"Junior Brother, come with me for a moment. There are things I need to discuss with you in private!" The moment the others had left, the black-robed giant addressed Old Devil Yunlu with an expressionless face. Without waiting for a response, he turned and headed toward the side hall.
Old Devil Yunlu's eyes flickered. After a moment's hesitation, he silently followed. He seemed to hold the black-robed man in considerable awe.
"Fellow Daoists Han and Bai, we can have a proper discussion now. You both wish to examine what we have on offer before deciding whether to participate in the wagered duel. I can certainly understand that. After all, this undertaking carries great risk, and no one would lightly walk into danger without adequate compensation. However, regardless of whether the items satisfy you both, I still hope that you will take part in the duel." The moment the black-robed giant and Old Devil Yunlu departed, Supreme Zhiyang did not lead
Before Han Li could reply, the elegant woman had already furrowed her dark brows and responded coldly:
"I am a lone woman, all by myself. I don't care whether the Moulan invade the Tianlan or the Tianlan invade the Moulan. If you hadn't sent word saying you had that thing in your possession, I would never have left my mountain. Let me be blunt — if what you have doesn't satisfy me, I'll turn around and leave without a second thought."
The woman's words were remarkably disrespectful toward Supreme Zhiyang.
"Fellow Daoist Bai, there's no need for this! What happened all those years ago — while I bear some fault — was truly meant for your own good." Rather than taking offense, Supreme Zhiyang responded in a mild tone.
"Hmph! I can judge right from wrong for myself. Don't bring up the past again. Show me what you have." The woman's face darkened and she snorted coldly.
Hearing this, Han Li kept his expression neutral, though inwardly he was quite intrigued.
It seemed this woman surnamed Bai had some entanglement with Supreme Zhiyang. He wondered what history lay between them.
Seeing the woman's unfriendly expression, Supreme Zhiyang could only shake his head helplessly. He reached into his storage pouch, and a white jade box materialized in his hand.
The box appeared perfectly ordinary on the surface, no different from any common white jade. But the instant it appeared, the temperature in the entire hall plummeted. In the blink of an eye, it felt like the depths of a bitter winter. Even Han Li, long since impervious to heat and cold, found the sudden chill quite uncomfortable and couldn't help giving the jade box a few extra glances.
The woman surnamed Bai sensed the frigid aura emanating from the box, and a flicker of excitement appeared on her face.
Without another word, Supreme Zhiyang placed the jade box before the woman.
She took it and gently lifted the lid, peering inside. With Han Li's spiritual sense, he didn't even need to look — he could perceive the contents of the box with perfect clarity.
Inside was a pair of crystalline, semi-transparent silkworm cocoons, wisps of white mist curling off them.
Han Li frowned slightly. The cocoons looked remarkably unusual — they appeared to be the pupae of the Ice Silkworm, a rare creature that ranked rather low on the list of extraordinary insects.
Though the Ice Silkworm wasn't particularly formidable in combat, it possessed other extraordinary abilities and was exceedingly difficult to find. If this woman needed the silkworms to resolve some matter and had therefore agreed to Supreme Zhiyang's request to join the wagered duel, that was perfectly reasonable.
"Why are these cocoons? They're not adult Snow Silkworms." To Han Li's surprise, the woman's expression soured the moment she saw the pupae.
"Fellow Daoist Bai, this pair was found in the ice layer a hundred zhang below the Frost Cave. These are no ordinary Ice Silkworms — they are the supreme 'Azure King Silkworms' among Snow Silkworms. If you probe them carefully with your spiritual sense, you'll be able to detect the anomaly within the cocoons." Supreme Zhiyang's expression remained unchanged as he spoke evenly.
"Azure King Silkworms?" The woman's expression shifted. Half-skeptical, she extended her spiritual sense deep into the cocoons. After a long moment, her expression softened.
"Well? Though these Azure King Silkworms are still in their pupal stage, once they hatch, even as larvae they should be sufficient for your needs." Supreme Zhiyang fixed his gaze on the woman as he asked.
"I'll take them. I'll participate in the wagered duel." After a brief hesitation, the woman tucked the jade box away.
"Wonderful! With Fellow Daoist Bai's 'Cloud Snow Technique,' dealing with mere Dharma Masters should be a walk in the park." Supreme Zhiyang relaxed and allowed himself a smile.
The woman heard this without any change in expression. She uttered a curt "Farewell" and walked out of the hall, exuding cold detachment.
Supreme Zhiyang let out a bitter laugh and shook his head.
Wei Wuya watched this with a cold snort but said nothing.
"Fellow Daoist Han, how much Geng Essence do you need? Do you have an exact quantity in mind?" Once the woman had left through the hall doors, Supreme Zhiyang turned his attention to Han Li and asked with a smile.
"I need a great deal — the more, the better. Of course, Geng Essence is extremely valuable. As long as the two of you can provide it, I'm willing to exchange items of equal value. I won't let either of you suffer a loss." Han Li made no attempt to be coy and spoke bluntly.
"Ha ha! Listening to your tone, Fellow Daoist Han, it seems you're quite well-off yourself. But you should know that at our level, very few things can stir my or Brother Wei's interest. Otherwise, the three of us wouldn't have been willing to part with so many extraneous treasures for this battle." Supreme Zhiyang paused briefly, then chuckled lightly.