"You all saw it, didn't you? Zhang Xiu, our people's true Leader, the Lord of Longevity's husband, has already laid out the way to survive."
In a bright, cramped room within the Skydeep's Cavern of Abundance aboard the Xianzhou, two men and a woman sat around a table. The atmosphere was somewhat heavy.
"But he was only explaining how to become a Pathstrider. That isn't enough to make our people rise up."
The other man, who kept rubbing his fingers together, challenged him.
The remaining woman spoke unhurriedly:
"Not a problem. We need only tweak it a little. But what about you? Do you not wish to join this great undertaking?"
"How do you expect me to accept this? Eating our own people? That violates the Lord of Longevity's ideals!"
The man sprang to his feet and slammed his palm down with a crack! The entire table shattered!
Neither of the other two showed much surprise at his outburst. Perhaps they had expected it all along.
"No matter. We never really expected to work with you anyway."
"What a shame. I'd thought I could bear stronger offspring with you."
"You...!" The man's eyes widened as he stared at his former friends in disbelief.
He was the strongest of the three, and he, too, yearned for strength. But after thinking it through, he simply could not accept the torment of eating his own kind.
It would certainly make him immensely powerful, but such wickedness was far beyond anything he could condone.
"Then I'll stop you myself, right here..." His heart thundered, and bloodshot veins filled his black eyes.
Even as he prepared to attack, the man and woman showed no change in expression.
The next instant, something pierced his chest, and the heart blessed by the Lord of Longevity was plucked