Chapter 810: 795: Bowing in Submission!
Now that Shen Lang had already obtained numerous benefits—and with Elemental Power Fragments and five Spirit Meridians still waiting for him—he actually set his sights on those Beast Souls. Furthermore, he clearly intended to use Lu Qianqiu to help him accomplish this.
This deeply displeased the arrogant Lu Qianqiu! As the guide for this treasure hunt within the Dragon Scale Divine Hall—and one with an Emperor Martial Realm Cultivation—Lu Qianqiu’s displeasure carried incredibly severe consequences.
Just as Lu Qianqiu waited to see how Shen Lang would explain himself and persuade him, a single, simple sentence from the young man nearly made Lu Qianqiu jump out of his skin.
“That item is on me.”
“That item”—wasn’t it the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron mentioned by the Purple-robed People? The Heaven-Sealing Cauldron, which was absolutely crucial to the fate of the Dragon Race, yet something Lu Qianqiu had never heard of and had no clues about…
It was actually in Shen Lang’s possession!
Lu Qianqiu leaned back, nearly sprawling flat on his back.
“Kid!” Lu Qianqiu roared. “You know exactly how important this matter is to me. This isn’t something you can joke about! If you dare deceive me…”
Shen Lang raised his eyebrows. “Do I look like I’m joking with you?
“You were definitely wondering earlier why the Purple-robed People appeared at that time, weren’t you? You were also wondering why they told me to take you out, and what kind of relationship I have with them.”
“W-why?” Lu Qianqiu stammered, feeling a chaotic mix of shock, joy, and utter disbelief. His mind was in a complete mess.
Shen Lang spread his hands and delivered a line that almost made Lu Qianqiu faint from anger. “I’m completely in the dark about the reason myself.”
Lu Qianqiu rolled his eyes wildly.
“But it’s obvious,” Shen Lang immediately continued. “Since that item is on me, the fate of your Dragon Race is tied to me. Furthermore, they even wanted me to bring you out of this Dragon Scale Divine Hall. That means one thing: they are secretly protecting me. I definitely have some sort of connection with them.
“Who knows? Maybe they have a beautiful unmarried daughter and want me as their live-in son-in-law. Anyway, considering the great lengths they went to do all this, they absolutely couldn’t be trying to harm me.
“With their abilities, they could reduce me to ashes with a single thought. Why would they need to act so mysteriously and go through all this unnecessary trouble?
“Additionally, if I’m not mistaken, back in that passage when you and the Abyss Lord were discussing a collaboration with me, an unimaginable power suddenly immobilized both of you completely. Yet, I could still move freely. The reason is simple.
“It’s because the item inside my body repelled that terrifying power.”
Realization dawned on Lu Qianqiu. “So that’s how it is! I was wondering how such a thing could happen. Now that you mention it, I can finally guess the answers to many of the perplexing questions that have been haunting my mind.”
Shen Lang simply smiled in silence, knowing that he had said enough.
The Heaven-Sealing Cauldron was Shen Lang’s greatest secret aside from the Tai Chi Diagram. Unless absolutely necessary, he truly did not want to reveal it. If not for the incident with the Purple-robed People, there was absolutely no way Shen Lang would have told Lu Qianqiu about it. However, revealing it now was perfectly timed to resolve his lingering worries.
First, it eliminated Lu Qianqiu’s previous dissatisfaction and ensured his help in subjugating these Beast Souls. The Purple-robed People had already stated that for the Dragon Race to break their seal, the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron had to appear. Facing the owner of the cauldron, how could Lu Qianqiu dare to throw a tantrum?
Of course, he could try to take it by force. But that depended on whether he had the guts. Shen Lang had already dropped the heavy hint that he was under the protection of the Purple-robed People. Lu Qianqiu might not care about Shen Lang, but he couldn’t afford to ignore the Purple-robed People!
Second, in the beginning, Lu Qianqiu offered to give the Elemental Power Fragments and the five Spirit Meridians to Shen Lang. Although he made it sound nice—claiming the items were useless to him and he might as well let Shen Lang have them—Shen Lang wasn’t about to believe him so easily. Things like Elemental Power Fragments and Spirit Meridians were exceedingly rare in the world. Even if Lu Qianqiu had no use for them, couldn’t he give them to his friends or other members of the Dragon Race? The Dragon Race was inherently greedy and untrustworthy. Even if Lu Qianqiu swore a Heart Demon Blood Oath, it wouldn’t necessarily set Shen Lang’s mind at ease.
But now, the mysterious and supremely powerful Purple-robed People had suddenly appeared, forging an unbreakable connection between Shen Lang, Lu Qianqiu, and the Dragon Race. Bringing up the Heaven-Sealing Cauldron at this juncture would absolutely intimidate Lu Qianqiu, ensuring he wouldn’t dare play any tricks or go back on his word later.
Shen Lang remained silent, but he deliberately kept an eye on Lu Qianqiu’s expression.
“No wonder,” Lu Qianqiu said, brimming with excitement. “No wonder all these matters are connected to you, and no wonder they looked at you so strangely. But since you have that item, why did you deliberately hide it?”
Shen Lang shook his head. “You’re burning with anxiety to resolve the Dragon Race’s issues, but I have my own matters to attend to. It’s impossible for me to accompany you to the Dragon Valley anytime soon. Revealing it earlier wouldn’t have done me any good.
“I’m telling you this now just to let you know that my appetite isn’t big at all. If it were, I would have gone directly to your Dragon Race instead of risking my life coming here.
“Now that everything is out in the open, I want you to understand that we are partners—both now and in the future.
“But let me make the ugly truth clear upfront: as for the Dragon Valley, I can help you, but you must resolve the other conditions first.”
Lu Qianqiu burst into loud laughter. “Hahaha! Good! Very good! I’m starting to like you more and more, Kid! It’s settled, then! Once I handle those other matters, I’ll come find you. Don’t you dare try to back out then!”
Shen Lang smiled. “With the Purple-robed People’s arrangements, it doesn’t seem like I could back out even if I wanted to, right?”
Lu Qianqiu was in an excellent mood. The more he looked at Shen Lang, the more pleasing the young man seemed. His previous displeasure had vanished into thin air.
At this moment, the Fierce Beast that had been guarding the entrance to the stone pillar space timidly turned around. It looked at Lu Qianqiu and asked, “My Lord, what about us?”
Lu Qianqiu sighed. “Go out with him. It’s been ten thousand years. My time is up, and I will be leaving this Dragon Scale Divine Hall very soon.
“I am used to being free and Xiaoyao. You all will be much better off following him than me.”
Thousands of Beast Souls within the space immediately began to whimper, and a sorrowful atmosphere swept across the area.
Lu Qianqiu waved his hand to silence their cries. “Do not be sad. You are gaining your freedom, not losing it. The people of the Yumu Cave Blessed Land originally took you in out of kindness, unwilling to watch you fade away into nothingness.
“But a massive upheaval has occurred, and they have vanished without a trace. No one knows when they will return. Waiting like this is not a solution.
“Listen to me and go out with him.
“Although the Magical Artifact in his hands disgusts me to no end, I must admit it is currently the most suitable place for Soul Bodies like you to survive.
“Thank you all for keeping me company for the past ten thousand years. Without you, I wouldn’t even know how I could have endured such a long time. We will reunite again in the future.”
A wave of melancholy continued to spread through the space. Shen Lang simply watched quietly without saying a word.
All the Beast Souls fell silent, gazing wistfully at Lu Qianqiu.
After a moment of silence, Lu Qianqiu looked up at Shen Lang. “Regarding these Beast Souls, I need a promise from you.”
Shen Lang gave a slight nod. “One hundred years. I only need them to follow me for a century, acknowledge me as their master, and obey my commands during this time. After a hundred years, they can choose to stay or leave.”
“What?” Lu Qianqiu was greatly shocked.
Both Lu Qianqiu and the countless Beast Souls were stunned upon hearing the phrase “one hundred years.”
To these Beast Souls, a century was merely the blink of an eye. Shen Lang had entered this space to subjugate them, yet he was only asking for a hundred years? And they could choose their own path after a hundred years?
What kind of person possessed such audacity? Could it be that he believed he only needed a century to become so powerful that he would no longer need the assistance of these Beast Souls?
One had to know, ten of these Beast Souls possessed power equivalent to the Emperor Martial Realm Ninth Heaven Peak! What kind of person would dare claim they could advance from the King Martial Realm Second Heaven to the Emperor Martial Realm Ninth Heaven in just one hundred years? Even if he could actually achieve that within a century, these Beast Souls would still be a tremendous asset!
Both Lu Qianqiu and the thousands of Beast Souls stood completely dumbfounded. The sheer shock Shen Lang delivered was simply too immense. The appeal of a mere hundred-year commitment to these Beast Souls was unimaginable.
Looking at Lu Qianqiu, Shen Lang continued, “During these hundred years, I will do everything in my power to provide them with resources and treat them well. I can even promise that if they serve me wholeheartedly, when I reach the very pinnacle, I will help them reconstruct their physical bodies!”
Deathly silence enveloped the entire space.
Reaching the absolute Peak and reconstructing physical bodies sounded entirely illusory, much like a three-year-old boasting about ruling the world. Even a genius of the Dragon Race like Lu Qianqiu wouldn’t dare make such a claim lightly. Reaching the pinnacle was no easy feat, and helping Beast Souls reconstruct their physical bodies was something even supreme experts found nearly impossible!
Right at that moment, Shen Lang’s eyes flickered, and a surge of Emperor’s Will swept out!
In that instant, not only the Beast Souls but even Lu Qianqiu firmly believed his words!
“Emperor’s Will! Heavens, what did I just feel? The Emperor’s Will actually appeared on a kid in the King Martial Realm?” Lu Qianqiu stared fixedly at Shen Lang, his eyes gleaming brightly.
Every time he thought he had uncovered many of Shen Lang’s secrets, he would find even more surfacing—secrets that were increasingly inconceivable! Especially since this young man was also connected to the Purple-robed People…
Lu Qianqiu thought in awe, “I, Lu Qianqiu, am a Red Dragon Prince. I have read Classics from all over the world and possess vast experience… yet I have never seen such a freak of nature! Looking at it now, it won’t just be the Dragon Race whose fate changes because of him. I’m afraid the entire Star Continent will undergo a massive upheaval because of him!
“Golden ages produce freaks of nature. It seems that once I get out, I need to quickly investigate what changes have occurred in this world and what exactly has happened…”