Cooperation

"You know where that crazy woman's body is?" "Yeah, I have a few guesses." "..." A thoughtful look appeared in the Saint's remnant soul's eyes. As a powerhouse who had walked that very path, he knew well that the greatest chasm between the Transcendent Realm and the Origin Realm was neither Source Qi nor physical constitution, but that unfathomable domain known as the Dao domain. If that crazy woman could not use her Dao domain... Against an irrational first-rank Transcendent, that little girl named Tianyan should be able to fight the crazy woman to mutual destruction with the might of her Heaven-Deducing Art. When that time came, using the formations to kill that crazy woman would hardly be impossible. With a viable plan, the Saint's remnant soul felt somewhat relieved. Giving the kid a deep look, he asked, "Boy, be honest with this old man. How confident are you?" Xu Yuan pondered a moment and replied, "Fifty-fifty." The Saint's remnant soul rolled his eyes. This kid's answer was as good as saying nothing. Xu Yuan felt rather helpless; he was telling the truth. Many things required staking one's life, and by nature, such odds were fifty-fifty. Pausing, he smiled and asked, "Old Man Luo, are you going to help or not?" "..." The Saint's remnant soul gritted his teeth in frustration. If he had a choice, he wouldn't help—why didn't the boy undo the heart demon knot and restrictions first? After a long silence, the Saint's remnant soul spat out two words: "Suit yourself." Seeing this, Xu Yuan smiled faintly and glanced sideways at Ran Qingmo beside him. "All right, Ran Qingmo, let's discuss our plan for in a bit." "..." "..." "..." A quarter of an hour later. Reconnecting his intent-soul to the Sky-Peeking Array, Xu Yuan swiftly located the battlefield where Tianyan and the woman in red were clashing. The battle remained an exact repeat of before: Tianyan acted as a stationary turret, while the crazy woman in red darted all around within her own Dao domain. The only difference was likely that the young girl Tianyan's frosty little face had flushed slightly redder. Seeing this, Xu Yuan glanced sideways at Ran Qingmo. "Remember what I just told you." Also connected to the Sky-Peeking Array, Ran Qingmo nodded slightly. "Mm." After a pause, she urged, "Be careful." "Don't worry." Xu Yuan smiled, then focused his mind. A white light flashed, and his figure vanished from the mountain gate entrance. When his consciousness returned, Xu Yuan glanced around. This was the grand hall of a palace, exceptionally vast and magnificent. A high platform stood at the far end of the hall, facing hundreds of prayer mats rotted by the passage of time below it. The active grand formation radiated waves of pressure throughout the interior of the palace. Xu Yuan roughly deduced that this had likely been the Dao lecture hall where the senior masters of the Qionghua Sect had once preached and resolved doubts. Without lingering, he sprinted toward the palace entrance at top speed. This was the teleportation point closest to Tianyan and the crazy woman in red. Thanks to the Saintess soul key, the formations within the palace did not obstruct him, allowing him an unimpeded dash out of the hall. Yet the moment he stepped outside, Xu Yuan instantly felt that the Source Qi between heaven and earth was turbulent in the extreme. Looking up, his pupils shrank violently. A mass of pink mist hung over the low sky like an all-obscuring canopy. Without the enhancement of the Sky-Peeking Array, he could not see clearly what was happening inside; he could only witness the continuous shockwaves of energy shooting out from within, crushing tracts of magnificent palaces into flat ruins like dry leaves in the wind! The radiating pressure made Xu Yuan clench his fists and halt his steps instinctively. "Kid Xu," the Saint's remnant soul suddenly spoke up. "What?" Xu Yuan took a deep breath. "It's not too late for you to turn back now." Seeing Xu Yuan stop, the Saint's remnant soul immediately advised in earnest, "Looking at the scale of their battle, this already-decayed mountain-protecting grand formation is bound to suffer further wear. It will break down in a few months at most. There's no need for you to risk—" "You think I'd believe you?" Xu Yuan cut off the old codger's words. The Saint's remnant soul spoke solemnly: "I'm not joking." "Heh," Xu Yuan scoffed. The Saint's remnant soul clicked his tongue. "Tsk... honestly. If I'd known you were in such a hurry to get out, I wouldn't have told you the formation could last that long." Xu Yuan smiled and whispered, "All right, just remember to shield my mind." The Saint's remnant soul fell silent for a moment before finally asking, "Kid Xu, are you sure that crazy hag won't attack you?" Although he had questioned this repeatedly before coming, he still felt uneasy. For a mere Saintess soul key to keep that crazy woman from taking the initiative to attack him was an absurdity he had never witnessed in all his long life. Xu Yuan pondered briefly and nodded. "Most likely not. I've appeared so close to her; she should have noticed me by now." Sounding as though he were resigning himself to fate, the Saint's remnant soul said, "This old man admits defeat. Let's go." Seeing this, Xu Yuan chuckled softly. His figure flashed as he flew rapidly toward the mass of pink mist in the sky. In a mere instant, With the cherry blossom mark flickering between his brows, Xu Yuan reached the edge of the pink mist. Had Old Man Luo not shielded him with soul power, the air tremors here alone would have been enough to blast him to death a hundred times over. Calming his mind, he flew several circuits around the pink mist before his heart finally settled. Not only had that crazy woman refrained from attacking him, but she had even deliberately redirected some of the shockwaves flying out of the mist away from him. After a moment's hesitation, Xu Yuan gently pressed his palm against the mist to test the waters. Instantly, Waves of dizzying infatuation surged into his heart, but a cool current washed over him immediately after, sweeping away the strange emotion. First one hand, then a foot, half his body, and finally his entire being—Xu Yuan stepped fully into the pink mist bit by bit. The moment he entered, before Xu Yuan could even survey his surroundings, his heart suddenly froze. A woman had abruptly appeared before him. Clad in red with disheveled hair, only a pair of lifeless eyes could be faintly seen beneath the tresses. They locked eyes in silence. Amidst the decadent melodies drifting all around, A murmur as faint as a mosquito's hum reached Xu Yuan's ears. "...Thank you." It was very soft, so faint that Xu Yuan wouldn't have heard it clearly without the enhancement of soul power. Yet this unexpected sound instantly put Xu Yuan at ease. *Thank you.* It seemed his judgment had been correct. However, if this red-clad woman could be reasoned with, perhaps they wouldn't have to carry out the original plan. Without hesitation, Xu Yuan cupped his hands slightly toward the crazy woman in red before him and said softly, "Senior, could I borrow your Sect Master to—" "Kill you! You want the token?! I'll kill you—can't kill!" Before he could finish, killing intent surged in the crazy woman's eyes, and her figure vanished from before him. Immediately after— *Rumble!* At the same time, a violent tremor erupted from the distance. Xu Yuan raised a hand to block the wind pressure, his robes flapping loudly as he sighed softly to himself. It seemed this crazy woman truly could not be reasoned with after all. After two seconds of silence, A slightly breathless, melodious female voice drifted over: "Xu Changtian, what... *haah*... what are you doing here?" It was Tianyan. This woman actually had the spare strength to transmit her voice to him. Xu Yuan looked around, but instead of Tianyan, he saw magnificent pavilions sculpted from mist, as well as scantily clad, graceful young women dancing with fluttering sleeves, their slender waists swaying continuously... It was remarkably lifelike. Fortunately, these young women turned a blind eye to Xu Yuan. The moment they condensed from the mist, they flew off in a single direction. Following these alluring women formed of mist, Xu Yuan spotted Tianyan's petite figure. She was quite far away, but with the aid of soul power, Xu Yuan could see her clearly. Tianyan's golden eyes shone like divine orbs with swirling radiance, and a faint golden light wrapped around her body, walling off the surrounding pink mist. After a slight hesitation, Xu Yuan transmitted his voice using the Saint's soul power: "Hey, little sister, do you want to live, or do you want to die?" Tianyan went silent for several seconds before her voice came again: "Why... why isn't this crazy hag attacking you?" She didn't understand. Why... why hadn't that crazy woman attacked Xu Changtian when he had entered the Dao domain of his own accord? Standing at the edge of the mist watching the show, Xu Yuan chuckled. "Cut the crap and answer my question." *Boom!* Just as he spoke, another tremor shook that direction, and the golden light around Tianyan wavered visibly. Tianyan transmitted her voice: "What... *pant*... what do you mean?" "I can save you," Xu Yuan said seriously. "You... you're willing to save me?" Tianyan's voice held a trace of amusement, but after two seconds of silence, she asked in a low voice, "What do you want me to do?" Hearing that, Xu Yuan smiled. He loved talking to smart people. He retrieved a jade box from his Sumeru ring, wrapped it in soul power, and threw it toward Tianyan. Under the precise control of the Saint's remnant soul, the jade box swiftly flew into Tianyan's hand. Tianyan bit her lip and said softly, "Th-This is a Meishen flower? What are you trying to do?" "Eat it." "Huh?" Tianyan gasped. Xu Yuan's voice remained calm and measured. "The effects of the Meishen flower only kick in after half an hour. Within that time, I have a way to kill this crazy woman." To kill this crazy woman in red, he had to rely on Tianyan's power. But if he directly dismantled the Dao domain, Tianyan would most likely run off the moment she was freed of her shackles. He had to put a leash on her before that happened. "Im-Impossible!" Panting, Tianyan rejected it outright. Directly consuming a soul-beguiling sacred item like the Meishen flower would affect her even under normal circumstances, let alone now when she had already been struck by the bewitching art of this crazy woman's Dao domain. Seeing this, Xu Yuan shrugged and turned to leave. "Then enjoy yourself here, little sister. Farewell." While fending off the crazy woman's relentless onslaught, Tianyan stared at the bastard's departing figure. After two seconds of silence, she clenched her fists tightly and called out, "How do I know... you truly intend to kill her?!" "..." Xu Yuan paused in his tracks and laughed via voice transmission, "I want something she has on her." "Wh-Why should I trust you?" "You don't have to. She won't attack me anyway. At worst, I'll just forgo the item for now and ask my dad to fetch it later." Xu Yuan's tone was remarkably breezy, carrying an air of total detachment. "I'll give you five seconds to consider." "Five, four, one—" "Wait!" Tianyan's furious, lovely voice rang out through gritted teeth: "I... I'll eat it!"