li nodded and turned to the young woman, speaking calmly.
“Hmph! From the tone of your words, it seems you’ve already decided our clan’s fate. If we continue fighting, the outcome is far from certain,” the woman on the city wall retorted, her face darkening.
“Is that so? Shall we test that theory?” Heilin sneered, his eyes narrowing coldly.
“Fellow Daoist, Mother, there’s no need for further argument. From what I’ve heard, your purpose in entering this realm is for our clan’s crystal cores, correct? If you obtain them, will you leave peacefully?” The blood-skirted young woman raised a hand to halt the dispute and addressed Han Li calmly.
“Correct. But we only require the cores of mature individuals—others are useless to us. Earlier, you transmitted a message saying you could meet this demand. Has your clan reconsidered and decided to willingly surrender their cores?” Han Li narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone neutral.
At these words, the woman and the other Asura Spider clansmen present all stiffened slightly. For their clan, losing a core wouldn’t result in immediate death, but it could lead to severe depletion of vitality or even long-term consequences.
“Asking my younger sister and other clansmen to surrender their cores is naturally impossible. However, our clan has existed in this realm for some time, and we do possess a few cores from other mature clansmen. It’s not impossible to offer you a few,” the blood-skirted young woman replied with a faint smile.
“What? That’s unacceptable! Those cores are reserved for important purposes!” Before Han Li and the others could react with joy, the Asura Spider Matriarch exclaimed sharply.
The young woman frowned slightly and transmitted a message to her mother. “Mother, I’ve already comprehended the Law of Time and Space. In time, I can teach you this power as well, so those cores are no longer essential. Besides, I didn’t say we’d give them away for free.”
“Ying’er, are you suggesting…?” The woman’s expression shifted as if recalling something.
“Mother, have you forgotten the sacred artifact of the Voidfish Clan? We’ve been unable to retrieve it due to insufficient manpower. If we can obtain it, wouldn’t that be far more valuable than keeping those cores idle? Don’t forget, the spatial aspect of the dual laws is what our clan truly needs to master.” The young woman transmitted another message.
“If we obtain that artifact, are you confident you can further unravel the mysteries of spatial power?” The woman’s expression flickered uncertainly before she asked hesitantly.
“Rest assured, Mother. I’ve already hit a bottleneck in comprehending the Law of Time and Space. Once I refine that old man’s Nascent Soul to nourish my spirit and combine it with this artifact, breaking through is virtually guaranteed.” The young woman replied without hesitation.
“Very well. Since you’re confident, I won’t stand in your way.” The Asura Spider Matriarch finally made her decision.
The blood-skirted young woman chuckled softly, evidently having anticipated this outcome.
Han Li and the others naturally noticed the silent exchange between the young woman and the Matriarch. Once they seemed to reach an agreement, Xueran quickly asked, “If you can provide the cores, there’s naturally no need for further conflict. But how many can you offer? If it’s too few, there’s no point in continuing negotiations.”
“How many do you require?” the young woman countered.
“Given the number of us who entered this realm, we’ll need at least thirty or forty to suffice,” Xueran replied without hesitation.
“Thirty or forty? You’re truly asking for the impossible! Not only have some cores already been consumed by our clan, but even before, we never had such a quantity,” the young woman retorted coldly.
“Oh? How many can your clan provide?” Xueran remained calm, unfazed by her tone.
“At most eight. That should be enough for your needs,” the young woman said after a brief pause, her tone unhurried.
“Eight? Absolutely not. That’s not even enough to divide among the four of us,” Xueran said stiffly, his expression darkening.
“Eight cores would allow each of you to receive two. How is that insufficient? Don’t push your luck. Moreover, even these eight won’t be given freely. You’ll need to assist our clan with a small task. After all, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” The young woman’s eyes gleamed as she spoke coolly.
“What kind of assistance do you require? Speak, and we’ll consider it.” Han Li, who had remained composed throughout, finally interjected with a raised brow.
“It’s simple. I need your help retrieving a certain treasure. Once it’s in our hands, I can immediately hand over the cores,” the young woman replied, a faint smile playing on her lips.
“What treasure, and where is it? With your clan’s abilities, you can’t retrieve it yourselves?” Han Li’s eyes flashed with amusement.
Xueran and Heilin exchanged puzzled glances at this.
“The nature of the treasure is irrelevant to you. Just know it’s of great importance to our clan. It currently lies submerged in an icy pool, where the cold is so extreme that even Great Ascension cultivators cannot reach the depths. But don’t worry—our clan devised a retrieval method long ago. We’ll only require a small contribution of your strength, with no danger involved.” The young woman smiled charmingly, as if dispelling their concerns.
“What do you two think?” Han Li turned to Xueran and Heilin after a moment’s thought.
“If there’s no danger, it’s worth a try. But eight cores are still too few—it’s awkward to divide. Heh, let Brother Han decide. We trust you won’t disappoint us.” After a brief exchange via voice transmission, Xueran chuckled.
“Very well. I’ll take charge this once. Fellow Daoist Ying, you’ve heard our discussion. Here’s our counteroffer: twelve cores, not one fewer, and we’ll assist you in retrieving the treasure. But half must be paid in advance. If we encounter unexpected dangers during the retrieval, we reserve the right to withdraw, though we’ll still claim the remaining cores. Additionally, we don’t plan to linger in this realm for long, so the sooner we act, the better.” Han Li spoke unhurriedly to the young woman.
Xueran and Heilin’s expressions flickered slightly at the number of cores mentioned, but neither voiced any objection.
“Twelve cores… Fine, twelve it is. If you demand more, our clan truly cannot provide it. Then it’s settled. As for when to proceed—if you have no objections, we can set out shortly.” The young woman agreed almost eagerly, as if more impatient than Han Li and the others.
“Good. Prepare yourselves. I’ll recall our last companion.” Han Li nodded and flicked his sleeve, producing a jade pendant. With a few taps, faint silver runes appeared and vanished into the pendant.
The young woman smiled and transmitted instructions to the Matriarch, who likewise used a secret technique to contact the four adult Asura Spiders.
High above, the summoned purple peacock, deprived of the Elder Yi’s mana support, shrank until it let out a mournful cry and was devoured by the silver giant bird. With a thud, the ancient lamp fell from the sky.
Han Li unceremoniously caught it and stowed it in his sleeve. The others, though aware of the lamp’s value, naturally didn’t protest.
For a time, silence reigned inside and outside the stone city’s barrier as both sides waited.
After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a white streak shot across the distant sky toward Han Li. In a few flashes, the light dissipated, revealing Mo Jianli beside Han Li.
Mo Jianli looked pale, his azure battle armor riddled with cracks, his aura noticeably weaker—clearly worse for wear.
“Fellow Daoist Han, the Asura Spiders are truly willing to surrender their cores? How did you convince them? And who is this woman?” The elder appeared eager but paused upon noticing the blood-skirted young woman.
“Circumstances have changed. There’s no need for further conflict. This woman’s abilities are extraordinary—she’s the reason for this shift. Do you have any objections? By the way, where are the adult Asura Spiders?” Han Li smiled and glanced in the direction Mo Jianli had come from, surprised to see no other figures.
“Avoiding a life-or-death struggle for the cores is ideal. As for those four, I trapped them temporarily with a carefully laid formation. Fighting them alone was taxing—my spirit beasts are severely injured, and the formation won’t hold them much longer.” Mo Jianli explained hastily, relief evident on his face.
“So you used a formation. That’s a clever approach.” Han Li nodded, somewhat surprised.
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