Chapter 94: Calculations

The Human World

As Zhao Yan, with his back to them, was intently collecting the mysterious orchid, Ruan Nanfeng secretly cast a restriction and transmitted his voice, saying, "Don't show any expression. Everyone, are you truly willing to be at Zhao Yan's mercy?"

The few of them exchanged glances. The only woman, surnamed Cen, asked doubtfully, "Junior Brother Ruan, what do you mean by that? The Heart-Devouring Worms are lurking in our primordial spirits, ready to kill us the moment we think of disobeying. What can we do if we don't follow his orders?"

"Nothing, indeed," Ruan Nanfeng sneered, "but I refuse to wait for death. The person surnamed Yu claimed to have safely sent Junior Sister Wu and the others out of the Kuiyin Sect, but I doubt it. It would be easier to just kill them and dispose of their bodies to cover up their tracks than to bother sending them out. If we hadn't fortunately broken through the eighth layer and were still useful to him, we would have been dead by now. Senior Sister Cen, do you really want to bet on that devil's conscience?"

Senior Sister Cen fell silent. She asked the silent young man beside her, "Senior Brother Liu, do you think so too?"

The young man surnamed Liu grunted and sighed softly, "I also suspect the fate of our other fellow disciples. Who knows how many souls are lost in the Yinsha Abyss? For the Kuiyin Sect, a few more or a few less of us makes no difference. After Zhao Yan takes the spiritual medicine, he'll still need to figure out how to escape from Yuanzhao Sect. Is he really willing to bring us, these burdens, and share his achievements? As for the so-called promises after everything is done, just listen to them and don't take them seriously..."

"But..." Senior Sister Cen was still hesitant. "Unless we can instantly kill Zhao Yan. If we give him even a moment to think, he can awaken the Heart-Devouring Worms in our primordial spirits, and we'll die just the same..."

Qin Sang, who had been observing coldly from the side, suddenly spoke up. "I have a magical artifact called the Purple Soul Bell. It can confuse Zhao Yan's mind, but his cultivation is higher than mine, so it can only trap him for less than two breaths of time."

Qin Sang had long harbored thoughts of attacking Zhao Yan. But Zhao Yan had always stayed close by, and he had no time to prepare the Spirit-Confusing Mirror or the Ebony Sword. As for secretly allying with Ruan Nanfeng and the others, Qin Sang had considered it but ultimately gave up. Firstly, there was no opportunity to discuss it; transmitting their voices under Zhao Yan's nose would surely be discovered. Secondly, they couldn't escape the control of the Heart-Devouring Worms. Qin Sang couldn't be sure if they had the courage to resist. If they still harbored illusions about the Kuiyin Sect and exposed him for self-preservation, it would be counterproductive. Now that they themselves brought it up, Qin Sang was naturally happy to cooperate.

Ruan Nanfeng was overjoyed. "As long as I get a chance to use my Golden Crow Hammer, two breaths will be enough! Senior Brother Liu, Senior Sister Cen, you two must also have offensive magical artifacts, right? At that time, with our three artifacts attacking together, we will surely be able to kill Zhao Yan instantly!"

Senior Brother Liu's tone also barely concealed his joy. "My supreme-grade magical artifact happens to be the Soul-Devouring Spear, and Junior Sister Cen also has a high-grade spiritual sword. As soon as we leave the Three Calamities Heart-Devouring Array, Junior Brother Qin, you must immediately activate the Purple Soul Bell to prevent Zhao Yan from striking first."

Senior Sister Cen was finally persuaded. She coldly watched Zhao Yan, who was busy in the pool, her voice icy. "Then I, this humble woman, will gamble with you, Senior Brother and Junior Brothers. In my opinion, there's no need to wait until then. To avoid any unforeseen complications, we should act now. Zhao Yan has expended spiritual power to pluck the orchid; he is at his weakest now. We can ensure success!"

Senior Brother Liu quickly advised, "No, we can't. The Four Cloud Divine Restriction requires five people to operate. We still rely on him to escape the Three Calamities Heart-Devouring Array. We can't touch him now."

Ruan Nanfeng chuckled sinisterly, his eyes fixed on the orchid Zhao Yan was slowly pulling out inch by inch. "Senior Brother Liu is right. We've been ordered around by those devils for so long, constantly on edge. How can we not collect some interest? Let's wait for him to retrieve the orchid. After the four of us eliminate him, we'll split the orchid evenly. It's an immortal medicine coveted by Core Formation cultivators. Even if we can't use it, wouldn't it be easy to exchange it for a few Foundation Establishment Pills? The Yuanzhao Sect has two Golden Cores guarding it. Even if their protective formation is broken, it won't be easy for them to be completely subdued, as long as they fight to the death. We'll take advantage of the chaos to make our escape. If you're willing to come with me, a senior member of my family is about to achieve Core Formation. Once he returns from the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, he can definitely help us get rid of the Heart-Devouring Worms."

At these words, Senior Brother Liu's and Senior Sister Cen's eyes both showed a hint of fanaticism. Qin Sang caught a glimpse of their gazes, secretly became wary, and made up his mind that after escaping, he absolutely wouldn't go with them. The four of them discussed some more details. Seeing that Zhao Yan was about to take the orchid, they quickly fell silent and pretended nothing was amiss.

The mysterious orchid was firmly clutched by Zhao Yan, unable to break free no matter how it struggled. The moment its roots left the water, it suddenly became motionless, and the smoky illusions on its pistil also dispersed, turning it into an inanimate object.

However, Zhao Yan wasn't bothered by this; instead, his face showed great joy. He eagerly increased his spiritual power, activated the remaining thunder energy of the transparent jade, continuously unleashed several divine lightning bolts, splitting open a huge crack, and snatched the orchid out. Zhao Yan burst into laughter, holding the mysterious orchid in front of him to examine it closely, appearing as if in a frenzy.

But what Qin Sang and the others couldn't see was that in Zhao Yan's eyes, as he stood with his back to them, there was no hint of madness; instead, they were incredibly cold, and a strange smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

The next moment, screams suddenly erupted in the stone cave, followed by a few dull thuds. Zhao Yan waved his hand, and the four cloud banners whizzed back into his palm. He slowly turned around and said with unusual triumph, "Did you really think I didn't know what you were plotting? The Four Cloud Divine Restriction? I can control it by myself. If not for the powerful restrictions on it..."

But when he saw the scene behind him, the smile on Zhao Yan's face abruptly froze. One, two, three... there were only three bodies! Zhao Yan's expression changed dramatically. He had clearly awakened the Heart-Devouring Worms directly, so how could only three people have died? Where was the other one? Could the Heart-Devouring Worms also fail?

Without time to think, Zhao Yan roared sharply, "Get out now!" The blue cloud banner flashed with light. Suddenly, clouds rose and mist permeated the cave, and Qin Sang's silhouette then emerged from the mist.

The Falling Cloud Wings could only conceal his aura, not make him disappear into thin air. Qin Sang had also not realized that Zhao Yan having them jointly activate the Four Cloud Divine Restriction to breach the Three Calamities Heart-Devouring Array was merely a deceptive ploy to mislead them. The true purpose was to use their combined power to unleash the Four Cloud Divine Restriction's most potent lightning technique, to break the restrictions on the mysterious orchid. Before Zhao Yan had even stored the mysterious orchid into his jade box, he immediately thought to awaken the Heart-Devouring Worms. Ruan Nanfeng and the other two died instantly, their primordial spirits devoured by the worms, powerless to resist. At the same time, Zhao Yan forcibly seized the cloud banners. Qin Sang was caught off guard and quickly concealed his figure. He knew that Zhao Yan had expended a great deal of energy collecting the mysterious orchid. To be safe, and uncertain if the jade Buddha could protect him from the Three Calamities Heart-Devouring Array, he chose to ambush rather than escape.

Even though his Falling Cloud Wings were easily breached, Qin Sang remained unfazed. In his palm, the Yin Thunder Incantation of Gui Water was about to take form!