The Demon Soul gritted his teeth. He really wanted to be Yun Jin's friend! Mostly because, if he didn't, he was pretty sure he'd get beaten to death.
"Come on, my friend, tell me, what's the method?" Yun Jin smiled.
Yang Yun was injured, and the Demon Soul was a bit weak now too. He spoke cautiously, "Can… can I take a moment to recuperate first?"
"Hmm?" Yun Jin glanced at him coldly.
The Demon Soul's spirit trembled. He was terrified she'd say something like: You're not my friend anymore.
He could only grit his teeth and say, "I can tell you how to destroy the Essence Soul. There's a method, but whether you can actually do it… that's not my concern."
Yun Jin raised an eyebrow. "That's not something you need to worry about."
He continued, "I have another condition! If I tell you how to destroy the Essence Soul, you let me absorb the Life Tree's power!"
In an instant, Yun Jin drew Tai'a Sword again.
The Demon Soul shook all over, but he forced himself to say, "You at least have to give me something in return, right? If I absorb the Life Tree's energy, I can leave this world and won't cause any trouble for you later. I just want to go home! If you won't even let me absorb the Life Tree's power, you might as well just kill me right here. Better to die than stay stuck!"
He spoke through clenched teeth.
Yun Jin studied him carefully. Intimidation hadn't worked, and it looked like the Demon Soul wasn't going to back down any further.
Fine then.
A subtle smile curved Yun Jin's lips. It worked out perfectly. She didn't want the Demon Soul to despair too early.
Yun Jin had a thought that was maybe a little crazy. At this point in this world, only the Demon Soul knew the coordinates of the outer-realm Demon World.
Only he could locate it. If the outer-realm Demon World discovered this little world, they'd invade just like they did with the other small worlds!
But on the flip side…
Why couldn't they counterattack?
The outer-realm demons invading this world was only a matter of time. There were plenty of signs proving it.
A thousand years ago, the black hole that suddenly appeared, forcing Wushuang Sect into a sacrifice.
Lin Xiao and the Demon Soul had traveled through spatial turbulence to reach this small world. It proved the two worlds were slowly converging.
Wushuang Sect had bought this world a thousand years of safety. If they forcibly destroyed the Demon Soul now, they might gain another thousand years.
But…
What about a thousand years later? There'd still be a battle, sooner or later!
Yun Jin didn't like fighting unprepared wars. The outer-realm demons wanted to invade this world?
Perfect.
She wanted to check out the outer-realm Demon World herself!
Killing the Demon Soul now would just delay the invasion a little. To truly secure peace in this small world, the outer-realm demons would have to be completely wiped out, just like the demons in this world.
Yun Jin didn't want to wait for the worlds to slowly converge. She wanted to shake up the outer-realm Demon World before that happened.
To find its coordinates early, she had to rely on this Demon Soul. She needed to handle the situation carefully.
On one hand, she needed the Demon Soul to be able to open a spatial barrier, letting her locate the outer-realm Demon World.
On the other, she couldn't let him actually transmit this world's coordinates back there.
She needed a one-way channel, not a two-way one.
Yun Jin had already prepared for this.
If it went smoothly, she'd get the coordinates and scout ahead.
If it went poorly, she'd destroy the Demon Soul at the last moment. This wouldn't reveal this world but would lose the chance to reach the outer-realm Demon World early.
Either way, she had to adapt on the fly. With her plan fully set, she had already intended to let the Demon Soul absorb the Life Tree's energy.
But when he made the request, Yun Jin deliberately put on an angry expression. "You're negotiating with me?"
The Demon Soul looked pitiful, "I just want to go home!"
Yun Jin scrutinized him.
"If you don't agree, just kill me now," he said through gritted teeth.
The Life Tree's energy was his only chance. He'd lingered too long in this world; he had to return to the outer-realm Demon World!
Yun Jin's expression hardened, but in the end, she seemed to have no choice. Coldly, she said, "Fine. As long as you tell me how to destroy the Life Tree's Essence Soul, I won't stop you from absorbing its energy."
The Demon Soul's face lit up. "Really?"
"Really!" Yun Jin agreed without hesitation.
Ji Wusi's expression shifted slightly. He was a bit worried, but since Xiao Jin had made the promise, she probably had it all planned. He didn't say anything further.
"But… I can't just trust a verbal promise," the Demon Soul said softly. "I need to make a contract with you."
Yun Jin frowned slightly. "A contract?"
The Demon Soul said, "At our level, even a Heavenly Dao contract isn't strong enough. I have a method: I swear with my Primordial Soul. If I break the promise, my Primordial Soul is destroyed! That way, you don't have to worry I'm lying, and I don't have to worry you'll betray me later. How's that?"
Yun Jin squinted, "How do I know there's no trap in your method?"
The Demon Soul said slowly, "Your strength far surpasses mine. How could I dare cheat? Aren't I afraid you'd strike me down with one sword? Besides, with your insight, you can see if there's a problem instantly."
Yun Jin nodded. She wasn't really worried; her system could scan everything thoroughly.
Seeing her nod, the Demon Soul exhaled in relief. He controlled Yang Yun to take out a jade slip and carved the method into it, then tossed it to Yun Jin.
She glanced at it, scanned it with the system, and confirmed there was no trick. Apart from the severe consequences for breaking the contract, the method was fine.
"How's that?" the Demon Soul asked.
He just wanted to absorb the Life Tree's energy in peace and hadn't tampered with the method.
"Fine," Yun Jin said calmly.
A flicker of joy crossed the Demon Soul's face. "Then let's swear the oath together."
Yun Jin nodded. They both closed their eyes.
A golden light orb formed between them. They poured a trace of their soul power into it, and the orb vanished into the void. The oath was sealed.
The Demon Soul would reveal all he knew about destroying the Life Tree's Essence Soul.
Yun Jin wouldn't stop him from absorbing the Life Tree's energy.
The Demon Soul was ecstatic. Finally, he had outwitted Yun Jin once. She might not know how vast the Life Tree's power really was. Once he absorbed it, he'd be the peak of the mortal world. Would he still fear Yun Jin? Then, he could turn and annihilate her.
Yun Jin was satisfied too. She finally had a good reason to let the Demon Soul continue absorbing the Life Tree. Without enough energy, how could he locate the outer-realm Demon World's coordinates?
As for the method to absorb the Primordial Soul, she didn't have to rely entirely on the Demon Soul. Her system could give a solution if she spent some Emotional Value.
Of course, if she could save some Emotional Value, there was no reason to refuse.
This time, both sides were very satisfied.