Chapter 459: Unexpected Incidents

Volume Four: Winds Stir Abroad

"Hmph! Do you think you get to decide whether you go or not now? If you refuse, I, your young master, will eradicate you immediately. Do you really believe that with the Star Palace's prior words, our Extreme Yin Isle wouldn't dare to act?" Ugly Wu snarled, his small eyes glinting ferociously.

For some reason, even though Ugly Wu was merely acting as the villain to pressure Han Li, as instructed by Ancestor Extreme Yin, he genuinely disliked Han Li.

This animosity was almost innate, without any particular reason.

Naturally, Han Li had no favorable impression of Ugly Wu either. Upon hearing him speak, Han Li merely gave him a cold glance before ignoring him and addressing Ancestor Extreme Yin:

"Although I don't know what great use Senior has for my spirit beast, I am well aware that if a spirit beast's master dies, others cannot tame it. Furthermore, I could easily command the Blood Jade Spider to self-destruct in a critical situation. Senior, I presume you wouldn't wish to see that happen!"

His words carried a subtle hint of threat, causing the middle-aged man opposite him to slightly change his expression, revealing a touch of surprise.

Han Li knew very well that Ugly Wu was merely a paper tiger. Ancestor Extreme Yin was the one truly in charge here, so Han Li had no desire to get further entangled with Ugly Wu.

However, Han Li's action infuriated Ugly Wu, who, after a flicker of menace on his face, opened his mouth to utter some harsh words to Han Li. But Ancestor Extreme Yin, standing beside him, waved a hand, stopping him. "Alright, I appreciate a bold junior. Since I, this ancestor, intend to use your Blood Jade Spider, I naturally won't let you come here for nothing. Once we reach the inner hall, I will..."

Just as Ancestor Extreme Yin was speaking, about to make a promise, his face suddenly darkened, and his voice ceased.

He slowly turned his head, staring intently in a particular direction to one side, his eyes filled with fierce intent.

"Who's eavesdropping out there? Get out here, now!" Ancestor Extreme Yin's voice was sharp, filled with murderous intent, indicating extreme anger.

Han Li was startled! He instinctively assumed Xuan Gu had been discovered. His mind raced, trying to figure out how to handle such a situation.

But then, an aged voice drifted over, surprising Han Li.

"Why so angry, Brother Wu? I merely happened upon you by chance; you wouldn't truly intend to resort to force, would you?" A shimmering azure light pulsed. A Confucian-robed elder inexplicably appeared in the void several dozen yards away, smiling as he eyed Ancestor Extreme Yin and the others.

It was none other than "Layman Qingyi," someone Ancestor Extreme Yin was somewhat acquainted with!

"Fellow Daoist Qing! You were following me!" Seeing who it was, Ancestor Extreme Yin's murderous aura faltered, and he then asked with an extremely displeased expression.

"What tracking? I was simply strolling around, saw you, Fellow Daoist Wu, and this young man talking from a distance, and flew over to say hello. I didn't expect to displease you so much. *Cough*! If I had known, I certainly wouldn't have been so rash." The Confucian-robed elder let out a few dry laughs, explaining carelessly.

Then, disregarding Ancestor Extreme Yin, who had turned pale after hearing the explanation, he gazed at the Blood Jade Spider below, letting out exclamations of "Tsk, tsk!" in admiration.

"This is a Blood Jade Spider, a truly rare spirit beast. According to analyses from ancient cultivators, this spirit beast seems to be one of the best for retrieving items from the Heavenly Void Cauldron, with a success rate far exceeding your Fire Python and Wan Tianming's Golden Silkworm." Layman Qingyi said, shaking his head.

Strolling around? Then why conceal yourself? Ancestor Extreme Yin was furious upon hearing the elder's brazen excuse. Seeing him then gaze at the Blood Jade Spider and reveal a secret he had desperately tried to hide, his expression grew even darker.

"This must be the junior Brother Wu has been so concerned about, right? I, too, enjoy nurturing brave young people. How about it? Are you interested in becoming my disciple? I, Qing, have never taken a disciple before." The Confucian-robed elder's gaze, after retracting from the Blood Jade Spider, lingered on Han Li for a few moments before he spoke, his eyes twinkling, words that turned Ancestor Extreme Yin's face ashen and left Han Li stunned.

"Take me as a disciple?" Han Li blinked. He wasn't sure whether to be happy or to give a wry smile.

"Fellow Daoist Qing. What is the meaning of this?" Ancestor Extreme Yin's face was chilling, wisps of black qi emanating from his body as he stared at the elder, enunciating each word. "Heh heh! Just a joke, Brother Extreme Yin, why so tense? If I truly took this young man as my disciple, I'm afraid you'd fight me to the death. However, if that Barbarian knew there was a Blood Jade Spider here, I wonder if he'd have the same idea?" The elder chuckled softly, then a strange glint appeared in his eyes as he spoke nonchalantly.

Layman Qingyi's words somewhat eased Ancestor Extreme Yin's expression. But upon hearing the mention of the Barbarian, he felt another headache coming on.

According to Ancestor Extreme Yin's original plan, he intended to conceal the Blood Jade Spider, then incite others to either drive the righteous cultivators out of the inner hall or have both sides suffer heavy losses. Afterward, he would use his Fire Python to pretend he couldn't retrieve the treasure successfully, while secretly taking Han Li to use the Blood Jade Spider to extract the true treasure. This way, he would acquire the Heavenly Void Cauldron for himself.

As for his initial promise to share a portion with others, he had naturally cast it aside, with no intention of fulfilling it.

However, to his complete surprise, his elaborate plan had been disrupted by this old fox standing before him.

He wasn't confident he could kill the other party to silence him. Moreover, even if he were confident, he wouldn't easily make a move.

After all, there were still cultivators from the righteous path, like Wan Tianming, to contend with, so he couldn't afford to weaken his own side's strength too much.

And now, the elder's mention of the Barbarian made Ancestor Extreme Yin's facial muscles twitch.

He had personally experienced the formidable power of the Barbarian's Heaven-Supporting Demonic Art back then.

Even with his current "Heavenly Capital Corpse Flame" having achieved minor success, he wasn't very confident in contending with that person. If the other party truly used the same excuse to take this young man as a disciple and then insisted on taking the lion's share during the treasure retrieval, he would truly be helpless. Unless...

Ancestor Extreme Yin was quite pragmatic; seeing that he couldn't keep the Blood Jade Spider's secret, he immediately began to consider how to avoid suffering a significant loss during the treasure retrieval.

At this moment, an idea struck him, and he looked at the elder with a strange expression, vaguely guessing the other party's intention in saying those words.

Seeing Ancestor Extreme Yin's expression, the Confucian-robed elder smiled slightly, then moved his lips slightly, transmitting a message.

Ancestor Extreme Yin's expression became volatile.

"How about it? What do you think of this suggestion?" The elder's telepathic message was brief; he quickly resumed speaking normally and asked.

"Alright, I agree." Ancestor Extreme Yin agreed almost without thinking, his face grim as he spoke.

"Good, that's better. Now, between the two of us, who do you think is more suitable to take this person as a disciple?" The elder showed a satisfied expression, then glanced at Han Li before speaking slowly.

"Let him choose who he wishes to apprentice under! That would be fairer," Ancestor Extreme Yin said after a moment of contemplation.

The elder paused, a strange look appearing on his face, but after a brief thought, he nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Ancestor Extreme Yin uncharacteristically showed a faint smile. Then, turning his head, he looked down at Han Li on the ground and spoke indifferently:

"You must have heard our conversation by now! Your Blood Jade Spider is crucial for our treasure retrieval this time. We will not let it go, no matter what.

"As for your assumption that I wouldn't dare kill you because you're the spirit beast's master, that is a grave mistake. You should know that I possess a convenient method for refining spirit corpses. At worst, I'll kill the Blood Jade Spider and refine it into a demonic corpse. However, this method would severely diminish the Blood Jade Spider's cultivation, so I won't resort to it unless absolutely necessary. If you're worried about things turning unfavorable for you after the deed is done, either of us can take you as a disciple, making you one of us. If the treasure is truly acquired, you'll also receive a share. You seem like an intelligent person; you should know how to choose!"

Ancestor Extreme Yin calmly uttered a long series of words, half-threats and half-inducements. Han Li, who had been uneasy ever since the Confucian-robed elder appeared, showed a slight change in expression, as if somewhat swayed.

In reality, Han Li was silently groaning in distress.

Ever since the azure-robed elder appeared, he knew the situation had taken a turn for the worse.

He had originally held onto a sliver of hope, wishing these two old monsters would fall into conflict so he could slip away amidst the chaos. But he never expected them to be so cunning; they had reached some agreement with just a few words.

Now, even if Xuan Gu were willing to step out and help, there would likely be no chance at all.

And his threat about the Blood Jade Spider seemed to be of little use now. Even if he genuinely ordered the spider to self- destruct, he would probably be subdued by the other party beforehand. As long as there was a glimmer of hope for survival, he wouldn't provoke Nascent Soul cultivators into a path of certain death.

Refusing seemed truly impossible now.