433: Chapter 433 Bone Slips and Beads

"Together?" Li Xuanxiao asked in surprise.

"Yes. We will each walk toward the treasure we want and touch them at the same time. That way, no one loses out, and no one can try to snatch them."

Ye Tian said slowly, "As for who can take them in the end, it depends on skill and fate. Since this place has a 'Choose One of Three' rule, perhaps there will be a judgment after we touch them."

Li Xuanxiao narrowed his eyes, considering the feasibility of the proposal.

It sounded fair, but this kid Ye Tian was full of tricks; it was hard to guarantee there wasn't a trap.

However, as Ye Tian said, taking action by force carried no small risk. This place was eerie; it might be safer to get the treasures according to the rules first and then kill him for the loot after leaving the ruins.

"Fine," Li Xuanxiao finally nodded. "I want the one on the left."

"I want the one on the right," Ye Tian immediately followed.

The two stepped forward almost simultaneously, walking toward their chosen treasures.

Their pace was slow and cautious, their peripheral vision locked on each other.

As they drew closer to the treasures, the heat radiating from the Crimson-Gold Light Sphere distorted the air, while the chaos vortex emitted waves of suction, as if it wanted to swallow everything that approached.

Five steps, four steps, three steps.

Ye Tian slowly raised his right hand and reached toward the chaos vortex.

Li Xuanxiao's left hand also reached toward the Crimson-Gold Light Sphere on the left.

Two steps.

One step.

Just as the two were about to touch the treasures, the Crimson-Gold Light Sphere and the chaos vortex suddenly moved toward the center and collided!

And the bone slip that had been sitting quietly in the middle suddenly erupted with a blinding white light, enveloping both treasures within it!

"Buzz!"

The great hall shook, and the circulation of the star map on the dome accelerated.

An irresistible will descended, instantly suppressing Ye Tian and Li Xuanxiao's movements.

Their bodies froze, unable to move or even blink, forced to watch the changes before them.

The Crimson-Gold Light Sphere and the chaos vortex collided violently within the white light, erupting with heart-pounding energy fluctuations.

The bone slip floated above, slowly unfurling. There was no text on it, only flowing Light Patterns, as if it were recording the collision of the two forces below.

This process lasted for about ten breaths.

To Ye Tian and Li Xuanxiao, however, it felt like ten years had passed.

They could feel the terrifying power contained within those two forces; even a tiny leak would be enough to tear them to pieces.

Finally, the white light gradually receded.

The bone slip closed again, its light dimming as it quietly fell back to its original spot.

In the place where the Crimson-Gold Light Sphere and the chaos vortex had been, there now appeared a fist-sized, perfectly round, strange bead with halos of crimson-gold and grayish-black flowing over its surface.

Inside the bead, flames burned within Chaos, and Chaos embraced the flames, achieving a kind of balance and harmony.

The newly formed bead emitted fluctuations even more obscure than when the two treasures had existed separately.

It slowly descended, hovering about half a person's height off the ground, rotating slightly.

At the same time, the will suppressing Ye Tian and Li Xuanxiao quickly withdrew.

Their bodies relaxed as they regained their ability to move. Both couldn't help but take half a step back, breathing heavily, their eyes filled with horror.

"What... what happened?" Li Xuanxiao stared at the new bead, his face grim.

The Fire-Element Power he wanted seemed to have fused with the chaos vortex, turning into this neither-here-nor-there thing.

How was he supposed to use this to temper his sword bones?

Ye Tian's heart pounded wildly.

The chaos bead in his Sea of Consciousness emitted an unprecedented longing...

But the scene before him was too strange, and that bone slip...

He turned his gaze to the bone slip lying quietly on the ground.

The bone slip looked ordinary, but the scene just now clearly showed that it had orchestrated the Fusion of the two treasures.

This thing was likely the key.

"It seems 'Choose One of Three' wasn't about letting us each take one," Ye Tian spoke. "Rather... there is a connection between the three. Touching one might trigger a chain reaction."

"We... might have triggered a preset mechanism."

"You knew all along?" Li Xuanxiao suddenly looked at Ye Tian, his gaze dangerous.

"If I had known, would I have touched that vortex?" Ye Tian gave a bitter smile. "I only guessed that this place wouldn't be so simple. Now, the items have become one bead, plus this bone slip. How do we divide them?"

The problem had returned to the starting point, but it was now more complicated.

There was only one bead and one bone slip.

And there were two of them.

Li Xuanxiao stared at the bead with the two-colored halo, struggle evident in his eyes.

He could feel that the energy level within the bead was extremely high, far exceeding the individual fire-element light sphere.

But the attributes had become complex and chaotic; for him, its effectiveness was greatly reduced and might even be harmful.

But he wasn't willing to just give it up like this.

That bone slip... its demonstrated ability just now also made his heart stir.

"The bead goes to you," Ye Tian suddenly said.

Li Xuanxiao was stunned, doubting his ears. "What?"

"The bead goes to you," Ye Tian repeated, his tone calm. "The bone slip goes to me. This is the most reasonable division right now."

"Although the bead's energy is high, its attributes are mixed. Taking it might not be a blessing for you, so you might as well do me a favor."

"The bone slip looks ordinary, but you saw it just now—it can trigger changes in treasures. It might contain important information, which is more useful to me."

He spoke reasonably, even seeming to be considerate of Li Xuanxiao.

But how could Li Xuanxiao be someone easy to deal with?

He instantly understood Ye Tian's scheme.

What Ye Tian wanted most was the chaos vortex. Now that the vortex and the fire-element light sphere had fused, although the bead's energy was high, its mixed attributes also greatly reduced its value to Ye Tian.

The bone slip could trigger the Fusion of the two; perhaps it recorded a method for separation or utilization, or even important information about these ruins.

Ye Tian was retreating to advance, using the seemingly precious bead to trade for the bone slip that was truly useful to him!

"A fine calculation," Li Xuanxiao sneered. "The bead's effectiveness for me is unclear, and the bone slip might hide secrets. You certainly know how to pick."

"Likewise," Ye Tian admitted frankly. "You can also choose the bead. I don't mind."

Li Xuanxiao fell silent.

He was indeed leaning toward the bone slip.

While the bead's energy was tempting, the risk was too great.

The value of the bone slip lay in information and unknown possibilities.

He was a Seeker of the Dao; his desire for knowledge and secrets was sometimes even greater than for pure power.

"How do I know if you can understand the information in the bone slip or if you're willing to share it?" Li Xuanxiao asked.

"I can make a Heart Demon Oath. After obtaining the bone slip, if the records within are related to the core of these ruins, the method of leaving, or important ancient secrets that are not personal Legacy information, I will share them with you."

Ye Tian said bluntly, "As for personal legacies, that depends on our respective opportunities. That's fair, right?"

A Heart Demon Oath was extremely binding for Cultivators; those who violated it would be plagued by Heart Demons, and their path to the Dao would be severed.

Since Ye Tian dared to swear such an oath, it at least guaranteed the possibility of information sharing.

Li Xuanxiao stared at Ye Tian for a long time, seemingly judging the truth of his words and whether this deal was worth it.

Finally, he nodded slowly.

"Fine. The bead is mine, and the bone slip is yours. You must swear the oath immediately. Furthermore, viewing the contents of the bone slip must be done in my presence."

"Agreed. But you must also swear that after taking the bead, you will not attack me again before we leave this place," Ye Tian added.

"Deal."

Both were decisive people; once an agreement was reached, they no longer hesitated.

Each used their Essence Blood as a medium to swear a Heart Demon Oath to the Great Dao.

Once the oath was established, the tension between them eased slightly, but only slightly.

Trust was still as thin as paper.

"Please," Ye Tian gestured.

Li Xuanxiao was no longer polite. He stepped forward and carefully drew the two-colored bead into his hand.

As the bead entered his hand, the two forces within circulated in balance, showing no signs of riot.

He breathed a sigh of relief and put it into his Storage Ring.

Ye Tian also stepped forward and picked up the bone slip.

The bone slip felt heavy in his hand. Under Li Xuanxiao's watchful eye, he slowly unfurled it.

There were no expected words or patterns on the bone slip.

When Ye Tian's gaze fell upon it, the bone slip suddenly lit up with white light.

Immediately after, fragmented scenes, obscure syllables, and thoughts flooded into his mind!

"Ugh!" Ye Tian let out a muffled groan and stumbled back, his head feeling as if it were splitting open.

A massive amount of information bombarded his Divine Soul. If not for the protection of the Illusory Sea Heart Sutra and the chaos bead, he might have been instantly turned into an idiot.

Li Xuanxiao's eyes narrowed, but he did not step forward, only watching warily.

He could see the bone slip glowing and feel the violent fluctuations in Ye Tian's Divine Soul, but he had no way of knowing exactly what was being received.

This process lasted for about the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.

The light from the bone slip gradually dimmed and finally went out completely, turning into an ordinary grayish-white bone fragment.

Ye Tian stood in place with his eyes tightly shut, his body trembling slightly and cold sweat pouring down his forehead, as if he had just undergone a major battle.

After another moment, Ye Tian slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes were full of exhaustion, but deep within was a hint of shock and realization.

"What did you see?" Li Xuanxiao asked immediately.

Ye Tian rubbed his aching temples, organizing the chaotic fragments of information in his mind, and slowly spoke:

"This bone slip was left by a 'Recorder.' It records part of the truth about these 'Ruins of the Order-Giver,' as well as... the method to leave this place."