Chapter 1376: Mutual Benefit

With a top-tier realm like Fangcun Mountain watching over it, the future of Unrivaled Continent is certainly promising! No wonder someone in the early Constellation stage possesses the strength of a late-stage Constellation. Such an individual couldn't possibly be nurtured by a newly ascended realm. This Li Taibai clearly received significant support from the Dwarf race during his growth, which explains his profound foundation.

"I think I understand what you mean, young friend," Tang Jun nodded slightly. "Please rest assured, if the two of us can escape this predicament, the Green Radiance Dao Realm will no longer trouble Unrivaled. All past grievances will be wiped clean. As you just said, they initiated the conflict, so their deaths were well-deserved."

Lu Ye had prolonged the conversation, even daring to invoke the Dwarf race's formidable reputation, precisely to elicit this answer from Tang Jun. However, the ease with which Tang Jun agreed made him somewhat disbelieving.

Tang Jun, being shrewd, immediately understood Lu Ye's thoughts from his expression. He began, "Among the Green Radiance Dao Realm's three top sects, Azure Peak Mountain was almost completely annihilated from top to bottom after that battle. Only a handful of Constellations who remained behind survived. They are completely unaware of Unrivaled's situation, and even if they wanted revenge, they are powerless. As for me... since you possess the red talisman and have such a close relationship with the Dwarf race, and I am one of only two remaining Moon Radiance cultivators in this realm, I certainly don't wish to invite disaster upon our realm, nor will I forcibly seek justice for Azure Peak Mountain! If I can return alive this time, I will undoubtedly restrain the remnants of Azure Peak Mountain. Some things are best left in the past, and some people are simply gone. In the starry sky, there are many intractable enmities, but also many instances where a smile can resolve old grievances. I hope our two realms can be the latter!"

"It had better be as you say," Lu Ye responded.

"Then can we discuss the transaction now?" Tang Jun asked. "You should be able to see that I can't hold on much longer. If we delay further, you won't even have anyone left to trade with."

"I should have a way to get you out of here!"

Tang Jun's expression remained calm. "What do I need to pay? Or have you taken a fancy to some treasure of mine, young friend?"

"I have a secret technique that's used on the soul. So, I'll need your cooperation, old Tang. Open your soul defenses and offer no resistance."

Tang Jun narrowed his eyes slightly. "May I ask what effect that secret technique will have once it's used?"

"No harm, just that you'll probably obey my every word?" Lu Ye replied lightly.

Lu Ye was actually unsure if the Soul Manipulation Divine Pattern could control a mid-stage Moon Radiance cultivator. The difference in cultivation levels was quite significant. If he were to truly use it on Tang Jun, he would need his full cooperation; even the slightest resistance during the process would make it impossible to succeed. There was no way to lie about this. If Tang Jun sensed anything amiss during the technique's execution, he would surely resist, so his willingness was essential.

Tang Jun chuckled. "If that's the case, then let's forget this transaction!" Although he didn't understand the intricacies of soul manipulation, just from Lu Ye's explanation, he knew what kind of secret technique it was. How could he, a Moon Radiance cultivator who had lived for over three thousand years, endure such humiliation?

Lu Ye said earnestly, "Better to live a life of ignominy than to die with honor!"

Tang Jun shook his head. "I don't have many years left to live anyway. If I don't die here today, I'll die somewhere else in a few years!"

Lu Ye wasn't overly disappointed by his decisive refusal, mainly because he had anticipated it. Putting himself in Tang Jun's shoes, he wouldn't casually agree to such a request either.

After a moment of thought, Tang Jun said, "Young friend, you came to me at this time to discuss a transaction. Can I take that to mean you can't succeed on your own? And therefore wish to borrow my strength? If so, I'd ask you to be more candid. Some matters benefit both parties when combined and harm both when divided. Although you are young, you should understand this principle."

His words revealed the core mystery, leaving Lu Ye a bit helpless. Old cultivators who had lived for many years were indeed incredibly shrewd; many things were impossible to hide from them.

"Give me your storage ring then," Lu Ye said, opting for a compromise. He didn't actually desire his storage ring, but if his method truly worked, taking Tang Jun out just like that felt a bit like a loss. Asking for a storage ring was a way to compensate. A Moon Radiance cultivator would surely have some good things in their ring.

Tang Jun gave him a deep look, said nothing more, and directly removed his storage ring, flicking it towards Lu Ye.

Lu Ye raised his hand to catch it, didn't even look, and casually tucked it into his robes. Only then did he stand up and walk towards Tang Jun, asking, "How much energy do you have left?"

Tang Jun gave a wry smile. "Ten percent!"

With only ten percent of his energy left, he was truly at his limit.

"Recover first!" Lu Ye said, walking over to Tang Jun and beginning to construct Void Spirit Runes to weaken the spatial turbulence around him.

Tang Jun watched intently, growing more astonished the more he saw. He had previously guessed that Lu Ye possessed a method to weaken the erosion of spatial turbulence, but he hadn't known what it was—until now! An incredibly complex and profound spirit rune was successfully constructed with a mere wave of his hand, and not just once. With his vision and experience, he naturally recognized it as a Void Spirit Rune. Although there were subtle differences from the Void Spirit Runes he knew, they were largely consistent.

This Li Taibai was actually a Spirit Rune Master, and his attainments in the path of spirit runes were absolutely extraordinary. Otherwise, it would be impossible to construct such complex runes with such familiarity and ease. So this was how he weakened the spatial turbulence, Tang Jun realized with sudden clarity. Yet, even knowing, he was powerless to imitate it. Not to mention his own shallow understanding of the path of spirit runes, even if he had some knowledge, he couldn't wield them as freely and effortlessly as Lu Ye! One could say that the spirit rune mastery Lu Ye displayed had exceeded his comprehension. Before witnessing it firsthand, it was truly unbelievable that someone could construct void runes with such ease. Void Spirit Runes inherently contained the mysteries of space, making them perfectly suited for weakening spatial turbulence here.

"Hurry and recover, what are you looking at?" Lu Ye urged.

"My storage ring is with you. Give me some spirit jade and spirit pills!" Tang Jun looked at him with a seemingly innocent expression.

Lu Ye was speechless. He quickly took out some spirit jade and handed it to Tang Jun, then rummaged through his storage ring to find a suitable bottle of spirit pills. Only then did Tang Jun close his eyes and begin to recover.

Lu Ye, with nothing to do, examined Tang Jun's storage ring and was surprised to find that the old man was quite poor. Besides some spirit jade and spirit pills, the ring only contained miscellaneous materials and a few decent spirit treasures. Aside from that, there wasn't even a single spirit crystal. The quantity of spirit jade wasn't much either, only around a thousand pieces.

Lu Ye knew this couldn't be Tang Jun's entire fortune. Just like himself, he actually had two storage locations: a storage ring and a spatial storage on the back of his hand. The storage ring typically held everyday items, while truly valuable items were kept in the spatial storage. Tang Jun likely also had his own spatial storage. For one, he should possess a few treasures suitable for Moon Radiance cultivators. Spirit treasures were outdated for Moon Radiance cultivators; only Constellations would use them. Moon Radiance cultivators used treasures of higher quality. However, even if Lu Ye took Moon Radiance treasures, he wouldn't be able to activate them, as such items required the unique, higher-quality power exclusive to Moon Radiance cultivators. Having already taken one of his storage rings, it wouldn't be good to ask for more. Ultimately, this was a collaboration: Tang Jun hoped Lu Ye could get him out, and Lu Ye needed to leverage Tang Jun's power.

Time passed. With Lu Ye's assistance, Tang Jun's strength gradually recovered. However, at the same time, he still needed to exert power to resist the minor erosion of the spatial turbulence. This caused Tang Jun's recovery to be much slower than Lu Ye had anticipated.

It took a full month for Tang Jun to fully recover. He slowly opened his eyes, looking reinvigorated. "Young friend, I'm ready. What should we do now?" Lu Ye had been waiting for this day, and he already had a plan for what to do next.

"In a moment, I'll need to borrow your strength. Do not resist!"

Tang Jun couldn't help but be wary. "You're not going to try something in my spiritual sea, are you?"

"No!" Lu Ye said, stepping forward directly behind Tang Jun and placing a palm on his back.

Tang Jun remained still, seemingly completely unguarded against Lu Ye. He knew that if Lu Ye truly wanted to kill him, he would have done so a month ago. In fact, Lu Ye wouldn't even need to make a move; he would just have to sit there and watch Tang Jun surely die. Now that Lu Ye had put so much effort into helping him recover, he certainly wouldn't strike him dead with a single palm! Lu Ye's palm rested lightly on Tang Jun's back, and as spiritual power surged, a spirit rune quickly spread out. Immediately, a wing-shaped mark appeared on the back of Lu Ye's hand, connecting to Tang Jun's back. Twin Phoenixes Flying!

To be honest, Lu Ye felt somewhat uncomfortable using such a spirit rune on an old man like Tang Jun, but he had no choice if he wanted to borrow Tang Jun's power! He had considered using "Connected Breath" as well; fundamentally, the nature of these two spirit runes was similar. However, "Connected Breath" wasn't as thorough in borrowing power as "Twin Phoenixes Flying" and was more suitable for multi-person cooperation.

The moment the spirit rune formed, Lu Ye immediately felt the surging power contained within Tang Jun's seemingly aged body. Indeed, just as some records he had seen in the Xi Yuan Pavilion stated, the power within a Moon Radiance cultivator was different from spiritual power; its quality was superior! Using such power to activate the void beast's core should be able to break through the spatial barrier, right?

Lu Ye could sense Tang Jun's profound foundation, and how could Tang Jun not sense Lu Ye's? He was filled with astonishment. This Li Taibai appeared to be only in the early Constellation stage, but he truly possessed the foundation of a late-stage cultivator. The spiritual power within the late-stage Constellations of his own realm might not even be as dense and potent as Lu Ye's. He genuinely couldn't understand how this cultivation was achieved. Perhaps this was the kind of talent only top-tier realms could cultivate?

He gulped in fresh air, his chest heaving. Confusion, bewilderment, and various emotions surged into his mind.

Where was this?

Shi Yu then instinctively surveyed his surroundings, growing even more bewildered. A single dormitory room? Even if he had been successfully rescued, he should be in a hospital room now. And his body... why wasn't there a single injury?

With lingering doubt, Shi Yu's gaze quickly swept across the room, finally resting on a mirror at the head of the bed. The mirror reflected his current appearance: around seventeen or eighteen years old, with a handsome face. But the problem was, this wasn't him! Before, he had been a handsome young man in his twenties with an extraordinary demeanor, who had been working for some time. But now, this face looked like that of a high school student...

This change left Shi Yu stunned for a long time. Don't tell him the surgery was a success... His body and appearance had both changed; this was no longer a question of surgery, but of a magical art. He had completely become another person! Could it be... he had transmigrated?

Aside from the mirror at the head of the bed, which was clearly placed in a poor feng shui position, Shi Yu also found three books nearby. Shi Yu picked them up and saw the titles, which instantly left him speechless.

"Beginner Breeder's Essential Beast Rearing Manual""Post-Natal Care for Pet Beasts""Guide to Appreciating Beast-Eared Girls of Different Species"

Shi Yu: ???

The titles of the first two books were normal enough, but what was up with the last one?

"Cough."

Shi Yu's gaze sharpened, and he reached out his hand, but his arm quickly stiffened. Just as he was about to open the third book to see what it was, a sharp pain shot through his brain, and a flood of memories surged forth.

Icefield City.Pet Beast Breeding Base.Intern Pet Beast Breeder.Beast Tamer?