In response to the feminine figure's words, Long Hua chuckles, and remarks—
"You being at death's throe is quite amusing to me."
"You des-!"
"…"
Before the feminine figure can finish her words, the actual Long Hua appears behind her, and captures her in his grasp.
"Release me!"
Ignoring the feminine figure's demands, Long Hua retrieves his divine senses, and mutters—
"Devourer."
As Long Hua summons a miniature serpent's maw, Yao Ying watches it bite off the head of the feminine figure, prior to devouring the rest of their body.
"…"
The sight can only be described as unsettling—even if there aren't any traces of blood spilt.
"…"
Glancing at Yao Ying, Long Hua turns around, and leaves.
"…"
Contemplating for a brief instance, Yao Ying picks up Xu Zuo, and follows him.
...…
Momentarily, the two enter a courtyard; and opening the doors of the central building—
"…"
"…"
Yao Ying sees Qing Ming Yang and Lin Yu Heng sitting on the ground, along with Tian Cheng.
Other than a damaged bedframe and a table that is missing one of its legs, there aren't any other pieces of furniture in this room.
In order to keep weapon spirits and the lamellar armored ghosts from approaching this place, warding talismans have been pasted throughout the walls of the room.
"…"
Walking over, Long Hua takes a seat beside Tian Cheng.
"…"
"…"
Exchanging a brief glance with Qing Ming Yang, Yao Ying seats herself beside Long Hua.
"Right, we're all here now."
Towards Long Hua's remark, Lin Yu Heng asks—
"So then, senior, why did you gather all of us here for?"
Clearing his throat, Long Hua begins to explain the details of his contract with Nian Yao Yao and Nine Lives.
For the most part, Long Hua glossed over his work contract with Nian Yao Yao, and placed more emphasis on the deal that he had made with Nine Lives, to which—
"A city beneath these ruins?"
"…Hope City?"
Blinking their eyes, Qing Ming Yang and Lin Yu Heng raised a frown.
If the mechanics in the city are successful activated, it could mean the arrival of an early harvest season.
Attempting to confirm Long Hua's intentions, Qing Ming Yang asks—
"Senior, you gathered us here to help you with activating the city's mechanics, correct?"
"Indeed. Those two bitches, they seriously expected me to think—that I'd be able to activate those mechanics on my own apparently. Well, no matter what, it's impossible for a Core Formation realm practitioner—to single-handedly operate an entire city's worth of mechanics on their own."
Taking out a storage pouch, Long Hua tosses it to Lin Yu Heng, and adds—
"The device that is meant to draw spirit Qi from practitioners, it was most likely designed to suck them dry upon contact."
"…What a bunch of-"
"Ah?!"
Before Qing Ming Yang can reply, Lin Yu Heng gasps aloud.
"Lin-xiong, what happened?"
"…See for yourself."
Tossing Qing Ming Yang the storage pouch, Lin Yu Heng contemplates Long Hua's plan.
"Hm?"
Looking into the storage pouch—
"…!"
Qing Ming Yang sucks in a cold breath of air.
Within the storage pouch is a mountain's worth of spirit stones—the likes of which that Qing Ming Yang could only ever dream of.
"Th-This is…?"
Not daring to hold the storage pouch for long, Qing Ming Yang tosses it back to Long Hua.
Catching the storage pouch, Long Hua asks—
"Well, are you two in, or are you two out?"
Glancing at Yao Ying, Long Hua adds—
"I guess I should ask you the same?"
"…"
Simultaneously, the three contemplated the matter deeply.
Compared to Yao Ying, Qing Ming Yang and Lin Yu Heng have a lot more to account for prior to making their decision.
One of which is—
"Senior, doing this will cause chaos to erupt in the Ling Yuan family for certain. I…-"
Turning towards Lin Yu Heng, Long Hua says—
"Surnamed Lin, what if I tell you—that the Everlasting Spirit Realm will be destroyed in the near future?"
"Uh?"
"Lao Bai, he mentioned that the laws of the Leng Bing Realm are already beginning to collapse; weapon spirits are slowly starting to regain their memories as practitioners."
"…Bai-daren said that?"
Heaving a sigh, Long Hua is just about to continue, however—
"Indeed."
Without anyone realizing it, Bai Wen had already appeared beside Yao Ying.
Turning to Bai Wen, Lin Yu Heng asks—
"…Bai-daren, what exactly is happening to this world?"
"It's just as Lao Long had said, its laws are collapsing, and once it does—this world goes poof. Ai…"
Contemplating for a brief instance, Bai Wen decides to come clean with everything that could happen in the near future, as he says—
"Resources in the Everlasting Spirit Realm is being depleted constantly. Once it all runs dry, all the practitioner families will turn towards each other for more. Can't be helped, where else can they turn to for resources—when that old tortoise's cage is locking us all in this star region, expecting us to play nicely?"
Saying all this, Bai Wen shrugs his shoulders in an uncaring manner, whereas—
"Ah, this situation…?"
"If that really happens, then…?"
Qing Ming Yang and Lin Yu Heng widened their eyes—with an expression that made it seem as if they had both just been struck by lightning.