Yue He sneered at his words. "The level of risk depends on how much power the person consolidates. The less power they consolidate, the smaller the risk. If they only consolidate a single type, the success rate is roughly fifty percent."
"Only fifty percent even with a single type!" Yang Kai's expression shifted. "What about four?"
Meng Hong had already said he had consolidated four types of Open Heaven power, which meant his chances would be even slimmer.
"About one in ten," Yue He said gravely.
One in ten! Yang Kai felt a chill run through him. This was nothing short of a nine-dead-one-alive situation.
Yue He looked at Meng Hong with a cold smile. "Even so, you still want to go through with it?"
Meng Hong tightened his grip on the jade bottle and nodded calmly. "My mind is made up!" After a pause, he added, "There's no need for Brother Yang to try and dissuade me either. I've had this idea for a very long time—I simply never had the courage to act on it. Besides, outside, the Great Moon Sect wouldn't have been able to gather enough heavenly treasures for me. But this place is different. This is the Void Great World—a natural treasure vault on a massive scale. Brother Yang, you may not know this, but during those months you spent in seclusion, I kept hearing about people finding fourth-grade, fifth-grade, even sixth-grade treasures. This is my chance. If I don't try now, I might regret it for the rest of my life!"
Yang Kai fell silent. If Meng Hong had been acting on impulse because of the Chen Yue affair, he might have tried to talk him out of it. After all, taking such an enormous risk over a moment of wounded pride was hardly wise. But Meng Hong had made it clear this idea had been with him for a long time—it simply lacked the courage to come to fruition.
This incident, it seemed, had finally given him the resolve to act.
After a moment's thought, Yang Kai said, "Since you've made up your mind, all I can do is wish you the best." He turned to Yue He. "What happens if he fails?"
Yue He's expression turned solemn. "The function of the Taiyi Purifying Spirit Water is to strip away the Yin, Yang, and Five Elements forces from the Dao Seal. If the process fails, the Dao Seal will shatter. What do you think the consequences would be?"
If the Dao Seal shattered, there could be no good outcome. Either his soul would scatter and his body perish along with his Dao, or his entire cultivation would be crippled, rendering him a useless invalid for the rest of his days.
"I'm actually a bit curious—where did you get this Taiyi Purifying Spirit Water? It's not exactly rare, but it's not something a Emperor Realm cultivator should be able to obtain either. A single dose of Taiyi Purifying Spirit Water is worth at least as much as a fifth-grade material." Yue He frowned.
A fifth-grade material—that was worth no less than one and a half million Open Heaven Pills. Such a sum was by no means a small amount for a force like the Great Moon Sect.
Meng Hong smiled at her words. "I obtained it by chance during an expedition many years ago. I kept it all this time, never willing to sell it, always thinking that someday I might need it."
This only confirmed that Meng Hong's desire to start over was no passing whim—it had been with him for years.
Yang Kai nodded. "Since you've made this decision, Brother Meng, I won't say anything more. If there's anything I can do to help, just ask."
Yue He let out a derisive laugh. "There's nothing you can do for him. All you can do is find him a quiet place."
Meng Hong spoke up. "I'd like to ask Brother Yang to keep this matter a secret from my two junior brothers. If it succeeds, I'll explain everything to them myself. If it fails... then I ask Brother Yang to burn my remains and hand over my ashes to my junior brothers so they can return them to the Great Moon Sect."
He was already settling his affairs. Clearly, Meng Hong didn't have much confidence in himself either.
Yang Kai wanted to offer a few words of comfort, but when the time came, he didn't know what to say. Putting himself in Meng Hong's shoes—if he were presented with the same opportunity, what would he do?
He would probably charge forward without hesitation, even knowing it was nine deaths in ten!
"When do you plan to start?" Yang Kai asked.
Meng Hong replied, "Better today than tomorrow. Let's do it now."
He was a man of decisive action. Yang Kai had no choice but to find him a quiet chamber and join Yue He in personally laying down a grand formation to shield him from any outside disturbance during the critical moments.
The two Great Moon Sect disciples had no idea why Meng Hong had suddenly gone into seclusion. They assumed it was related to the Chen Yue incident, which only deepened their hatred of her.
Outside the chamber, Yang Kai and Yue He worked away, finally managing to set everything up.
Gazing at the sealed chamber, Yue He let out a soft sigh. "Stop worrying—there's nothing you can do about it anyway. In three to five days at the earliest, half a month at the latest, there will be a result."
Yang Kai nodded. "Let's hope everything goes smoothly for him."
Then he suddenly remembered something. "What arrangements did you make for Chen Yue?"
Yue He replied, "I let her stay. What else could I do—drive her off? She's a frail woman. If I threw her out, she wouldn't last a few days before being devoured without a bone left."
Yang Kai couldn't help but laugh. "You're too soft-hearted."
Yue He snorted coldly. "You could see just as well that Meng Hong still has lingering feelings for that Chen Yue. If I'd driven her off, how could he possibly be at ease? I left her here for him to deal with on his own."
Yang Kai nodded. "You did the right thing."
Yue He let out a delicate laugh and gave a graceful bow. "Thank you for the praise, Young Master!"