Chapter 852: Conditions of Exchange

The grey-eyed man's tone softened considerably: "The reason I'm chasing you is indeed because the Great Dao I cultivate is related to the Light Dao Rule, so I yearn greatly for the Light Dao Rule."

Hearing these words, Ding Huan immediately confirmed one thing—this fellow had no idea that he was the one who had saved Qiao Qianhe.

Since he didn't know Qiao Qianhe was saved by him, he also didn't know that Ding Huan had comprehended the Law of Sinking.

Not only that, this fellow also hadn't recognized that the Light Dao Rule Ding Huan had taken out belonged only to himself, and was not the Light Dao Rule of the Light God Domain.

Ding Huan visibly let out a breath of relief, no longer seeming as worried as before.

"So that's how it is. This Light Dao Rule was obtained by me through great hardship.

Although it's not of much use to me, as a cultivator pursuing the Great Dao of Immortality, I also wish to use this Light Dao Rule to obtain some cultivation resources."

Ding Huan's tone carried a hint of anxiety and unease.

The grey-eyed man laughed heartily: "My name is Jiong. How should I address you, little friend?"

Ding Huan cupped his fists: "My name is Ding Huan."

"Little Friend Ding, what attribute is your spiritual root? And what Great Dao do you cultivate?" The grey-eyed man's tone grew even gentler.

On the surface, he should have understood that as long as he couldn't peel away Ding Huan's world, even if he killed Ding Huan, he wouldn't be able to get his things back.

A man of his sort would naturally not do something thankless and laborious.

Only he himself knew in his heart how much he longed to know Ding Huan's Great Dao.

Ding Huan answered cautiously: "What I cultivate is the Wood-attribute Great Dao, and my spiritual root is also a mutated Wood-attribute spiritual root."

As he spoke, Ding Huan raised his hand and waved out a wisp of divine Dao rhythm.

That Wood-attribute Dao rhythm aura, pure to the extreme, let Jiong immediately understand that Ding Huan was not lying.

A hint of disappointment flickered in his eyes.

If it weren't the Wood-attribute Great Dao, he absolutely couldn't have unleashed such exquisitely pure Wood-attribute divine Dao rhythm.

But why could the Wood-attribute Great Dao allow him to cultivate his world to such perfection?

Jiong pondered for quite a while, yet found no answer.

"Let me ask you a question—why are the rules of your Dao World so perfect?" Jiong still asked it out loud.

He very much wanted to know what kind of Great Dao it was that even he couldn't touch the spatial laws of its world.

A flash of vigilance crossed Ding Huan's eyes, and he did not answer.

Jiong knew this was only normal.

If he knew why Ding Huan's world was so perfect, would he still be so polite to Ding Huan?

He would have long since torn open Ding Huan's world.

"Hand over your Light Dao Rule to me, and then hand over to me the method by which your Dao World became so perfect, and I'll let you go."

Jiong's tone remained gentle, yet the way he spoke carried an air of unquestionable authority.

He believed that a Wood-attribute cultivation method could hardly have allowed Ding Huan's world to become so perfect.

This indicated that Ding Huan had also cultivated other cultivation methods.

Ding Huan sneered inwardly.

If the other party truly wanted to let him go, it would be impossible not to mention the Universe Cauldron.

Because the other party knew that once the Universe Cauldron was mentioned, he would not agree.

For him, once he lost the Universe Cauldron, he would be fish on a chopping block, at the mercy of others.

Whether they let him go or not, there was no difference.

If it weren't for the Universe Wall, he could have controlled the Universe Cauldron to keep fleeing, and Jiong wouldn't have been able to catch him.

Seeing Ding Huan silent, Jiong said slowly: "You should know that I can easily crush you to death at any moment."

"Then just go ahead and kill me. I, Ding Huan, have never begged for my life. Not to mention split souls in my world—even across billions of planes, my

countless soul imprints remain."

Not the slightest trace of fear could be detected in Ding Huan's tone.

Whether he was actually afraid or not, only he himself knew now.

Perhaps he, Ding Huan, was the only existence without a split soul, and without soul imprints in other planes.

If he were killed now, there would basically be no possibility of rebirth.

Jiong did not get angry. Having cultivated to his level, he absolutely would not get angry over mere words.

For him, anything beneficial to his Great Dao, he could pay a price to obtain.

"State your conditions." Jiong's tone was very flat, yet it somehow let Ding Huan sense that faint, barely perceptible killing intent.

"I have only one condition—after I prove my Dao and reach the Immortality Realm, I will hand the things over to you. But you must also promise not to try to kill me."

Ding Huan spoke almost one word at a time.

It could be seen that his condition had been carefully deliberated.

He made no excessive demands, yet it still showed that his life was not as unimportant to him as his words claimed.

Jiong was not surprised. Even if Ding Huan had billions of split souls,

he would not think of reincarnating or using split souls to be reborn.

Having cultivated to Ding Huan's level, he must have gone through

too many hardships along the way.

Countless years of effort—who could bear to give it all up just like that?

As the cosmic tribulation passed, in the vast universe not only did cultivation resources grow scarcer, but complete rule star continents also became fewer and fewer.

So even if Ding Huan were reborn through split souls or soul imprints, it would be very hard to reach his current height.

Of those Dao Ancestors and Heavenly Emperors who left the Greater Universe back then, how many still exist?

Are they dead?

Not necessarily.

Since you haven't died, why aren't you anywhere now?

Jiong knew perfectly well—it was because after using soul-split rebirth or reincarnation, they could never again reach their former heights.

Those once mighty powerhouses may now be struggling desperately in some shattered star realm.

"Fine, I agree with you. But you must accept one condition of mine."

Jiong seemed to consider for a moment before answering Ding Huan.

"What condition?" Ding Huan blurted out, eager and expectant.

"I must bind you with Dao threads." As Jiong spoke, his gaze settled on Ding Huan.

Fear flashed in Ding Huan's eyes, then vanished; he remained silent for a long while.

Nothing.

"Don't worry—I bind you with Dao threads only to take you to one place. That place can absolutely let you attain Eternal Life Realm." Ke's tone was also grave.

He threatened Ding Huan, yet needed Ding Huan's cooperation.

He couldn't let Ding Huan throw everything away and lose all hope of survival.

Ding Huan looked at Ke with skepticism.

Ke chuckled softly, his tone tinged with resignation: "Ding Huan, before the Great Calamity, your cultivation level and strength? Even if you offered me your soul imprint, I wouldn't bother taking it."

I have no grudge against you, so your life isn't something I must have.

The reason I want to take you to attain Eternal Life Realm is that I don't have enough time to wait for you to reach Creation Dao Realm.

After the Cosmic Calamity, the laws of heaven and earth are shattered everywhere. With your abilities, finding a place where you can attain Eternal Life Realm is difficult.

If I wait for you to reach Eternal Life Realm, I wouldn't know when—perhaps not in a thousand years."

"May I ask, Light Daoist, where is this place?" As Ding Huan spoke, a flicker of inner struggle appeared at the corner of his eyes.

Jiong said calmly: "That place is called the Great Universe."

Ding Huan frowned: "The Great Universe? I think I've heard of it before…"

"Who mentioned the Great Universe?" Ke looked at Ding Huan in surprise.

After a long pause, Ding Huan said:

"Hmm, it was someone named Zuo Qiong—he mentioned the Great Universe. Said it collapsed under the Calamity and no longer exists. Are you lying to me?"

Jiong pondered who Zuo Qiong might be, but after thinking long and hard, he drew a blank.

"The Great Universe was indeed the first to collapse after the Calamity. But its edge was where Chaos resided. During the Cosmic Calamity, the Great Universe collapsed—but Chaos did not."

And since the Great Universe itself evolved from Chaos, after the Calamity, those regions once filled with Chaos slowly re-evolved into new rule-bound starlands.

These new rule-bound starlands are saturated with extreme Chaos energy—the best place to attain Eternal Life Realm.

With your current Ninth Transformation Saint level, once you reach the Great Universe, attaining Eternal Life Saint won't take long."

Hearing Ke's words, Ding Huan's heart stirred—his former Dunyi Divine Realm had not collapsed, and its edge had also been Chaos.

Did that mean the Cosmic Calamity had little effect on places of Chaos?

Or was Chaos beyond the scope of the Calamity?

Seeing Ding Huan fall silent again, Jiong continued: "If you're willing, I'll bind you with Dao threads right now. If not, forget it."

Ding Huan knew exactly what "forget it" meant.

It wasn't an offer—it was outright annihilation.

In truth, whether he agreed or not, Jiong could easily bind him with Dao threads.

He spoke so gently only to prevent Ding Huan from falling into despair.

"Fine, let's agree on this—can you swear a Dao oath?" Ding Huan's voice lacked conviction.

Jiong's expression darkened, his tone turning cold: "I'm making this deal with you because of your Light Dao principle and your insights into the Dao world.

Do you think someone of my status would deceive a mere junior?"

Ding Huan hurriedly said: "Alright, please bind me with Dao threads, Light Daoist."

Jiong nodded, his expression softening: "We cultivators all walk the Saint's Dao. If we lack even this much trust, how can we speak of the Dao?

Nor would I fail to uphold such a simple promise."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and released wave after wave of Dao principles.

In mere moments, thousands of Dao threads had been woven over Ding Huan's body.

These threads pierced every meridian, purple mansion, and dantian within Ding Huan.

Moreover, they locked down all Dao rhythms surrounding Ding Huan's entire body.

Not to mention Ding Huan hadn't yet reached Eternal Life Realm.

Even an Eternal Life Creation Realm cultivator would be utterly powerless to resist or escape under these Dao threads.

"Good. From now on, we're partners. Come, step onto my flying artifact—I'll take you to the Great Universe to attain Eternal Life."

Jiong smiled faintly and summoned his flying shuttle.

He had never imagined a Ninth Transformation Saint could break free from his Dao threads.

Ding Huan hesitated not—he was now fish on a chopping block.

So once he stepped onto Jiong's flying artifact, he didn't extend even a single thread of his spiritual sense.

Though completely bound by Dao threads, he could still have extended part of his spiritual sense if he chose to.

"Ding Huan Daoist, as I understand, cultivators of Wood Dao principles usually have unstable worlds. Your world's stability must have nothing to do with Wood Dao techniques, right?"

Though Ding Huan clearly had no intention of answering, Jiong couldn't help probing indirectly.

"I cultivate the Opening Heaven Divine Wood Scripture." Ding Huan replied coolly.

"Opening Heaven technique?" Jiong stared at Ding Huan in astonishment.

Every opening-heaven cultivation technique is no simple matter; how did Ding Huan, a cultivator below the Eternal Life realm, obtain an opening-heaven technique?