"That branch... Grand Hua Old Ancestor's power hasn't reached it yet."
Emperor Jiang Wu's voice came through the Communication Jade Talisman, and everyone in the secret chamber's breathing eased for half a beat.
Zhou Xuan held the Jade Talisman in his palm, rubbing its surface with his thumb.
The earth vein branch stretched over forty li, ending beneath a dried-up lake. Grand Hua Old Ancestor's power had yet to extend that far.
This was upstream.
"Senior Jiang." Zhou Xuan spoke slowly, delivering each word distinctly. "Listen carefully. I'll only say this once."
The wind coming through the Communication Talisman abruptly fell silent. Emperor Jiang Wu had evidently found somewhere more secluded.
"In the final hour before the seventh day ends, before the Origin Fetus begins its Frenzied Absorption, you need to do something."
Zhou Xuan paused.
"I'll send you something. On the outside, it looks no different from an ordinary piece of earth vein ore, but there's something lethal sealed inside."
"What you need to do is bury it deep in that branch half an hour before the Frenzied Absorption begins."
"How deep?"
"The deeper, the better, but it must lie in the path of the earth vein's main flow. When the Origin Fetus begins its Frenzied Absorption, the Origin Source Torrent will sweep away everything in that branch, including this stone."
"Once the Origin Source flow rate crosses a certain threshold, the shell will break on its own."
"And what's inside will come out."
The Communication Talisman fell silent for two breaths.
Emperor Jiang Wu did not ask what was inside.
He did not need to. He had heard their entire earlier conversation.
"What do I do after burying it?"
"Run."
Zhou Xuan's answer was crisp and decisive.
"Withdraw immediately after burying it. Don't linger for even a single