Chapter 1026: Transaction

After a while, the young woman became impatient and quietly crept towards that direction. She was very careful, not approaching rashly, and continuously calculating the illusion array. Eventually, she was surprised to find that it was indeed a path to safety.

The young woman was unsure if the other party had noticed her. She had two choices before her: either leave via this path or deduce another path herself, as there was more than one way out of the illusion array. Following ahead might lead to being intercepted.

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out from the nearby woods. "Being in an illusion array, you and I should each go our separate ways," the voice said. "Yet, fellow Daoist, you are tracking me. What is your intention?"

The young woman was startled, but surprisingly, she didn't retreat immediately. Looking towards the source of the voice, she said calmly, "Fellow Daoist, please don't misunderstand. I've been trapped here for too long and became anxious. Seeing that you found a way out, I wanted to use your help to escape. I didn't expect you hadn't left."

After a moment of silence, a voice came from there again. "Fellow Daoist, you hold a Life Talisman. Are you still afraid of a mere illusion array?"

From behind an ancient tree, Qin Sang watched the young woman with cold eyes. He knew he had made quite a stir on his way here and would surely be noticed by the other party. He didn't want a tag-along following him, so he feigned leaving, but was actually waiting here for her to approach.

But what surprised him was the identity of this young woman. Before the trial began, a Nascent Soul Grandmaster had exchanged his qualification for a Killing Talisman, and it had been given to this young woman. Qin Sang didn't know the purpose of the Killing Talisman, so he didn't act rashly. Something exchanged by a Nascent Soul Grandmaster with his qualification certainly wouldn't be simple; it might even possess power beyond the Core Formation stage.

As it turned out, his caution was correct. Although the young woman was at the late Core Formation stage, judging by her aura, her strength was not top-tier. Yet, facing a potential ambush from the shadows, she was remarkably calm, appearing completely unafraid. It was either a treasure bestowed by a Nascent Soul expert or the Life Talisman that gave her such confidence.

There was more than one portion of Soul Cleansing Liquid in the trial realm. Qin Sang didn't want to clash with someone like her; it would be best if he could scare her away.

But the young woman showed no sign of leaving. She had originally activated her cloud sleeves into a defensive posture, but now she lowered them and said, "Fellow Daoist, you may not know this, but while the Life Talisman can indeed save my life, it can't exert much power in this Thousand Mountain Array. My biggest worry right now is how to quickly escape the Thousand Mountain Array to prevent the treasure from being taken by others, which would mean my Grandmaster's efforts would be in vain."

Qin Sang's brows furrowed slightly, and he said coldly, "Whether you can get the treasure or if your Grandmaster's efforts are wasted, what does that have to do with me? Don't you think it's inappropriate to quietly follow behind me? You are my competitor; do you expect me to help you?"

Hearing this, the young woman's lips curved slightly, and she suddenly changed the topic, asking, "My name is Ming Wei. May I ask what your name is, fellow Daoist?"

"My surname is Qin," Qin Sang replied indifferently. "This is just a warning; don't let it happen again. I hope you don't bring trouble upon yourself!" Having said that, he turned to leave.

Ming Wei's expression grew anxious, and she quickly said, "Fellow Daoist Qin, please don't rush. I have a proposal. I'd like to make a deal with you. Perhaps you should hear it before deciding."

Qin Sang's heart stirred upon hearing this, and he paused before saying, "What kind of deal? Are you thinking of handing the treasure over to me?"

"Handing it over? Absolutely not!" Ming Wei shook her head. "But we can cooperate. You arrived here so quickly, which shows your extraordinary strength, and you must also be interested in the Soul Cleansing Liquid, right? There isn't just one portion of Soul Cleansing Liquid, so why can't we cooperate to obtain the treasure? Disciples from powerful factions all come in groups, while you and I fight alone, which is inherently a great disadvantage."

Qin Sang scoffed, "There's more than one portion of Soul Cleansing Liquid, but certainly not too many. You can't even get past the Thousand Mountain Array. I just need to continue forward, and I can easily leave you far behind. Why would I needlessly add a competitor for myself?"

Ming Wei was secretly annoyed and embarrassed, and gritted her teeth, saying, "It's not that I can't get through! It's just that calculating the changes in the illusion array consumes too much mental energy and time! If it weren't for your great proficiency in illusion arrays, do you think I'd need your help? If it weren't for encountering a strange place like the Thousand Illusion Array, I would have left you far behind already!"

"Fellow Daoist, why dwell on such fleeting things? There are no 'ifs' in this world," Qin Sang said, stroking his chin. "Cooperating with you is not impossible, but what can you offer me?"

"The Life Talisman isn't just for me; it can protect you too!" Ming Wei said, lifting her chin confidently. "As long as the Life Talisman is activated in the trial realm, any danger can be avoided. Is that enough?"

"Any danger?" Qin Sang was secretly astonished. No wonder that old man Mu was willing to pay such a high price for the Life Talisman; he was essentially paving the way for his junior. If nothing goes wrong, one Life Talisman is almost equivalent to one portion of Soul Cleansing Liquid.

"That's right!" Ming Wei said. "We can swear an oath of inner demons. You lead me out of this stage, and when we reach the final trial, we'll cooperate to obtain the Soul Cleansing Liquid. In times of danger, I will activate the Life Talisman to protect us. You must also know how dangerous the final stage is. But I have a condition..." Ming Wei's tone sank, and she paused before saying, "If there are two or more portions of Soul Cleansing Liquid, you and I naturally won't need to compete. But if there's only one portion left, you must yield it to me!"

Ming Wei's tone was undeniable. Qin Sang, however, didn't hesitate in the slightest and flatly refused, "No!"

"You..."

"Without you, I'm still confident I can obtain a portion of Soul Cleansing Liquid. I'd really like to see how capable those disciples from powerful sects are," Qin Sang sneered. "I only agreed to cooperate with you as a precaution. It's absolutely impossible for me to hand over the Soul Cleansing Liquid. However, we can agree in advance that if the situation truly comes to that, our agreement will be void, and whoever obtains the Soul Cleansing Liquid will do so purely by their own ability. How about that?"

The reason Qin Sang agreed to Ming Wei's proposal was that he felt Ming Wei was Old Man Mu's direct disciple, highly valued, and surely knew more about the trial realm than others. His own understanding of the trial realm was too limited, and he would be far inferior to the sect disciples later on. With Ming Wei's assistance, he could avoid many detours. Qin Sang's confidence not only stemmed from his strength but also from Bai's secret assistance. At that time, even if Ming Wei had the Life Talisman, it wouldn't be of much use when competing for the Soul Cleansing Liquid.

Hearing this, Ming Wei was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, I agree to your condition. Let's swear an oath of inner demons now. After leaving the Thousand Mountain Array, when we reach the final trial, we'll meet at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion."