Wu Ling looked at Erasmus Graves, who had been provoked by Yue Guan until he was angry but did not dare speak. In truth, Wu Ling had his own calculations.
It was true that after they found the location of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, they could have simply withdrawn, returned to Spirit Hall, called over eight or ten Titled Sages, and crushed Erasmus Graves to death. Once Bibi Dong or Lucius Cross understood the value of this place, either of them would agree.
But three reasons made Wu Ling willing to sit down and negotiate with Erasmus Graves.
First was the Polaris Empire. As the only Titled Sage loyal to the Polaris Empire, Erasmus Graves's sudden disappearance could alert the imperial family. Wu Ling did not care, but Bibi Dong had specifically warned him that now was not the time to break openly with them.
The second reason was Aurelia. After Lucius Cross learned of Wu Ling's plan, he said they could have Erasmus Graves join Spirit Hall and help Xue Qinghe rise to the throne. Since Erasmus Graves belonged to Prince Sirius's faction, if even he agreed to Xue Qinghe's ascension, then Xue Qinghe's rise would be a settled matter. It would also prevent Erasmus Graves from warning anyone after noticing that Emperor Noctis had been poisoned.
The third reason was that Wu Ling considered Erasmus Graves a useful talent. Before Theron Albion appeared, Erasmus Graves had always carried the title of the disgrace of the Titled Sages. But that was only when measured against other Titled Sages.
As a group-attack Spirit Master, Erasmus Graves had used his poison in the original Battle of Jialing Pass to kill an entire five hundred thousand soldiers of the Spirit Empire. If judging battlefield value, Erasmus Graves's ability was absolutely no weaker than that of any other powerhouse.
Erasmus Graves, whose expression remained unstable, also understood the principle that the enemy was strong and he was weak. So he decided to hear Wu Ling's method first.
"Fine. I can agree, but first tell me how you plan to solve it."
Seeing that Erasmus Graves had agreed, Wu Ling returned to his relaxed manner. "Easy. To solve the poison in your body, I have five methods."
"Five!" Erasmus Graves shouted in shock. He had been tormented by this poison for decades without a single solution, yet Wu Ling casually said he had five. How could Erasmus Graves not be shocked? He had originally thought having one or two would already be good.
"The first method is to disperse your cultivation, but you definitely will not accept that."
"The second method is an antidote pill. I can give you the formula directly. As long as you take it regularly, it can clear the poison in your body. But you should also know that with poison, adding even the smallest extra ingredient can turn it into something completely different. One day in the future, that antidote pill could instead become a death warrant."
"The third is Spirit Bones. Press the poison into a full set of Spirit Bones and you can control it. But judging by your current Spirit Bones, forget it."
"The fourth is the poison-core method. I saw it recorded in an ancient book. It describes a constitution very similar to yours. Unlike the inner core currently inside your body, this method needs the gallbladder of a hundred-thousand-year Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor as its foundation, so I think you understand how difficult that would be."
"Hmph. You said so much, but not one of them is useful!" After hearing Wu Ling list four methods that could basically be called useless, Erasmus Graves finally could not hold back his retort.
Wu Ling only spread his right hand. A book flew from his storage ring into his palm.
"Do not be so impatient. Is there not still a fifth method? But before I explain, I want to ask you something. Since you know who I am, you should also know the rumors about me, right?"
"Of course. Disciple of the Spirit Hall Supreme Pontiff. Developer of Soulcraft tools that resemble spirit tools but are not the same. Before that, you also published cultivation methods. Even I am using that Profound-grade cultivation method now." As Erasmus Graves spoke, he seemed to realize something. "That book. Could it be!"
Wu Ling grinned. "Exactly. This is a cultivation method I created specifically for your condition. Its grade reaches Heaven-grade. When you cultivate it, not only can it increase your cultivation efficiency by thirty percent, its most important effect is that it lets you absorb the poison produced inside your body to increase Spirit Power and even raise the quality of your Martial Soul."
"Originally, your Jade Phosphor Serpent bloodline only had a chance to evolve into the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor in the later stages. Sometimes it might not evolve at all. But with my cultivation method, generation after generation can absorb the poison produced inside their bodies and optimize themselves. Within only a few generations, an innate full Spirit Power Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor can be born directly."
Listening to Wu Ling's explanation, Erasmus Graves's eyes went straight. Having personally experienced a Profound-grade cultivation method, he could fully imagine how powerful a Heaven-grade method would be, let alone one specially prepared for him. Wait. Prepared for him?
Suddenly, Erasmus Graves seemed to realize something. He asked word by word, "You already knew I was here!"
From the moment Wu Ling and the others arrived, their actions had made it seem as if they had known he was here all along. But Erasmus Graves did not remember telling anyone about this place.
Playing with the cultivation method in his hand, Wu Ling answered, "Of course. Spirit Hall knows far more than you think. But does that matter to the current deal?"
Correct. No matter how Spirit Hall knew he was here, things had already reached this point. Erasmus Graves had only one choice left to make.
After all this time, Erasmus Graves had also realized that his options were basically limited to one. Accept Wu Ling's deal. Otherwise, the next time they came, it would not be five choices. It would be more than five Titled Sages.
As for telling the Polaris imperial family, forget it. Even if the imperial family stood behind him, without high-end combat power, he might already be dead by the time they learned anything.
Erasmus Graves did not take long to make his decision. "I choose the fifth method, the cultivation method."
But to Erasmus Graves's surprise, Wu Ling's tone shifted. "Correct choice. However, since you chose the cultivation method, this is no longer only a question of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."
Erasmus Graves's expression immediately darkened. "What do you mean?"
Wu Ling explained, "The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well is precious to Spirit Hall, but at most, it is icing on the cake. With or without it, Spirit Hall remains the strongest force on the continent."
"But this cultivation method can not only increase cultivation and Spirit Power recovery efficiency by thirty percent, it can also solve the poison in your bodies and improve the quality of your Martial Soul."
"You should understand that in Spirit Hall, even an ordinary Heaven-grade cultivation method can only be cultivated by Elders and above. This method is a top-grade method even among Heaven-grade methods."
"If we created a family standing against Spirit Hall, and one with a top-tier Martial Soul at that, all for a single Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, then forget us. Even you yourselves would live in fear that one day we would treat you as a threat and wipe out your whole clan."
"I can establish an ancestral commandment guaranteeing that we will not become Spirit Hall's enemy." Recognizing reality, Erasmus Graves took another step back.
But facing Erasmus Graves's concession, Wu Ling still pressed forward. "Not enough. Even if this cultivation method is not given to you, taking it out alone would be better than an ordinary Earth-grade method. You may not be enemies of Spirit Hall, but if the method leaks out, how is that any different from handing resources to Spirit Hall's enemies? Besides, how many ancestral commandments have been overturned throughout history?"
Erasmus Graves had already understood Wu Ling's meaning. Wu Ling was asking him to choose between joining and death.
"Erasmus Graves, you have been poisoned for so many years. You should understand that in this entire world, the only person who can solve this, or even save your line with a single sentence, is standing right in front of you. Miss this chance, and it will never come again. After all, you would not want Avis Graves to die in agony the way your son did, would you?"
If there was one greatest weakness Erasmus Graves had in this world, it was undoubtedly Avis Graves. He had already watched his own son die in pain while he was helpless to do anything. He absolutely, absolutely did not want his granddaughter, Avis Graves, to walk that same road before him.
For a moment, Erasmus Graves, with his green hair and youthful face, seemed to age by many years. Under Wu Ling's brilliant smile, he slowly spat out three words.
"I will join."