"So the two of you know of space-time power as well. In that case, I won't have to explain why I decided to listen to what she has to say," Han Li said.
Xue Ran and Hei Lin exchanged a grim glance, following which the former continued, "If this woman really has mastered space-time power, then our chances of victory are indeed quite slim, so let's listen to her. However, we won't give up on the objective of our trip easily."
Han Li turned to Ying'er, and said, "I'm sure you heard my companions; we can give you a chance, but if you can't satisfy us, you may be able to escape, but your brethren will be in dire straits."
"Hmph, it sounds like you think us Asura Spiders are nothing more than sitting ducks. If the battle had continued, who knows what the outcome would've been?" the green-robed woman on the city wall harrumphed coldly.
"Oh? Then why don't we continue and find out?" Hei Lin replied with a cold smile.
Ying'er raised a hand to put an end to the argument, then turned to Han Li as she said, "Please stop and listen to me. I heard that you ventured into this realm for the cores of my brethren, is that correct? Would you be willing to leave this realm after you obtain the cores?"
"That's right. However, we only mature Asura Spider cores; anything else won't be of any use to us. You told me through voice transmission earlier that you could satisfy this request; could it be that you're willing to hand over your own cores?" Han Li asked as his eyes narrowed slightly, and the expressions of all of the Asura Spiders changed slightly upon hearing this.
For an Asura Spider, losing their core didn't spell instant death, but it could result in a whole host of severe and debilitating after-effects.
"That's naturally not possible. However, we do have the cores of some other cores of our past mature brethren in our possession, and we can offer some of those to you," Ying'er replied with a smile.
"Absolutely not! Those cores are extremely important to us!" the green-robed woman instantly interjected.
Ying'er's brows furrowed slightly as she transmitted her voice toward the green-robed woman.
"Mother, I've already mastered the power of space-time, and I can bestow this power upon you as well, so we no longer require those cores. Besides, I'm not saying we should give these people the cores free of charge."
The green-robed woman's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, as if a thought had suddenly occurred to her.
Ying'er continued, "Have you forgotten the sacred treasure of the Space Fish Race? We've been unable to secure it due to a lack of manpower. If we can obtain that treasure, then it would be far better than keeping those cores that no longer have any value to us. Don't forget that space-time power is far more important than the individual power of time or space."
"Are you confident that you'll be able to further your mastery of spatial power once we obtain that treasure?" the green-robed woman asked with a hesitant expression.
"Rest assured, Mother, I'm currently at a bottleneck in my cultivation of space-time power; once I refine that old man's Nascent Soul and obtain that sacred treasure, a breakthrough will be virtually assured," Ying'er replied without any hesitation.
"In that case, you can go ahead." The green-robed woman finally made her decision.
Ying'er had clearly already predicted her reaction, and she turned back to Han Li and the others, who had naturally already noticed that the two women had been communicating through voice transmission.
Thus, as soon as their conversation concluded, Xue Ran asked, "How many cores will you be willing to give us? If it's too little, then there's no need to continue this negotiation."
"How many do you want?" Ying'er asked.
"There are four of us in total, so we'll need at least 40 cores," Xue Ran replied without any hesitation.
"40? You sure aren't shy, Fellow Daoist! Setting aside the fact that some of the cores in our possession have already been used, even in the past, we've never had that many cores," Ying'er chuckled coldly in response.
As opposed to being enraged upon hearing this, Xue Ran asked in a calm manner, "Alright, then how many can you give us?"
"Eight at most; that should be enough for you to use," Ying'er replied.
Xue Ran's expression darkened slightly upon hearing this. "Eight is definitely not good enough for the four of us."
"Eight cores would equate to two cores for each person; how is that not enough? I'd advise you not to be too greedy. Also, we won't be handing over those cores for free; you'll have to offer us your assistance in a minor task," Ying'er replied.
Han Li raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, and he interjected, "What is this minor task? Why don't you tell us about it first?"
"It's very simple: we need your help in securing a treasure. Once we obtain the treasure, I'll be able to hand over the cores right away," Ying'er replied with a smile.
"What is this treasure and where is it situated? You're telling me that you've been unable to secure it even with the powers of your Asura Spider Race?" Han Li asked.
Xue Ran and Hei Lin also exchanged a rather bewildered glance upon hearing this.
Ying'er seemed to have identified Xue Ran's concerns, and she reassured with a smile, "There's no need for you to know what treasure it is; all you need to know is that it's quite important for our race. The treasure is currently submerged within a glacial pond that's too cold even for Grand Ascension Stage beings to enter. However, we've already thought of a way to secure the treasure from the pond; this won't endanger you at all, and all you need to do is lend us some of your power."
"What do you think, fellow daoists?" Han Li asked.
After conversing briefly with Hei Lin through voice transmission, Xue Ran replied, "If there's no danger, then we can certainly agree to this, but eight cores still isn't enough. We'll let you take the lead, Brother Han; I'm sure you won't disappoint us."
"Alright, Fellow Daoist Ying, I'm sure you heard our discussion just now. How about this? We'll take 12 cores in exchange for offering our assistance; that's the bare minimum we're willing to take. Also, you have to issue us half of the cores in advance, and if any danger arises during the process to secure the treasure, we'll be escaping right away, but you'll still have to issue the rest of the cores to us after the event. On top of that, we can't linger in this realm for too long, so it's best to do this as soon as possible," Han Li said.
Xue Ran and Hei Lin's expressions changed slightly upon hearing the number of cores being negotiated for, but neither of them interjected.
"Fine, 12 it is; that's the most that we'll be able to offer anyway. If it's fine with all of you, why don't we all set off to secure the treasure after a short rest?" Ying'er seemed to be even more eager than Han Li and the others to complete this deal.
"Sure, you can make some preparations, and I'll send a message to our last companion," Han Li replied with a nod, then summoned a jade pendant.
He pointed a finger at the pendant a few times, and a line of silver text appeared on its surface before vanishing in a flash.
Ying'er also transmitted her voice to the green-robed woman so she could contact the four mature Asura Spiders.
Having lost the magic power support from the brocade-robed man, the purple peacock up above grew smaller and smaller, and in the end, it was devoured by the giant silver Fire Raven, following which the antiquated azure lamp plummeted out of the sky.
Han Li made a grabbing motion without any hesitation to draw the lamp into his sleeve.
Everyone else could also see that this lamp was an extremely powerful treasure, but it wasn't in their place to stop Han Li.
After that, a peaceful period ensued, and both sides were waiting for something.
Around 15 minutes later, spatial fluctuations erupted in the distant sky, and a streak of white light emerged before flying directly toward Han Li.
After just a few flashes, the white light receded, and Mo Jianli arrived on the scene.
His face was currently quite pale, and the azure suit of armor he was wearing was riddled with cracks. Furthermore, his aura was severely diminished, and he was looking quite disheveled.
"Fellow Daoist Han, are they really willing to hand over the cores? Why did they suddenly agree? And who's this woman?" Mo Jianli asked in an eager manner before faltering slightly at the sight of Ying'er.
"They have indeed agreed to give us the cores; I'll tell you about the details later. As for this woman, she's the reason behind this sudden change. By the way, where are those mature Asura Spiders?" Han Li asked as he peered into the distance.
"I've trapped those four Asura Spiders in a formation that I set up earlier. It was still too much for me to handle them on my own; both of my spirit beasts were severely wounded, and my formation won't be able to trap them for long," Mo Jianli explained.
"I'm impressed that you managed to trap them in a formation," Han Li replied with a surprised nod.
