Translator: Cinder Translations
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Upon hearing Song Wen's words, Tai He paused slightly, seemingly unable to believe what he had just heard.
He truly hadn't expected that, as a Nascent Soul cultivator, Song Wen would surrender without a fight.
Tai He's mind filled with doubts, and he subconsciously drew back some of his spiritual energy.
"Does the Asura Sect truly wish to submit to the Nine Palaces Sect?"
As soon as his voice reached Song Wen's mind, the poisonous mist and the malevolent energy collided violently in midair.
Due to Tai He's restrained power, the Yin Primordial Qi managed to hold its ground, fighting the toxic mist in a standoff.
The two forces continued to clash in the sky, emitting thunderous explosions and waves of spiritual power that made the entire atmosphere tremble with unease.
"Not a word of falsehood," Song Wen replied via spiritual transmission.
"How can I trust you?" Tai He asked.
"I can leave a spiritual mark in your soul," Song Wen answered.
"You are also a Nascent Soul cultivator, though only in the early stages. But even a slight passage of time would be enough for you to erase the mark I place. A spiritual mark cannot restrain you. Unless you allow me to plant a 'Soul Lock Curse' in your consciousness," Tai He transmitted.
"Delusional." Song Wen's eyes flashed with a murderous gleam. "Tai He, don't think for a moment that I'm afraid of you."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Song Wen's figure blurred into a shadow, charging straight at Tai He.
"Hmph! Seeking death!"
Tai He roared, and the sickly green toxic mist became more violent, swirling around as if alive.
In an instant, the Yin Primordial Qi was driven back, disintegrating under the onslaught of the toxic fog.
Ignoring the surging toxic mist, Song Wen gathered a large green blade of energy around himself and barreled through the fog, heading straight for Tai He.
Song Wen fought against the raging poisonous mist, pushing upward through it.
The green blade of energy began to corrode under the assault of the poisonous fog, the green light it emitted rapidly dulling.
Soon, pits appeared on the surface of the blade, and the pits widened, becoming small holes.
The blade was quickly corroded through and shattered into pieces.
Nevertheless, Song Wen used the opportunity to get within ten meters of Tai He.
With his zombie-like body enduring the mist's attack, he continued to charge toward Tai He.
Tai He's eyes showed a flicker of contempt as he observed Song Wen's approach.
"To dare to use your physical body to endure my toxic mist, you are simply seeking your own death."
Under Tai He's command, the surrounding poisonous mist continued to push toward Song Wen, forming sharp, dagger-like edges that scraped and tore at his body.
However, Tai He was surprised to find that the toxic mist didn't cause as much harm to Song Wen's physical body as he had expected.
The mist only managed to damage the outer layer of Song Wen's rotting flesh, leaving the core of his body untouched.
Song Wen's skin, resembling dry tree bark, was eaten away by the toxic fog, revealing the dark, decaying flesh underneath.
Black, viscous liquid seeped from the wounds, giving Song Wen's already terrifying appearance an even more unsettling aura.
He forced his way through the poisonous fog and reached Tai He, raising his sharp claws like deadly blades, slashing toward Tai He's face.
Tai He, holding the green flag, suddenly whipped it around, enveloping Song Wen entirely.
Song Wen's claws scraped across the flag's surface, producing a horrendous screech of friction.
At that moment, a surge of immense force came from the sharp claws, and Tai He used the momentum to retreat rapidly, attempting to distance himself from Song Wen.
By now, Tai He had realized that this "Yin Shuo" seemed to lack a suitable magic treasure but possessed extraordinary physical defense and close-combat skills, far surpassing typical early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. He couldn't afford to engage in close-quarters combat.
Just then, Song Wen's spiritual voice echoed in Tai He's mind again.
"Tai He, can we talk now?"
"Do you truly intend to submit to my Nine Palaces Sect?" Tai He asked in doubt.
With Song Wen's strength, avoiding the territories of the major sects would give him enough capital to establish his own sect and dominate a region.
Why would such a powerful individual willingly become a pawn under the Nine Palaces Sect?
"Yes! But I have two conditions," Song Wen transmitted.
"What conditions? Let's hear them," Tai He asked.
"First, the Asura Sect and the Nine Palaces Sect must share resources. Second, the Dong Yuan Mountain Spirit Stone Mine must belong exclusively to the Asura Sect."
By resource-sharing, Song Wen primarily referred to the Asura Sect purchasing cultivation resources from the Nine Palaces Sect.
After all, the Asura Sect currently lacked any resources that could tempt the Nine Palaces Sect.
"I can agree to your conditions. But how can you earn my trust? Three months ago, when you seized Tian Cang Mountain, you met with that bald monk Xiao Chan. Don't tell me you didn't make him any promises, and that Mixed Yuan Temple just handed Tian Cang Mountain to you?" Tai He questioned.
"I fought Xiao Chan to a draw; neither of us prevailed. While he wanted to protect the Si family, one person's strength was ultimately limited. In the end, he was forced to trade the lives of the entire Si clan to hand Tian Cang Mountain over to me," Song Wen explained via transmission.
"Mixed Yuan Temple's monks put on airs of compassion but are vengeful to the core. Even if what you say is true, if that bald old Xiao Chan suffered a loss at your hands, he wouldn't let it go. Three months have passed, yet he hasn't led an attack on your Asura Sect. On the contrary, he sent emissaries to attend your sect's founding ceremony. If you claim you made no promises to Xiao Chan, I refuse to believe it," Tai He retorted.
"Lead an attack on the Asura Sect?" Song Wen sneered. "Why didn't you personally lead your forces here? Instead, you came alone. It's because Mixed Yuan Temple and your Nine Palaces Sect fear each other, wary of ambushes in the Yishi Ridge. Neither of you dares to commit your armies recklessly. That's why Mixed Yuan Temple hesitated as well."
"Yin Shuo, no matter how eloquent you are, I won't believe you'll truly submit to my Nine Palaces Sect unless you allow me to place the 'Soul Lock Curse' on you," Tai He said.
"If you won't trust me, then let's drop the matter. If the Nine Palaces Sect seeks to oppose the Asura Sect, we'll meet your challenge. At worst, I'll ally with Mixed Yuan Temple. I don't believe your Nine Palaces Sect can dominate the Yishi Ridge entirely," Song Wen declared.
Tai He's gaze flickered, and after pondering for a moment, he said, "Fine, I agree. However, it must be as you suggested earlier—I'll leave a spiritual mark in your soul."
He chose to compromise, understanding that he couldn't defeat Song Wen today.
Rather than forcing Song Wen into the arms of Mixed Yuan Temple, it was better to temporarily agree to his terms, observe the situation, and act accordingly.
If Song Wen genuinely submitted to the Nine Palaces Sect, that would be ideal. If he secretly colluded with Mixed Yuan Temple, they could then gather their forces and eradicate the Asura Sect.
Song Wen nodded in agreement. "No problem."
He then opened his sea of consciousness.
Seeing Song Wen's cooperation, Tai He hesitated no further. A spiritual mark immediately shot from him and entered the space between Song Wen's brows.
What Tai He didn't know was that although Song Wen's sea of consciousness appeared completely unguarded, it was actually fortified with a black-hole-like structure lying in wait.
As soon as the spiritual mark entered the consciousness, the black hole suppressed it entirely, preventing it from reaching the soul.
Tai He used his spiritual senses to probe and, upon confirming that the mark was in Song Wen's consciousness, nodded in satisfaction.
"Yin Shuo, I hope you remember your promise today. If you ever break your word, no matter where you flee, I, Tai He, will ensure your soul is destroyed."
With that, Tai He transformed into a streak of light and disappeared into the distance.
Watching Tai He vanish into the horizon, Song Wen's eyes glinted with cold light.
One day, he would settle the score with Tai He.
PS: The "Ji Yin Sect" has been renamed to the "Asura Sect," and Song Wen's alias within the sect has been changed to "Yin Shuo." Apologies for the earlier inconsistencies. Thank you for your understanding.
(End of the Chapter)
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