"Rumble—!"
Just as Tianmeng Ice Silkworm was burning with anger, another series of thunderous explosions echoed above the tunnel, and chunks of earth even shook loose and fell down.
"I really have nothing left — not even a single drop! Last time your partner already stole all the little spiritual origin I had left…"
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm spread his hands with a miserable face, looking pitiful, just short of shedding tears.
"Cry! Crying still counts as time, you know!"
Nangong Wan crooked his mouth into a grin, fully displaying the manner of an evil soul master.
"And don't even think about escaping like last time. I won't give you that chance."
"And since we're old friends, I'll give you a friendly price. I only want this much."
Thinking of Jiang Jue's instructions, Nangong Wan raised three fingers and waved them in front of Tianmeng Ice Silkworm.
"Thirty thousand years of spiritual origin?"
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm asked cautiously.
"No — three hundred thousand!"
"Human, don't push things too far! Worst case, I'll just blow myself up with you!"
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm instantly exploded in anger. Last time, he had already lost three hundred and fifty thousand years of spiritual origin, and in recent years Huo Yuhao had been consuming even more.
If he had to give another three hundred thousand years, his plan to create a god would be completely ruined.
Today it's a hundred thousand, tomorrow it's three hundred thousand — if he kept retreating like this, how could he survive?!
The atmosphere instantly turned tense. Tianmeng Ice Silkworm tightly controlled the remaining spiritual origin inside Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea, glaring at Nangong Wan like he was ready to go all-out.
"You're making this difficult for me…"
"But since we're old friends, I'll give you a discount — two hundred and fifty thousand years of spiritual power origin. Not a drop less."
"And I swear by my martial soul that this will be the last time. I'll never come looking for you again. How about it?"
Nangong Wan bent half a finger and stepped closer, staring straight at him.
This was exactly what Jiang Jue had instructed him to do — start high to raise expectations, then reduce it, preventing Tianmeng and Huo Yuhao from going berserk.
Since a hard boil wouldn't work, he would simmer gently instead.
As for the oath, he didn't care at all. With so many souls in the Soul-Refining Banner, he could just switch to another next time.
At that moment, fine cracks appeared along the tunnel walls, clearly from the violent battle above.
"Fine! I'll give it to you!"
After consulting with Huo Yuhao, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm gritted his teeth and agreed bitterly.
"That's more like it. After all, we're such good friends who bare our hearts to each other."
Nangong Wan smiled in satisfaction and stretched out his hand.
"Tianmeng Bro, thirty years east of the river, thirty years west — believe me, when I grow stronger, I'll make this man pay the price."
"According to Tang Sect rules, this man already deserves death!"
Huo Yuhao roared angrily in his spiritual sea. All of this should have been his in the future — giving it away now hurt worse than being killed.
"Here!"
With a furious cry, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm separated three clusters of spiritual origin from Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea.
Two large, one small — together two hundred and fifty thousand years of spiritual origin, shimmering with pale golden light and an alluring fragrance.
"Kekeke… now that's right."
Nangong Wan took them and temporarily stored them away.
"Now we can leave, right?"
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm said as he already stepped backward.
Buzz!
A gray ripple suddenly struck from behind Nangong Wan — a power beyond humanity that instantly enveloped Huo Yuhao.
"You fight dirty, attacking from behind!"
Tianmeng tried to resist, but it was useless. His spiritual origin had already been mostly drained.
The next moment, both he and Huo Yuhao were knocked unconscious.
"Thank you, Elder Yi."
Jiang Jue slowly emerged from the darkness, thanking Electrolux within his spiritual sea.
"No trouble," Electrolux replied calmly.
"Young Master, this is the two hundred and fifty thousand years of spiritual origin."
Nangong Wan hurried over and handed over the spiritual origin and the hundred-thousand-year soul beast embryo.
"Well done."
Jiang Jue nodded and stored them into the Soul-Refining Banner.
He then took Huo Yuhao's storage ring and extracted a large starlight sapphire containing spatial power.
"So that's how it is…"
Inside was a fifteen-meter-tall humanoid metal construct with thousands of core arrays — the prototype of future mecha technology.
"A soul-guided humanoid that embodies thousands of years of Sun-Moon Empire technology…"
Jiang Jue sighed and stored it.
He then mixed two level-nine blueprints into Huo Yuhao's collection.
"Since you like blueprints so much, let me add a little extra."
He also secretly embedded a trace of dead-gray soul power into one of the devices.
"Let's see how this flower blooms."
Finally, he snapped his fingers.
Huo Yuhao slowly woke up…
(End of Chapter)