CHAPTER 280: CHAPTER 280: THE THING DELIVERED TO THE DOOR (3)_1

"Hmph," Shangguan You sneered, listening to the rushing sound of water beside her ears and gazing at the two whose faces were reddened by the fire, their bodies sweating profusely. Despite the heat, Zhuge Ao dared not extinguish the fire, struggling to maintain it. Once the fire went out, the entire space would plunge into darkness. Then it would truly be Shangguan You’s domain. She could launch a sneak attack or bury someone if she wished.

"Look at you, all sweaty. Come on, cool down a bit," Shangguan You’s aged voice rang out, and immediately, the earth around the two men stirred once again. Their bodies sank hundreds of meters deeper as the deep water, buried beneath the ground, gushed towards them, drenching them thoroughly.

The cold touch made the heat on their bodies dissipate, and the Inferno Fire in Zhuge Ao’s hand grew weaker and weaker, seemingly about to be extinguished slowly.

"The fire must not be put out," Shen Po quickly spoke, pressing his hands against Zhuge Ao’s back. It was too hot just now, and now it was too cold. The feeling of ice and fire was more than their bodies could endure. "How does it feel, cool enough? Not a bad sensation, right?" Shangguan You snickered as the earth moved again. This time, the deep water directly assaulted their bodies. Their faces, originally red, now gradually turned pale with cold. The sound of water was incessant; Shangguan You had not used the Water Spirit Bead. Moreover, she did not intend to reveal her identity, so she had changed her voice and her appearance before stealing the Fire Spirit Pearl.

"What exactly do you want?" Zhuge Ao shivered, feeling his body growing colder and colder. The icy touch made his whole body stiffen, and even the Inferno Fire he was holding was barely able to light up, just enough to see the surroundings. His Spiritual Energy was rapidly depleting.

An underground battle like this brought them no benefit, only harm.

"Hand over the Fire Spirit Pearl, and I will let you leave. Otherwise, wait until you freeze to death. I can still dig it out from your corpses, which wouldn’t be too bad either," Shangguan You said, her lips curling up coldly. At the same time, a path that had been arduously cleared around the two men closed rapidly again.

The two men stood back-to-back, tightly pressed together, with cold water running down their bodies in streams. The surrounding earth continued to close in, squeezing their bodies bit by bit. The Inferno Fire in Zhuge Ao’s hand also dwindled slowly.

"Earth Power, converge," Shangguan You’s lips curled up as she coldly uttered, watching the two men who were still desperately struggling. As she spoke, the pressure of the earth increased, making it harder for them in their mud-trapped state.

Zhuge Ao spat out a mouthful of blood, his flame almost extinguished. Using Inferno Fire always exhausted all of his Spiritual Energy, so he rarely employed it. Now, with the added pressures of the cold and the earth squeezing around him, he could no longer hold on. "Wait, I’ll give it to you, just let us go," he yelled, spitting out another mouthful of blood. "Should have said so earlier. That way, you could have suffered less," Shangguan You sneered, and the earth around the two men gradually loosened, allowing them to take a deep breath and feel considerably more relaxed, though they wished the damned water would stop pouring down like a spray, incessantly drenching them. "Hand it over," Shangguan You said coldly, watching the two in the mud. "Elder, you agreed to let us go, to send us safely to the surface, and to ensure not to trouble us further. Only then am I willing to hand over the Fire Spirit Pearl to you," Zhuge Ao, having just relaxed, started negotiating with Shangguan You again. "I never negotiate with anyone. You either hand it over if you trust me, or if you don’t, I’ll wait for you to die and take it myself," Shangguan You said coldly. Want to negotiate with me? Sorry, no way.

"Elder, I believe you are a man of high moral standing, who only wants what you need and surely won’t make things difficult for us. Zhuge Ao, quickly force out the Fire Spirit Pearl and give it to the elder. I trust the elder will not make things difficult for us," Shen Po quickly interjected, exchanging a glance with Zhuge Ao. Right now, their lives were in her hands. They had to give her the Spiritual Pearl first, then figure out what to do next.

"You’re sensible," said Shangguan You from within the black robes, nodding her head, clearly satisfied.

Zhuge Ao and Shen Po exchanged a look and then quickly forced out the Fire Spirit Pearl from within. A red pearl, radiating a red glow, emerged from Zhuge Ao’s mouth.

The earth stirred once more, and the pearl was sent straight to Shangguan You. Her eyes flashed, and the pearl vanished from her hand, tossed into her space to evolve.

"Elder, you’re not swallowing it?"

Zhuge Ao watched painfully as Shangguan You stored the pearl away. The Fire Spirit Pearl could only unleash fierce Inferno Fire when it entered a body and was combined with Spiritual Energy. The higher the Spiritual Energy, the greater the power. However, if one could not control the Fire Spirit Pearl, it would consume them. Hence, countless people, even if they obtained it, would not dare to try.

Zhuge Ao was the sole exception who had not been consumed by the Fire Spirit Pearl and had even cultivated the Inferno Fire.

"The elder may not know, but the Five Spirit Pearls can only exert their maximum effect once ingested into the body. If the elder possesses both the Earth and Fire Pearls, I believe it won’t be long before you acquire the Water Spirit Bead as well."

"You know the whereabouts of the Water Spirit Bead?" Shangguan You’s eyes narrowed, her tone thick with dangerous undertones. These two old coots, still daring to plot against me! "Indeed, as long as the elder agrees to one thing, we are willing to divulge the location of the Water Spirit Bead to you."

"Let’s hear it."

"Please bury the one who possesses the Water Spirit Bead a thousand meters underground, and help me exact revenge," Zhuge Ao said through gritted teeth. He had longed for the Water Spirit Bead, but with this freak around, and having lost the Fire Spirit Pearl, he was no match for Shangguan You. It was better to let this freak help him with his revenge.

"Oh, that’s a small matter, no problem," Shangguan You nodded. These two cannot be allowed to live, she thought, her resolve to act on this only growing firmer.

"The Water Spirit Bead is with someone named Shangguan You. She lives at Lotus Villa, a student at Yizhong School. You could capture all the teachers and students of Yizhong School to force her out. I’m sure she will obediently hand over the Water Spirit Bead," Zhuge Ao said with a sinister smile.