Once Yang Guowei knew the strength of Xiang Mantang, he lost the will to resist stubbornly.
He had experienced the power of the Divine Realm himself; the Old Dragon King was also a warrior of the Divine Realm. Otherwise, how could he have repelled the foreign enemies and prevented them from invading the Land of Divine Continent?!
Although the Old Dragon King's strength was gradually declining with age, even so, he managed to kill Cain, the master of Fallen Splendor who had just stepped into the Divine Realm.
Yang Guowei, while retired from Dragon King Hall, had secretly joined Withered Tree Quest for Spring, which extended his lifespan and healed his hidden injuries. He even broke through from the peak of Energy Transformation to Half-Step Divine Realm in one fell swoop, yet he was still no match for those in the Divine Realm.
Therefore, since Xiang Mantang had entered the Divine Realm and was among the ranks of Terrestrial Immortals, he was not someone Yang Guowei could contend with!
"The younger generation is to be feared, truly to be feared!"
After sighing a few times, Yang Guowei's once formidable appearance returned to that of a stooped old man, and his entire being seemed to have taken a heavy blow, looking several years older!
After all, he had lived for over eighty years without stepping into the Divine Realm, his foot only half in, while Xiang Mantang, not yet even in his prime, had ascended to the Divine Realm—this was nothing short of a modern-day myth!
"You want the Spring of Life to save the Dragon King, right? Unfortunately, I don't have much left. I'll go get it for you now," Yang Guowei said with a sigh.
At this moment, his attitude toward Xiang Mantang was no longer that of showing a challenging former subordinate who had come of age a lesson.
He had already leveled his mindset, speaking to Xiang Mantang, the current custodian of Dragon King Hall from Beidou Tianshu, as a subordinate of the Dragon King Hall.
Xiang Mantang clasped his hands behind his back and looked at Yang Guowei, saying indifferently, "No need. The Spring of Life isn't of much use to me. I'm here to ask about the location where you found the Spring of Life and whether you discovered anything in those waters."
Hearing Xiang Mantang's words, Yang Guowei's face involuntarily shifted in expression.
"No!" He quickly concealed his shock, feigning calmness.
"It seems there is." Xiang Mantang had been observing Yang Guowei's expression and, seeing the fleeting panic when he had heard his words, easily deduced that he was lying.
Upon hearing this, Yang Guowei's expression changed several times, and finally, with a look of resignation, he said, "It seems I can't hide it from you. Indeed, there is, but not much left."
"Bring it out," Xiang Mantang said in an even tone, yet with a hint of excitement, "I owe you a favor."
A favor promised by a Divine Realm powerhouse could be worth more than billions at certain times.
For Yang Guowei, although tempting, the thought of what he had to give up made his heart bleed.
If possible, he would rather not have Xiang Mantang owe him a favor and would instead keep that thing for himself, even though it wouldn't last much longer.
However, given the current situation, if he were unwilling to give it up, Xiang Mantang, to save his own brother, would probably kill him!
"Alas..."
Yang Guowei let out a long sigh, then with trembling hands, he took a necklace out from his collar.
Xiang Mantang's gaze was immediately fixated on that necklace.
The chain of the necklace was ordinary, just a common red string, but what captured his attention was the pendant.
The pendant was a bead the size of a regular marble, green and clear as if made from Green Emperor Jadeite, but Xiang Mantang knew it definitely wasn't jadeite.
"Pop!"
Yang Guowei reached out and removed the glass cover from the jade-like green bead, and immediately, a righteous and harmonious aura of life, giving a sense of bliss as if basking in the gentle breeze of spring, began to emanate from the small bead.
"This is what I acquired from that Spring of Life; I call it the Wood Spirit Bead. I've been hiding it from Withered Tree Quest for Spring, and no one knew about it—unexpectedly, you did," Yang Guowei said as he passed the bead to Xiang Mantang, expressing his astonishment.
Xiang Mantang reached out to receive the Wood Spirit Bead and said, "My brother did tell me in detail, or else I wouldn't have known. Your method is quite good—if you hadn't removed that glass cover, I wouldn't have had any idea you had such a thing on you!"
Xiang Mantang thought to himself that was close.
Fortunately, he had no intention of killing Yang Guowei, or if his strength was just Half-Step Divine Realm, he wouldn't be able to fully subjugate Yang Guowei.
Otherwise, if they had fought, it would certainly end with Yang Guowei's death, but he might not thoroughly check Yang Guowei's body, preferring to have his underlings take it away.
And if his subordinates discovered the Wood Spirit Bead while collecting the corpse, although they were loyal enough to him, who could guarantee that wealth wouldn't tempt? That was a chance to stand equal with himself!
So, Xiang Mantang really felt lucky!
"Of course, I have to be careful, or how could I rely on the Wood Spirit Bead to fully heal my injuries and enhance my strength by leaps and bounds, right?"
Upon hearing Xiang Mantang's words, Yang Guowei couldn't help but say proudly.
Then he sighed, "However, I have had this Wood Spirit Bead for a while now, and most of the Life Aura within it has been absorbed by me. I estimate it will shatter in about a month, so I don't know if it will be enough to save the New Dragon King!"
When this topic came up, Xiang Mantang also fell silent.
The Primordial Force of life contained within this Wood Spirit Bead was indeed very pure, much more advanced than any Ten Thousand Year Wood Core he had seen, but... there wasn't much left!
And seeing the faint cracks appearing on it, he knew the Wood Spirit Bead wouldn't last much longer.
But still, it was a hope!
"It's alright, thank you Old Yang," said Xiang Mantang as he clutched his fist in a salute to Yang Guowei. "Today I owe you a favor, should you have any request in the future, to go through fire and water, I will not hesitate!"
Yang Guowei slightly nodded, seeing that Xiang Mantang was serious and not just saying it in passing, he felt less heartache.
After all, the remaining Origin of Life in that Wood Spirit Bead was not enough to propel him into the Divine Realm!
"Then I shall not impose on Old Yang any longer, I take my leave!"
Xiang Mantang was eager to return to try out the bead on Mu Jinyu, not wanting to stay long at Yang Guowei's place, and after speaking, he quickly left the courtyard.
"Sigh, I hope it can save the New Dragon King!"
Yang Guowei stood with his hands behind his back, heaving a sigh.
After all, if this Wood Spirit Bead could save Mu Jinyu, then it meant Mu Jinyu and Xiang Mantang both owed him a favor. They would be grateful and feel indebted to him, which would be very worthwhile.
If it did not save Mu Jinyu, the favor owed by Xiang Mantang to him would also diminish in value.
...
Xiang Mantang hurried back to the sanatorium of the Dragon King Hall.
As he approached Mu Jinyu's sickroom, he paused in his steps.
Inside, a gentle woman was leaning over the coffin lid, her head bowed as she looked at Mu Jinyu.
It was none other than Su Zijin!
Hearing the noise, she turned around and noticed the newcomer was Xiang Mantang. Her expression momentarily stilled, and her eyes held a complex look.
Xiang Mantang's gaze was also complex, even the guilt welling up in his heart made him want to flee, not wanting to face Su Zijin.
"Come in," Su Zijin guessed Xiang Mantang's state of mind and gestured for him to come in.
Xiang Mantang pursed his lips, walked in, and said, "Godmother, "
"Godmother?!"
When Su Zijin heard Xiang Mantang address her, she was taken aback, but then her face showed a relieved expression.
She had once hoped to follow the path through Xiang Mantang, so that Mu Jinyu would recognize her as his mother.
Back then, she had suggested that Xiang Mantang acknowledge her as his godmother. However, Xiang Mantang had outright rejected her.
And now, for Xiang Mantang to address her in this way, clearly, he wanted to take care of her in place of Mu Jinyu during his sleep, and at the same time lessen his own feelings of guilt!