*This brat really is a tough one to deal with,* Scarlet Moon cursed inwardly.
But she hadn't expected Yang Kai to agree easily. With his cunning nature, how could he not have investigated all of this thoroughly beforehand?
"Fine." Scarlet Moon sighed. "The reason you need to retrieve it is that only you are capable. Our demon race's supreme powerhouse may have already fallen, but his Void Thought Crystal is not something that can be obtained easily. Any attempt to lay hands on it will trigger its resistance, and it is very likely to self-destruct, leaving nothing behind."
"It has sentience?" Yang Kai asked, startled.
"No. It's merely that a wisp of remnant soul from our race's powerhouse still clings to it." Scarlet Moon shook her head slowly. "I need it to comprehend the mysteries of the Void King Third Stage realm. Only you can leverage the might of the Golden Holy Dragon to suppress it for a single instant and seize it in that brief moment. Does that make sense to you?"
"I understand, more or less..." Yang Kai nodded. "But this junior still has some confusion. Since Senior desires it so greatly, why not go retrieve it yourself? With your abilities, suppressing it should be child's play."
"Are you joking?!" Scarlet Moon's irritation flared. "Are you unaware that Cuiwei Star has a Star Lord? Sneaking a few demon race prodigies into the Blood Arena is one thing, but if I personally set foot on Cuiwei Star, do you really think he would let that slide? Fighting him on his own territory — I'm not so foolish as to do that!"
"Wait, Cuiwei Star actually has a Star Lord?" Yang Kai was genuinely surprised. "Wasn't it said that Cuiwei Star doesn't have any Void King Third Stage powerhouses?"
"Who knows where that fellow got his absurd luck?" Scarlet Moon's beautiful face twisted with vexation, as though she personally knew the Star Lord in question. "With only Void King Second Stage cultivation, he dared to refine a Star Source — and most infuriating of all, he actually succeeded!"
Yang Kai nodded quietly. If that was the case, everything made sense.
With a Star Lord stationed on Cuiwei Star, Scarlet Moon wouldn't dare set foot there lightly. Both were at the Void King Second Stage realm, so a clash on neutral ground might have been an even match. But fighting that Star Lord on Cuiwei Star itself? Scarlet Moon would be absolutely no match!
And the inner core left behind by that demon race powerhouse — or rather, the Void Thought Crystal — was extraordinarily sensitive. Any attempt to claim it would trigger unpredictable consequences. However, the Golden Holy Dragon's might had a certain suppressive effect on it!
Just as it had suppressed Blood Refinement before.
"This is my proposal. Whether you agree or not, take a few days to think it over carefully. There's still some time before the Blood Arena trial begins. I can wait!" Scarlet Moon gazed at Yang Kai with a radiant smile, looking for all the world as though she had him completely cornered.
"There's nothing to think about. I agree." To Scarlet Moon's surprise, Yang Kai accepted with remarkable alacrity.
"But I have one condition!" Yang Kai flashed a grin.
"What?"
"Teach me the method for excavating the Holy Dragon's source power first."
"Do you take me for a three-year-old child?" Scarlet Moon was so exasperated she laughed. "That is the reward you receive after successfully obtaining it! Do you really think I would hand it over now?"
Yang Kai shook his head calmly. "Senior, that's the wrong way to think about it. By your own words, success depends entirely on that single instant of suppression from the Golden Holy Dragon. I currently know nothing about the Golden Holy Dragon's source power, nor how to wield it. If something goes wrong and the Void Thought Crystal self-destructs, what then? Surely Senior wouldn't want to see that outcome."
Scarlet Moon's lovely face darkened, her slender brows knitting tightly together.
She couldn't deny it. Even though she suspected Yang Kai was being somewhat disingenuous, his words hit squarely upon her own concern. Better safe than sorry — a one-in-a-thousand chance was still a chance.
"So for the sake of caution, I believe Senior should teach me the method first. Rest assured, Senior — now that I've given my word, I absolutely will not go back on it. I will do everything in my power to retrieve that Void Thought Crystal for you!"
*I'd truly be a fool to trust you!* Scarlet Moon snorted coldly to herself.
Her expression shifted through several shades before she finally broke into a soft smile. "I suppose I could give it to you in advance. I can even instruct you personally and share some of my own insights."
"Oh?" Yang Kai raised an eyebrow. "Senior's generosity — this junior would be impolite to refuse."
"However, I will only teach you half. The other half will be given to you after you succeed."
"In that case, that works!" Yang Kai nodded slightly. Then, as if something else had occurred to him, he added: "How about this, Senior — you teach me one half, and hand the other half of the technique to Yu Xiong for safekeeping. He's heading to Cuiwei Star anyway. Once this junior obtains the Void Thought Crystal, I'll trade it to Yu Xiong for the remaining half."
Scarlet Moon's brows furrowed slightly as she studied Yang Kai with suspicion.
"Heh, such a remarkable technique — this junior is eager to get his hands on it as soon as possible." Yang Kai put on an innocent, harmless smile.
Scarlet Moon regarded him for a long moment before finally giving a gentle nod. "Very well! But let me warn you — don't even think about playing any tricks. Otherwise, don't blame me for disregarding Qingluo's feelings."
"Of course not. I'm a man of my word." Yang Kai thumped his chest in assurance.
With the terms settled, Scarlet Moon immediately led Yang Kai to a hidden chamber and taught him half of the technique for excavating the Golden Holy Dragon's source power — the Demon Transformation Art.
To ensure Yang Kai's success in retrieving the Void Thought Crystal, Scarlet Moon held nothing back, imparting all of her personal insights and understanding.
The Demon Transformation Art was a technique specifically designed to unearth the source power dormant within one's bloodline, and it was particularly effective against the source power of Sacred Spirits. Its results were nothing short of extraordinary.