[V5C164 A Distance Within Reach]

That jade tablet was sparkling, translucent, and as thin as a cicadas wing. However, it was also incomparably sturdy.

The detailed golden patterns covering its four sides werent just decorations. They were actual origin array lines used to protect the jade tablet from damage. The cost of the array alone was worth thousands of gold coins. On the other hand, this jade tablet was carved so thin yet was capable of sustaining the array. Its material was definitely worth more than a thousand gold coins.

There was a line of large, straight words at the very center of the tablet: Fortune Courtyard, Marrow Cleansing Pond.

Qianye examined the object repeatedly and couldnt help but ask, Whats this?

Song Zining laughed, The right to use the Marrow Cleansing Pond once in exchange for military contributions.

Marrow Cleansing Pond?! Qianye was startled. Zhao Yuying had mentioned before that it was best for him to advance in the Marrow Cleansing Pond, but he didnt put that to heart. It was of secondary importance where his advancement would take place, but this meant that he would have to go to the Zhao clan.

Song Zining knew what Qianye was thinking. He patted the latters shoulder and said, Youll have to face this matter sooner or later. The one-year agreement between you and Zhao Jundu is also fast approaching. Hes fighting in the Evernight bloody battle, so its quite likely that hell visit you. Since youll have to go there once anyway, why not perform your advancement in passing? The Zhao clans Marrow Cleansing Pond is by no means inferior to the Song Clans Sky Grade Cultivation Chamber. It might even be more suitable for your present situation.

But Qianye stopped midway through a wry laugh.

Song Zining said with a smile, No buts! If you think you owe me for the contributions, then youll pay for the wine from here on out. But I must have girls to accompany me.

Qianyes heart, at this moment, was wracked with myriad emotions, and he didnt know what to say. At this point, his gaze suddenly froze as though he had sensed something and soon realized that the abnormal feeling was coming from Andruils Mysterious Realm. He had little reservations in front of Song Zining. Thus, he proceeded to scan the space and immediately found the source of alarm.

Song Zining sensed Qianyes odd expression and couldnt help but say, Its just some girls. Do you really need to be so distressed about such an expenditure? Qianye, you can be considered the owner of a home and business now. You must learn to enjoy life!

Qianye was too lazy to retort and only said, Do you remember the count-level arachne egg I told you about?

Song Zining quickly recalled the matter. At first, he had planned to have someone pick it up from Qianye and send it to an affiliated research facility. However, Qianye went missing soon afterward, and he himself was surrounded by the dark race army. The matter was thus delayed. Arachne eggs had a limited survival time after leaving the magma-filled incubation chamber; that egg shouldve died completely after such a long time.

Song Zining muttered, A dead arachne egg isnt worth any money. The couple of gold coins we can get for it wont even cover travel expenses. Lets just fry and eat it.

Qianye didnt know whether to laugh or to cry. It was fine even if the egg was made into a scramble since expired arachne eggs were usually served as raw materials for ordinary recovery medicine. That arachne egg isnt dead yet. I unexpectedly discovered that it can absorb my blood energy to retain its vitality.

Song Zinings expression turned solemn. With a flick of his finger, an autumn gale filled the room amidst a swirl of fallen leaves. It absorbed your blood energy?

Seeing that the room had been enveloped in Song Zinings domain, Qianye simply took out the spider egg from Andruils Mysterious Realm.

Song Zinings brows couldnt help but jump as he watched the lustrous black arachne egg appear in Qianyes hand. Qianye didnt make any special effort to hide it since the two were inside Song Zinings domain. The latter could clearly sense the space around Qianyes necklace distort momentarily.

A muffled heartbeat reverberated throughout the room as the arachne egg appeared. It was like the beating of a war drum. If Song Zining had been present to see the egg back at Black Nest, he wouldve noticed that it had grown one circle smaller than before, and that the green veins forming the natural array upon it had turned into a dark golden color.

Song Zining was somewhat startled. What intense vitality! Is Stuka even that powerful?

Qianye replied, Its aura was weak when I obtained it, almost as if its congenitally deficient. Ive been instilling blood energy into it at regular intervals since finding out that it can maintain its vitality. Just like that, it grew stronger over time and even seems to have undergone a transformation. I remember the patterns on the shell were green when I first found it.

A transformation? Song Zining frowned. He was no expert in biological technology, and neither was Qianye. The knowledge they possessed regarding the dark races was limited to where their vitals were and how to kill them the quickest.

Song Zining stared at the egg seriously for a good while. If the transformation was indeed born of Qianyes blood energy, then they couldnt let just anyone take it for research. Otherwise, it might reveal Qianyes secrets. However, Song Zining felt something special about this transformed count-grade arachne egg which prevented him from suggesting its immediate destruction.

Song Zining fished through the air to grab a couple of fallen leaves. He then arranged them in front of him to perform a simple divination.

How is it? Although the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art was a divination art, Qianye had rarely seen Song Zining perform it in earnest. But from another perspective, it was clear that Song Zining had no clue since he had even brought out such a method.

After observing the shape of the leaves in front of him, Song Zining glanced at Qianye with a fairly odd expression.

Baffled by Song Zinings gaze, Qianye glared back and said furiously, Stop acting all mysterious. Just say it!

Song Zining dispersed the leaves with a wave of his hand. He had only performed this divination on a whim but had reached a truly unexpected result. This little thing seems to be linked deeply to both you and I. Its truly odd. Why dont we just eat it? That way, any and all karma we have with it will be resolved in a couple of days.

Be serious! Qianye was completely puzzled.

Song Zining wore a serious expression and spoke with an aged tone, Fine, let this young master display his talents and broaden your barbarian horizons! Perhaps this will save you from acting like that Wei family boar and thinking about solving everything with a slap.

The evil Qianye flicked at a fallen leaf and said, Anything that can be solved with a single slap can't be important. Why the trouble? Why dont I try slapping your domain?

Song Zining was momentarily petrified. The Three Thousand Flying Leaves Art was a marriage of three thousand great daos and was unrestricted by any attribute. Merely from how he had repelled a special domain like the Nangong family's Origins End, one could see what good skill can overcome a thousand-kilogram force meant.

However, there was also another saying that went tricks are useless in the face of absolute power. The great sea vortex of Qianyes Profound Combatant Formula had the power to crush the world and shatter the void. Under its suppression, it was likely that Qianye would be able to disperse the Three Thousand Flying Leaves Arts domain with a single slap.

Song Zining would be restrained in every aspect if his strength was lacking even a little bit.

With a sigh, Song Zining no longer paid Qianye any attention and proceeded to fish out a palm-sized square box from his robe. As his hand brushed over the cover, a hazy green light flickered over the previously empty surface to form the words: Three Thousand Great Daos.

The square box floated exactly one inch above Song Zinings palm. The lid flew open with a click to reveal the countless gears and machinery within. The pinions began to turn under the activation of Song Zinings origin power, raising the octagonal array plate hidden within the box.

Song Zining respired deeply. As he opened his mouth, a single floating leaf shot toward the array plate and landed at its center. There were tens of thousands of meticulously carved runes on the array plate and countless thread-like grooves connecting them all together.

The hundreds of runeseach only as big as a brush tiplit up on the plate just as the leaf landed and formed a miniature array. Qianye activated the Eye of Truth and saw that countless strands of origin power were about to bind Song Zining, himself, and the arachne egg together, while the remaining strands stretched into the void.

But the dozen-odd strands of origin power had just touched Qianyes body when they trembled violently, and the great half of them immediately shattered. Following which, the Book of Darkness appeared in the depths of Qianyes consciousness and completely wiped out the remainder. He hadnt made any effort at all to circulate his origin power, but his body had sensed the danger out of instinct and moved on its own to eliminate it.

Meanwhile, the leaf on the array plate suddenly fluctuated between light and shadow to reveal the shape of an arachne egg, followed by the appearance of a boundless deep ocean with a giant maelstrom at its center. Soon afterward, a shadow emerged from the ocean to devour the entire imagery before vanishing just like that.

Song Zinings face turned pale as he turned toward Qianye and said, I knew it! This young master always fails when the divination is related to you!

Qianye felt that his charge was baffling to say the least. He couldnt help but ask, Does that mean you can correctly divine things that arent related to me?

At least three out of ten! Song Zining spoke with great confidence.

Qianye gave it some thought before coming to a realization. From what you said, wouldnt it be better for us to toss a coin instead? At least well get half of it right.

How can my divination art of the three thousand daos be compared to tossing gold coins?! Song Zining retorted while putting away the square box.

Qianye dismissed the words with a laugh since he was merely joking before. In truth, after seeing the strands of origin power with his Eye of Truth, Qianye knew that Song Zinings secret art was full of profound secretsit was indeed extraordinary. The divinations failure was perhaps due to a lack of power. It might also be due to the connection of Qianyes Profound Combatant Formula and Book of Darkness to the great powers of the world and the secrets of Evernighthow could it be so easily fathomed?

After putting away the square box, Song Zininghalf-curious and half-helplessproceeded to gaze at the arachne egg with his hand on his forehead. He tapped the egg with his fan and said, What do you say we do with this little thing? Dont tell me we really should fry it?

At this point, there was no telling what kind of transformation this arachne egg would undergo. There was a possibility that Qianyes secret would be revealed if they brought it into public eyes just like that. However, a live count-grade egg was a rare commodityeven if they didnt hand it over to the imperial military for resources, they could still sell it at the auction house for an exorbitant price. It would be such a pity to destroy it just like that.

Pop, pop, pop! Song Zining knocked thrice on the egg with his fan. It was just a subconscious action he performed in his mental distress.

Qianye suddenly shouted, Stop! Youve broken it!

How can it be? Song Zining was stunned. The light tapping just now likely wouldnt even break a chicken egg. It would be a joke to try and shatter the steely count-grade egg with that force.

But beneath Song Zinings fan, a small crack had appeared on the smooth, black-ceramic-like eggshell!

Song Zining was startled and, without much thought, reached out to lift the egg up for a detailed examination. A sudden crisp sound was heard as the shallow crack lines grew deeper and longer, quickly extending across the greater half of the shells surface.

Following which, a series of popping sounds emerged as the arachne egg cracked open. A tiny hand reached out and groped about in the air before grabbing the border of the eggshell with great force. A fair little face stretched out from the egg with its damp golden locks hanging down from the forehead.

It was actually a little girl!

She batted her long lashes a couple of times, Song Zinings face clearly reflected on her ash-green feline eyes. She tilted her head with a naive and confused expression before opening her little mouth and crying out with a childish voice, Mama!