Eternal Life: I Can Control My Essence Qi

Chapter 291 211: Unraveling the Cocoon

Regarding Fairy Feiyin's words, the Three Evils Daoist was skeptical.

Even if the controller of the Jade Divine Palace really left a backdoor for the Demon Race bloodline, it would surely come at a certain cost.

Otherwise, Fairy Feiyin's tone wouldn't be feigned temptation, seeking support, but directly stating the cause and effect, allowing everyone to choose.

As expected, upon hearing the Three Evils Daoist's question, Fairy Feiyin candidly said:

"Of course there is a price to pay."

"Under normal circumstances, in the Beifu Formation's determination, only Fellow Daoist Qingxu and two others can proceed to the next round, and we all would be left behind, waiting for elimination."

"But by using this backdoor, we can directly bypass some of the Inspection Arrays inside the Divine Palace, but then everyone would go to the sixth level together, without individual assessments..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yao immediately understood.

"Do you mean..."

His expression darkened, and he said calmly:

"The price of taking this backdoor is for Fellow Daoist You Quan and me to bear it?"

"...Yes."

Fairy Feiyin was silent for a moment before nodding slightly and said:

"Fellow Daoist San Sha has already obtained a Spiritual Treasure once and will not receive a second reward."

"So in reality, the price we have to pay is for Fellow Daoist Qingxu and this Fellow Daoist You Quan to lose the fifth-level Spiritual Treasure reward."

"Ha..."

Zhang Yao laughed softly, his gaze sweeping across the numerous Golden Core Cultivators in the hall.

Man Tian Sheng, Bai Hong Sword Immortal, Elder Yuanxu, and others were rather moved, their gazes flickering; Fairy Xia Guang seemed to be hesitating, while Haihe Ancestor remained silent.

"I do not agree."

Zhang Yao spoke unhurriedly, but his tone carried a decisive firmness like nails:

"One should only eat as much as one's ability allows."

"Asking me to voluntarily sacrifice for the opportunity of others, I'm afraid I cannot agree!"

In the end, he didn't have much confidence in his own comprehension ability.

Although during the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment periods, his comprehension was relatively good compared to peers, quickly understanding and cultivating various spells and Daoist techniques, he was not considered extraordinarily brilliant.

And those who can achieve the Golden Core, weren't they all once paragons and prodigies?

For someone like the Three Evils Daoist, who fought his way up from lowly Loose Cultivators with Mixed Spirit Roots, his comprehension must be astonishing. Even he was defeated at the sixth level; Zhang Yao doubted his own chances even more.

Therefore, the fifth-level reward of the Ancient Spiritual Treasure might be Zhang Yao's greatest gain in the Jade Divine Palace, so how could he just give it up?

For others' interests, sacrificing his own, Zhang Yao was not that magnanimous.

"Well said!"

The usually silent You Quan showed a hint of disdain before speaking with a cold voice:

"Forcing others to 'sacrifice' for one's gain is truly shameless!"

"If you're capable, let's settle it with real skills, speaking with true ability!"

Before his voice faded, he had already crossed his arms and took two steps sideways, standing right by Zhang Yao to further demonstrate his stance with action.

The crowd's expressions changed slightly; Man Tian Sheng was the first to speak, frowning:

"You two, shouldn't say it like that, right?"

"Even if you two make some sacrifices, we will surely compensate afterward!"

"Right!"

Bai Hong Sword Immortal and Elder Yuanxu, who stood beside him, also nodded in agreement:

"Fellow Daoist Qingxu, Fellow Daoist You Quan, rest assured, we will definitely compensate for your losses!"

"That's right, the sixth-level reward should certainly be more generous than the fifth, surely it can make up for the loss of the Spiritual Treasure, right?"

"Fellow Daoist Qingxu..."

Fairy Xia Guang also spoke softly, her expression carrying a trace of guilt, but she still whispered:

"Please, fellow Daoist, do not take offense, I... I also support Sister Feiyin's proposal."

"If you two give up the Spiritual Treasure, I will be the first to compensate, just hoping you give us a chance."

"Chance? What a joke!"

Zhang Yao snorted, his eyes sweeping over Xia Guang, Bai Hong, and others, mocking:

"Promising benefits that aren't even certain to benefit someone else, do you take us for fools?"

"To believe in your promises is worse than trusting a dog!"

How precious is the Ancient Spiritual Treasure? The sixth-level reward is unknown and may not surpass the Spiritual Treasure, and whether they can pass the sixth level, or if they would honor their promise after passing, are all unknowns.

If fooled by their coaxing, Zhang Yao would have wasted hundreds of years of life.

"So there's no room for negotiation?"

Man Tian Sheng and others looked grim; Bai Hong Sword Immortal directly said:

"Daoist Brother Sansha, you better persuade Fellow Daoist Qingxu!"

"Right!"

Elder Yuanxu also spoke solemnly, with a hint of threat in his tone:

"Fellow Daoist Qingxu, you may be powerful, dominating a kingdom, but Daoist Brother Sansha holds an Ancient Spiritual Treasure, even if not offensive, it assures his safety."

"And Fellow Daoist Man Tian Sheng is a Body Refining Cultivator, his strength comparable to Middle Stage Golden Core; Fellow Daoist Bai Hong is a Golden Core level Sword Cultivator, his combat ability unmatched in the same rank; if someone supports and cooperates with him, his battle power would rival a Middle Stage Golden Core!"

He spoke faster and faster, obviously gaining more confidence:

"With Daoist Brother Sansha leading, we have seven Golden Core Cultivators, we're not afraid of you and Fellow Daoist You Quan!"

"If you know what's good for you, we can still advance and retreat together. But if you fail to recognize the situation, once you leave the Jade Divine Palace, you will face a catastrophic disaster!"

In his view:

Three Evils Daoist is his ally, and the others are all related by interests, sharing both good and bad times. With the alliance of the seven Golden Cores, even a Golden Core Perfection must be wary. Can they not handle one Elder Qingxu and one Artifact Cultivator You Quan?

Not to mention, just with Three Evils Daoist, Man Tian Sheng, and Bai Hong Sword Immortal joining forces, it's probably enough to have a duel with Qingxu; the remaining four Golden Core Cultivators attacking You Quan could take his life in an instant!

However, something happened that Elder Yuanxu did not expect:

"Seven people? Who among you is on the same side?"

Haihe Ancestor suddenly spoke, his voice containing a hint of determination:

"Back in Da Li, Qingxu once saved my life. I, Haihe, am not one to forget such a grace!"

"I cannot participate in your alliance over there!"

With these words, he took two steps back to the side. Although he couldn't cross the Star Map Stele to the other side, he expressed his attitude by creating distance and drawing a clear boundary.

"Haihe! You..."

Fairy Xia Guang immediately frowned, and Elder Yuanxu and Bai Hong Sword Immortal also looked grim. However, before they could berate him, Three Evils Daoist suddenly spoke as well:

"I also disagree with your viewpoint."

"In fact, I do not support Fairy Feiyin's proposal."

"What?"

This left Elder Yuanxu, Bai Hong Sword Immortal, and Man Tian Sheng completely dumbfounded.

They had not expected that their staunch ally, who was originally opposed to Elder Qingxu, Three Evils Daoist, would actually defect at this moment?

What's going on here?

"This situation is not good, what's happening with Three Evils Daoist?!"

Among them, Man Tian Sheng was the most cunning, reacting immediately. He quickly communicated with Divine Thought, harboring the intention to withdraw.

The seven against two had turned into five against four, with Three Evils Daoist wielding a Spiritual Treasure and the formidable Elder Qingxu. The situation was completely reversed, and they were at a disadvantage.

In this situation, they dared not unlock the backdoor anymore. Otherwise, if the Inspection Array failed, they would be the ones to suffer!

"Fellow Daoist San Sha? What is this..."

Zhang Yao was also a bit surprised and couldn't help but turn his head to look at Three Evils Daoist, with a hint of inquiry in his eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Qingxu, do not be surprised."

Three Evils Daoist said calmly:

"Do you remember what I said before? We are not actually enemies; the real threat comes from elsewhere!"

As he spoke, his gaze fixed coldly on Fairy Xia Guang, and he spoke icily:

"Fairy Feiyin's proposal, I fear you are the mastermind behind it, Fairy Xia Guang!"

"You've concocted this scenario with such care, you must have grand designs. You think we will just step into your trap and let you control us?"

With these words:

Zhang Yao squinted, looking at Fairy Xia Guang. Haihe Ancestor, Elder Yuanxu, and the others were momentarily stunned, their eyes collectively fixed on Fairy Xia Guang.

"Three Evils, what do you mean by that?"

Fairy Xia Guang was momentarily stunned and then furiously said:

"What am I scheming? If you want to fabricate a baseless accusation, shouldn't you at least make it something believable? Do you think..."

"Enough."

Three Evils Daoist interrupted her, saying:

"I have always suspected that there's a problem with either you or Haihe Ancestor. Now it seems that the one with the problem is indeed you."

"I could never pinpoint what was strange about you until this Fairy Feiyin revealed her background, and I suddenly realized..."

He went on, his tone increasingly certain:

"You should also be a Demon Cultivator! The Jade Divine Palace must have manifested because it sensed your bloodline!"

"Your proposal is undoubtedly malicious; in the previous exploration, you didn't propose it because you knew if it came from you, we'd be alert, and the suggestion would surely be rejected and you'd be jointly targeted after leaving."

"This time, because the identity of the attendees has changed and the circumstances have shifted, you arranged for an unfamiliar Fairy Feiyin to propose using the array's backdoor, using others' greed as bait!"

"I may not know what backdoor the architect of this Divine Palace left, but I suspect it is not as simple as just bypassing a challenge!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked.

"Fairy Xia Guang is a Demon Cultivator? This..."

Haihe Ancestor was greatly shocked, seemingly in disbelief.

"No wonder she could become such close friends with this Fairy Feiyin, it must be because they share the same background."

Zhang Yao understood at once and wasn't particularly surprised, as he apparently had already suspected it.

On the side, Bai Hong Sword Immortal and Elder Yuanxu exchanged glances, the latter seeming to recall something and suddenly said:

"No wonder! No wonder after you refined your Golden Core, you went straight to travel the Jing Kingdom; and your master, Fairy Hongxia, despite being so old and near the end of her lifespan, insisted on representing Luoxia Sect to participate in the meeting of Feicui Lake!"

"I now understand, after you refined your Golden Core, your demon bloodline also ascended, and because your new concealment technique wasn't yet perfected, you didn't dare meet with fellow Daoists in Dayu, so you went to the Jing Kingdom to lay low!"

"It was probably during that time that you met this Golden Core Demon Cultivator, Fairy Feiyin, in the Jing Kingdom..."

As a Golden Core Cultivator and the master of Fairy Xia Guang, Fairy Hongxia couldn't possibly be unaware of the fact that her direct disciple was a Demon Cultivator.

But with the sect having no successors, she could only be forced to accept this fact and even help her disciple to conceal it until she passed away many years later, only for it to be revealed by Three Evils Daoist today.

"Xia Guang! What are you scheming?"

Bai Hong Sword Immortal rebuked sharply, cautiously watching Fairy Xia Guang and Fairy Feiyin, speaking with a threatening tone:

"If you don't confess today, then when we leave the Jade Divine Palace, it will be the end of your Luoxia Sect!"