Chapter Sixteen: Seize the Locke Divine Water!

"..."

Han Han didn't wait for him to answer. He quickly closed the distance between them, leaving the young man no chance to get away again.

"My name is Han Han." Han Han held out his right hand.

The young man froze for a moment, seeming to realize that he ought to have a name too.

"Y-hello. My name is Pansy."

Han Han smiled.

He had already been mostly certain as soon as he approached. He could sense the Locke Divine Water. Who else but Pansy could have come into contact with it?

Now that he had confirmed the young man's name was Pansy, the matter was settled.

"I'm sure you can sense the Locke Divine Water on me too. It's because of this treasure that I've reached my current strength." Han Han didn't attack right away, continuing, "Do you have any left?"

Pansy froze, his mind racing.

What should I do?!

He's much stronger than me, and he's so sure I have something mysterious on me... He must mean the Locke Divine Water. If he tries to take it by force, I can't stop him.

Wait!

Even the tower's scanners couldn't detect the Silver Token. How could he know? And he can't just kill me in public. He'd be executed if he did. If I insist that I've used it all, there's nothing he can do.

Thinking this, Pansy looked at Han Han and replied in a somewhat apologetic voice, "I only got a little by chance back then. I've used it all up."

"That's all right."

Han Han kept smiling, like a kindhearted benefactor who had spent his life doing good deeds. "I actually got a lot when I found it, and I'm willing to share with you. After all..."

"We're the same kind of people!"

"Besides, Locke Divine Water can't be taken carelessly. There are risks. I'm sure you didn't know that."

Pansy's face stiffened.

Risks?

He really hadn't known. Ever since he'd started taking it, he'd felt better than ever, and his cultivation speed had increased several times over.

But he couldn't be sure there weren't any risks.

"What risks? And how do we deal with them?" Pansy asked urgently.

"I'm not sure of the details either."

Han Han shook his head. "I stumbled across some Locke Divine Water, and there was a small amount of residue nearby. I didn't dare take it out."

"Don't worry."

"Since we're the same kind of people, the stronger you are, the better our chances of success."

After a moment of silence, Pansy nodded. "All right."

Han Han nodded back, then turned toward the Iron Vine Grass and said, "Come with me. The sooner we deal with the risks, the better. If we wait too long, something unexpected might happen."

"Mm," Pansy replied.

In Three Illusion Tree Valley, two figures moved swiftly through the trees. Han Han deliberately slowed down to match Pansy's pace, so he could keep him from escaping along the way.

But Han Han had underestimated how much Pansy valued his life.

After all, he had a whole lake of Locke Divine Water. Leaving the risks unresolved would be a waste.

"Are we there yet?" Pansy asked.

Han Han turned and patiently explained, "It's actually where we first met. Unfortunately, you ran off before I could stop you."

Pansy nodded. It wasn't far, then.

At the same time, the ground trembled faintly. Han Han's Iron Vine Grass was moving toward them as they moved toward it.

"We're here."

Han Han stopped and looked back at Pansy. He sensed the Iron Vine Grass directly beneath them, ready to attack at any moment.

"Here?"

Pansy looked around. The place gave him an unsettling feeling he couldn't quite put into words. It's too quiet, and... Han Han's tone has changed too.

"Do you have a Silver Token?"

Han Han's voice wasn't loud, but it reached Pansy's ears with perfect clarity.

In an instant, Pansy's face filled with shock!

Seeing his expression, Han Han finally put his mind at ease and ordered the Iron Vine Grass to attack through his consciousness.

In a flash, vines shot up from the ground.

This was the first time Han Han had used the Iron Vine Grass to kill an enemy—and the first time he had killed anyone. The Planetary Rank Iron Vine Grass needed only an instant to kill Pansy.

"Thwack!"

The vines looked soft, yet they pierced Pansy's body through and through.

"Devour the corpse too," Han Han ordered.

"Rustle~"

The vines surged around Pansy's corpse, completely enveloping it. Fine pores along the vines absorbed his flesh and blood, leaving only a Silver Token behind.

Then a slender vine curled around the token and handed it to Han Han.

"I got it!"

Han Han took the Silver Token and released a trace of Spiritual Force into it to establish ownership.

"Vmmm~"

Pansy's Spiritual Imprint inside was like water without a source. Under Han Han's repeated efforts to wash it away, it vanished, leaving only Han Han's Spiritual Imprint.

His consciousness sank into the token. Inside was a space about a hundred miles across.

"The Locke Divine Water!" Han Han was a little excited as he looked at the lake in the middle of the vast plain. It was irregularly shaped, but he could tell at a glance there was plenty.

In one corner of the plain stood a clump of Iron Vine Grass, its life force completely gone.

When its master died, the Plant Lifeform died with him.

"The universe is cruel. Just like in the simulation, you could have killed me to keep your secret hidden. I can't blame you for that!" Han Han spoke into the empty air, as if explaining himself to Pansy.

Then Han Han looked at the Iron Vine Grass.

"Set the scanner to maximum, then bury it underground," Han Han ordered.

The next moment, countless vines plunged beneath the earth. A minute or two later, they emerged again.

"Don't resist." Han Han stepped forward and touched the vines, then urged the Silver Token to release its World Force and envelop the Iron Vine Grass.

"Whoosh!"

The two of them disappeared.

The Silver Token seemed to vanish as well, though it was still there, nearly fused with space. Only an advanced scanner could detect it.

Meanwhile.

At the top of the Central High Tower, a man dressed in white hurried into the control room.

"Lord Hua Chuan, the... the life signs of a large number of slaves in Three Illusion Tree Valley have disappeared." The man in white was extremely flustered. This was a major incident.

"How is that possible?!"

Hua Chuan leaped to his feet and slapped the table. "Number One, bring up the surveillance footage at the entrance to Three Illusion Tree Valley."

"Yes, Master."

At his words, an image of the entrance to Three Illusion Tree Valley appeared on the screen in the middle of the control room. Everything looked normal; even the guards hadn't noticed anything unusual.

"Are you messing with me?!" Hua Chuan flew into a rage.

"How could I dare, sir?" The man in white grew even more flustered. He hurriedly worked on his arm guard, finally bringing up a translucent screen. "Look."

The life signs outside Three Illusion Tree Valley were normal, but the screen showed no life inside.

At that, Hua Chuan had no choice but to believe it.

"Drive all the slaves out. Have everyone enter Three Illusion Tree Valley at once and search it. Also, bring up the signals from before they disappeared. I want a detailed report," Hua Chuan ordered sternly.

A passage opened up just ahead. Hua Chuan flew straight through it, heading for Three Illusion Tree Valley.