Li Tianming looked at Qin Siyang's smile and spat, "Damn it, you're so cunning. Are you a monkey or something?"
"How'd you know? In two months, I'll be Year of the Monkey."
Li Tianming said, "We need to discuss how to split things first. Otherwise, I won't be your [Insurer]."
"Suit yourself. You're the one who wants that treasure. I don't even know what that crimson skull means. Wouldn't feel bad if I lost it."
"You—"
Li Tianming was truly at a loss against Qin Siyang's nonchalant attitude.
Besides, he really needed Qin Siyang's cooperation.
Qin Siyang even had to put in more effort.
But after thinking about it—
Qin Siyang might be stingy with words, but when it came to treasures like the Vine Core, he still shared.
This time, he'd probably give him something too.
Better act fast before the treasure slipped through his fingers.
Get the treasure first, discuss the split later.
No need to argue and ruin things before they even got the loot, ending up with nothing in the end.
"Alright, I won't waste time talking anymore. Let's grab the treasure first."
Qin Siyang's eyes lit up, "There's really treasure?"
"This one's even more valuable than the Vine Core. If you get it, I'd bet Zhao Longfei will kneel and bow to you."
Qin Siyang was even more tempted.
"What kind of treasure?"
"Crimson Crystal."
"Crimson Crystal… what's that?"
"Too much to explain in detail. Let me compare it to the Vine Core, and you'll get it."
"The Vine Core, in public records, has only five confirmed owners. Your Vine Core is medium-sized. But I estimate that within the Safe Zone, various factions hold at least ten more, and those hidden ones are likely much bigger than yours."
"As for the Crimson Crystal, I can say with certainty that the Safe Zone has at most three. The largest one is only quail-egg-sized."
"Right now, you have a chance to get one. That skull was glowing red, which means the Blood Salamander inside is quite large. Judging by its size, I'd estimate it's about as big as a pigeon egg."
Qin Siyang sucked in a breath, his eyes widening to pigeon-egg size.
Rarity makes value.
Doesn't even matter what it does. As long as it's valuable, that's enough.
"Old Li, how do we kill this thing? You tell me, I'll follow your lead! As for the split, we'll decide after we get back!"
Li Tianming said, "Don't get too excited. Keep your emotions in check. Getting this Crimson Crystal isn't going to be easy."
He scanned the surroundings.
"This skull just showed up here, which means the Blood Salamander is nearby. We have to be extremely careful."
"Alright."
Li Tianming explained in detail, "The Blood Salamander is a god living in the Pooled Begonia. As the name suggests, its entire body looks drenched in fresh blood, glowing red. It moves incredibly fast but doesn't have much combat ability. Its main way of killing is through the toxins it emits."
Hearing that the Blood Salamander wasn't strong, Qin Siyang asked, "What level of god is it?"
"Small-scale god."
"Small-scale?"
"Don't underestimate it just because it's a small-scale god. It's not easy to catch. Pooled Begonia flowers are bowl-shaped, gathering rainwater and nectar, and the Blood Salamander lives inside them. But the Pooled Begonia itself is a mid-scale god!"
"A mid-scale god? So what? We've killed those before."
"No. The difficulty isn't in killing the Pooled Begonia, it's in killing the Blood Salamander inside the Pooled Begonia before the Pooled Begonia kills it."
Qin Siyang narrowed his eyes, feeling like he just heard an extremely complex and contradictory story.
"I… have to kill the Blood Salamander before the Pooled Begonia does?"
"Exactly."
"Why does that sound a bit weird?"
"It's not weird. The Blood Salamander may live inside the Pooled Begonia, but it's actually bait."
"Because the Crimson Crystal inside the Blood Salamander is something everyone in the Safe Zone wants. Whenever someone sees traces of a Blood Salamander, they'll try to enter the Pooled Begonia flower to kill it."
"But the Pooled Begonia uses this to hunt Sequence Ability Users."
"When a Sequence Ability User jumps into the Pooled Begonia to kill the Blood Salamander, the flower immediately retracts underground and releases highly corrosive liquid, killing both the Blood Salamander and the intruder. Once the Blood Salamander is killed by the Pooled Begonia's corrosive liquid, the Crimson Crystal inside turns into an ordinary stone, completely useless."
"So, if you want to kill the Blood Salamander and get the Crimson Crystal, you have to be faster than the Pooled Begonia."
Qin Siyang was completely baffled, "If the Pooled Begonia kills the Blood Salamander, why does the Blood Salamander still live inside it?"
"Nature's balance. The reason is that the Blood Salamander's eggs can only hatch inside the Pooled Begonia flowers."
"Blood Salamanders are all female and can reproduce on their own. They lay a single egg inside the Pooled Begonia. The egg's condition for hatching is absorbing the Pooled Begonia's corrosive liquid."
"So, when the mother Blood Salamander dies, the baby Blood Salamander is born. This cycle repeats endlessly."
Qin Siyang felt like he was hearing some bizarre knowledge from an unknown world, "That's actually pretty fascinating. Then why don't I just kill the Pooled Begonia first, then take my time catching the Blood Salamander?"
Li Tianming shook his head, "Because the Pooled Begonia… can't be killed."
"Even though it's classified as a mid-scale god, it could actually be considered a large-scale god. Its root system is unimaginably vast, stretching for miles underground. That's how it can quickly retreat below ground."
"The Pooled Begonia has extremely sensitive perception. At the slightest danger, it escapes. If you attack but fail to kill it, it will immediately close its flower, kill the Blood Salamander inside, and flee far away."
"To this day, no human has ever successfully killed a Pooled Begonia."
Qin Siyang listened and realized there was only one option left—
Enter the Pooled Begonia and kill the Blood Salamander inside.
He asked again, "I get how to kill the Blood Salamander now. But according to you, the moment I jump into the flower, the Pooled Begonia will retract underground and release corrosive liquid."
"If that happens, even if I kill the Blood Salamander, I won't be able to escape."
Li Tianming said, "That's why you have me as your [Insurer]."
"What can you do?"
"I can use [Earth Bind] to hold the Begonia Flower in place, giving you time to kill the Blood Salamander."
"You need to finish the job fast. If you don't escape in time… the next red skull to appear on the surface might be yours."
Qin Siyang narrowed his eyes, "Old Li, where did you get your [Earth Bind] skill? How can it even restrain a god with such a massive root system?"
Qin Siyang had researched Shaman skills, and [Earth Bind] was usually only effective on small-scale gods. Even binding mid-scale gods was difficult, let alone a Pooled Begonia with roots stretching miles.
Li Tianming said calmly—
"Did you even catch the main point?"
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