Suppose you met three Cultivators who looked downright weird, with nothing left of them but bones and a Pearl.
They wanted to become one with you, then gave up.
Then they told you they were in terrible shape, with only a few Imprints left. They were about to die—no, they were already dead.
Those Imprints were all they had left. They couldn't do a thing. How miserable.
Would you believe them?
Meng Chuan certainly didn't.
Of course, though the three were hiding something, Meng Chuan understood.
Put yourself in their shoes. If anyone were in the Crystal Skull and the others' condition, they wouldn't spill all their secrets at a first meeting.
As long as they wouldn't harm Meng Chuan, it didn't matter.
"So the three of you are refusing to work with me." Regret showed on Meng Chuan's face.
"I'd wanted to help you and see whether I could bring you back."
"At the very least, I could help you endure. What a pity."
"But since you've refused, I can't force you."
"..."
Once again, Meng Chuan's words left the three of them hanging, utterly baffled.
"Actually, we think working together might be possible," the Crystal Skull said, changing course without a hitch.
"But was what you just said true?"
Revenge was perhaps the three of them's greatest obsession.
And what did revenge require?
Being alive.
How could they take revenge if they were dead?
"Of course it's true," Meng Chuan said. "Listen to yourself. Would I lie to you?"
The Crystal Skull and the others fell silent for a while. They were surely thinking it over. In the end, they made their decision.
"We're very happy to work with you."
Whether they were genuinely happy or not, the Crystal Skull said they were.
They couldn't refuse at all...