Chapter 729 - 724: I’ll Do It Anyway
「Ten days later.」
In the Taihuang Realm, above the North Desert Wilderness, a majestic volcano stood tall. Thick smoke billowed from its peak, and a crimson glow reflected off the Cloud Sea, looking as if it would burn through the heavens.
At the crater’s edge, Lü Yang sat cross-legged opposite a young Daoist. Their Qi was in communication, and their karmic links and Fate were so intertwined they had practically become one. If one were to scry their karmic links without seeing this scene, they would probably only detect the presence of a single Demon Subduing Zhenren.
’It’s about time.’
Lü Yang cast a satisfied glance at the Life Form Body he had just refined. It was identical to the former Demon Subduing Zhenren, right down to its expression.
Beyond that, he had also adjusted its memories, karmic links, and Fate.
Once this Life Form Body returned to the Immortal Pivot, it would forget everything that had happened here and would only believe itself to be the real Demon Subduing Zhenren.
Of course, he couldn’t just leave it at that.
Thinking of this, Lü Yang reached into his sleeve and pulled out a weak Soul. It was Long Tu, but his thoughts had long been frozen by Lü Yang.
The next second, he released the restraint.
"Ugh...!"
His thoughts now free, Long Tu blinked instinctively. Then, he saw Lü Yang and the Demon Subduing Zhenren Life Form Body, a look of confusion spreading across his face.
’Two Demon Subduing Zhenrens?’
Seeing this, Lü Yang chuckled lightly and took out the Righteous Banner. Billowing purple qi instantly formed a jet-black gate that stood right before Long Tu’s eyes.
"Daoist, since things have come to this, I won’t hide it from you. Are you going to join my Righteous Qi Dao willingly, or are you going to put up a pointless struggle? I think a reigning Perfected Lord like myself can better satisfy your needs than a mere Lower Cultivator at Foundation Establishment Perfection. Even if you wish to be resurrected, I’m not without options."
Lü Yang was being completely open with him.
After all, Long Tu was just the remnant Soul of a Perfected Lord. He had no way of escaping Lü Yang’s grasp, so there was no need to deceive him with lies.
"As they say, a wise man knows when to yield."
Lü Yang gently pinched Long Tu’s Soul and said with a smile, "I believe someone like you, Daoist, whose ambitions remain unfulfilled, will certainly make the right choice."
Long Tu: "..."
With things laid so bare, how could Long Tu not understand? For a moment, he couldn’t stop the look of horror that appeared in his eyes as he gazed at Lü Yang.
Even at this moment, after Lü Yang had been so frank about his identity, Long Tu’s memories, his Spiritual perception, and even the karmic links he calculated all told him that the person before him was the Demon Subduing Zhenren. It was only when Lü Yang revealed the Cultivation of a Golden Core Perfected Lord that he felt a sense of dissonance.
’What kind of possession technique is this!?’
’A possession that can Deprive one of their karmic links and Fate... could it be a possession Magic that has been refined to Perfection through the Celestial Immortal Thousand Two Hundred Grand Ceremony?’
At this thought, Long Tu became even more cautious.
And just as Lü Yang had said, he was indeed a man who knew how to adapt to the circumstances.
"This... Daoist, I am willing to join... join the Righteous Qi Dao. I only ask that you agree to one thing for me, and I will be your vanguard."
Lü Yang narrowed his eyes. "Feel free to speak."
"The Celestial Human Residual Consciousness!"
Long Tu took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "I only ask that you, Daoist, reassemble the Celestial Human Residual Consciousness and re-establish the Dao Lineage our Guardian lineage lost within it!"
Fearing Lü Yang might refuse, Long Tu quickly added, "This would be beneficial to you as well, Daoist. After all, the rewards for each trial within the Celestial Human Residual Consciousness are quite generous. Moreover, if you can take full control of it and use it as your foundation, you’ll have a chance at reaching the Nascent Soul realm!"
"Alright."
Lü Yang smiled and nodded, then pointed to the Righteous Banner at his side. "As long as you are willing to walk in there voluntarily, I agree to all your conditions."
"...Really?"
Lü Yang wore a sincere expression. "Really!"
However, Long Tu gritted his teeth and suddenly condensed a Contract with his Spiritual perception. "Very well, then please sign a Celestial Human Contract with me, Daoist."
As his voice fell, he pushed the Contract in front of Lü Yang and said in a low voice, "Once this Magic Contract is signed, it will immediately be sensed by the Celestial Human Residual Consciousness. If you break your oath, your karmic links with it will be severed forever. Even if you know its exact coordinates, you will never be able to enter it again..."
Lü Yang glanced at the Magic Contract, his eyebrow slightly raised.
"Within three hundred years?"
Long Tu nodded. "Within three hundred years, you must clear all the trials of the Celestial Human Residual Consciousness and reassemble it. This is to prevent you from deliberately delaying."
Lü Yang shook his head. "That won’t work."
"Every trial in the Celestial Human Residual Consciousness is extremely difficult. A single Human World trial was enough to give me a massive headache. What if I can’t clear them all within three hundred years?"
"...It can be extended under certain circumstances."
Long Tu’s brow furrowed, and he whispered, "If that’s the case, the contents of the Magic Contract can be modified once, with the approval of both parties."
Lü Yang still looked conflicted upon hearing this.
Seeing his hesitation, Long Tu gritted his teeth. "This is my only demand. If you don’t agree, Daoist, then you can scatter my Soul to the winds, for I will not cooperate!"
Although he didn’t know what Lü Yang wanted from him, for a dignified Golden Core cultivator to need something from a mere remnant Soul, it had to be something of great importance. He knew this was his best chance to bargain. Since he was selling himself anyway, he might as well get a good price.
On the other side, Lü Yang was still frowning in thought, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.
After a long while, he finally looked up and sighed. "Fine, I can agree to your request... but this is the only time!"
As his voice fell, Lü Yang’s expression turned stern.
"If you try to use this to threaten me or jack up the price again in the future, then I swear I will kill you, even if it means giving up the Celestial Human Residual Consciousness entirely!"
"Daoist... My Lord, rest assured."
Long Tu lowered his head without hesitation. "This subordinate will do his utmost."
"Good."
Only then did Lü Yang nod. He solemnly left his Cause and Effect Qi Mechanism on Long Tu’s Magic Contract, then pointed to the Righteous Banner beside them.
"Alright, you can go in now."
Long Tu carefully reviewed the contents of the Magic Contract before finally breathing a sigh of relief. Then, with a light heart, he voluntarily walked into the Righteous Banner.
「A moment later—」
Long Tu staggered out, having already become a proper disciple of the Righteous Qi Dao. A purplish-black smoke now flowed all over his body.
Seeing him, Lü Yang immediately asked with a look of concern, "Is the Magic Contract still on you?"
"It is..."
"Take it out."
As Lü Yang spoke, Long Tu took out the Magic Contract without any hesitation. Lü Yang took it and pointed to the three-hundred-year deadline on it.
"Change it to an indefinite period."
"Yes, My Lord!"
Soon, the freshly signed Magic Contract, not even warm yet, was rendered a worthless piece of paper.
Only then did Lü Yang nod in satisfaction. Of course, he didn’t intend to break his promise to Long Tu or abandon their agreement; he simply didn’t want to be bound by it.
In short, the agreement with Long Tu wasn’t something he wouldn’t do, but something to be done slowly, deliberately, optimally, and sequentially.
It couldn’t be done blindly, but must be done with precision, scientifically, efficiently, and strategically.
He would have experienced people participate, have capable people take the lead, and leverage professional power to provide assistance, while also remaining flexible to handle special circumstances.
It was best to handle specific situations with specific actions.
In any case, it wasn’t that he wouldn’t do it.