Long Yangjun was overjoyed. "Have you agreed, Senior Spiritual Vulture?"
Li Yao sneered. "It doesn't matter who I cooperate with to explore the Divine Palace. The most important thing is how to ensure my own safety. How can I trust Lord Wang? After all, his reputation in the world of Cultivators is not very good."
"Senior Spiritual Vulture, you are a visiting elder of the Purple Pole Sword Sect, which used to be close to Lord Wang in the past. You should know that a lot of slander and insults in the world of Cultivators are complete nonsense, senior."
Long Yangjun thought for a moment and said with glittering eyes, "You won't believe anything I say right now, senior. Please tell me more about it. How can I convince you of our sincerity?"
"You operated too fast just now, and I was too far away to see it clearly."
Li Yao said coldly. "Take out the map of the Divine Palace and the Thousand Stars Tray and operate them carefully for me."
Long Yangjun was slightly dazed and hesitated subconsciously.
"Let's be clear. You are the one who is begging for my cooperation, not the other way around."
Li Yao emphasized, "If you are unwilling to cooperate, we can just go our separate ways. I'll kill you directly, or you can kill yourself. Nobody will get the secrets of the Divine Palace."
Looking at Long Yangjun in the eyes, he intentionally mixed a few soul attacks in his eyes when he talked, reminding Long Yangjun of the terrifying scene in the febrile typhoon the previous night.
Long Yangjun shivered slightly. Her face was even paler than before, and cold sweat the size of beans was popping up on her forehead nonstop.
She pondered for a long time but failed to find a solution. Therefore, she retrieved the Thousand Stars Tray and the rhombus crystal from her Cosmos Ring and assembled them carefully according to Li Yao's instruction.
Last time, because of the observation angle of Neltharion and the fear of being discovered, Li Yao did not record her methods completely.
This time, however, Li Yao was fully focused and did not miss any detail.
Very soon, the Thousand Stars Tray was assembled. The rhombus crystal was placed at the center of the pedestal, releasing a 3D, spherical operation menu.
Long Yangjun's hands danced quickly on the surface, triggering the internal structure of the Divine Palace and the map of the coordinates of the Divine Palace.
With Li Yao's Yuanying Level computing ability, he was able to clearly imprint every detail in his mind when he observed it at such a close distance.
Li Yao was still not satisfied. He asked Long Yangjun to reduce the operation speed to the minimum and asked her to explain every instruction on every interface.
Li Yao's questions were so urgent and fast that Long Yangjun had no time to think at all.
Under the pressure of the highly-intense soul, Long Yangjun confessed the operation methods dutifully.
Li Yao tried several times according to her operation method. He didn't find any flaws, so he nodded in satisfaction.
Long Yangjun might've hidden some of the secrets at the core of the map. Chances were that the storage magical equipment contained something more valuable.
But it didn't matter. According to the operation methods that she just explained, Li Yao could basically analyze the extraction logic of the operation menu. Together with the help of the crystal processors brought by the Xing Yao Federation, he believed that he would certainly be able to uncover more secrets than those 'ancient people'.
"Very good. It seems that you are indeed very sincere."
Li Yao smiled and waved his hands at Long Yangjun. "Now, back off."
Learning from Long Yangjun's operation methods, he turned off all the maps and began to dismantle the map core and the Thousand Stars Tray.
As a professionally trained refiner, he could only dismantle the components more smoothly than Long Yangjun.
Long Yangjun's face changed greatly. She stammered, "Senior — Senior Spiritual Vulture, what's the meaning of this?"
"Nothing."
Li Yao said casually, "Now that you have shown such sincerity and confessed everything dutifully, I can spare your life for Lord Wang's sake. However, I have to take away the Thousand Stars Tray and the map core. This place is not far away from the continent. Although the items are not light, I can still fly over if I carry them on my back. It won't be a problem whether or not I have your Cosmos Ring."
Long Yangjun was dumbfounded. "Senior Spiritual Vulture, are — are you still unwilling to cooperate with Lord Wang? Why is the Great Qian Dynasty already dying, and why are the pretentious Cultivators full of shameless venom? You will certainly be killed if you cooperate with them."
"Do you not understand why I don't choose to cooperate with Lord Wang?"
Li Yao dismantled the Thousand Stars Tray unhurriedly. Without raising his head, he said casually, "It's not because the Four Rapscallions are intimidating. To be honest, as a barbarian Cultivator, I don't care about the Three Saints, the Four Rapscallions, or the difference between good and evil.
"However, according to my personality, I have to take the absolute initiative no matter who I cooperate with.
"If I cooperate with the Four Rapscallions, the four forces will be able to finish most of the work. Even the map of the Divine Palace is in your hands. I will be a dispensable person at all. The best that I can do is to be cannon fodder or vanguard with my high Cultivation.
"Before, after, and even during the exploration, you are free to attack me whenever you feel that I am of no value to you.
"Besides, I am all by myself, and the four forces are all well-trained. Even Lord Wang, who seems to be a stray dog, has elite assassins such as yourself."
"Hehe. However arrogant I am, I am not so arrogant as to think that I can compete with a hundred experts in the snowy land of the Land of Eternal Night in the Far North."
Long Yangjun gnashed her teeth. "What's the difference between cooperating with the Cultivators?"
"Of course it's different."
Li Yao waved the diamond-shaped crystal that stored the information of the map in his hand and smiled. "As long as the Thousand Stars Tray and the core of the map are in my hands, I will be in possession of critical information that the Cultivators are absolutely unaware of. If we are to explore the Divine Palace, I will be an important person, and I will have the initiative. Even if somebody wants to burn the bridge after crossing the river, they will have to wait until my value is exhausted.
"Besides, although I am not interested in who is right and who is wrong, I still feel that 'Sword Maniac' Yan Liren, Ba Xiaoyu the Beggar, and Master Bitter Cicada are more trustworthy than Lord Wang, Wan Mingzhu, Qi Changsheng, and Han Baling.
"At the very least, Ba Xiaoyu and Master Bitter Cicada are all by themselves. If I cooperate with them, I don't need to worry that a hundred experts will pop out of nowhere and attack me together after they cough. Don't you think so?"
Long Yangjun was so furious that her face was red. The shackles on her body were cracking and shivering nonstop, but there was nothing she could do about Li Yao. She could only grit her teeth and say, "Senior Spiritual Vulture, you have made up your mind to muddy the water."
"I am all by myself. I might as well fish in troubled waters instead of taking risks."
Li Yao put on a fake smile. "The more forces involved in the matter, the more chaotic the situation will be, and the more advantageous it will be for me."
Li Yao had been planning to investigate the super experts of the Ancient Sages Sector and whether or not there were any mysterious forces hiding in the darkness.
Once such an earth-shattering news like the Immortal Palace was released, all the experts would definitely gather here.
If there were any mysterious forces hiding in the darkness, they would certainly jump out.
By then, Li Yao would be able to make the final decision as to whether or not he should activate the space gate and summon the expedition fleet of the Xing Yao Federation to bombard the place.
Long Yangjun was so angry that she was grinding her teeth, unable to say anything.
Very soon, as if she remembered the punishment that she would receive after she returned to the Ghost Character after she lost the Thousand Stars Tray and the map core, the blood on her face immediately faded, and she became as pale as a sheet of paper. Even her breathing became hasty and disordered.
She leaned against a rock in frustration, completely losing the strength to compete with Li Yao.
After dismantling the Thousand Stars Tray and the diamond-shaped crystal, Li Yao walked to Long Yangjun, planning to remove the shackle on her while he calculated the most convenient way to pack them up.
Wang Xi was a very important person among the top ten experts of the Ancient Sages Sector. Chances were that there would be opportunities for cooperation in the future. Naturally, Li Yao did not want to be ruthless. He even intended to send some messages to Wang Xi through Long Yangjun, implying that 'Master Spiritual Vulture' was a rational person who could be communicated and negotiated with.
The conflict between the two parties this time was just business. Since it was business, there were always possibilities of compromise, deals, and other variables.
Li Yao had vaguely pointed out the meaning in his words just now. Long Yangjun might not have understood it, but Wang Xi certainly did.
Li Yao could have continued shackling Long Yangjun with the shackle, but as a result, it would have been difficult for her to survive on the perilous ocean.
Also, part of the crafting process of the shackle was Li Yao's greatest secret. He did not want such a piece of confinement magical equipment to fall into the hands of someone as terrifying as Wang Xi.
At this moment, Li Yao was only three steps away from Long Yangjun.
Long Yangjun was still lying on the rock as if her bones had been removed. Her eyes were somewhat unfocused as she looked at Li Yao, as if she were focusing on the end of the boundless ocean behind him.
Everything was under Li Yao's control.
Li Yao, however, suddenly had a very bad feeling.
It was because every time before, when he thought that everything was under his control, it would be proven later that nothing was under his control at all.
It seemed to be a well-tested indicator.
Li Yao's right foot had been about to stomp on the ground softly, but it was impossible for him to do so at this moment. Instead, every muscle on his left foot that was supporting him was triggered to the maximum subconsciously.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
He could almost hear the sound of every cell deep inside his left leg exploding and the overloaded mitochondria bombarding.
Right then, Long Yangjun took action.
Long Yangjun, who should have been locked by the shackle, pierced into all her acupoints, and blocked every circulation route of spiritual energy, suddenly vanished.
Li Yao had a thousand percent confidence in the shackle that he had crafted in person.
The shackle was based on the Venomous Scorpion Bone Biting Shackle of 'Solar Eclipse' Jiang Shaoyang.
It was the most cutting-edge confinement magical equipment of the Xing Yao Federation. It was the culmination of hundreds of disciplines including physiology, spiritual energy, anatomy, ergonomics, and so on. Countless simulations had been run. No demon or human being, not even those in the Yuanying level, could break free from it without any cost.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
