Chapter 2499: Locking Souls

dn't have spoken."We can talk about this another time." Lu Xiaottian chuckled. He wasn't fond of owing favors to people, and while Xu Wan said it with a bit of an exaggeration, there was some truth to...“If we wait for the Four-Winged Praying Mantis and the Red Green Ape King to make their move, Daoist Lu will have missed his opportunity. By then, facing two enemies alone, he will surely lose the battle. Since that's the case, it's better to strike first.” Ban Qianzhi said with a flicker in her eyes.

"You're quite brave, but with a Shadow Scorpion King watching over us, do you really think he would just sit idly by while we fight"

Lu Xia Tian gave Ban Qian Zhi a surprised glance. He didn't expect Ban Qian Zhi to have such courage. To be honest, what Ban Qian Zhi said wasn't something Lu Xia Tian hadn't considered. If there was only one Four-winged Mantis accompanying them, Lu Xia Tian would probably do as Ban Qian Zhi suggested—eliminate the Four-winged Mantis first and then deal with the rest.

The Demon Lord truly cared about whether the mission could be completed. The casualties of the Heti Realm cultivators were, to such powerful beings, secondary at best. With the Four-Winged Mantis dead, even if the Demon Lord had some displeasure towards him, he could only hope that he would complete the task.

>However, the Shadow Scorpion King would never stand idly by and watch the Four-Winged Mantis be killed. For the Shadow Scorpion King, completing the Demon Lord's assigned task was clearly the most important thing. Anyone who threatened this would be intervened by the Shadow Scorpion King. As for the Demon Lord's mission completion, the Shadow Scorpion King's attitude towards Lu Xiaoteng would undoubtedly be the key to deciding the outcome of their confrontation.

Outside the Yaohai Cave Mansion, Lu Xia Tian and the Shadow Scorpion King had fought for hundreds of years, but they couldn't be considered friends. Lu Xia Tian wouldn't dare to pin his hopes on the Shadow Scorpion King.

Once the Shadow Scorpion King betrays, Lu Xia Tian will be in peril unless he has already broken through to the late stage of fusion. With his current strength, facing the Four-Winged Praying Mantis, the Red-Green Ape King, and several Shadow Scorpion Kings would almost certainly lead to his death.

“Back then, the Phantom Scorpion King offended a powerful demon in the Demon Sea, Wu Xin Lei Niao. It wasn't a deadly feud, but as long as Daoist Lu was willing to pay a certain price, Wu Xin Lei Niao would be happy to help the Phantom Scorpion King cause some trouble. Of course, stopping the Phantom Scorpion King wouldn't necessarily mean a life-or-death battle, and Wu Xin Lei Niao would certainly not refuse.” Ban Qian Zhi suggested.

"I don't trust Wu Xin Lei Kuai. This is a task entrusted to me by the Demon Lord, and Wu Xin Lei Kuai might not have the guts to intervene. This concerns a battle of life and death, and I don't want to risk adding more variables at this point. Striking a snake at its seven inches, if the first strike misses, it will only alert the snake." Lu Xiao Tian shook his head.

“With the current predicament, Daoist Lu, do you have any good strategies” Ban Qianzhi frowned, saying that anything could not be done without risk. The enemy they faced now was by no means simple, how could everything be perfect However, looking at Lu Xiaitian's expression, it seemed that he already had a plan in mind.

"There are ways to do it, but it depends on whether you're willing to pay the price," Lu Xiaoteng said with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, looking at Ban Qianzhi.

“Right now, this old man and Daoist Lu are in the same boat, our lives are at stake. Could it be that Daoist Lu still doesn’t trust this old man” Ban Qianzhi said with a bitter expression on his face. It is said that one should always guard against others, but Lu Xiaottian’s precautions were a bit too heavy.

“Unless absolutely necessary, I never fight unprepared. If you're willing to pay the price, this battle could very well be won.” Lu Xia Tian extended his palm, and a small, translucent jade appeared in his hand.

“Soul-Locking Jade! Daoist Lu, what do you mean by this” Ban Qianzhi saw the small jade in Lu Xiaoxiao’s palm and couldn’t help but be surprised. His surprise was mixed with a hint of anger.

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“Since you recognize this Soul-Locking Jade, you naturally understand my meaning. I'm not forcing you, but if the Four-Winged Mantis truly intends to make a move, I might still have a few chances to escape. As for you, fellow cultivator Ban, I estimate your chances would be much lower. Whether you wish to save your granddaughter is something you should consider carefully. If it weren't for absolute trust, I would wager everything on you.” Lu Xia Tian said calmly.

“Even if this old man were willing to allow Daoist Lu to control him, it seems that it would not be of much help in the current situation,” Ban Qian narrowed his eyes and said.

>

“It does help, of course,” Lu XiaTian said with a smile. Another azure demon bottle materialized in his palm, the very same one he had obtained after slaying the Greedy Crane Demon.

“This demonic bottle was obtained from a Nascent Soul stage demon beast I killed back then. I almost fell to this Blue Mist Demon Bottle myself. It took a bit of luck to kill my opponent. If you can refine this demonic bottle, your strength will be able to reach another level. At that time, with my methods and your power, we could easily hold off the Shadow Demon Scorpion.”

Lu Xia Tian's tone changed, "Of course, this demon bottle is too powerful. If you are not under my control, I will not give it to you. Besides, there is a flaw in this demon bottle. Once you refine it, I can't say for sure whether the demon bottle will dominate you or you will dominate it. Think carefully about what you want to do."

“This…” Ban Chienchi’s aged face flickered with hesitation. He instinctively resisted this Soul-Locking Jade. No cultivator would willingly have their life controlled by another, living like a mere puppet devoid of free will.

After a moment of hesitation, Ban Qianzhi finally let out a sigh. Lu Xia Tian's attitude was already quite clear. If he didn't hand over a strand of his soul to be controlled by the other party, the other party wouldn't trust him more. And with his current strength, it seemed that he couldn't bear Lu Xia Tian's greater trust.

>

After all, what Lu Xia Tian is facing right now is a formidable opponent: the Four-Winged Mantis and the Chiqing Ape King, both in their late stage of merging. Thinking about it, he himself has entered his twilight years. Although his lifespan still remains for some time, relatively speaking to humans, it's not short. However, for the demon race, he has practically lost all hope of further advancement.

Considering this, there seems to be nothing left to lose, and his granddaughter Ban Yao still relies on Lu Xia Tian to have a sliver of hope to cultivate again. Thinking of this, Ban Yao immediately nodded, "Well then, the old one will listen to Daoist Lu's words, but I still hope that Daoist Lu remembers what he said to the old one before."

"Given the circumstances, there will inevitably be a battle between me and the Four-Winged Mantis. As long as he has what you're talking about on him, you can take it yourself."

>

"Dare you swear"

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

"I have no fear." Lu Xia Tian made a solemn oath as instructed.

"Very well, since that's the case, this old man will sell his life to Daoist Lu. What's there to hesitate about"

>

Ban Qian Zhi sat cross-legged on the ground, muttering a spell in her mouth. Her face gradually paled, and finally, with a shriek, Ban Qian Zhi sent a wisp of her soul flying toward Lu Xiaotian. Ban Qian Zhi sat there trembling, her body nearly unstable. The higher the realm, the longer one lived, the harder it was to split their primordial spirit.

As for the demon race, whose primordial spirits are generally weaker than those of human cultivators of the same rank, the price of sacrificing a strand of their soul is even higher than that of human cultivators.

Lu Xia Tian calmly put Ban Qian Zhi's sliver of soul into the Soul Locking Jade. When it came to life and death, Lu Xia Tian wouldn't feel embarrassed about anything.

Let me know if you'd like me to translate any other text!

After receiving the spirit shard from Ban Qianzhi, Lu Xia Tian flicked his finger, sending several porcelain vials and a sapphire gourd flying towards Ban Qianzhi. "Consume the pills inside, and the wounds on your soul will recover in the shortest time. After your soul wounds heal, choose a date to refine this demon bottle again." with thunderous celestial light. Bolts of lightning thicker than pythons lashed out in rapid succession.Although the speed of Bing Guan Crocodaemon wasn't comparable to that of the Magic Vein Queen B...