Translator: CinderTL
"There's no need for gratitude. I only hope you can forgive this monk's past transgressions. That would be enough," Mi Hai said.
Xi Ling replied, "Absolutely not. Mi Hai, let's settle this with our blades!"
As she spoke, Xi Ling prepared to attack.
The Paired Blades hovering above her head instantly surged with power, their blades radiating qi in all directions.
"Xi Ling, to atone for my past mistakes, I'm willing to offer compensation," Mi Hai hastily called out.
His humble demeanor wasn't born of genuine fear of Xi Ling.
The Corpse King Hall stood before them, and within it might lie the opportunity for Divine Transformation. How could he risk his life fighting Xi Ling over old grudges?
He needed to conserve his strength to compete for the treasures within the Corpse King Hall.
Mi Hai didn't want to fight Xi Ling, and Xi Ling felt the same way.
Her aggressive posture was merely to demonstrate that she wasn't someone to be trifled with, someone who could be easily manipulated. This was to prevent being targeted again during the upcoming treasure hunt.
"Mi Hai, what compensation can you offer?" Xi Ling asked.
"Xi Ling, could we discuss this privately?" Mi Hai suggested.
Xi Ling nodded.
The two moved aside and used Divine Sense to communicate in secret.
By this point, the black Qi had completely receded back into the Corpse King Hall.
The hall had returned to its previous tranquility.
Gou Jun, Yang Yu, Lan Chen, and Mo Yexue approached the hall, carefully examining it for a way to enter.
"Fellow Daoist Gou Jun, you must have a method to enter the Corpse King Hall, right? Don't hide it. Bring it out," Yang Yu said.
The Ancient Texts Gou Jun had produced earlier mentioned the hall's restrictions but offered no solution to break them. Yang Yu suspected Gou Jun was concealing something, prompting his question.
Gou Jun replied, "If I had a way to break the restrictions, I would have started long ago. Why would I waste time here?"
Then, turning to Mo Yexue, he asked, "Fellow Daoist Mo, I've heard you are highly skilled in array formations. Do you have any methods to break the Corpse King Hall's restrictions?"
Mo Yexue shook her head. "I've never seen anything like the Corpse King Hall's restrictions before. I can't think of a way to break them offhand."
Gou Jun said, "If that's the case, we can only try brute-force. Fellow Daoists, let's rest and recover our Spiritual Power for a few days. Once we've recovered, we can work together to break the restrictions. What do you think?"
"Let's do as Fellow Daoist Gou Jun suggests."
On the other side, after Xi Ling and Mi Hai had reconciled, Xi Ling approached Xue Mei, a hint of amusement in her eyes.
"Xue Mei, I didn't expect you to have such courage. Instead of fleeing when you saw me, you stood your ground? Do you truly believe that after advancing to the Nascent Soul stage, you can stand against me?"
Xue Mei knew she was no match for Xi Ling, yet she showed not the slightest hint of fear.
"Xi Ling, what do you want?"
"What do I want?" Xi Ling sneered. "You exploited Junior Brother Tai He and the Nine Palaces Sect to rapidly advance your cultivation and reach the Nascent Soul stage. Then, you secretly fled with the Bronze Key Coffin, nearly depriving Junior Brother Tai He of the chance to enter the Divine Blood Hall Secret Realm. Don't you think you owe me an explanation?"
Xue Mei replied with a hint of disdain, "Tai He provided me with cultivation resources only to strengthen my yin essence, so I could serve as his Human Furnace and help him break through his cultivation bottleneck."
Hearing this, the others, except for Song Wen, glanced over at them.
Xue Mei was Tai He's Human Furnace?
However, they only spared a brief glance before turning away to meditate and regulate their breathing.
They weren't particularly interested in the internal affairs of the Nine Palaces Sect.
However, neither Yang Yu, who had promised to help Xue Mei once before, nor Mi Hai, who claimed to be grateful for Xue Mei's guidance, nor Lan Chen and Mo Yexue, who had repeatedly relied on Xue Mei's directions throughout their journey, spoke a single word on her behalf.
Seeing their reactions, Xi Ling's lips curled into a faint smile.
Her previous actions had been merely for show, intended to make outsiders aware of the grievances between her and Xue Mei. This would make her upcoming Divine Sense transmission seem less abrupt.
"Junior Brother Tai He once mentioned that you were originally a cultivator from tens of thousands of years ago, the Cave Master of Blood Cloud Cave, a subordinate force of the Divine Blood Gate. Later, you seized Yan Yiwen's body and were reborn. I assume you know how to enter the Corpse King Hall? Hand it over to me, and I won't reveal your true identity or pursue the grievances between you and the Nine Palaces Sect. How does that sound?"
"You've made a clever calculation. You want to monopolize the treasures within the Corpse King Hall?" Xue Mei's tone shifted as she continued transmitting through Divine Sense. "However, you're right about one thing: I do know how to enter the Corpse King Hall."
Xi Ling's eyes flashed with sharp light. "Tell me!"
Xue Mei transmitted, "Even if I tell you, you won't be able to do it. You need my help to enter the Corpse King Hall."
Xi Ling retorted, "Stop playing games! Just tell me straight."
Xue Mei said, "The Corpse King Hall can only be entered by those who cultivate a specific Cultivation Technique. Since you haven't cultivated this technique, how could you possibly enter?"
"What Cultivation Technique is it?" Xi Ling asked.
"The Corpse King Blood Refinement Art! It's a closely guarded secret of the Divine Blood Gate. Only those who have cultivated this technique can enter the Corpse King Hall," Xue Mei replied.
"If that's the case, why did you just say you could help me enter?" Xi Ling asked.
Xue Mei explained, "I can seal a strand of Spiritual Power within your body. When you activate it, it will coalesce into a Mana Shield, allowing you to bypass the Corpse King Hall's restrictions."
"Really?"
Xi Ling hesitated to trust Xue Mei's plan. Allowing an outsider to seal Spiritual Power within her body was too risky. If Xue Mei had malicious intentions and detonated the Spiritual Power, Xi Ling could suffer severe injuries or even death.
"If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do," Xue Mei said.
Xi Ling's gaze remained fixed on Xue Mei. After a long moment of silence, she finally spoke.
"Fine, I believe you. But if you dare to make any untoward moves, I'll make you wish you were dead."
"Rest assured. My life is still in your hands. I wouldn't dare harbor any ulterior motives," Xue Mei replied.
Xi Ling waved her hand, and a barrier materialized out of thin air, enveloping her and Xue Mei.
The barrier had the power to block sight and Divine Sense, so no one could peer inside unless they broke through it.
Gou Jun and the others were focused on entering the Corpse King Hall as quickly as possible, paying no attention to the internal conflicts of the Nine Palaces Sect.
Naturally, no one bothered to try and spy on what was happening inside the barrier.
Within the barrier, Xue Mei placed one hand on Xi Ling's right hand.
A stream of pure Spiritual Power flowed from Xue Mei's body through their palms into Xi Ling's right arm.
Xi Ling channeled her own Spiritual Power to seal the foreign energy within her right arm.
If Xue Mei harbored any ill intentions, Xi Ling would only lose an arm at most, not her life.
(End of the Chapter)
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