"Octagonal…"
Chen Junting glanced at Youyou, who was glaring daggers at Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass—but paid it no mind. Instead, he stepped toward the frosty herb and asked flatly:
"State your terms."
Octagonal's voice was crisp and cold:
"Simple. First, accelerating the Lovesick Heartbreak Red will cost us dearly. So the second bloom counts as three of your seven allotted herbs."
Chen Junting nodded. No issue there.
After all, if I need more exemptions later, I'll find excuses.
Origin Energy Immortal Grass, for instance, would be invaluable to him.
"Second…" Octagonal paused, then declared:
"I'll go with him. My spot counts toward your seven. Agreed?"
Its leaf pointed unerringly at Huo Yuhao.
"Me?" Huo Yuhao blinked, stunned. He'd assumed this had nothing to do with him. He'd expected the herb to demand they stop harassing it—not volunteer to follow him.
Could this be a ploy to spare another herb? But do these herbs even care for each other that much?
He glanced at Youyou…
Maybe only this flower is universally despised.
Meanwhile, Chen Junting wasn't surprised. When Octagonal first spoke, he'd suspected this—but deemed it unlikely, given their strained history.
Yet here they were.
Noting Huo Yuhao's questioning look, Chen Junting stayed silent—leaving the choice to him. Instead, he turned his attention to selecting which other herbs to take, mentally scrolling through a list of candidates.
Nearby, Gu Tianchen—seeing both occupied—wandered the Yin-Yang Eyes' shore. The closer he got to the lake, the heavier the pressure on his soul grew.
But soon, something else caught his eye: a tiny, unassuming mushroom nestled by the bank.
Huo Yuhao, realizing Chen Junting wouldn't intervene, scratched his head. "You want to come with me? Why?"
"Because I have no choice."
Octagonal's logic was icy and precise:
"After you drain my essence, I'll have less than 30% chance of surviving my next heavenly tribulation. To me, that's suicide."
"So I propose becoming your soul spirit."
It wasn't unfamiliar with the concept. Many Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Elders had come here to ascend as soul spirits, their every transformation observed by Octagonal.
"I see…" Huo Yuhao's eyes widened. So that's it.
But guilt nagged him. They're only doing this because we forced their hand—is this right?
"Of course, there's more," Octagonal added, sensing his hesitation. "I… wish to see the outside world. I've been here too long. And your aura—it suits me better than the Frost Extreme Ice Spring. Just preserve my consciousness when I bond."
"Hmm…" Huo Yuhao felt this sounded slightly forced—yet the "impending death" angle made it plausible.
If I were in its place, I'd do the same.
"Are you certain?" he asked gravely. "Fusing with me will let you keep your mind. But becoming a soul spirit means abandoning your physical form forever. No second chances."
"I've decided."
This was the outcome of deep deliberation—no room for doubt. Truthfully, another reason gnawed at him: he couldn't stomach this place anymore.
"Octagonal…"
"Octagonal, you're really leaving?"
At last, Eight Petal Immortal Orchid and Beautiful Silk Tulip—who'd stayed silent out of fear—spoke up, their voices thick with conflicted emotion.
"Xiao Ba (Little Eight), Qiluo… my mind is made up," Octagonal sighed. "Ever since last time, the Yin-Yang Eyes… changed."
The two herbs fell silent. Huo Yuhao shifted awkwardly—I'm literally standing right here!
But Chen Junting's eyes gleamed.
He strode straight to Beautiful Silk Tulip. Under its bewildered "gaze," he made an offer:
"What if you became a soul spirit too—for the girl with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda?"
"Me?!" Qiluo stiffened, instantly wary. After what I sacrificed last time, you're targeting me again?!
But Chen Junting's next words gave it pause:
"If I'm not mistaken, your situation is nearly identical to Octagonal's, isn't it? And honestly… life here hasn't been pleasant lately, has it?"
Qiluo's reply dripped with bitterness:
"Whose fault is that?"
"I won't deny it," Chen Junting admitted, crouching to its level. Then, through soul-force transmission, he whispered:
"But if you bond with Xiao Tian… I guarantee you eternal life."
"What?!"
Before Qiluo could process this, Chen Junting turned to Eight Petal Immortal Orchid, repeating the same pitch—though omitting the promise of immortality.
This herb is for Ji Juechen, he'd decided. Only Eight Petal's nature can help him break through Level 95 without side effects.
But Eight-Petal hesitated, glancing at Qiluo:
"Qiluo—if Octagonal's leaving, will you go too? If you do… I'll follow."
"I…" Qiluo wavered, torn. The human's offer was undeniably tempting.
Then—
"Octagonal! Qiluo! Xiao Ba! Don't leave! Without you, I'll be all alone!"
Youyou's "plea"—transparently self-serving—was the final straw. Qiluo's last shred of loyalty shattered. Octagonal and Xiao Ba likely felt the same.
"Human," Qiluo declared, watching Chen Junting finalize Huo Yuhao's soul spirit contract via the Spirit Contract Array, "Xiao Ba and I will go with you."
"Ah—" Chen Junting dismantled the array, smiling faintly. "A wise choice."
Thus, after accelerating the Lovesick Heartbreak Red's growth:
—Chen Junting took Eight Petal Immortal Orchid and Beautiful Silk Tulip—two 100,000-year divine herb soul beasts.
—Huo Yuhao bonded Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass as his soul spirit.
—Even Gu Tianchen, with Chen Junting's approval, chose a Void Fairy Mushroom that resonated with his spatial affinity. But since his body still held traces of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum's power, he left the newly matured mushroom here for future use.
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