Chapter 225: Dragon Pearl Core

Fu Shuanghui grew increasingly agitated and panicked, for if the thing in the carriage consumed all the realgar mist, the dragon would break free—and she would lose her final chance to escape!

Two strands of dragon fire rose upon her palms.

The "fire" within the dragon pearl was scarce; these were the last two flames after consecutive expenditures.

Boom!

She seized the yin serpent, and the dragon fire instantly ignited its entire body.

The yin serpent writhed in agony; this time, there was no escape from annihilation.

Tian Da Wang was heartbroken, staring fixedly at Fu Shuanghui, then suddenly opened his mouth and roared: "Aaaah—"

The fleshy growths and black hair within his mouth flailed wildly.

This roar pierced straight into the soul.

Fu Shuanghui was about to form her other hand into a palm-blade and slash the three-zhang demon to death, when suddenly she felt her soul tremble, and her entire body grew dazed and sluggish.

The palm-blade had already struck, launching a five-zhang blade of fire.

The three-zhang demon shrank its body into a one-chi demon, and the fire blade swept over its head; it leapt hastily to the side, then darted swiftly to Tian Da Wang's side.

At that moment, a pearl suddenly flew toward Fu Shuanghui.

Xu Yuan's "Eight Directions of Harmful Influence" destiny pattern activated!

Dazed and sluggish, Fu Shuanghui had no time to identify what it was—she slapped at it with her palm.

Yet at that instant, the Haikou Toad Skin Shadow cast its gaze upon her, and Fu Shuanghui's entire body stiffened, frozen for a single instant.

The pearl flew in and landed directly in the center of Fu Shuanghui's palm.

Fu Shuanghui quickly broke free from the Haikou Toad's sinister technique, drew back her hand, and stared at the pearl in confusion: What is this?

The pearl suddenly vanished, and immediately afterward, Fu Shuanghui felt the dragon pearl inside her body disappear!

Her original dragon pearl had been replaced by the very pearl just now!

Fu Shuanghui instantly understood: "Shang Fa!"

The "Eight Directions of Harmful Influence" caused her to make a small mistake—she should not have tried to slash the pearl away; dodging it would have been the optimal choice.

But Xu Yuan had also prepared the "Haikou Toad Skin Shadow"—even if she had dodged, he could still have used the "paralysis" moment to place the Powdered Core into her hand.

This small mistake did not alter the final outcome—it merely made her fall faster.

Fu Shuanghui still believed it was Tian Da Wang, gritting her teeth and cursing: "You've also cultivated Shang Fa! What a sinister mind—you've hidden this until now!"

You've finally schemed against this great lord!

But then she thought again—this was wrong!

The stiffness in her body just now was the carriage's demonic technique!

What on earth is going on?

Inside the carriage, Xu Yuan suddenly stopped feeding the realgar mist.

Xu Yuan used Shang Fa to forcibly make a deal with Fu Shuanghui.

He traded his Powdered Core for her dragon pearl!

The Powdered Core had been a desperate choice back in Qihetai Town, when he faced certain death.

Now, the Powdered Core had become the greatest obstacle to Xu Yuan's advancement in Rank Dan Xiu.

Moreover, against cultivators above the Seventh Stream, the Powdered Core's explosive nature was no longer as universally effective as it had been when he was below the Seventh Stream.

Xu Yuan had cultivated Shang Fa originally to acquire a craftsman's artifact—perhaps his stepmother's small bamboo cage—to encase the core and continue advancing his Rank Dan Xiu.

With the bamboo cage blocking it, the core would not explode.

But he never expected this unexpected windfall during this journey!

He directly traded the Powdered Core to Fu Shuanghui—and received a dragon pearl core in return!

The Powdered Core was a major hazard to Xu Yuan, but that did not diminish its intrinsic "value."

A destiny cultivator's core, though one stream lower than Fu Shuanghui's, still commanded a "fair" price!

This deal could be made.

Once the Powdered Core entered Fu Shuanghui's body, it would not explode—but neither would she know how to use it.

And without her dragon pearl, Fu Shuanghui could no longer maintain her transformation.

The spiny scales on her face slowly faded, and the massive serpent tail dissolved into two legs.

The formidable body and potent magical resistance granted by the "Dragon Transformation Art" vanished along with it!

The one-chi demon leapt out violently, instantly growing back to three zhang, its demon claws reaching out to crush the woman to death!

It sought vengeance for the yin serpent!

Fu Shuanghui was filled with despair and fury!

The dragon pearl was the very essence of her "Dragon Transformation Art."

Without it, she was merely an ordinary person with six-stream cultivation experience.

But she had no time to adjust her emotions—the giant demon claw was already above her head.

"Hmph!" Fu Shuanghui snorted bitterly, teeth clenched: "Come, kill me! Kill me, and the entire Yujing Village dies with me!"

Tian Da Wang's expression changed; the massive demon claw halted abruptly above her head.

"What do you mean?" Tian Da Wang asked coldly.

Fu Shuanghui's heart was filled with unbearable pain.

More than a decade of arduous cultivation…

All gone to waste!

But gradually, she felt the pearl inside her body radiating Rank Dan Xiu energy!

"This is a Rank Dan Xiu core!" Fu Shuanghui immediately realized.

She felt utterly baffled: "If you give me your inner core, your Rank Dan Xiu cultivation will be lost to the east just the same!"

"What is the point?!"

She did not know the properties of the gunpowder inner core.

Yet this discovery sparked a sliver of hope in Lady Fu Shuanghui's heart: "As long as I survive and return, I will start cultivating from the beginning."

With the experience gained previously, it would only cost another seven or eight years.

By then, I will cultivate both the Dragon Transformation Method and the Rank Dan Xiu path.

I will even hold more advantages than most in my family; I still have a chance!"

She composed herself, her face gloomy, and said, "Everyone in Yu Jing Village must be your descendants, right?"

Tian Da Wang saw her gray-blue vertical pupils slowly returning to a round shape.

Lady Fu Shuanghui turned her head again to look at the realgar mist, which had dwindled to less than twenty percent.

The form of the Jiao had already emerged from the mist.

"Let me go, and I will spare the lives of that entire village!"

Inside the carriage, Xu Yuan resumed feeding the realgar mist.

The Dragon Pearl inner core still needed slow adjustment, but the "Five Cauldrons Cooking" technique could still be cast.

Tian Da Wang sneered: "Spare you? Once you return, you will strike again, and the villagers will still not be allowed to live!"

"I can swear an oath," Lady Fu Shuanghui said. "Even if you do not trust me, letting me go will at least buy you time to evacuate the villagers."

"Killing you now solves all problems!"

Lady Fu Shuanghui sneered: "One of my subordinates is hidden among the villagers! If this official dies, he will immediately act to slaughter every single villager!"

"If you do not believe me, go to Yu Jing Village right now and see for yourself that the villagers have not returned at all!"

Tian Da Wang was suspicious: "Is it truly so?"

"Hmph," Lady Fu Shuanghui said. "With that Jiao and this evil spirit watching me, you may leave with complete peace of mind; confirm it before making your decision!"

Tian Da Wang hesitated.

He actually felt little affection for the villagers anymore.

But after all, they were his own descendants.

Moreover, over these years, the villagers had always revered him.

He and the Jiao had been able to remain hidden nearby without discovery, largely thanks to the villagers' cooperation in covering for them.

If the villagers died because of him, an infinite sense of guilt would remain in his heart.

Furthermore, Tian Da Wang knew the Jiao would certainly not agree.

But Tian Da Wang truly could not bear to let her go like this!

He had thought he had found a way out of a desperate situation and turned defeat into victory, yet he was still held hostage by this detestable woman's leverage!

If he let her and the Jiao go, the entire village would have to relocate.

Leaving aside the villagers, the Jiao's soul and body had not yet fully merged; if anything unexpected happened during a long journey, it would truly be all for nothing!

Tian Da Wang fell into a dilemma.

(End of this chapter)