Fire Seed Refining
Xu Lu had never encountered an opponent like Zhang Xuezhou.
The other party knows what to ask, what not to ask, what to take, and what not to take.
If it fell into Hu Yu's hands, Xu Lu felt he would suffer the oppressive torment of his ancestors for eighteen generations until all his value was squeezed out, and then he would give him a quick death.
Zhang Xuezhou's questions were merely common sense; he did not take away the fire that the Void Furnace was currently relying on for survival, nor did he kill him.
However, Xu Lu also had a headache with people like Zhang Xuezhou. He felt that Zhang Xuezhou was relatively stable and reliable, but Zhang Xuezhou didn't think much of him at all.
Watching Zhang Xuezhou drift away in the wind, gazing towards the snake cave, Xu Lu knew very well that once the other side determined there was no longer any threat, they would fly closer.
"Don't even think about taking advantage of Hu Yu, and don't even try to stand out. Once he discovers you, there's no way you can escape his pursuit at your current speed!"
Xu Lu pondered for more than ten seconds before cautiously speaking.
"Oh?"
"If he can't find me, he'll definitely set up some schemes there. Once you stumble into it, it will trigger his suspicions, and he'll haunt you like a vengeful ghost!"
Is he really that good?
Even if you just approach the area he's set up, he'll consider you a suspect!
"You mean I need to wait until he's far away, or until his methods fail, before I can get close?"
Zhang Xuezhou looked at the empty furnace, which was only ten centimeters tall.
At this moment, the Void Furnace transformed into a human form, with extremely robust limbs and body, but a rather slender head.
Zhang Xuezhou felt that the virtual furnace was modeled after Zhou Xin's body and the proportions of his head, thus creating this contraption.
However, compared to the previous wooden stick form, the current virtual furnace form has fewer of the terrifying exotic creature features, which makes it more acceptable to Zhang Xuezhou on a sensory level.
"No, no, no, you should leave now," Xu Lu warned. "And you need to take me with you. Only when I recover my strength can I take you there safely!"
"You're talking nonsense again," Zhang Xuezhou, waving his hand.
"I'm telling the truth," Xu Lu said. "Only I can unravel the underground arrangement. If you want something, you'll definitely need me, even if you don't need me. This applies to Hu Yu as well; otherwise, you won't gain anything and might even be hunted down by Hu Yu!"
"I don't need too much. If someone else doesn't want it, I'll just go take a look and pick up a little bit!"
Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand, indicating that he did not covet the wealth of the Void Furnace.
Neither the snake pit medicine that Zhang Xuezhou was pursuing nor the Qin Meng secret stone were particularly secretive, and he did not feel that he needed the help of the Void Furnace to clear away the snake excrement.
Zhang Xuezhou believed that Hu Yu possessed formidable skills, and Ding Kui, whose power could easily extend to a range of ten miles, was something he greatly feared. However, Zhang Xuezhou did not believe that Hu Yu could achieve perfection.
If the opponent is truly perfect and without flaws, Tiger Breed can launch a full-scale attack on the snake's lair, and Tiger Breed will not need any subordinates.
Every flaw in tiger breeding inevitably presents an opportunity. Zhang Xuezhou wasn't greedy; he would take what he could, and if he couldn't take it all, he would deal with it later. He had no intention of taking everything at once.
Tiger's power made Zhang Xuezhou wary, while the Void Furnace made Zhang Xuezhou somewhat apprehensive.
His previous brief exchange with Xu Lu had almost resulted in a backlash from the other party, so there was absolutely no way he would follow Xu Lu's arrangements.
Even though Xu Lu had been dead for many years, Hu Yu, who held the title of Ding Kui, was wary of him and even deliberately arranged for Hu Hao to be the spearhead to test him. Zhang Xuezhou did not think that Xu Lu was harmless.
He didn't inquire about the origins of the Void Furnace, but those who could step into this world were either elderly people seeking a gamble or top geniuses seeking fortuitous opportunity. The former would have trump cards for a life-or-death battle, such as Huang Daoxian who disappeared at the moment of his desperate struggle, while the latter were very likely to have a powerful backer.
Zhang Xuezhou had no other intention in keeping Xu Lu alive. As long as his life wasn't threatened, or if Xu Lu had any indispensable value, he didn't want to deliver the final blow to Xu Lu's head and then get involved in possible investigations, ultimately causing a lot of trouble.
"With your cultivation level, this shouldn't be the case!"
The void furnace appeared utterly helpless.
Regardless of race, everyone seeks to gain advantage; this is an inalienable human trait.
However, Xu Lu had never seen a cultivator like Zhang Xuezhou before. The other party seemed to be just watching the show, willing to make a small profit even if he didn't, and it didn't matter if he didn't gain anything.
Normally, someone with Zhang Xuezhou's mindset would be an ordinary person in the Dark Principle, but Zhang Xuezhou happens to possess extremely high-level skills.
Xu Lu's insight and perception were not bad; he could discern the quality of living beings. Xu Lu felt that Zhang Xuezhou's quality surpassed that of Zhou Xin, whom he had previously tried to forcibly possess.
Zhou Xin worked hard, diligently, and devoted himself to finding fortuitous opportunity, while Zhang Xuezhou was casual and indifferent.
In conventional wisdom, only the former are considered geniuses, and only the former can stand out from the dark Principle. However, in reality, the latter are more superior among human beings.
Xu Lu didn't understand the reason. From his perspective, Xu Lu felt that Zhang Xuezhou's character didn't warrant his current strength.
"With my cultivation level, this is the best I can do," Zhang Xuezhou corrected.
"But... but this shouldn't be happening!"
It was difficult for Xu Lu to persuade Zhang Xuezhou, nor could he establish a cooperative relationship.
Looking at the vast, endless mountain range, Xu Lu felt waves of despair surging through his Divine Sense.
"My base also has..."
Just as Xu Lu was about to speak again to persuade him, a wisp of green light flashed by, and Zhang Xuezhou was nowhere to be seen.
"Damn it, they just abandoned me like that! No one has ever ignored me like this before! Ugh, I'm so angry!"
The Void Furnace jumped up and down in a frenzy. Its already weak spiritual body collapsed like a shoddy construction project, leaving only the ruby-like embers on its head rolling around on the ground several times.
"Calm down, take a deep breath, I still have a chance to turn things around, I won't die in a place like this..."
The low chanting gradually faded into silence, and the ruby, embedded in the soil, bloomed like a red flower.
The bright red flower stood out starkly against its surroundings.
As long as it's within sight, even someone with poor eyesight can see this abnormal, dazzling red.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh~"
Low breathing sounds approached with the sound of running footsteps, and a hairless tiger-like creature cautiously drew near.
As if there were no resistance, no matter how cautious the tiger-like creature was, it could not stop itself from approaching.
The moment the claw reached for the red flower, it instantly shrank and disappeared, replaced by a pool of gray liquid.
Just like the effect on Zhang Xuezhou's body, after only a brief contact, these gray liquids completely enveloped him.
"Smelting!"
With a low murmur, flames appeared, continuously scorching the tiger-shaped creature's body.
The organism's body began to deform, with the hairless limbs being the first to reshape.
The gray-black, stick-shaped form had just emerged when it transformed into the shape of five fingers in human form.
There was no roar or struggle whatsoever; as if all senses had been completely shut down, this hairless tiger-like creature lost everything the moment it was touched, and could only let its body be forcibly melted and transformed.