Chapter 274: Deal

Deep within the blood mist, a bewitching crimson light suddenly bloomed, firmly blocking Jiuyou's sword strike.

The illusory realm shattered completely. The thick blood mist surged and gathered as Wang Xunzhen's figure slowly solidified. He looked down at Jiuyou from above, his tone laced with icy mockery.

"Attacking the moment you learn the secrets? We agreed on a deal. I have already told you the entire truth of the Upper Realm. By all rights, you should be handing over your life right now."

Jiuyou shot upward, treading the empty air to stand at eye level with his opponent. He gently wiped the blade of his Ember Moon Sword. The metal was already spotless, but the gesture carried an indifferent coldness.

"Since you investigated my background, you should know that I walk the demonic path."

He spoke flatly, his tone even yet carrying an unquestionable, piercing chill.

"Those who cultivate the demonic path have never cared for trust or promises. Whether I make a deal depends entirely on my own whims. It is only natural for me to go back on my word. Besides, I never once said I would trade my own life."

Before Wang Xunzhen could respond, Jiuyou's gaze narrowed. He preemptively exposed his opponent's weakness, his words striking right at the heart of the matter.

"You drag this out without fighting at full strength, deliberately stalling and testing the waters. It isn't because you fear me. I imagine you still haven't fully refined the wisp of origin essence you just devoured. The two forces of the same origin are still clashing inside your body, refusing to unify."

"If you force a fight right now, the moment I apply full pressure, you will be caught between internal and external threats. The restless origin essence inside you will inevitably backlash. Even if it doesn't kill you, it will be enough to severely injure you and cause your cultivation to regress."

The blood-red airspace plunged into dead silence.

Wang Xunzhen stood amidst the mist, his scarlet gaze dark and shifting. After a long while, he finally delivered an utterly freezing reply.

"You cannot injure me as you are now."

"I had no intention of injuring you to begin with," Jiuyou said. His expression was calm, neither arrogant nor impatient, as he slowly laid out his terms. "I do want to make a deal with you. But the prerequisite for any trade is equal standing. You just saw through my past and everything I am, yet I know absolutely nothing about you. I would never be so unprepared as to gamble on a partnership with an unknown expert."

The blood mist around Wang Xunzhen roiled slightly, betraying a hint of impatience.

"What makes you think you have the right to demand equal standing with this seat?"

Jiuyou did not answer immediately. He let his gaze drift across the surroundings. He appeared to be looking around casually, but he was secretly confirming the array's lockdown across the entire airspace.

A long moment passed. Just as Wang Xunzhen's aura grew increasingly turbulent and his killing intent began to rise, Jiuyou finally spoke at a leisurely pace, his voice ringing cold across the sky.

"Because—I can trap you."

The moment the words left his mouth, a sudden change occurred!

The entire secret realm trembled violently. The drifting blood mist and the flowing crimson spiritual light froze in place. It was as if an invisible hand had pinned the void down, locking everything in a standstill.

Even Wang Xunzhen's figure faltered. The spiritual energy circulating through his body and the blood malice under his control ground to a sluggish halt.

Disbelief flooded his eyes. He frantically spread his divine sense outward to investigate, his tone filled with astonishment.

"A spatial lockdown? Impossible! When did you lay out this array?"

"From the moment you escaped into the spatial rift to refine the origin essence," Jiuyou said indifferently. "You hold the core of this secret realm and control its spatial laws. Naturally, I took precautions. Rushing to the Heavenly Abyss Sacred Tree and pretending to fall for your illusion were both deliberate shows of weakness meant to distract you. While you were caught up in trying to lure and kill me with the illusion, attempting to cloud my Dao heart, the array was being set up. Did you not realize we were missing a person back then?"

Wang Xunzhen's mind reeled, his voice thick with disbelief.

"So you were setting a trap from the very beginning! That artifact spirit... how could a mere artifact spirit deploy a high-tier spatial lock array?"

Before he could finish speaking, a streak of golden light tore through the distant sky. Xuan Zhenzi landed beside Jiuyou in the blink of an eye. His face was full of smug pride as he scoffed loudly.

"Old fool, you call yourself someone from the Upper Realm, yet your horizons are far too shallow. Who told you I was just a mere artifact spirit?"

He stroked his golden beard, radiating high spirits.

"This array is called the Grand Space Void-Locking Array. I personally deduced its prototype ten thousand years ago. It was later refined and perfected by generations of Daoyang Sect cultivators until it was fully completed during Linghu's era. It is specifically designed to seal off spatial dimensions and imprison the laws of the void—the perfect counter to your control over this secret realm."

The array's power unfolded completely, sealing the world tight and leaving absolutely no room for teleportation.

Wang Xunzhen stared at the impenetrable spatial lockdown. The heavy hostility swirling around him receded, and the arrogance vanished completely from his eyes. Now that things had reached this point, the pieces were set on the board, leaving him no room to maneuver.

He fell silent for a moment before finally swallowing his pride. He spoke in a low, heavy voice.

"What kind of deal do you want to make? Speak plainly."

Jiuyou's eyes brightened slightly. Remaining calm and unhurried, he slowly laid out his bargaining chips.

"The things you spoke of in the illusion are not only my obsession, but yours as well. You have been trapped here for tens of thousands of years, desperate to break your seal and return to the Upper Realm. I have trained bitterly for a millennium, seeking to break the shackles of my realm and find the great Dao of ascension. Our goals align. We are naturally suited to help one another."

"You are wary of the other Deity Transformation Cultivators joining forces, and I have no desire to engage in senseless slaughter with my peers. But you lured us here, which means we Deity Transformation Cultivators must serve some other purpose for you. For you to go to such great lengths, it must be related to reaching the Upper Realm. I can help you keep the other five Deity Transformation Cultivators in check and clear out the obstacles in this secret realm. All you have to do is tell me the truth about the secrets of ascension. Being honest with each other and walking away with mutual benefits is far better than fighting to the death."

Wang Xunzhen's gaze turned cold. He instantly saw through Jiuyou's true intentions and let out a sneer.

"You just want to use this chance to probe me and confirm whether the other Deity Transformation Cultivators are dead or alive."

Jiuyou did not shy away, smoothly shifting a half-step back. The Sword Intent around him condensed, creating an oppressively cold aura as he bluntly exposed his opponent's hidden hand.

"Are you not engaging in this deal with false intentions as well? You have been stalling this entire time, using this conversation to buy time. You are trying to suppress the backlash of the origin essence inside you while secretly gathering the origin power of the secret realm to launch a counterattack."

Wang Xunzhen stared blankly for a moment before letting out a low chuckle, openly admitting it.

"So you saw through that as well. To be able to discern the flow of the secret realm's origin power... that must be the might of your Heaven-grade Spiritual Treasure."

Jiuyou did not answer. His eyes simply grew profound as he softly, but confidently, deduced the truth.

"In that case, it seems Yuan Huang is still alive. In this world, he is one of the few Deity Transformation Cultivators who knows the secrets of a Heaven-grade Spiritual Treasure. Since you recognized the profundities of this treasure, it means you must have confronted him face-to-face."

"What a pity. Why didn't you kill him? How about we join forces and kill him right now?"