"Insufficient value, only able to exchange for incomplete information. Are you sure you want to proceed with the exchange?" A new prompt appeared.
Li Shuang's expression shifted slightly.
A sixth-tier treasure, and it was still insufficient just to exchange for information!
What kind of existence was this Abyssal Demonic Seed?!
"Exchange!" Li Shuang quickly made her decision.
There were many unsettling things about Ye Zhaozhao, and her intuition told Li Shuang that if she could obtain complete information about the Abyssal Demonic Seed, all her doubts would be resolved.
But the Abyssal Demonic Seed was too terrifying; even the Heaven and Earth Smeltery could only offer a few question marks.
Li Shuang didn't think the Heaven and Earth Smeltery was inferior to the Abyssal Demonic Seed; rather, the Smeltery had only recently restarted and likely needed more time to grow.
"Exchange successful."
The next moment, a brief piece of information appeared.
"The Abyssal Demonic Seed originates from the Land of Heavenly Desolation. This demonic seed is called a Parasitic Demonic Seed. It survives by relying on a host, and once certain conditions are met, it can plunder the power of others to grow. The Parasitic Demonic Seed will ultimately devour its host, thereby transforming into a true demon and walking among mortals."
Li Shuang's pupils suddenly constricted.
The Land of Heavenly Desolation!
She had only seen this place mentioned in ancient texts. Legend had it that this place was the most ominous and evil in the world, where even cultivators in the Tribulation Transcending stage faced near-certain death upon entering. As for demonic seeds, she had never even heard of them.
The information provided by the Smeltery stated that this Abyssal Demonic Seed originated from the Land of Heavenly Desolation, and moreover, there were many types of such things. The one sensed by the Smeltery was called a Parasitic Demonic Seed.
This implied that there were other types of Abyssal Demonic Seeds.
In the current world, who knew how many demonic seeds were lurking, and to what extent they had grown.
Li Shuang steadied her mind and looked at the rest of the message: "The Parasitic Demonic Seed is formless and intangible, making it difficult to detect. However, it only has three chances to parasitize. Once these chances are exhausted, regardless of how much power the demonic seed has absorbed, it will transform into a true demon. A true demon is tangible and can then be destroyed."
The information exchanged for a sixth-tier treasure ended there.
Was it worth it?
Absolutely!
If not for the Heaven and Earth Smeltery, even eighth or ninth-tier treasures couldn't have bought this information.
Li Shuang desperately tried to digest the information.
She thought for a moment, then took out two more fifth-tier treasures: "Is the Parasitic Demonic Seed on Ye Zhaozhao? Am I Ye Zhaozhao's parasitic target?"
Two questions, two fifth-tier treasures.
The Smeltery absorbed the treasures and provided the answers.
"Yes! Yes!"
Both answers were "Yes"!
Li Shuang's pupils suddenly constricted.
At this moment.
Many things she couldn't understand suddenly became clear.
Many points about Ye Zhaozhao that had seemed strange now made logical sense!
In the previous vision, her self-talk was a conversation with this Abyssal Demonic Seed.
She didn't need to cultivate, yet her cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds because she was parasitizing herself.
She had been cultivating so diligently, yet her cultivation hadn't increased, because the cultivation she had painstakingly built up was being plundered by Ye Zhaozhao through the power of the Parasitic Demonic Seed!
For her, those ten years had truly been incredibly difficult.
Her cultivation, which had been steadily advancing, suddenly stagnated.
Her master and junior brother, who had once been harmonious, suddenly spoke ill of her.
For those ten years, she couldn't understand why.
Had she done something wrong, for heaven to punish her so?
She also couldn't understand why Ye Zhaozhao hated her so much, determined to kill her. She believed she had never done anything to wrong Ye Zhaozhao; when Ye Zhaozhao first joined, she had always cared for this junior sister, never treating her differently.
Now Li Shuang understood.
The host of this Parasitic Demonic Seed needed to meet certain conditions to plunder the power of others.
Ye Zhaozhao's fawning over True Master Lingxu and others, and her suppression of Li Shuang, were likely all part of fulfilling these so-called conditions.
A cold glint flashed in Li Shuang's eyes.
Did Ye Zhaozhao need to bring her down to the dust before she could plunder her power through this demonic seed?
But she had climbed back from the dust, which led to Ye Zhaozhao's successive backlashes.
Her sudden increase in cultivation, and Ye Zhaozhao's continuous regression in cultivation, must have been due to the demonic seed's backlash.
No wonder she could use those suddenly increased cultivation levels so effortlessly, without any possible stagnation.
That was because.
This cultivation originally belonged to her!
Her hard-earned cultivation was plundered by Ye Zhaozhao, and after Ye Zhaozhao suffered the backlash, a portion of that cultivation returned.
Combining the information from the Smeltery with her own situation, Li Shuang managed to deduce most of the entire affair.
"No, you can't do this to me!" Ye Zhaozhao shouted from the side.
According to the sect rules, the Enforcement Hall was preparing to carry out the punishment.
Li Shuang turned her head and frowned slightly.
She recalled a sentence from the information.
This Parasitic Demonic Seed had a total of three chances to parasitize.
At present, which parasitism was this?
The Parasitic Demonic Seed was formless and intangible; only after completing three parasitisms would it reveal its true demonic form, allowing it to be destroyed.
Previously, the Heaven and Earth Smeltery had shown no reaction to this demonic seed, likely because of its formless and intangible nature, and the demonic seed was completely integrated with Ye Zhaozhao, making it undetectable even by the Smeltery.
Now, information was suddenly captured by the Smeltery...
Did this prove something?
Was this demonic seed...
Trying to switch hosts?
That made sense.
Ye Zhaozhao's reputation was now ruined, and she was no longer tolerated by the righteous path. For the demonic seed to continue absorbing power, the best method would be to switch hosts. It was highly likely that the demonic seed was already preparing to leave Ye Zhaozhao, which was why its information was captured by the Smeltery.
Li Shuang's expression grew solemn.
If she had to choose, she absolutely did not want the demonic seed to switch hosts.
Firstly.
After switching hosts, the demonic seed would once again become hidden and difficult to detect.
Secondly.
Ye Zhaozhao's true colors had been exposed; no matter what she did in the future, everyone would be on guard, and it would be difficult for her to cause any more trouble.
If the demonic seed switched hosts, that might not be the case.
What were the conditions for this demonic seed to switch hosts?
Li Shuang was still pondering.
True Master Lingxu suddenly stepped forward and said through gritted teeth, "Sect Leader, Ye Zhaozhao's character is despicable, and I, as her master, also bear responsibility. How about I personally abolish her cultivation!"
As True Master Lingxu spoke, he looked at Li Shuang with remorse: "Xiao Shuang, before, I was deceived by Ye Zhaozhao and repeatedly misunderstood you. When I expelled you from the sect, that palm strike, it must have hurt terribly, right? Today, I will make this culprit suffer even more than you!"
Li Shuang's eyes were cold and clear.
How much truth and how much falsehood was in True Master Lingxu's words.
She had no intention of investigating.
But True Master Lingxu's remorse was largely genuine.
What he regretted was not expelling her.
But that expelling her had put him in a difficult situation.
Essentially, it was nothing more than extreme selfishness.