Chapter 605

"Dragon friend, Qiao friend, the two of you?"

Nan Li glanced sideways at He He Pingsheng and Qiao Qiao Huizhu.

Qiao Qiao Huizhu looked at He He Pingsheng.

She clearly regarded He He Pingsheng as the leader.

He He Pingsheng frowned and said, "Lady Nan Li means that over a thousand years, this 【Nanke Immortal Spring】 has only condensed a single drop!"

Nan Li nodded: "Correct, only one drop—and only one!"

"Because the entire Yinming Imperial Palace belongs to the Demon Emperor, and the Demon Emperor has no interest in any other item within the palace; each opening is solely to claim this single drop of spiritual spring!"

"This is the covenant between the Demon Emperor and all cultivators entering the secret realm!"

"I hope you two, Qiao friend and Dragon friend, abide by it!"

"Otherwise, if you anger His Majesty, heh… you don't need me to spell out the consequences!"

He He Pingsheng nodded: "My apologies—I didn't know of this covenant before, but since I'm here, I'll abide by it!"

"I agree!"

In truth, you had no choice but to agree.

This is the Demon Emperor's territory—how dare you compete with him for his gains?

Don't you want to live?

"I agree too!" Seeing He He Pingsheng agree, Qiao Qiao Huizhu quickly voiced her support.

"Good!" Nan Li exhaled in relief. "Though this Nanke Immortal Spring is beyond the reach of our Earth-grade disciples, whoever obtains it and personally presents it to His Majesty will receive generous rewards!"

"Rest assured, the rewards will satisfy both Dragon friend and Qiao friend!"

Of course, provided that the two of you can obtain this immortal spring!

"Now, I'll mention the third important location!" Nan Li's gaze swept over them. "Third: the Yinming Divine Palace!"

"In the fifth zone lies a massive palace known as the Yinming Divine Palace!"

"Legend says this palace was the Demon Emperor's personal cultivation chamber during his lifetime!"

"Moreover, the Yinming Divine Palace contains not only numerous arrays but also countless treasures!"

"But you cannot simply take any treasure you find!"

"It depends… on your fortune and destiny!"

"Fourth location!" Nan Li extended four slender, ivory-white fingers: "It's called the 【Imperial Fall Abyss】, where legend says the Demon Emperor ultimately perished!"

"Within the abyss, yin-sha energy rages wildly, filled with peril, yet treasures still emerge!"

"The most coveted among them is a treasure known as 【Dragon Scale Immortal Wood】!"

"Dragon Scale Immortal Wood—no need for me to elaborate, you all know what it's used for, right?"

"Hehehe…"

Nan Li looked at them all.

Everyone nodded.

Including He He Pingsheng.

He He Pingsheng originally didn't know what Dragon Scale Immortal Wood was, but because he possessed a map showing that something called Dragon Scale Immortal Wood existed in the fifth zone, he searched the Qi Refining texts 【Western Ultimate Puppet Art】 and 【Tai Xuan Immortal Artifact Method】.

He eventually found it.

This item has only one use: crafting puppets.

Specifically, a special type of puppet known as: a Death-Substitution Puppet.

Yes!

A puppet that can take your death for you.

Once successfully crafted, it is nourished with your blood and soul over time until fully grown.

Once matured, when its master faces certain death, the puppet will substitute for him, absorbing the fatal blow or tribulation.

Thus, the master escapes.

This item is powerful!

Extremely useful.

It is literally a second life.

But the 【Death-Substitution Puppet】 still cannot compare to He He Pingsheng's earlier 【Inverting Yin to Yang Immortal Talisman】.

The 【Inverting Yin to Yang Immortal Talisman】, upon death, perfectly teleports you to another location for flawless rebirth.

The Death-Substitution Puppet only takes the fatal blow once.

It does not teleport your body away.

Meaning, if you face an opponent whose cultivation and combat power far exceed yours, the puppet is useless.

It can take one death—what if they strike again?

You still die.

Yet even so, this item remains irreplaceable.

"Besides these four Grade-Five treasures, the fifth zone also contains numerous Grade-Six, Grade-Five, and even Grade-Seven immortal herbs and spirit herbs!"

"But they don't matter!"

"You can search for those yourself later—I've only mentioned the four above today!"

"Let me repeat once more!" Nan Li counted on her fingers: "First: Nanke Immortal Spring; Second: Seven-Colored Yin-Yang Lotus; Third: Dragon Scale Immortal Wood; Fourth: Yinming Divine Palace."

"Since these four locations are of great importance, I have a suggestion—please listen!"

Nan Li was the descendant of the Demon Emperor, ranked first on the Sacred Flame List, and a member of the Zhu Que Heavenly Clan!

So when she spoke, everyone listened intently.

"Good!"

"Lady, please speak!"

"We're listening!"

Everyone voiced their agreement.

Lady Nan Li said: "To reduce conflict and preserve our Zhu Que Imperial Domain's strength, I suggest we avoid unnecessary disputes!"

"Let me make a gentleman's pact with you all!"

"The nine of us form a team and explore the fifth zone together—how about that?"

A team together?

Explore together?

So there would be no rivals?

Everyone was puzzled by her proposal.

Jin Xi, the Crown Prince, said: "Lady, please clarify!"

"Very well!" Nan Li nodded. "Once we enter the fifth zone, we proceed together to the four locations I mentioned. None of us shall fight one another!"

"First, when we reach the Nanke Immortal Spring, it's a race—speed determines who claims the 【Immortal Spring】. I hope we all act fairly and refrain from attacking each other during the race!"

"And since the Immortal Spring is of great importance, if anyone damages it during combat, wouldn't we commit an unforgivable sin?"

"Second, regarding the 【Seven-Colored Yin-Yang Lotus】, you needn't worry—I know that every thousand years, dozens of white jade lotus roots grow in the pool. When unearthed, we divide them equally—I guarantee each of you will receive one!"

"Moreover, this lotus root isn't particularly miraculous."

"Even if you can't obtain it in the Imperial Palace, you can still buy it outside!"

"Third, regarding the Yinming Imperial Palace, there's no need to worry—whatever treasure you obtain depends entirely on your fortune!"

"I'm concerned someone might seize another's fortune. Fellow cultivators, our gentleman's pact forbids us from robbing one another!"

"Fourth, regarding the 【Dragon Scale Immortal Wood】 in the Imperial Fall Abyss, the same rule applies—if anyone obtains it, no one may seize it!"

"After passing these four locations, we disband and seek other opportunities—how does that sound?"

Lady Nan Li spoke at length, then looked at them all.

Everyone was thinking.

He He Pingsheng asked: "Then… after entering the fifth zone, which location do we visit first, and which next?"

"Is there an order?"