Haotian looked at Wang Jiaqian, a little displeased. "Certain abilities of the Witch clan are very useful to me at critical moments. I was even thinking of bringing her into the main universe."
Qin Yexuan's eyes were firm, and he didn't back down. "If you don't agree, our cooperation is off. You can play around in the main universe as you please; I'm not joining you anyway."
Haotian pondered for a moment, then nodded with a smile. "It doesn't matter. The Witch clan cannot enter the main universe. Even if billions of consciousnesses and souls gather, they will be vaporized by the energy of the main universe."
He agreed to both conditions and looked up at the sky. "Then I'll wait for you inside Pangu's body. You'd better not play any tricks. The moment you dare to step half a step away from here, I will devour all the remaining planets."
Haotian returned to the floating island. The island flickered, transforming into a ball of light and carrying him towards Pangu's body in the depths of the universe.
The Witch God's snake beside Wang Jiaqian began to coil, finally turning into a pinpoint of light and being forcibly pulled away.
She looked up at the sky uneasily, then at Qin Yexuan. "I don't understand why you're saving me. It's obvious Haotian wants to use us, the Witch clan, as backup energy. When he needs power as he passes through the rift, he can just consume me."
Qin Yexuan gently waved his hand. "Wait, don't speak yet. Let's wait a moment."
Wait for what?
While Wang Jiaqian was still wondering, Haotian's consciousness in the universe let out an angry roar.
The toxins within Pangu's hand had already begun to affect him.
"Heh heh, a common cold toxin from the main universe will keep him occupied for quite a while."
Qin Yexuan breathed a sigh of relief. "His consciousness was still monitoring us just now. He doesn't have the time for that now. But Haotian is too powerful; this can only buy us a few hours."
He motioned for Wang Jiaqian to sit down and said in a low voice, "Now listen to me carefully. My plan can only be realized through you. Don't speak, and remember every word I say."
He spoke softly and slowly.
Wang Jiaqian's emotions shifted from shock to excitement, then to unease, and finally to exhilaration.
As Qin Yexuan finished speaking, above them, in the black sky devoid of stars, Haotian's face appeared.
That face nearly filled the universe. "Qin Yexuan, this is your plan? To ambush me with toxins from the main universe? How amusing. If Su Qing were still alive, she wouldn't be so foolish. Do you know why?"
Qin Yexuan remained silent, patting Wang Jiaqian's hand. "Go. I will buy you another three months. After three months, Haotian will definitely bring my consciousness through the rift. If you can get there even a month earlier, then according to the flow of time, you will have gained an hour in the main universe compared to Haotian."
In the main universe, that one hour was crucial.
Haotian's face in the sky opened its mouth, and with an indescribable force, he sucked Qin Yexuan upwards.
Then, everything returned to normal.
Not long after, in the dark sky with only the sun visible, a luminous hole from the deepest part of the universe began to appear.
Two beams of light intertwined, battling before that boundless luminous hole.
It was a cosmic-level power struggle.
At first, the power representing Qin Yexuan was extremely weak, but suddenly, a massive piece of the Hell Mirror appeared.
It was the one Qin Yexuan had secretly taken from Qinglong Temple.
This seemingly insignificant piece of the Hell Mirror caused Haotian, who was in the midst of the battle, to let out a roar of fury.
Qin Yexuan, using a wisp of Pangu's spirit, activated the Hell Mirror, forcibly pulling Haotian into the illusion-filled depths of hell.
It might not stop Haotian there, but it could delay him long enough.
And beyond the luminous hole, a startling, eye-like, massive rift revealed itself.
Outside the rift lay endless void.
Wang Jiaqian didn't even waste a moment to look. She left the base with astonishing speed, crossed the Han River Bridge, and arrived at the top floor of the Jinshi Building.
Here, everyone who cared about Qin Yexuan and was connected to him had gathered.
They were all watching the celestial anomaly in the sky with terror.
Wang Jiaqian descended from the sky, and all eyes turned to her.
"We are out of time. Now, I will recount Qin Yexuan's plan!"
Wang Jiaqian swept her gaze across the crowd. "The key to this plan is to utilize the unique characteristics of our Witch clan!"
"What characteristics of the Witch clan?" everyone asked, not understanding.
Wang Jiaqian said coldly, "Ten thousand years ago, our Witch clan couldn't compete with humans, so we evolved into consciousness entities. A single human body can accommodate billions of souls."
"It's a symbiotic form of life," Wang Jiaqian said, pointing to herself. "My consciousness is the primary consciousness, but I can switch to other Witch clan lives at will. Thus, by utilizing the energy transformed by the Witch clan within me, I can attach myself to the hairpin brought by Su Qing and successfully enter the main universe."
"At the same time, I can also accommodate a sufficient number of soul consciousnesses."
Wang Jiaqian looked at Su Bingyan. "Qin Yexuan chose you and me as the primary consciousness personalities, and then absorb other sisters. This way, we will enter the main universe together, find Su Qing's body, and seize it before Haotian!"
This was the plan Qin Yexuan had crafted, centered around the characteristics of the Witch clan.
"Are we going to pass through the rift? That means going through the area where the light sphere is. Haotian will detect us."
Wang Jiaqian shook her head. "Qin Yexuan said that in 2012, when in the main universe, Su Qing pierced the outer shell at the bottom of the small universe with a hairpin and was then pulled in. This means that at the bottom of this universe, there is a small hole that only a hairpin can pass through!"
Everyone realized this and was filled with joy.
"This secret was only told to Qin Yexuan by Su Qing before her death, precisely to prevent Haotian from detecting it."
Wang Jiaqian sat down cross-legged. "Now, Li Tianhang and others are going to find that hairpin. Di Xin and those whose strength surpasses breaking the void will leave the planet to search for the exit hole of this universe. The remaining chosen ones will return to Daxia with me, and we will complete the final fusion in the Su family's small building."
Wang Jiaqian said this and looked at the remaining people. "Once the plan succeeds and we seize Su Qing's body, we will find a way to help Qin Yexuan return to his body, if that body in the hospital still exists."
"The best outcome is that we obtain the complete small universe, re-inject energy, and restore the stars of our universe. We will protect you from the main universe. If any of you can cultivate to a certain level, we can even help you find suitable bodies in the main universe."
In the future, the small universe would be safely hidden within the main universe.
As long as one worked hard enough and reached the appropriate cultivation level, they could immigrate to the main universe.
This was the best solution Qin Yexuan could devise for them.
The plan proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Two months later, in the Su family's small building, the fused Wang Jiaqian stood up.
Di Xin and the others had already found the exit.
Now, in the infinitely dark night sky, above the light sphere, the piece of the Hell Mirror had already developed countless cracks.
It wouldn't be long before Haotian shattered the mirror and passed through the rift.
According to Qin Yexuan's plan, this had bought Wang Jiaqian and Su Bingyan at least a month's time, which equated to about an hour when calculated in the main universe.
The expression on Wang Jiaqian's face was changing.
Within her body, the chosen personalities, including the Su sisters, Jun Mengyao, and even Zhu Tianqi, were constantly switching.
Then, together, they were ready.
A ball of light and shadow instantly left the planet. The other consciousnesses of the Witch clan were transforming into energy, taking them to a luminous point at the bottom of the universe.
A hairpin elongated, deftly passing through the luminous point.
Then they collided with the hairpin, passed through the luminous point, plunged into the nearly infinite void, then passed through a force field. The elongated hairpin returned to its original shape and fell with a snap.
An unknown amount of time passed...
"Huh? Xiao Zhang, is that your hairpin that fell out? How many times have I told you, the research center has just been set up, and office supplies are not allowed to be misplaced. Hurry up and tidy it up."
"Ah, sorry, Dr. Zhao. I was so engrossed in looking at that strange object."
"What's so interesting about it? We only discovered this strange thing a week ago, and we still haven't determined if it's a meteorite. The light point inside the rift is disappearing; only a tiny dot remains. Manager Wang doesn't allow us to use the electron microscope to observe it."
"Dr. Zhao, let's not talk about it for now; I'll tidy up."