404: Chapter 404 Exit

When the words "That's bad" popped out of the Randan Spirit's mouth, everyone tensed up.

Zhao Ping was the first to speak: "Senior, what's wrong?"

The Randan Spirit ignored him, swept his wooden staff toward Su Mingyuan's direction once more, and pulled it back after two seconds.

"Senior, isn't a Divine Body a good thing?" Tao Zhe opened his eyes, the white light on his skin not yet dissipated. "You just said that even the weakest Divine Body is stronger than a Spirit Body. Group Leader Su possessing a Divine Body, isn't this—"

"A good thing?" The Randan Spirit interrupted him, pointing his wooden staff at the bottom of the pool. "Look down."

Tao Zhe looked down.

The Spirit Spring on both sides of his knees was significantly shallower than before, and the liquid surface was still surging toward Su Mingyuan.

It wasn't just him.

The circle of green Spirit Spring around Han Li was also shrinking; the green area was a size smaller than it had been a minute ago.

The bubbles at Chen Rong's feet had decreased because there wasn't much of the boiling Spirit Spring left.

The thin ice on Lin Wan's side began to melt from the edges, and the input of ice-attribute Spirit Power was weakening.

The Spirit Spring of the entire backup pool was gathering toward Su Mingyuan alone.

"If this were the Danding Heavenly Palace in its prime, him possessing a Divine Body would indeed be a tremendous blessing." The Randan Spirit spoke much faster than usual. "The main pool would be full of Spirit Spring, thirty-six Spiritual Veins would be pouring in day and night, and the Spirit Power would be inexhaustible. If we then threw in thousands of High-Grade Spirit Stones and hundreds of thousand-year-old Spirit Medicines, piling the Spirit Power concentration to the limit, perhaps it could sustain the consumption required to activate a Divine Body."

He swept his wooden staff in a circle around them.

"But what about now? The Spirit Ruins' main pool is dried up, the Spiritual Veins are severed, and only this single backup pool remains. The Spirit Spring accumulated over three thousand years is just this little bit at the bottom of the pool. This bit of Spirit Power is only enough to activate your few Spirit Bodies, but to activate a Divine Body? That's not even enough to fill the gaps in one's teeth."

He stared at the layer of Spirit Spring at the bottom of the pool, which was getting thinner and thinner, his brows knitted tightly together.

"Furthermore, a Divine Body has a characteristic when absorbing Spirit Power—once it starts, the speed only gets faster. It's like pouring water into a bottomless pit; the opening just keeps getting wider. By the time the Spirit Spring is sucked dry, his Divine Body won't be activated because the total amount is far from enough. But the Spirit Bodies of the other six people in the pool will be finished as well."

Tao Zhe's expression changed.

"What happens if the Spirit Body activation is interrupted halfway?"

"In the mild case, the Spirit Body falls back into slumber and reverts to its original state, doubling the difficulty of activation next time." The Randan Spirit's voice dropped very low. "In the severe case, the channel just established between the Spirit Body and the Meridians is forcibly severed, causing the Spirit Power to backflow into the Meridians, resulting in a backlash. It's even more serious than that fellow named Wang Zheng earlier; that kid only had minor cracks in his meridian walls. If this happens to you all, the entire set of Meridians will be ruined."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Chen Rong opened his eyes.

Blue-white lightning arcs were still dancing on his hair tips, but he had clearly heard every word.

He glanced at Su Mingyuan and stood up without saying a word.

The Spirit Spring slid off his legs; the light cyan liquid surface had already reached only as high as his feet.

"It's fine, I'll step out and leave the Spirit Spring for the Group Leader."

Lin Wan rose almost at the same time, the ice on her knees shattering onto the ground, and white mist dispersed from her body.

"I'll come out too."

Han Li was two seconds slower, but she also stood up.

The green light on her fingertips hadn't faded yet, and a drop of green light fell into the Spirit Spring, rippling a small circle on the liquid surface.

"The Group Leader's matter is more important."

Tao Zhe, Zhou Jian, and Zhao Cheng also rose one after another.

The six of them stood in the Spirit Spring, all looking at Su Mingyuan.

Su Mingyuan sat where he was, not moving.

He watched as these six people stood up one after another, his lips pursed.

"Everyone sit back down."

Chen Rong did not sit.

"Group Leader, your Divine Body—"

"I said sit back down." Su Mingyuan's voice was not loud, but everyone in the pool heard it clearly. "The Spirit Bodies of you six are currently activating; you heard the consequences of withdrawing halfway just now. In the mild case, you revert to your original state; in the severe case, your Meridians are ruined. Who among you wants to gamble with their own path of Cultivation?"

Chen Rong's mouth moved, but he didn't say anything.

"If there isn't enough Spirit Spring, then there isn't enough." Su Mingyuan said. "Ruining all six of your Spirit Bodies in exchange for a Divine Body that won't even activate—no matter how you calculate it, it's not worth it. Besides, only after you activate your Spirit Bodies can our combat strength rise to the next level, giving us the confidence to explore the main vein later. My own matter is not worth six people risking their lives alongside me."

Chen Rong stood in the Spirit Spring, lightning arcs jumping twice on his shoulder.

He looked at Su Mingyuan, and after a few seconds, slowly sat back down.

Lin Wan also sat down, and Han Li followed suit, returning to her original position.

Tao Zhe was the last to sit; before sitting, he glanced at Su Mingyuan, opened his mouth, but in the end, said nothing.

The Randan Spirit watched this scene from above, tapping his wooden staff against the Void Realm.

"He isn't entirely correct, but his conclusion is right."

The six of them looked up at him.

"The speed at which his Divine Body absorbs Spirit Power is still increasing. In another hour, the remaining Spirit Spring in the pool will be completely sucked dry by him. By then, not only will you six fail to activate, but he won't be able to either. Because the total amount of Spirit Power is far from enough. Seven people, and in the end, no one will benefit."

The old man's wooden staff pointed at Su Mingyuan.

"So, the one who should come out now is not you six, but him."

Su Mingyuan looked up at the Randan Spirit.

The old man looked at him, his semi-transparent face devoid of any extra expression.

"Your Divine Body cannot be activated today; if the Spirit Spring isn't enough, it isn't enough. This isn't a question of who yields to whom; it's that if you continue to absorb the Spirit Spring, you will drag everyone's Opportunity down with you."

Su Mingyuan looked down at the Spirit Spring at his feet; the liquid surface had already receded below his ankles and was still dropping.

The activation of the other six people's Spirit Bodies had also been affected because of him.

Su Mingyuan exhaled, braced his knees, and stood up.

And as he stood up, the Spirit Spring that had been surging toward him from the bottom of the pool seemed to have its switch cut off; the liquid surface stopped flowing and ceased dropping.

He waded through the Spirit Spring to the edge of the pool, stepped onto the dry rock in one stride, and sat down against the stone wall.

Behind him, Chen Rong's lightning arcs brightened again, the ice at Lin Wan's feet began to expand outward, and the greenery around Han Li was also recovering bit by bit.

The activation of the six people's Spirit Bodies returned to the right track.

Zhao Ping walked over, crouched down beside him, took out half a piece of compressed biscuit from his pocket, and handed it over.

Su Mingyuan took it and bit into it; it was dry and hard, with no particular taste.

He chewed the biscuit, watching the six people in the pool.

As the actual Zhao Cheng in charge of the Otherworld Development Leading Group, he knew all too well what the optimal solution was.

The increase in combat strength brought about by the successful activation of six Spirit Bodies was far more important than a Divine Body that couldn't be activated.

Individual Opportunity can wait, but the strength of this team at this moment cannot.