"…"
The young Azure Tree woman didn't respond even after a few seconds.
"Mhm~" Tia nodded, "Got it."
She returned her gaze to the Azure Tree Realm Master.
"Will you allow your young one to trade her pills with us?"
The Azure Tree Realm Master turned to look at the young one.
"Elma, do you want to trade the Gilded Realm Ascendant Pills with the Divine Emperor of Death's family?"
"Depends."
The young Azure Tree finally spoke, her voice melodious but cold. Her name was also revealed to be Elma.
Back then, in the Candidacy, it was difficult to get one's name unless they were in the top ten in terms of points. Even then, this woman was still known to be the Azure Tree woman because that was what was displayed when she appeared in the rankings.
Elma certainly didn't rake in many points when compared to others.
Tia smiled. She heard seniority comes first in some races and that the Azure Tree race took it quite seriously. To see it happen in front of her made her feel amused.
Indeed, Elma didn't think of speaking since it wasn't her turn to speak. Otherwise, she would've disrespected the Azure Tree Realm Master and the other Azure Trees in the gathering.
"How many do you have left? What do you want in return for the remaining ones?" Tia asked openly.
"I have four left."
Elma also didn't seem to hide anything. Her seniors and the Realm Master seemed to know what it was already, as they didn't look surprised.
It made Tia wonder how unified this race was. It probably wasn't at the individual level.
"I take it that two have been used already?" She raised her brows.
If she was right, there should be six Gilded Realm Ascendant Pills of Minor Realm.
Elma nodded, "I have used one and given the other one to the Realm Master. She hasn't consumed it yet."
"I see."
Tia didn't look surprised. She knew why the Realm Master didn't use it since it would just force her to go to the Upper Realms. However, the Azure Trees weren't interested in that at all.
Why? Because they were a race that couldn't go past the Empyrean Stage unless they evolved. However, evolution was easier said than done. Azure Trees grew fast but this evolution time was much higher, leaving them vulnerable.
During that time, they would be treated no different than a soulless ingredient or a treasure found in some place and be sold or used to make pills. Even if they got a backer, they were betrayed time and time again. They were taken advantage of and then sold or refined into pills. Their fate wasn't good.
After all, the pill created from them nearly increased one's cultivation rate by nine times. They could get by trading their fruits but the demand for faster cultivation was never-ending. Due to this, their population never reached more than a hundred at a point in time.
The Upper Realms were a much more ruthless place, and because of the constant demand for their bodies, they were better off staying in the Lower Realms.
Despite all that, Tia felt gratified.
The Azure Trees never lost their faith in humanity and even went as far as to guard the Three-Eyed Chromatic Hex Arachnids, who were deemed evil.
She was glad to know that if there were absolute scums, then there were kind fairies like them here.
"In exchange for the four Gilded Realm Ascendant Pills, how about we, the Davis Family, offer to evolve any four of you to become Seraphic Azure Tree?"
"…!"
"You don't need to make an effort to enter the next stage. You can be a Seraphic Azure Tree here as long as you remain in the Empyrean Stage."
"But how is that possible? It is common knowledge that we won't have enough energy to achieve evolution until we enter the next stage."
"Oh, that's not a problem. The pill you have-" Tia pointed at the Azure Tree Realm Master, "We can dilute it and you distribute it to two more Azure Trees, gaining enough energy to evolve. When we stimulate your life essence, you will become a Seraphic Azure Tree without a doubt!"
"…!"
The Azure Tree Realm Master's heart shook, but she still shook her head.
"The main reason why we don't leave is because the Seraphic Azure Tree's Celestial Wood, which is our main branch, is a resource that Autarchs need to enter the next stage. There are many people trying to kidnap our young ones, hoping to nurture them into a Seraphic Azure Tree and then ruthlessly extracting our main branch. It cripples us and makes us become weaker until we wither away and die."
"Oh… so it has become one of the substitute resources…"
Tia blinked, knowing that there were other resources that were designated as substitutes for Seraphim Blood that helped cross from Autarch Stage to Primarch Stage. She didn't know the Seraphic Azure Tree's Celestial Wood was considered one of them, making her feel embarrassed but she didn't look shaken.
She guessed she understood why it was termed Seraphic now when its previous name had been Astral Azure Tree long ago.
"In that case, you can join us. No matter who wants a piece of us, they need to step over our corpses first."
Tia proudly said as she revealed a smug smile although it was still hidden behind her veil.
"…"
The Azure Tree Realm Master was simply speechless.
All options led to extinction? In all her life, she had never seen someone negotiating so confidently.
*Bzzz!~*
At this moment, a violent shockwave erupted from Evelynn's direction, causing everyone to freeze in their tracks.
Myria was finally able to eradicate the slave seal. Even then, the slave seal writhed in its death throes, trying to lash out like a caged beast. Myria gritted her teeth, sweat forming on her forehead as she suppressed the retaliation.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the seal shattered.
Evelynn quickly guarded Myria's soul from any sort of backlash. However, a phantom image surged forth into their minds.
Nine heads writhed and swayed in the skies. It was so massive that it seemed to eclipse the very heavens. Its colossal form, wreathed in dark jade energy, loomed like a primordial force of nature. Each of its nine heads exuded an aura of ancient, unfathomable might.
Behind it was a massive star, yet it still wasn't dwarfed.
In sheer size alone, they couldn't fathom how big it was but its gaze alone seemed to be capable of destroying space and shattering stars.
Evelynn and Myria felt their hearts sink to the depths of the abyss for just a fraction of a second. It was as if the weight of an entire universe bore down on their existence, trying to crush them under a massive presence.
They simply couldn't react. They had frozen in their places, unable to resist.
Yet, nothing happened.
That image slowly disappeared from their minds.
"Impossible…" Evelynn whispered, her pupils shrinking, "Don't tell me the one behind this matter is a hydra with a Grand Ancestral Beast Bloodline? A Nine-Headed Hydra…"
The Three-Headed Hydra carried the Saint Magical Beast Bloodline.
The Six-Headed Hydra carried the Grand Saint Beast Bloodline.
As for the Nine-Headed Hydra, its bloodline rank was undoubtedly one level higher than Grand Saint Beast Bloodlines. It was called the Grand Ancestral Beast Bloodline.
Myria's expression darkened. Even she, with her boundless experience, couldn't help but feel a sense of dread from the sheer scale of the Will they had just glimpsed.
"It's worse. Considering its sheer size, it's a Paragon Magical Beast… existences capable of ruling a Greater Realm."
"…!"
Evelynn lost her cool, nearly swaying as she felt the weight of the situation.
Myria clenched her teeth. She swiped the Six-Headed Hydra's soul from Evelynn and roared.
"Speak! What is a slave or a spy from another Greater Realm doing here!? You should know your existence isn't allowed within this galaxy. If found, you will be executed without a doubt, but before that, we will-!"
"Talk! Talk! I'll talk!"
The Six-Headed Hydra quickly surrendered. Now that he was no longer bound by the slave seal, he quickly opened up. He was also terrified of Myria's reincarnation energy, knowing it might not allow him to reincarnate.
Apparently, for the past six million years, he had been collecting specific poison-attribute true soul essences of Grand Saint Magical Beasts and Saint Magical Beasts. Apparently, he had succeeded in collecting everything except one, which was the Emperor-Tier Three-Eyed Chromatic Hex Arachnid's True Soul Essence, which could only be found in this galaxy.
From the list he mentioned, he collected King-Tier Grand Saint Magical Beast poison true soul essences.
Then, for the Saint Magical Beast poison's true soul essences, they consisted of an Emperor-Tier Heart-Piercing Nether Centipede that produced nether poison.
Emperor-Tier Soul-Devouring Ghost Moth, which produced yin poison.
Emperor-Tier Phantom Blood Scorpion, which produced blood poison.
Emperor-Tier Three-Eyed Chromatic Hex Arachnid, which produced hex poison.
Emperor-Tier Devilflame Hell Wasp, which produced flame poison.
Emperor-Tier Nine-Death Bone Worm, which produced death poison.
All six of them and another six from the Grand Saint Magical Beasts combined to form an ultimate treasure!
He collected eleven out of twelve during the six million years, and the Three-Eyed Chromatic Hex Arachnid's was the last.