Chapter 722

What demand?

Ding Huan chuckled inwardly—he knew that even if he stopped, the other would just be talking empty words.

Besides, must the Three Gods Region integrate into the Dao Court to elevate the cosmic laws?

If, beyond the Three Gods Region, he truly couldn't find a better place to cultivate, he'd use his own Cosmic Core.

"Ding Daoist, I, Jue Yuan, keep my word. As Holy Master of the Dao Court, I never break my promises…"

Jue Yuan saw Ding Huan showed no sign of stopping; in fact, the ugly knife in his hand was wildly gathering death qi from the space around him, and a bad feeling stirred in his heart.

Ding Huan didn't stop. This Emperor Jue Yuan couldn't even control his own people, yet he claimed he'd never break his word—who gave him such confidence?

"Ding Daoist, I'm willing to offer you ten supreme divine spirit veins right now, in exchange for one demand…"

Emperor Jue Yuan felt the death qi gathering on Ding Huan's long knife growing ever denser, and his unease deepened further.

"If you help me find the Fire Origin Pearl, it's not entirely out of the question…"

He said it, but the death qi coiling around the long knife had nearly solidified.

"Agreed…"

Emperor Jue Yuan answered instantly.

Could there really be a Fire Origin Pearl?

Ding Huan finally ceased activating his Life-Death Blade Seal and looked at Jue Yuan: "Twenty supreme divine spirit veins. Hand over the Fire Origin Pearl. Today's matter ends here."

"I can give you the twenty supreme divine spirit veins right now. As for the Fire Origin Pearl, I must send a message to the owner. It's not mine, but the owner is willing to trade it. How the trade happens—that's not my concern."

Emperor Jue Yuan immediately accepted Ding Huan's proposal.

Is there really a Fire Origin Pearl?

Ding Huan froze—he'd spoken offhand. Could there truly be a Fire Origin Pearl here?

Rumor says only one Fire Origin Pearl exists per Fire Origin star.

"Fine, I agree." Ding Huan ceased his attack and even ordered Emperor Hou Hen and Leng Qingdie to stop.

Yet he did not retract his strangulation array patterns; instead, he continuously carved array patterns, causing his confinement array to spread outward.

As long as the fighting stops, Dao Court reinforcements will keep arriving.

Jue Yuan exhaled in relief and tossed a ring to Ding Huan: "Here are the twenty supreme divine spirit veins."

After handing over the divine spirit veins, he sent out a message.

He wasn't lying to Ding Huan—he truly knew who possessed the Fire Origin Pearl, and he knew what the other needed.

But he was certain Ding Huan would never complete the exchange.

So he never revealed what the other required; he only needed Ding Huan to stop, and Dao Court reinforcements would arrive.

This time, his judgment was wrong, leading him into this predicament.

Who could have known Ding Huan was also a Divine Array Master capable of carving Level Eight Void Array Patterns?

In the entire Dao Court, no such person exists anymore.

The Yong Shen Xi Tower had long been flattened by the earlier battle; Ding Huan casually waved his hand, summoning a long table and a dozen chairs:

"Please sit. When the friend Jue Yuan invites arrives, we'll hold a small exchange gathering. If you have something good enough, even my divine spirit rice isn't off-limits for trade."

After saying that, Ding Huan waved his hand, and a pile of superior-grade divine spirit rice appeared on his table.

Everyone's eyes lit up, and they all sat down.

Though they knew Ding Huan had set up a confinement and killing array, no one cared.

Whether it was Pi Yuan Buddha Master or Wu Zha, all understood that as long as they didn't attack, Ding Huan wouldn't strike first.

And even if Ding Huan did attack, how many people were on his side?

No matter what, a Level Eight strangulation array pattern couldn't turn the tide.

A group sat in the open ruins—it looked ridiculous.

Yet no one dared approach; most knew exactly who was here.

"Hahaha, Ding Daoist, your array art is impressive!" Pi Yuan Buddha Master laughed heartily as he sat, his divine sense probing the divine spirit rice.

Emperor Jue Yuan's expression was grim. Though Yi Han had been rescued, restoring his strength would likely require centuries of seclusion.

And he couldn't leave now—he sensed every surveillance array here was crafted by Ding Huan, and Ding Huan was still carving Void Array Patterns.

Outside this place, he hadn't even obtained the divine spirit rice yet.

"Ding Daoist, you came from a mortal planet—truly a genius among geniuses. Not even Lao Liu could match your talent; even I, Wu Zha, deeply admire you."

Wu Zha sat down and smiled warmly at Ding Huan, speaking in a gentle tone.

Ding Huan heard this and knew the man wasn't from the Ninth Heaven—he must be a new recruit absorbed by the Dao Court from the Western Teachings.

But the Dao Court's fortune is now weak, its cosmic laws barely functional.

Even the Dao Ancestor refused to stay here; how many of those who once followed him still remain?

"Ding Daoist, I need some divine spirit rice. May I trade with you now?"

Wu Zha acted as if he hadn't understood Ding Huan's words, smiling again.

"Who the hell are you? Daring to scheme for my divine spirit rice?"

Ding Huan had no patience for this sarcastic fool—he only wanted the Fire Origin Pearl and to leave.

This trash of a Dao Court was nothing more.

Wu Zha's eyes turned cold, his voice flat:

"Ding Daoist, you know I could reach Blue Star easily enough. Though I don't know its Void coordinates, I'm certain Lao Liu does."

This was an outright threat. Ding Huan's gaze locked onto Lao Liu—his killing intent laid bare:

"Lao Liu, are you going to take this fake monk to Blue Star?"

Lao Liu didn't flinch: "Ding Daoist, you once forced me to surrender my soul imprint and hunt for the Dao Ancestor's whereabouts. I haven't come after you yet—that's already mercy enough."

As for other matters, I do as I please—no one can threaten me.

Ding Huan laughed at the filthy monkey: "Old?"

I don't even need to mention how I saved your life, reshaped your spiritual roots, and took you away from Lanxing. Even if I hadn't done any of that, you were still born on Lanxing.

Yet now you're going to ruin Lanxing. You may be a beast, but beasts like you are rare indeed. Do you really think I can't kill you now?

When Lao Liu said he would take Wu Zha to Lanxing to threaten him, Ding Huan already regarded Lao Liu as a dead monkey.

"You forcibly killed me and forcibly implanted my memories. In the future, I will make you pay for all of this."

Lao Liu spoke calmly.

Ding Huan frowned slightly—he suddenly felt he had been wrong.

It wasn't that he had wrongly saved Liu Er; it was that this Lao Liu was not Liu Er at all.

Nothing! Not one thing matches! Not one detail aligns!

He had merely captured a monkey and fused Liu Er's memory gene chain into it.

This creature possessed nothing more than Liu Er's memories—its body and soul had no connection whatsoever to Liu Er.

Rebirth refers not merely to memory, but above all to the soul.

Lao Liu's method doesn't even qualify as possession.

Liu Er was, after all, one of the Four Chaos Monkeys of the Ninth Heaven, possessing his own pride and boundaries—he would never act like Lao Liu.

This Lao Liu possessed only fragments of Liu Er's memories; his soul was entirely independent. After cultivating to the fourth-grade divine beast stage, he had gradually regained his own divine soul memories.

"Go ahead, try killing my beast companion," Wu Zha said in the most gentle tone, uttering the most sarcastic words.

Lao Liu also glanced at Ding Huan with disdain. If his master had intervened to aid the Dao Court just now, could Ding Huan still be sitting here speaking calmly?

Ding Huan said no more. He began constructing the Gene Killing Law.

This mere Lao Liu—even with the threat of his soul imprint—Ding Huan could kill him outright.

This creature probably didn't realize its own genes were already within his myriad law starfields.

Even without that, Lao Liu's genes, upon arriving on Lanxing, were already under Ding Huan's control.

In barely half a censer's time, Ding Huan fused Lao Liu's genes into the Killing Law, forging a standalone Gene Killing Law.

He then looked at Lao Liu and said calmly: "Lao Liu, even if you're to remain a beast, you should show some gratitude. Otherwise, you may lose even the chance of reincarnation."

How dare you act so arrogantly within my trapping and killing array, relying on a fake Saint? Do you not even know how to write the word "death"?

"Snap!" Wu Zha slammed the table.

Before he could act, he saw Lao Liu's eyes fill with terror, then Lao Liu clutched its own throat.

"Master Ding, spare—"

Lao Liu had spoken only three words when its body was engulfed in death qi.

Even though Wu Zha's Dao principles locked down Lao Liu's death qi, he could not stop Lao Liu's life force from fading.

Even the Primordial Spirit was dragged along by the death qi, gradually dissolving and vanishing.

Ding Huan looked at Wu Zha and sneered inwardly.

He had long planted the Sunken Dao Poison—only now, as everyone sat negotiating, he had not activated this Dao principle.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed the Gene Killing Law to kill Lao Liu.

Emperor Hou Hen and Master Pi Yuan both narrowed their eyes.

Is this a targeted Killing Law?

They had been sitting here the whole time—when had Ding Huan planted such a targeted Killing Law?

Why had they not sensed it at all?

Wu Zha stared in shock at Lao Liu, dead before his eyes—he could not intervene at all.

This made him regard Ding Huan with greater caution.

"Hah—"

A loud laugh broke the silence; a figure swiftly approached and landed beside the long table in an instant.

"Emperor Hou Hen, I heard something I needed was here, so I came at once. Huh? Divine Rice? A fine thing—this is precisely what I need most."

Ding Huan also noticed the newcomer—two meters tall, with fiery red hair and terrifying murderous aura.

Emperor Hou Hen stood and said: "Comrade Ni, this is Ding Huan, a Daoist from the Three Divine Lands—he is the one seeking the Fire Origin Pearl."

"Ding Daoist, this is Ni Cangxing, Lord of the Jie River. The Fire Origin Pearl belongs to him—you two may negotiate directly."

Ding Huan rose and bowed: "Greetings, Lord Ni. I came here upon hearing you possessed the Fire Origin Pearl."

Ni Cangxing studied Ding Huan, frowning slightly. If it were Emperor Hou Hen or Leng Qingdie negotiating with him, that would make sense.

This fellow appears to be no more than a Divine King, doesn't he?

(Good night, Daoist!)

(End of Chapter)