"Of course I've studied it. So what?" The man surnamed Fu said unhappily, glancing toward Hua Qingsi.
Among everyone present, he didn't regard anyone else as worthy of note — not even Duan Yuanshan, the City Lord of Fenglin City. Only toward Hua Qingsi did he feel a trace of wariness, since the gap in their cultivation realms was negligible.
Her sudden question put him on alert.
"It seems the honored sir hasn't studied it thoroughly after all," Hua Qingsi said with a faint smile, her lips pressed together.
"What do you mean?" Fu exclaimed, an uneasy feeling creeping in that he might have overlooked something.
"If you had studied it thoroughly, then you should know that once the Xuanwu Seven-Segment Formation is set, our Origin Power merges into one, making us virtually inseparable. In other words, the formation draws upon our collective Origin Power to operate. If our Origin Power runs out, the formation collapses."
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Fu frowned deeply.
"Is it really that hard to understand?" Hua Qingsi shot him a mocking look. "The formation doesn't drain the same amount of Origin Power from each of us — it maintains a kind of balance on its own. Those with higher cultivation are drained a bit more; those with lower cultivation, a bit less. The ratio of consumption is the same for everyone. Does that make sense to you?"
"What?" Fu's expression changed drastically at these words.
He immediately released his Divine Sense and probed carefully, only to find that what Hua Qingsi said was true. The rate at which Origin Power was being drained from both himself and Hua Qingsi was far faster than from anyone else. Duan Yuanshan came next, while the remaining Dao Source Realm cultivators were all roughly the same.
This discovery turned his face dark as night, and his mood soured instantly.
"Is that so? Lady Hua truly has a sharp eye," Du Lishen and Zhuang Pan said, finally catching on to the subtlety after Hua Qingsi's reminder. They exchanged a glance and saw barely concealed delight in each other's eyes.
After all, if this was the case, then the seven of them truly shared the same fate — if one suffered, all suffered; if one prospered, all prospered. It was as though the weaker members and the stronger ones had been捆绑ed together. Truly inseparable!
They no longer needed to worry about a situation where their own power dried up while Fu still had plenty to spare.
"I'm going to be dragged to my death by you bunch of bastards!" Fu roared, his expression twisted with fury.
"Honored sir, do you forget that you just swore a Heart Demon Great Oath?" Hua Qingsi added fuel to the fire from the side, making Fu even more irritable.
Anyone dragged down by deadweight would naturally be in a foul mood.
In his rage, he glared viciously at Qin Zhaoyang, as if blaming him.
Qin Zhaoyang stammered, "I assumed everyone understood how the formation works…"
Hua Qingsi giggled. "Since the honored sir comes from the Flying Saint Palace, you must surely carry the famous Blood-Reverting Origin Pill, renowned throughout the Southern Domain? I wonder if you'd be generous enough to give one to each of us?"
"You wretched… you dare covet my spirit pills?" Fu's fury was boundless. His face contorted, and he nearly cursed aloud.
"The Blood-Reverting Origin Pill?" Zhuang Pan's eyes lit up at the words, and he stared eagerly at Fu.
Du Lishen wore a similarly hungry expression.
It seemed the Blood-Reverting Origin Pill would be enormously useful in their current situation.
A cold glint flashed in Hua Qingsi's eyes, but she quickly reined it in, still exuding charm as she smiled with pressed lips. "Why be so stingy, honored sir? The Flying Saint Palace's Blood-Reverting Origin Pill may have some side effects, but its potency is extraordinary — a treasure famous throughout the Southern Domain. With your deep cultivation, you must hold an important position in the Flying Saint Palace. Surely you carry at least a few Blood-Reverting Origin Pills?"
"I don't!" Fu's face twitched slightly as he refused flatly.
Hua Qingsi let out a soft click of disdain, her expression full of contempt.
"What's a Blood-Reverting Origin Pill?" Yang Kai whispered to Qin Zhaoyang beside him.
"Brother Yang hasn't heard of it?" Qin Zhaoyang stared at Yang Kai in genuine surprise.
Yang Kai flushed slightly and slowly shook his head.
"The Blood-Reverting Origin Pill is a unique product of the Flying Saint Palace. It seems the refinement process has extremely demanding requirements for the location, so even alchemists from a powerhouse like the Star God Palace can't produce it. Its greatest function is that it can restore Origin Power with remarkable speed, and its efficacy is tremendous. However…"
"However what?" Yang Kai asked in confusion.
"However, after taking this pill, it consumes a certain amount of your essence blood, so there are some side effects. But that's a minor flaw compared to its benefits — what's a bit of essence blood in exchange? A single pill like this can save your life at a critical moment. Because production is extremely limited, the price is staggering — one pill is worth at least several hundred thousand source crystals!"
"You old thing, you sure know a lot," Fu said with an arrogant smile upon hearing this. "That's right — our Flying Saint Palace's Blood-Reverting Origin Pill is indeed a marvel of the Southern Domain. Even a massive sect like the Star God Palace can't produce it, because it can only be refined within our palace's restricted grounds. What we produce isn't even enough to supply our own disciples — why would we have any to spare for the likes of you?"
"If you won't give them, you won't give them. Why say so much about it?" Hua Qingsi sniffed. "In any case, when our Origin Power is exhausted, we'll all die here. I certainly won't be lonely."