Chapter Twenty-Three: Schemes on Every Side

The Nine-Tailed Astral Spirit narrowed her eyes.

The young man was a gambler. A single scroll of the inherited Golden Tome had clearly tempted him, and his claims of danger and unwillingness were nothing more than a ploy to increase the stakes.

It wasn’t that he lacked confidence; the fear in his voice was likely only half genuine. Neither side would accept a one-sided concession. Since that was the case, the only way forward was for both to raise the stakes.

“In the world of spiritual energy, to gain more, one inevitably pays a higher price and faces greater risk. I can add another wager: a Heavenly Thunder Soul, a rarity in the cosmos. However, the distance between us must be reduced to ten thousand miles.”

The Nine-Tailed Astral Spirit gazed into the void as she stated her terms.

As soon as her words fell, the miniature palace’s doors opened once more, radiating dazzling light, and a mysterious object appeared before their eyes.

It was a soul artifact, pitch-black and shaped like a sword. Thunderous power surged around it, arcs of lightning interweaving, carrying an aura of domination. Upon its appearance, it crackled with a fierce sound.

Its origin was extraordinary. Legend had it that only in the most perilous thunder realms of the heavens could such a treasure be born—a masterpiece formed from the purest divine lightning over millions of years, encountering the auroras of the celestial world. Mysterious to the extreme, once fused, it would grant an immortal thunder soul.

There were precedents.

In an ancient era, a great being, on a whim, bestowed the Heavenly Thunder Soul upon an ordinary youth. The boy’s soul fused with the Heavenly Thunder Soul, undergoing an instantaneous transformation and ascension, unleashing astonishing potential. His comprehension of the laws of thunder became hundreds or even thousands of times easier. Not long after, he rose to prominence in the cosmic starry sky, becoming a peerless prodigy. After countless ordeals and hardships, he eventually stood shoulder to shoulder with the one who had gifted him the soul.

It could be said, even a pig who obtained the Heavenly Thunder Soul would have hope of becoming a divine lord.

“A marvelous treasure,” commented Qing E.

This Heavenly Thunder Soul, combined with several other sacred objects, could in a short time forge a supreme powerhouse—a sight rarely witnessed. Whoever fused with the Heavenly Thunder Soul would enjoy a heaven-defying opportunity in the spiritual energy cosmos.

Feng Shang narrowed his eyes, a gleam flashing in their depths. “If I recall correctly, there was a Thunder Soul once auctioned at the Mindsea’s First Auction. Its effects barely allowed one to form a Thunder Soul, and the price was in the billions of cosmic crystals...”

Feng Shang loved collecting treasures. His private trove contained many wonders that would make others drool with envy, though not everything imaginable. Some fantastic artifacts had either vanished in the river of time or were impossible to find.

This Astral Spirit’s taste was extraordinary.

She could bring out not only the Golden Tome of inheritance and the Heavenly Thunder Soul, but also a mysterious godly Extinction Slip of the World-God level. She was worthy of her legend as a peerless Astral Spirit.

This harvest might far exceed Feng Shang’s expectations.

“Young man, what do you think?” the Nine-Tailed Astral Spirit asked with a gentle smile.

“Heavenly Thunder Soul—you actually have a Heavenly Thunder Soul! To forge an immortal thunder soul, to withstand tribulation and survive, to step into the hall of the mighty. The ultimate treasure of the thunder path! Supreme in all the world! Gulp...”

Within the world of the black prison, Feng Shang’s voice rang out, both exaggerated and excited as he swallowed hard, perhaps a bit overdone—enough to convince the Astral Spirit that he was utterly coveting the treasures.

The Nine-Tailed Astral Spirit’s smile was radiant, but inwardly she sneered in contempt. This ignorant brat—if he knew she possessed not only the Heavenly Thunder Soul but also the Ninefold Thunder Heart, who knew how jealous he’d become.

“I’ll wager with you! As you said, you place the Golden Tome and the Heavenly Thunder Soul ten thousand miles away,” Feng Shang declared, as if making a desperate, tooth-gritting decision.

The Nine-Tailed Astral Spirit giggled.

With a flick of her snow-white tail, the golden tome and the pitch-black Heavenly Thunder Soul were sent forth. This time, they flew only ten thousand miles, still within the lake-like expanse of the Astral Spirit’s eyes.

“This time, I’ll strike it rich!” Feng Shang thought to himself.

In the distant darkness, the golden tome hovered, its three-foot scroll flickering with golden brilliance, radiant with star-like patterns and a halo of dazzling light. The Heavenly Thunder Soul roared beside it, weaving black lightning with sharp, chilling arcs and a terrifying aura.

At that moment, time itself seemed to slow.

The Nine-Tailed Astral Spirit’s smile faded, replaced by wariness. Feng Shang, meanwhile, was silent, his tension apparent, as if pondering his next move, a faint heartbeat echoing through the void.

Ten breaths passed...

Fifty breaths...

A hundred breaths...

Feng Shang still made no move.

The Nine-Tailed Astral Spirit’s gaze turned cold, impatient. “Are you going to snatch them or not?”

“Quiet! I’m preparing! Don’t distract me! If you don’t give me time, how can I act?” Feng Shang replied, his voice tight with anxiety.

At this, the Astral Spirit’s lips curled into a disdainful smirk.

She could well imagine the boy squirming as if on pins and needles, sweating nervously, wringing his hands in trepidation.

He had almost succeeded last time, and this time... he would surely die!

But in fact, the truth was quite the opposite.

Feng Shang was far from the nervous wreck she imagined. He was utterly relaxed, leisurely munching on a crystal-clear, blood-red exotic fruit while flipping through a copy of “Curiosities of the Spiritual Energy Cosmos,” reading with great relish, leaving his opponent hanging.

Though mischievous, he was clever. If he wanted this game of snatching to last, he had to delve into his opponent’s psychology.

He always let her get oh-so-close to success, ensuring each round was filled with dramatic twists and hair’s-breadth escapes, dispelling her every doubt and suspicion.

Had he not feigned terror and allowed a near miss during the very first exchange, the Nine-Tailed Astral Spirit would likely have grown suspicious and refused to play further.

Only by making her believe she was always a hair’s breadth from victory, keeping her appetite whetted, could he entice her to keep bringing out more treasures.

After an hour had passed...

Feng Shang closed the “Curiosities of the Spiritual Energy Cosmos,” his eyes sparkling with brilliance, a cold smile playing at his lips. If he didn’t fleece this Astral Spirit dry today, he wouldn’t be called Feng Shang!

With a thought, the wondrous essence of Creation gathered before him, swirling and transforming—another him appeared!

Another Feng Shang.

In appearance, aura, even the fluctuations of his soul—every detail was identical, down to the rebellious glint between his brows, as if he were studying his own reflection in a mirror.

The two Feng Shangs exchanged glances and smiled in perfect unison—there was not the slightest difference between them. The essence of Creation, one of the ten divine energies, possessed boundless, miraculous transformations, able even to mimic stars themselves. This foolish Nine-Tailed Astral Spirit would never see through it.

“Go—make it look convincing.”

The real Feng Shang instructed his doppelganger.

“Understood.”

The doppelganger’s eyes shone with spirit; in a blink, he disappeared without a sound, not even stirring a ripple in the void.

Ten thousand miles ahead, the golden tome and the Heavenly Thunder Soul hung motionless. The Astral Spirit’s amethyst crystal eyes had locked on them for an hour straight.

As a being who had lived through several cosmic eras, her patience was extraordinary.

Her previous failure had made her even more cautious. Spacetime divine power had silently spread beneath the ground, ready to erupt and imprison everything the moment Feng Shang appeared.

She had also tampered with the two treasures. From afar, nothing seemed amiss, but the instant anyone made contact... she expected to witness the boy’s face twist in terror and despair!

For wealth, people will risk their lives; for food, birds will die.

In the spiritual energy cosmos, there was never a shortage of ambitious, greedy souls—nor a shortage of those who fell because of their greed.