Chapter 756: A Transaction

"Once the immortal artifact is successfully refined, an ordinary Golden Immortal can activate a third-grade immortal artifact. However, to unleash its true power, the immortal spiritual power of a Golden Immortal is merely a drop in the bucket. That is why all of you must merge your immortal spiritual power together to barely accomplish this." The Heavenly Fox Ancestor glanced at Han Li and spoke slowly.

Han Li listened but did not rush to speak, appearing very hesitant.

"Brother Li, why are you still hesitating at a time like this? We've caused such a huge trouble for the Netherworld Clan to get here. Even if we succeed in cleansing the baleful qi, we're already at a dead end. If we can rescue the Ancestor, our chances of escape will greatly increase..." Seeing this, Hu San quickly urged.

"You came all this way for the Cleansing Pool? Indeed, you are beings of the immortal realm, yet you suffer from the erosion of baleful qi. You risked so much to come to this Asura City, naturally to use the Cleansing Pool to wash away the baleful qi and restore your pure bodies. But before you came, did you know the dangers of the Cleansing Pool?" Liuqi Ancestor crouched down and spoke slowly.

"Senior, do you mean..." Shi Chuankong hesitated.

"You saw the power of the Azure Thunder Chains earlier, didn't you? That was merely a fraction of the residual power drawn out through the Thunder Awl Chain runes. The true power of the Thunder Pool is a hundred times more violent. For those of your cultivation to rashly enter... forgive my bluntness, not to mention washing away baleful qi, even your physical bodies would be directly destroyed by the lightning power, leaving not even a trace." Liuqi Ancestor continued.

Han Li looked up toward the Thunder Pool, his mind stirring.

He knew the other was not lying, and he grew even more wary of this old fox.

Earlier, he had deliberately not stopped Hu San, allowing him to try to cut the chains, probably to let them witness the power of the lightning firsthand, to add leverage in the upcoming negotiations.

"From what you say, Senior, could it be that we risked our lives to come here only to draw water with a sieve?" Han Li asked with feigned surprise.

"Young friend, do not panic. I have been neighbors with these four Thunder Pools for quite some time, and I have some understanding of their nature. If I help bear part of the lightning power of the Cleansing Pool, you can successfully complete the cleansing in this azure Thunder Pool. However, if I help you wash away the baleful qi, you must help me cut the chains. How does that deal sound?" Liuqi Ancestor's eyes shifted slightly as he spoke.

"If that is the case, then it is naturally best. Once we are free from the trouble of baleful qi, we can then activate this Heavenly Fox Blood Blade to its fullest extent, increasing the chances of rescuing you, Senior." Han Li finally smiled upon hearing this.

Shi Chuankong's eyes brightened slightly at these words, and a hint of a smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Young friend Li, there is no need to be so cautious. I originally intended to let you wash away the baleful qi before helping me cut the chains. Although the Cleansing Pool is extremely dangerous, once you pass through the cleansing, it will not only remove the baleful qi from your body but also refine your physique, removing impurities and strengthening your body, and enhancing your cultivation to varying degrees." Liuqi Ancestor chuckled.

"In that case, there is no time to lose. Let us enter the Cleansing Pool now." Hu San had changed into a new set of black clothes and spoke, ignoring his injuries.

"This matter cannot be rushed. Let us all take some pills and regulate our breathing for an hour before entering the Cleansing Pool." Han Li shook his head and said.

Hu San hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

Thus, the three of them sat cross-legged separately, each taking out pills and consuming them, beginning to regulate their breathing.

Ti Hun was special by nature and was not afraid of baleful qi, so naturally, she did not need to enter the Cleansing Pool to wash it away. She merely silently tended to her injuries, while in her heart, she was pondering how she would apologize when she saw her master, Yin Chengquan, again.

Soon, an hour passed.

Hu San was the first to open his eyes and stand up. Shi Chuankong and Han Li also stood up without waiting for his urging.

Liuqi Ancestor crouched on the cross-shaped wooden frame, squinting at the three and said, "Among these four Thunder Pools, the azure Thunder Pool has the least power, but it is sufficient to cleanse the baleful qi from your bodies. There is no need to risk your lives trying the other pools."

Han Li and the other two nodded to him with solemn expressions.

Not far away, Ti Hun looked toward Han Li, a trace of worry flashing in her eyes.

The three arrived at the edge of the azure Thunder Pool. To avoid interfering with each other, they separated and each went to a corner of the pool. After standing still, they all looked at the azure liquid of the pool leaping with lightning, but none immediately stepped in.

After waiting for a moment, Han Li took a deep breath and prepared to be the first to enter the Thunder Pool.

His foot had just lifted when his brow suddenly furrowed. He withdrew his left foot and waved his hand, opening the entrance to the Flower Branch Cave Heaven, revealing the interior scene of the bamboo building's first floor.

"Fellow Daoist Li, can you let me out?" The Rehua Immortal Venerable, who had been jointly restrained by Shi Chuankong and Hu San, suddenly awakened for some reason and called out to Han Li.

"Fellow Daoist Rehua, have you regained your senses?" Han Li raised an eyebrow and asked.

"Inside your small cave heaven, I can be isolated from the erosion of baleful qi and supplemented by abundant heavenly and earthly spiritual energy, allowing me to regain my senses. But it is only temporary. That is why I am contacting you while I am awake. There are some things I need to entrust to you." The Rehua Immortal Venerable's breathing was somewhat rapid.

"What is it?" Han Li asked in confusion.

A trace of pain flashed across the Rehua Immortal Venerable's face, and a surge of baleful qi seemed to pass through his brow. He switched to voice transmission and said:

"I have been eroded by baleful qi for too long and no longer hope to recover. But I do not wish to become a mindless walking corpse. I hope Fellow Daoist Li can personally send me off, allowing me to enter reincarnation early..."

Hearing this, Han Li wanted to interrupt, but the other continued via voice transmission:

"All the treasures on me have been confiscated by the Netherworld Clan. Only my life-bound magic treasure is still hidden in my body. Fellow Daoist Li can take it later. Before that, I also wish to pass on the techniques passed down from my sect to you. The True Word Sect has already been destroyed. I hope you can preserve this spark for us..."

"Fellow Daoist Rehua, we have now arrived at the Cleansing Pool. Cleansing through the Thunder Pool can remove the baleful qi from the body, but the process is extremely risky. Would you dare to try?" Han Li did not use voice transmission but asked with a smile.

"The Cleansing Pool? Can it really remove baleful qi?" The Rehua Immortal Venerable stiffened his neck and quickly asked.

"Why would I deceive you? It is true that it can cleanse baleful qi, but the risk is also great. It might even be said to be a matter of life and death." Han Li said.

"Try, of course I will try!" The Rehua Immortal Venerable was overjoyed, his eyes reddening as he quickly said.

"Fellow Daoist Shi, Fellow Daoist Hu San..." Han Li looked at the two and called out.

The two understood and quickly removed the restraints on the Rehua Immortal Venerable.

"Ti Hun, can you still help him remove the other restrictions set by the Netherworld Clan in his body?" After he staggered out of the cave heaven, Han Li looked at Ti Hun and asked again.

"I can remove the restrictions for him, but I fear that the baleful qi in his body will erupt and he will lose his senses again..." Ti Hun nodded, hesitating.

"Miss, go ahead. Once my baleful qi erupts, please ask Fellow Daoist Li to throw me directly into the Cleansing Pool. After that, life or death will be up to heaven, and I will bear the consequences." The Rehua Immortal Venerable smiled bitterly and said.

"Since you have made up your mind, I will not try to dissuade you." Han Li glanced at him and nodded.

"Thank you for your trouble." The Rehua Immortal Venerable slightly cupped his hands to Han Li and Ti Hun.

Han Li silently nodded to Ti Hun.

The latter, seeing this, began to pat the Rehua Immortal Venerable's body with dark red light glowing in the palms of her hands.

At first, the Rehua Immortal Venerable could maintain a normal expression, but as Ti Hun's movements fell repeatedly, his face soon became twisted and ferocious, his brows tightly knitted into knots, full of pain.

Accompanying this, wisps of black baleful qi continuously emanated from his body.

Han Li's gaze sharpened. He noticed that the Rehua Immortal Venerable's eyes had almost turned gray-white, and his heart tightened. He realized that he had underestimated the extent of the baleful qi erosion on the Rehua Immortal Venerable.

He turned his wrist slightly, and a Soul Severing Chain coiled down his arm, hanging within his sleeve.

At that moment, Ti Hun finally brought her palms together, and a strange rune appeared in the center of her palms, which she struck toward the Rehua Immortal Venerable's back heart.

A dull thud sounded.

The Rehua Immortal Venerable let out a muffled groan, and a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.

Immediately after, his bones crackled like popping beans, and his stature seemed to grow half a foot taller. Black light radiated from his body, and baleful qi surged all over, making him look no different from a Gray Immortal.

Han Li's heart tightened, and just as he was about to act, a hoarse voice, unlike a human's, came from the Rehua Immortal Venerable's mouth: "Fellow Daoist Li... do not panic... I... I can still hold on..."

With that, he stepped forward step by step, slowly walked to a corner of the azure Thunder Pool, and without any hesitation, leaped into the pool. By the time Han Li wanted to stop him, it was already too late.

"Crackle..."

As his body entered the pool, it was like water droplets splashing into a hot oil pan. The already violent lightning immediately boiled fiercely. Countless thick bolts of lightning, like ten thousand lightning flood dragons, surged wildly toward the Rehua Immortal Venerable.

"Tsk, this fellow is quite impatient..." Liuqi Ancestor squinted his long eyes, a look of concern in them, but inwardly he felt some contempt.

However, he did not stand idly by. One of his giant tails wrapped around the azure chain again, and a patch of black light lit up on it. With a sudden contraction, he pulled the chain toward himself.

The depths of the Thunder Pool shook violently, and the azure light became increasingly dense. Countless azure lightning bolts seemed to suddenly find a more interesting target, all climbing onto the azure chain and surging along the chain runes toward Liuqi Ancestor.

Liuqi Ancestor suddenly turned around, opened his huge mouth wide, and spat out a human-head-sized dark green orb. From it emanated a patch of emerald green light, like a water curtain, blocking the violent azure lightning.

"Rumble"

A series of violent roaring sounds came continuously. Countless azure lightning bolts, like fish leaping over the dragon gate, struck the emerald water curtain formed by the dark green orb, creating large bulges, but they could never break through.

A large amount of lightning was drawn away by Liuqi Ancestor, but the lightning power within the Cleansing Pool remained overwhelmingly strong.