As soon as she stopped, a strange little flower slowly wriggled its way out from the passageway.
Its appearance was seven or eight parts similar to the violent Corrupt Marrow Demon Flower from earlier, yet its aura was completely different. One radiated death and savagery, while this one brimmed with vitality and spirit.
The little flower swayed gently, as if it was acting coy toward its master.
Jiu Jiu reached out her other hand, softly brushing its petals as she chuckled. "Good work, you did a fine job acting."
The flower seemed to understand. It rubbed its petals against her fingers in an affectionate manner. In the next breath, its vines shot out, rapidly intertwining until, in the blink of an eye, they formed a wide, comfortable reclining chair of woven green vines right beside her.
She lounged back lazily, crossing her legs. Her gaze drifted once more to where Xie Zhaolin had vanished, her eyes gleaming with mischief and anticipation, as if she were admiring a freshly completed masterpiece worth a fortune. Her slender fingers tapped lightly against the armrest, producing faint rhythmic clicks. A familiar, calculating smile lit up her lips.
"Aiya, finally got our kind benefactor sent inside," she said to herself with a crisp, delighted tone that carried no effort to hide her glee.
"Just the cost of putting on that act probably ran close to three thousand top-grade spirit stones, right? Tsk tsk, those fake Pure Yang Thunder Talismans and imitation Soul Stabilizing Pearls alone were worth fifteen hundred. And then getting you to put on that little show as the rampaging Corrupt Marrow Demon Flower, isn't that right, little one?"
The flower swayed obediently, and Jiu Jiu nodded in satisfaction. "Restoring the spiritual energy you burned up will take at least five hundred spirit stones' worth of Spirit Nourishing Dew."
She counted on her fingers like a miser tallying coins, but her eyes shone brighter with every number.
"But still…" She looked at the flower rubbing against her hand, her grin widening. "This investment was worth every bit. It's a sure-profit deal!"
Her gaze burned as it locked onto the now-empty formation at the hall's center. "That benefactor's value is far more than ten thousand top-grade spirit stones!"
Sensing the little flower's sulkiness, she stroked its petals gently and asked, "Did she have something on her that caught your eye?"
The flower swayed a few times, passing her a message only she could understand. Jiu Jiu nodded thoughtfully.
"So… to a plant spirit of your level, she's as tempting as a treasure pill worth a hundred thousand spirit stones. No wonder you threw yourself into the act so hard you nearly made it real."
The flower's petals drooped in grievance, but she kept muttering.
"And her divine sense strength, it doesn't match a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator at all. It feels like… at least the effect of a Primordial Soul secret treasure worth fifty thousand spirit stones!
Add her flawless control of baleful qi and her quick thinking under pressure… that kind of battle instinct, if a great sect wanted to raise it, the cost would start at no less than eighty thousand!"
Her excitement grew as she straightened on the vine chair, her eyes sparkling as she spoke to the flower, the only one who could hear her rambling.
"But the most important thing! She actually triggered the Nine Nether Teleportation Formation perfectly. Do you know what that means?"
Without waiting for any answer, she waved her arms in excitement. "It means she's carrying a key that even I can't see through, something that matches the very essence of this Silent Cave Mansion. And that kind of thing… can't be priced in spirit stones at all. It's priceless!
So look at it this way. I only spent a few thousand spirit stones' worth on this whole act, and I sent a walking treasure trove, a limitless fortune of opportunities, straight into the Destruction Chamber. That return on investment is faster than robbery. We're talking over a hundred million top-grade spirit stones!"
Jiu Jiu leaned back into the chair again with a long, satisfied sigh, as if she could already see the waves of wealth pouring toward her.
"The Youji Shàngrén's core inheritance? Sure, those things are great. But put together, they might not even be as interesting as our dear benefactor herself."
She blinked playfully, flashing a sly grin.
"Right now she's like… hmm, a giant spirit stone mine that walks, fights, and keeps throwing out surprises! Honestly, it's perfect!
So," she concluded, her tone full of self-satisfied superiority, "I just shoved a fortune worth at least a hundred million straight into her hands. If she makes it out of the Destruction Chamber alive, her value will double.
And when that time comes, I'll collect my investment and my guide's fee… heh heh."
She giggled at the thought, her laughter innocent yet cruel, dripping with the thrill of profit.
"Well then, little one, let's just wait here." She patted the vine chair. "We'll see what kind of surprises our hundred-million treasure brings us.
Hopefully she doesn't disappoint me, or else… hmph, Jiu Jiu never makes a losing deal."
With that, she closed her eyes again, swaying her legs idly as if awaiting the curtain rise on a play. Only her faint humming and the rustle of vines echoed through the silent Destruction Hall.
…
Who knew how much time passed before Xie Zhaolin's eyes snapped open!
What lay before her wasn't the danger she'd expected but a suffocating darkness where even her outstretched hand vanished into shadow. She sat up instantly, the Liuyun Ribbon sliding into her grasp as her divine sense swept outward. But all she found was nothingness and silence. Her face darkened.
It wasn't the unknown danger that made her expression so ugly. It was the memory of the force that had shoved her into the formation.
That power… it was far too familiar!
Concealed, precise, overwhelming, yet strangely restrained, subtle enough that her protective aura hadn't even been triggered. It was exactly the same as the mysterious force that had pushed her into the Bewildering Demon Tuber Flower Sea on the outskirts of the Endless Beast Plains!
"Jiu Jiu…"
Her eyes blazed with killing intent, sharp enough to pierce the darkness.
So it was true.
From the moment she'd entered the Endless Beast Plains, that calculating girl had her in her sights. So-called chance meetings, desperate pleas for help, convenient cooperation… all of it had been one carefully crafted setup.
The goal was to force her to use her trump cards, study her strength, and uncover the secrets on her body. Step by step, Jiu Jiu had guided her down this path, all for the final goal of tricking her into this so-called Destruction Chamber!
"Clever tricks… such scheming!"
Her heart seethed with fury at being manipulated, but beneath the anger burned an icy determination to kill. If she made it out of here alive and that girl dared to wait outside…
She'd gladly let Jiu Jiu learn what it cost to plot against her.
Forcing her rage down, Xie Zhaolin took a deep breath, forcing calm into her chest. Anger solved nothing. What mattered now was figuring out where she was and how to survive.
She gathered her focus and studied her surroundings. She was inside a vast circular stone chamber, about a hundred zhang across, its ceiling vanishing high above into the dark.
The walls and dome were built from pitch-black stone that swallowed her divine sense entirely, making deeper probing impossible. The chamber was completely empty, except for one thing.
Right in front of her stood a door, its massive black surface towering as tall as the chamber itself.