A Grand Intelligence Gift, Obtained Effortlessly

Is Gao Xu truly disappointed?

Not in the slightest!

In reality, he had never intended to participate in the battle against the Red Ghost King from the very beginning. All he sought was for Mr. Yi and his subordinates not to force him back to the space, thereby interrupting his mission.

However, there is an art to negotiation. If one reveals their true goal at the very start, they become vulnerable to being manipulated by the other party, putting themselves in a passive position.

Lin Yueru's display of power was merely the opening act, signaling that Gao Xu would not be pushed around. It showed he had the capability to strike back and the means to cause significant trouble for Mr. Yi's group.

But that alone was not enough. Mr. Yi and the Giant were not the type to retreat at the first sign of difficulty; rather, they were the type to face challenges head-on. Therefore, establishing a rapport became essential.

"A grand gift?" Mr. Yi looked at Gao Xu calmly and replied, unmoved, "Although this old man considers himself well-prepared for this trip, I am still interested in hearing your opinion, young friend."

Well, this fellow had dismissed Gao Xu's "grand gift" as mere bluster...

Gao Xu smiled, unbothered. With everyone surrounding him, he paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, much like a storyteller brewing his thoughts. This composure immediately influenced Lin Yueru, causing her to relax slightly as she watched Gao Xu perform with a smile.

Hmm, it seems there is another audience member ready to listen to some bluster...

"The specific origins of the Red Ghost King are unknown to all. The only thing known is that he is currently hiding beneath the General's Tomb north of Heishui Town. He controls the Sui Dynasty general and his subordinates within the tomb, forming a massive army of zombies. Once these zombies break out, they will scatter to bite and suck blood, gathering it into the blood pool the Red Ghost King has constructed to enjoy and enhance his cultivation!"

"To eliminate this vicious demon, one must enter the General's Tomb from the Mass Grave and first defeat the Skeleton General guarding the entrance before one can see the true form of the Red Ghost King. There are three obstacles on this path: first, the various corpse demons; second, the dense miasma permeating the General's Tomb; and third, the crisscrossing routes within the tomb! By comparison, while the corpse demons are each armed with secret arts and are extremely difficult to deal with, the miasma is even more lethal. An ordinary mortal would be poisoned to death within moments of entering, dying a gruesome death! As for the maze-like routes within the tomb, I presume you all already have a way to deal with them~"

Because of Lin Yueru's presence, Gao Xu tried his best to keep his explanation simple and easy to understand. He had been reckless when speaking to the Giant earlier because the other party had high space clearance, which automatically filtered out sensitive terms from the perspective of plot characters. Now that Gao Xu was speaking on his own, he had to minimize the use of terms from the space to avoid raising Lin Yueru's suspicions.

Mr. Yi was cooperative, nodding as he said, "For dealing with such mazes, Guide Bees are the best helpers. As for the miasma, 'gathering materials on the spot' is actually sufficient!"

Gao Xu didn't immediately grasp what "gathering materials on the spot" referred to, so he continued on his own: "With your strength, these obstacles are not the main issue; the real difficulties lie with the Skeleton General and the Red Ghost King. The Skeleton General's armor is tattered, but his skeleton is hard, possessing high defense and no vital points. The Purgatory Claw extends from the ground, catching one off guard and slowing movement speed. Ghost Possession carries a 'madness' effect; those struck will attack friend and foe alike, disrupting formations. Of course, Ghost Possession is a minor trick compared to the Red Ghost King's Soul Snatch. With a fifty percent chance of an instant kill, if one's luck is poor, the team could suffer heavy casualties within a few exchanges."

"Fortunately, heaven leaves a sliver of hope. The Red Ghost King is not without weaknesses. Certain special amulets and items can resist the effects of Soul Snatch, preventing the attackers from collapsing at the first touch... thus giving them a chance to die under the Blood Demon Divine Art, where the Red Ghost King transforms into a sea of blood. The eight words, 'The sea of blood is undying, the Red Ghost is immortal,' are what make the Red Ghost King truly terrifying!"

As Gao Xu spoke, Mr. Yi's expression shifted from calm to solemn, and finally to moved.

Their team had already attempted to clear the Red Ghost King twice. The first time, due to incorrect information, they hadn't even defeated the Skeleton General before being forced to retreat by that disgusting Ghost Possession skill, losing two team members in the process.

The second time, they had prepared accessories and items to counter negative status effects and managed to take down the gatekeeper boss, the Skeleton General. However, they lost three people in a single exchange due to the Red Ghost King's Soul Snatch and had to scramble back to the space to avoid total annihilation.

This time, they had paid a great price to purchase information on the Red Ghost King and items to resist Soul Snatch from the auction house. They had originally thought they had at least a seventy or eighty percent chance of success, never imagining that the Red Ghost King Gao Xu described had an even more terrifying trump card!

Mr. Yi frowned and fell into deep thought. His intuition told him that Gao Xu was not lying, but why would this person easily give away such precious intelligence? One had to know that in the Intelligence Office, once verified, such data could easily sell for three or four thousand points!

Gao Xu actually wanted to make a fortune at the Intelligence Office, but the problem was that his information came from his previous life. In this life, he was a fresh newcomer with no experience fighting the boss to prove his intelligence was correct, so he gave it away without a second thought.

This was a massive favor to sell!

He didn't know which unscrupulous reincarnator had listed the data on the auction house, but it was ninety percent accurate, omitting only the function of the blood sea. It was clearly intended to send the buyers to their deaths. Even with Mr. Yi's composure, thinking of the three thousand points he had spent made him grit his teeth in anger.

"This grand gift from you, young friend, is no less than a life-saving grace. Please, accept my bow!" Mr. Yi bowed solemnly toward Gao Xu. Gao Xu quickly stepped aside to avoid it, saying modestly, "I dare not, I dare not. I truly hold Mr. Yi in high regard and could not bear to see you being cheated by those villains. Calling it a life-saving grace is far too much; I could never accept such a thing!"

After this, the atmosphere between the two sides finally eased. Mr. Yi believed that Gao Xu had no hostile intent, but he hesitated before saying apologetically, "My apologies, young friend. We are determined to proceed with this mission, and we have prepared quite a few life-saving items that we hope will prove useful. However, my companions have been working together for several worlds, and adding an outsider would certainly be very uncomfortable. So, I must ask you to bear with it..."

Mr. Yi was no fool. If he owed Gao Xu a favor, he would pay it back when the opportunity arose, but there was no way he was letting him join the team.

Gao Xu was currently putting on the appearance of an expert, acting as if he knew everything and was incredibly impressive. But once they entered the General's Tomb, he would surely be exposed. Therefore, even if Mr. Yi had agreed to let him join the raid, he would have found an excuse to leave. This outcome suited him perfectly, so he sighed, "Very well... I came to Heishui Town to search for medicinal herbs and have not made sufficient preparations. Rushing into a battle with the Red Ghost King would indeed likely hold everyone back, so I shall not disturb you all!"

"Medicinal herbs?" Mr. Yi's expression shifted, revealing a mysterious smile. "As far as this old man knows, there is only one kind of herb worth coming all the way to Heishui Town to find~"

Gao Xu's eyes lit up, and the two spoke almost in unison: "Ink Mystery Juice!"

Without a word, Mr. Yi flicked his hands, and a small black bottle was tossed over.

Gao Xu's face lit up with joy. He caught it, took a look, and laughed, "It truly took no effort to find; many thanks!"