At the headquarters of the Dao Saint of Salvation, a secret place deep underground, hidden by countless formations and prohibitions.
The Holy Master, still shrouded in his black cloak, sat on a throne made of black stone. His breathing was still a little ragged. Before him, eight figures were kneeling on one knee, silently awaiting his command. They were the eight strongest Holy Envoys, from First to Eighth.
The Holy Master's heart was still pounding after his return. He could not forget the feeling of facing Lac Long Quan in a rage.
It was the feeling of death.
He knew that if he had dared to make the slightest move, show the slightest killing intent, death would have come in a millisecond, impossible to defend against.
He could never have imagined that Lac Long Quan was so powerful. His strength had surpassed the scope of the Peak Nascent Soul Realm that he knew. The feeling at that moment was as if all his calculations, all the plans he had built for hundreds of years, had collapsed in an instant.
But...
Why did Lac Long Quan stop? His strength was clearly enough to sweep across all the forces of the Madakaros and the Dao Saint on Earth. Why did he let such a golden opportunity slip by?
The Holy Master was lost in thought, full of confusion.
"Zeros," he spoke, his emotionless voice echoing through the great hall.
Zeros stepped out from the shadows, bowing his head.
"Quickly open a new selection for the four Holy Envoy positions, from Ninth to Twelfth. This time, do not let any Golden Core cultivators participate. Only Nascent Soul Realm experts are qualified to sit in those positions."
"Understood, Father," Zeros replied succinctly, then slowly retreated back into the shadows, disappearing as if he had never been there.
The Holy Master watched Zeros's retreating figure, a cold smile forming behind his cloak.
"Hopefully, holding this Lam Minh will help me succeed in sacrificing humanity. And more importantly, he will be the card to restrain that Lac Long Quan. Hahaha..."
Meanwhile, at Blackwater Prison.
After completely digesting and transforming the dark qi, Lam Minh's mind had become clearer and more steadfast than ever before.
"Alright, I've dealt with the dark qi problem," Lam Minh said, looking at Thuy Tinh. "Now, tell me, how will you and I make a deal?"
Thuy Tinh laughed, a hearty laugh. "Before we talk about deals, you'd better explain to me why you know the Father King has silver hair. He has been gone from this world for thousands of years."
Lam Minh showed no sign of bewilderment at Thuy Tinh's question. He smiled gently, a pre-prepared answer in his mind.
"I once went to an ancient museum, where an ancient scroll found in a tomb from thousands of years ago was on display. It recorded the story of the Father King. In it, there was a painting of him. I don't know for sure if that was the real image of Lac Long Quan."
Thuy Tinh was momentarily stunned but remained skeptical. "That's absurd. How could someone, after thousands of years, still be able to preserve the Father King's image so accurately."
He paused for a few seconds, then laughed again. "But never mind, I believe you."
"Now," he said, his expression turning serious, "you and I will sign a soul covenant. Only then can I use my life essence to break the Blackwater Stone shackles that are sealing your power."
He spoke as if he were facing death without flinching.
Using his life essence to break the Blackwater Stone would severely affect his cultivation and even his lifespan. But he was willing to sacrifice it to save Lam Minh. A truly noble sacrifice.
"Troublesome," Lam Minh shook his head. "Signing the covenant is fine. As for your life essence, I don't need it."
Thuy Tinh glared at Lam Minh. "A newborn calf isn't afraid of a gun! If you don't need it, how do you plan to get out?"
"I have my own way," Lam Minh said, a look of absolute confidence in his eyes. "Your job is to stay put. And wait for me to come back and save you. It won't be long. Hahaha."
"Good! You've got guts! I'll be waiting for you. Hahaha," Thuy Tinh also laughed loudly, seeming very pleased with Lam Minh's confidence.
With that, from between Thuy Tinh's eyebrows, a soul seal the color of emerald green, carrying the aura of the sea, slowly flew out and approached Lam Minh.
"You just need to guide it into your sea of consciousness, then envelop it with your soul, and the covenant will be signed," Thuy Tinh instructed.
Lam Minh did not hesitate, following his words.
The moment the seal entered his sea of consciousness, he felt a deep, ancient connection form between himself and the man before him.
It was a wonderful feeling.
As if Lam Minh were a sovereign king, and Thuy Tinh, the god who ruled the seas, would be his most loyal subordinate, obeying his every command.
"Alright," Lam Minh said after completing the covenant. He looked around the dark cell, his voice filled with smugness. "Now I have to get out of this damn place. Otherwise, humanity outside might just explode."
"Fine. Let me see how you plan to escape," Thuy Tinh said, crossing his arms, his eyes filled with anticipation. He was very curious to see what kind of miracle the descendant of the Father King would create in a completely sealed state.
Lam Minh just sneered.
He closed his eyes. His spiritual power, the only thing not sealed by the Blackwater Stone, radiated from his sea of consciousness.
A small piece of metal, a fragment from an old food tray lying in the corner of the room, slowly vibrated, then flew into the air, hovering towards Lam Minh.
"What is this kid planning to do?" Thuy Tinh wondered to himself, frowning as he observed.
The metal shard flew in front of Lam Minh and stopped. He slowly opened his eyes, not looking at the shard, but straight at Thuy Tinh.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you something," he said, his voice full of teasing. "The Father King... he's back. You're locked up in here so you wouldn't know. Hahaha! Surprised, old man?"
After speaking, he didn't wait for Thuy Tinh to react to that earth-shattering news.
The metal shard, under the control of his will, flashed.
SWOOSH!
It sliced across Lam Minh's neck at a terrifying speed. An extremely deep cut, severing both his trachea and carotid artery, appeared on his neck.
Fresh blood, carrying golden dragon qi, spurted from the wound like a fountain, shooting two or three meters away.
It all happened in a millisecond, before Thuy Tinh's completely stunned, disbelieving eyes.
The system began its countdown.
10... 9... 8...
Lam Minh's eyes gradually lost focus, but a defiant smile remained on his lips, as if to say: "See? Simple."
... 3... 2... 1.
Lam Minh's body, along with the four Blackwater Stone chains, slowly vanished into the void, as if it had never existed.
All that remained was a curse filled with both fury and admiration, echoing throughout Blackwater Prison.
"THAT DAMN MOTHERFUCKING KID...!"
Lam Minh reappeared. The reason?
Ever since the confrontation with that Tenth fellow, Lam Minh had secretly placed a drop of his essence blood here.
This time, it was not the damp darkness of a prison, but a lush green grassland stretching to the horizon.
He fell back onto the soft grass, his eyes looking up at the clear blue sky, without a single cloud.
"It's good to be outside. The air is so fresh," he muttered to himself. Then he sighed. "This will be the last time I use this stupid suicidal method to solve a problem."
He knew he couldn't rely on it forever.
I should get back before uncle messes everything up because I got captured.
Lam Minh slowly stood up, dusting off his clothes. He closed his eyes, sensing his bloodline. He could feel a familiar, incredibly powerful aura somewhere very far away, but still on this planet.
He was about to fly off to find his uncle when suddenly, he sensed something.
He looked into the distance. Two figures, one large and one small, were moving across the grassland at an extremely fast speed.
"How strange," he frowned. "There's no energy fluctuation at all. But their speed is so fast. Very unusual."
Curious, Lam Minh decided to investigate. He shot up into the air, at an even faster speed, but without making a sound.
He didn't block their path but silently flew behind them, keeping a safe distance to observe.
It was a man and a woman.
Their style of dress was very wild, as if they had just stepped out of a Tarzan movie. They wore clothes made from animal hides, revealing toned muscles and healthy, tanned skin.
Both held spears, crudely crafted yet incredibly sharp.
Hmm! Are they hunting?
Lam Minh observed more closely. These humans didn't cultivate at all, yet their physical attributes were this good. Speed, endurance, flexibility... all far surpassed that of an ordinary person. Truly rare.
He felt incredibly intrigued.
Could it be that in some corner of the Earth, there still exist tribes of... jungle people?