Yang Kai handed Qu Huashang, whom he had been cradling in his arms, to her. The saintess quickly carried Qu Huashang back to the White Lotus Matriarch's side and laid her on the ground before the old woman.
The White Lotus Matriarch glanced down at Qu Huashang. With a吸 from her left hand, a surge of powerful force erupted and drew Qu Huashang's entire body up into the air, after which the Matriarch's right hand rapidly tapped several acupoints.
Qu Huashang let out a soft moan and slowly came to.
Her face was still contorted in pain. With the forces clashing inside her body, she oscillated between searing heat and bone-deep cold, as though she could explode and die at any moment.
Under the White Lotus Matriarch's indifferent gaze, she dropped to one knee, teeth chattering: "Matriarch, I've brought you a great gift!"
The White Lotus Matriarch gave a slight nod: "Well done. You didn't disappoint me."
Qu Huashang lowered her head: "It was my duty."
"Step back for now." The White Lotus Matriarch waved her hand.
Qu Huashang rose and moved behind the Matriarch. She flipped her palm, produced a spirit pill from somewhere, and popped it into her mouth.
The moment the pill entered her system, Qu Huashang's condition improved dramatically.
Xiao He stared at all this dumbfounded and exclaimed: "Oh, that little girl is quite the liar! We've been played!"
Qu Huashang had clearly been carrying the antidote to the Blood-Coagulating Soul-Cleansing Pill all along. Yet even when she had nearly faced death from explosion multiple times, she had stubbornly refused to take it, instead luring Yang Kai step by step into this place.
It was undoubtedly a gamble of epic proportions—one wrong move and the entire game would be lost. But the final result proved that Qu Huashang had won her bet.
She had led Yang Kai here, trapping him within the encirclement of the White Lotus Cult's many powerhouses, with even the White Lotus Matriarch herself present.
What she had exploited was nothing more than Yang Kai's feelings—perhaps she had also wanted to prove something. But the outcome was something an ordinary person would find hard to bear.
She quietly studied Yang Kai's expression but found not the slightest trace of anger on his face. It remained as calm as ever.
It was Luo Tinghe beside Yang Kai who was seething with fury: "That girl is heartless and ungrateful! You treated her so well, yet she wanted to harm you. Doesn't that upset you at all?"
Yang Kai smiled faintly: "It's fine."
The White Lotus Matriarch burst into hearty laughter: "Who would have thought the Hall Master of Valor Hall would one day be beset by love! What a fine spectacle you've put on for this Cult Leader! What a pity, what a pity—my disciples are loyal to me through and through. If you thought you could turn her, you've miscalculated."
Her voice turned cold and sharp: "Yang Kai, over the years you've slaughtered countless members of my White Lotus Cult. Now that you've fallen into such a predicament, do you have any last words?"
Yang Kai shook his head slowly: "Does the Cult Leader think she has me?"
The White Lotus Matriarch sneered: "I naturally know how strong you are. But my White Lotus Cult is not without capable fighters. I am quite confident I can kill you."
Yang Kai glanced left and right: "That depends on how much the Cult Leader is willing to pay."
He turned to look at Xiao He: "Kill half?"
Xiao He drew her long sword, face alight with excitement: "More than that—at least sixty percent!"
"Try for seventy?"
"Sure thing!"
Yang Kai looked back at the White Lotus Matriarch and smiled: "Is the Cult Leader prepared to sacrifice seventy percent of the forces gathered here? These people should be the White Lotus Cult's core strength, yes? If they die, the Cult won't recover for a good three to five years."
The White Lotus Matriarch's face turned ashen in an instant. Though Yang Kai and Xiao He's exchange sounded arrogant to the point of contempt, she didn't believe they were exaggerating in the slightest.
Experts like Yang Kai and Luo Tinghe, if truly pushed to the brink and fighting to the death, could indeed slaughter sixty to seventy percent of the people here.
She herself might even be severely wounded in the process. The only one who would benefit then would be Valor Hall.
Yet the opportunity before her was too rare to pass up. Asking her to simply give it up wasn't realistic either. For a moment, she found herself in a most awkward bind.
Yang Kai didn't press her too hard. He reached out and pressed down Luo Tinghe's sword, then spoke in a clear, carrying voice: "Cult Leader, I have a proposal. I wonder if you might be interested."
The White Lotus Matriarch said coldly: "If you've got something to say, say it! If you need to let one rip, let it out!"
Yang Kai held up two fingers: "Please grant me two Blood-Coagulating Soul-Cleansing Pills."
The words stunned everyone present.
Qu Huashang, standing behind the White Lotus Matriarch, went wide-eyed. She stared at Yang Kai in utter astonishment, even wondering if she had misheard.
The White Lotus Matriarch was equally shocked, blurting out: "What do you want the Blood-Coagulating Soul-Cleansing Pills for?"
Yang Kai smiled: "Instead of wasting so many lives trying to kill the two of us, wouldn't the Cult Leader rather gain two more generals under her command?"
"You…" The White Lotus Matriarch was completely stunned. Though she had vaguely guessed what was coming after hearing those words, she simply couldn't believe it.