Primordial Salted Fish: Starting from Refusing to Join the Demon Clan

Chapter 101 Willow Branch

"Very good. Now I will send a wisp of my consciousness to reside within your body. When the time is right, this wisp of my consciousness will assist you in retrieving that item for me."

"Once you obtain that item, you will receive the cultivation methods of a Primordial Grand Luo Golden Immortal, as well as my insights into the cultivation of the Great Dao of Space!"

Kunpeng looked at Yangmei and thought to himself: This Yangmei really has a good plan, getting something for nothing.

Putting everything else aside, if he were to actually entrust a wisp of his consciousness to his body, it would be like a maggot clinging to a bone.

Let a wisp of Yangmei's consciousness lie dormant within his body?

This is tantamount to planting a lightning bolt on one's path that could explode at any time! At that time, every move will be under its surveillance, life and death will be out of one's own hands, and one may even be secretly eroded by its consciousness, becoming a puppet or a vessel for possession.

The so-called "assistance" is nothing more than an excuse for control.

"Heh—" Kunpeng let out a low, mocking laugh, breaking the tense atmosphere.

He raised his massive roc head, his sharp, blood-red eyes staring directly at Yang Mei's calm, expressionless face, a forced, insincere smile playing on his lips.

"Senior," Kunpeng's voice was not loud, but each word was clear, carrying a coldness that seemed to see through the ways of the world, "your abacus beads are probably going to collapse into the depths of chaos."

A barely perceptible glint of cold light suddenly flashed in the depths of Yang Mei's usually calm and collected eyes.

The surrounding solidified chaotic space instantly became like ice that had been frozen for billions of years. An invisible pressure, like a mountain of billions of tons, crashed down, squeezing every inch of Kunpeng's demonic body and primordial spirit!

That was the wrath of the Chaos God of Space, silent yet powerful enough to crush stars!

"Young man, are you questioning me?" Yang Mei's voice remained calm, yet it contained a chilling intent that could freeze one's soul.

In the chaotic forest, countless fragments of space and solidified dust of time formed "willow leaves" that moved without wind, emitting a faint yet heart-stopping cutting sound, locking onto Kunpeng.

Faced with this terrifying pressure that could make even a peak Quasi-Saint lose his soul, Kunpeng not only did not back down, but instead straightened his broken yet still unruly spine.

He withstood the immense pressure, his bloodshot eyes burning with determination and a hint of madness: "How dare this junior question your divine abilities, senior? Even ants cling to life!"

"What you entrusted to me, senior, concerns your future path; even a fool could tell how perilous it is!"

"With my meager cultivation, I can barely withstand the pressure of even a wisp of your consciousness descending upon me, senior. How could I possibly venture into the treacherous depths of the primordial world and retrieve your lost treasure right under Hongjun's nose?"

"The senior wants the horse to run but doesn't want to feed it, and even wants to put a rein on it that can strangle it at any time—is this any kind of logic in the world?"

Kunpeng's voice suddenly rose, carrying a do-or-die determination: "If senior insists on this, then let's act now and give this junior a quick death! It's better than becoming a handful of ashes on the road to treasure without knowing why, and causing senior to miss out on a great opportunity!"

He laid his cards on the table: either offer enough benefits to boost his strength, or they would part ways and fight to the death!

He bet that Yang Mei couldn't bear to part with that "lost item," and he also bet that Yang Mei was at a critical stage in reshaping his demonic body and wouldn't want to expend too much of his original power to crush an "ant," thus attracting unnecessary trouble.

After all, although Kunpeng's cultivation level is only at the Hunyuan Golden Immortal level, even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone him.

He raised his eyebrows and fell silent.

In the frozen, chaotic space, time seemed to lose its meaning.

Only the terrifying pressure and the cutting sound of "willow leaves" in the forest revealed the displeasure and weighing of the chaotic demon god's heart.

Kunpeng's words were like a cold needle, piercing through his arrogant demeanor.

The struggle of an ant actually made him feel troubled.

Killing him would be as easy as turning one's hand, but as Kunpeng said, he had roamed the chaos with his eyebrows raised, and even Pangu's axe had not made him completely subdue. What he sought was related to his path to surpass the chaotic gods and demons of his previous life. How could he lose the big picture for the sake of a moment of anger?

After a long while, the terrifying pressure of the frozen space slowly receded like a tide. Yang Mei's voice rang out again, carrying a hint of cold compromise, yet still leaving no room for argument: "Sharp-tongued brat. Very well, I'll grant you a small reward, but I hope you won't ruin yourself."

"You may choose one of the two as advance payment: the method for breaking through to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm or my insights into the Great Dao of Space."

"As for that wisp of my consciousness, it must be attached to you. This is the bottom line and cannot be changed! Only in this way can I ensure that you do your job diligently and provide guidance at critical moments."

"Otherwise, how would you find that thing? How would you avoid Hongjun's notice?"

Yang Mei clung tightly to the point of consciousness parasitism, which was the core of his monitoring of Kunpeng and ensuring the execution of the transaction.

Kunpeng sneered inwardly, but on his face, he wore an expression of "making a difficult choice." After a moment's hesitation, he decisively said, "This junior chooses the cultivation method for breaking through to the Grand Luo Golden Immortal realm!"

While his spatial insights were valuable, they were far less important to him at this moment than a cultivation method that directly addressed the fundamental nature of primordial chaos.

Then, he changed the subject, stating decisively: "However, it is absolutely impossible for a senior's consciousness to be attached to a junior's body!"

"My Dao heart is pure and my primordial spirit is clear; how can I allow external things to reside within me? This is a grave taboo on the path of cultivation!"

"If you insist on this, senior, I would rather die than accept it!"

Seeing Yang Mei's eyes turn cold again, Kunpeng immediately offered a compromise: "If Senior needs to ensure contact and guidance, why not entrust that wisp of consciousness to the innate spiritual treasure I carry with me? This way, we can communicate, and Senior can also perceive the outside world. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

"A spiritual treasure?" A hint of disdain flashed in Yang Mei's eyes, followed by contemplation.

Attaching oneself to a magical treasure? That's a method I've never considered before.

While not as powerful as a spirit directly residing in a physical body, it can still maintain contact and perceive the outside world to some extent. More importantly, it can prevent a complete breakdown in negotiations at this moment.

As long as consciousness can enter the primordial world with Kunpeng, there will always be a way.

Of course, the most important thing is that Yang Mei has enough confidence in his own strength, even if Kunpeng really wants to play dirty tricks on him.

Even a wisp of consciousness can be obliterated.

He swept his gaze over the tattered feathers and dimmed killing blade on the Kunpeng, then shook his head: "How could these scraps of metal on you bear my consciousness?"

Before he finished speaking, one of the thin, emerald green branches, which contained rich spatial Daoist rhymes and chaotic vitality, from the thickest, hollow willow trunk to which Yang Mei was attached, broke off with a soft "crack".

The moment the branch detached from its host, it burst forth with a soft, emerald-green light. Countless fine spatial runes, resembling natural Dao patterns, flowed and imprinted on the branch's surface. Chaotic energy was drawn in, wisps of it merging into it.

As the light faded, a willow branch, about three feet long, emerald green like jade, crystal clear, and radiating gentle spatial fluctuations and vibrant life, floated quietly in the chaos.