Chapter 531: Han Zhan Bows His Head, the Confidence to Roam the Demon Sea

The gray cauldron was filled with spiritual light.

Nine fire dragons, emitting an aura that seemed to devour everything, watched a space inside the cauldron covetously.

Not only that, Luo Chen, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, was like facing a great enemy, fully raising his magic power, his right hand covered in cyan flames, seemingly ready to strike a heaven-shaking blow at any moment.

Outside his sea of consciousness, a black chess piece emitted a hazy black halo, tightly wrapping around his sea of consciousness.

His eyes, fixed on the Primordial Cauldron, shone with spiritual light; flowers in the mirror, moon in the water, rising and falling, the light and shadow flickering uncertainly.

The wind had not yet risen, but his sleeves were already fluttering loudly.

Such a scene truly lived up to the "this kind of formation" mentioned by the old voice inside the cauldron!

One could imagine that once Luo Chen launched a sudden attack, it would be incredibly terrifying.

Especially!

The enemy he had pre-set—Han Zhan—was currently in the prison space of his natal magic treasure.

With Heaven's timing, geographical advantage, and human harmony all in Luo Chen's hands, even Han Zhan, who had previously been a Nascent Soul True Person, had to bow his head at this moment.

Hearing Han Zhan's bitter laugh, Luo Chen did not relax his vigilance.

Or rather, one must absolutely never relax one's vigilance when dealing with any Nascent Soul True Person.

He responded calmly: "It is not that Luo is making a mountain out of a molehill, but that it is a matter of necessity. Please forgive me, Senior Han."

There was a moment of silence in the cauldron.

Then came a helpless voice.

"I can understand."

Yes, the situation of the two of them now was completely different from when the opening war began.

But Luo Chen did not possess absolute suppression in terms of cultivation realm.

Under such circumstances, no matter how careful he was, it was justifiable.

If it were Han Zhan himself, he would likely have been the same.

Even, he had a few more words of praise for the other party's caution.

Han Zhan sighed, his tone seeming to become frank.

"I only have a wisp of remnant soul left now; even without mentioning that I am powerless, my ability is truly limited. That you did not kill me on the spot to eliminate future trouble after escaping alive shows your true character."

"So, how do you intend to deal with me now?"

How to deal with him?

This time, the one who fell silent was Luo Chen.

Luo Chen's feelings toward Han Zhan were very complicated.

This was a legendary figure who had often lingered in his ears since he traveled through time.

The most outstanding genius in the history of the Yuding Domain, whose cultivation speed was fast and whose combat power was exceptional, even surpassing Ren Ren Pingsheng, the number one Golden Core of the Sword Sect.

When he was only two hundred years old, he relied on his powerful strength to make Cheng Yan of the Luoyun Sect voluntarily abdicate and yield the position, thereby becoming a Supreme Elder of the sect!

After that, when he was over three hundred years old, he quietly condensed his Nascent Soul, achieving the great cause of a cultivator and stepping into the realm of a True Person.

He and he originally had no intersection.

Yet because of a moment of kindness, he saved his grandson Han Zheng, thus falling into the other party's eyes.

During that time, although they had never met, the other party had also shown him much goodwill because of this matter.

Whether it was the Battle of Burning Incense Valley that destroyed the Flame Alliance, or the fact that Qu Qu Xibai of the Luoyun Sect voluntarily opened the spiritual vein restriction of the Mount Tianlan Immortal City when he was forming his Golden Core, one could see the goodwill expressed by the other party.

After the opening war broke out, there had also been instances where the other party personally took action to save Luo Chen.

It was precisely because of such things that, even though they had dealings with each other and Luo Chen did not owe the other party anything, it left Luo Chen with a very good impression of Han Zhan.

Therefore, he had not taken advantage of the situation or kicked him while he was down when Han Zhan was on the verge of death.

But now?

If the other party were still a high and mighty Nascent Soul True Person, Luo Chen could still be at ease and communicate with the other party normally.

There was no other reason; he was used to it!

Luo Chen had been dealing with superiors all his life, and he was simply too familiar with it.

If the other party fell into the dust and Luo Chen rose, and their positions were swapped, there would be no big problem.

After all, Luo Chen's art of governing subordinates had also been exercised quite effectively over these years.

But now, it was just awkward.

Control him?

Luo Chen considered his own methods not weak at all among Golden Core cultivators; even if a late-stage Golden Core Great Cultivator took action personally, he had three parts of confidence to protect himself.

But in front of a Nascent Soul True Person, even if it was only a wisp of remnant soul, he did not dare to be complacent.

If he were backlashed, it would be a laughingstock.

Kill him?

Luo Chen could not get past this hurdle in his heart.

Let him go?

Luo Chen also felt it was a pity; he had lived in the Primordial Cauldron for almost four years without paying rent.

During these four years, he had thought more than once about how to deal with Han Zhan.

But no matter how many plans he had, they became pale and powerless after a Nascent Soul cultivator awakened.

The natural suppression of the cultivation realm made it impossible for Luo Chen to easily speak those plans.

An awkward silence permeated the cultivation room.

The old voice suddenly sounded.

"Luo Chen, you hesitated."

"Hehe."

"Looking at it this way, you indeed have a few parts of the gentleman's style in the rumors, not doing things like kicking someone while they are down."

Luo Chen raised his eyelids and said calmly: "Senior Han, why do you need to put a high hat on me? If I were a true gentleman, I would have let you out openly."

"Heh..." Han Zhan laughed lightly, "A gentleman is judged by his actions, not his heart; whether it is a fake gentleman or a true villain, what is always looked at is the final result. If the result is that I am alive and free, then no matter what you did in the process, if it spreads out, it will only be a story of you and me supporting each other and escaping from Mount Cangwu Mountain. Little friend, what do you think?"

The final result!

Luo Chen's gaze condensed, as if through the thick gray cauldron wall, seeing through the black wooden puppet in that space.

"Senior wants to live, and live freely?"

Han Zhan laughed at himself, "There is great terror between life and death, especially for me, who luckily survived under that wisp of Nirvana Holy Fire; I cherish my life even more, making you laugh."

Luo Chen felt the same way.

Having struggled under Mi Mi Shuhua, how could he not want to live freely?

For this, he had even secretly dug holes, ready to run away at any time.

But it was precisely because he understood, so he was even more cautious; a person who wants to live freely is very terrifying!

Seeing Luo Chen not speaking again.

Han Zhan seemed not to want to continue beating around the bush and went straight to the point.

"Let's talk about the conditions!"

"What exactly must be done to let me out of the cauldron."

The other party's choice to be naked and honest instead relieved the hesitation in Luo Chen's heart.

He looked solemn and said frankly: "What Luo is worried about, Fellow Daoist must know best."

"Afraid that I will secretly harm you?"

"Indeed, Senior's methods are mysterious and unpredictable, impossible to guard against. The Thunder Prison God Peng was deceived by you, and you thus faked death to survive. I also once believed you were powerless, but you exploded with powerful strength under the Nirvana Holy Fire. Although you look like you only have a wisp of remnant soul now, there is an ancient rumor that those who are extremely strong, even if they only leave a drop of blood, have the power to dye the blue sky with blood. Who knows if a wisp of soul can explode with the methods of a True Person?"

"You are very cautious; I can understand, but this time, you are indeed overthinking."

"Everything is calculated in advance; there is no such thing as overthinking."

"How about making a Great Dao oath? Luo Chen, you have established the Luo Tian Alliance before; you should have extra talisman contracts, or I also have a blood contract method; it only needs the essence blood of the two of us to take effect."

"Not enough, the binding force is far from enough."

"Then what do you want?"

"I want a Great Dao oath!" Luo Chen said decisively.

Han Zhan seemed to have expected this, and he asked back: "Will you make an equal Great Dao oath?"

Luo Chen denied, "I won't make one, but your oath must include content such as never taking action against me for the rest of your life, or killing with a borrowed knife."

"For the rest of my life..." Han Zhan muttered, and finally laughed bitterly: "Too long, you know very well that for cultivators of our generation, the higher the cultivation realm, the closer to the Great Dao. The Great Dao oaths made are more likely to take effect. These words 'for the rest of my life' are a shackle; I am afraid that if I make this oath, I will never be able to advance for the rest of my life."

Speaking of this, he paused, and then sighed:

"Luo Chen, don't look at me calling myself 'old man' one after another; if you really count, I am only over four hundred years old now, which is considered young and promising among Nascent Soul cultivators. I also have thoughts about that Soul Transformation realm!"

Han Zhan formed his Nascent Soul at three hundred, and over a hundred years had passed since the internal war of Yuding and the opening war, so he was over four hundred now.

Indeed very young!

Luo Chen instead captured another piece of information from the other party's words.

"Senior Han only has a wisp of remnant soul left now, yet you still have thoughts about the Soul Transformation realm; could it be that you have a method to reshape your body and return your soul, and re-cultivate the Great Dao?"

Han Zhan was stunned; he did not expect Luo Chen's sense of smell to be so keen.

However, since he was the fish and the other was the knife, there was nothing to hide.

"Others might not be able to, but I, who am proficient in the way of puppets, have corresponding methods."

Speaking of this, he suddenly realized something.

"Neither killing me nor letting me go; looking at it this way, you, Luo Chen, also have designs on me!"

"Let me think about what I have that you can keep in mind."

Before Luo Chen could refute.

He said to himself: "My storage belt was long taken away by the demon cultivators of Mount Cangwu Mountain; it can be said that I have nothing."

"This Yin Extreme Puppet is quite extraordinary, but it was burned to ashes under the Nirvana Holy Fire, not worth mentioning."

"Thinking about it this way, what you are thinking of is nothing more than the things in my brain."

"Cultivation methods, secret techniques, puppet-making techniques, prescriptions, formation maps... or, this method of mine to reshape the body and return the soul, and re-cultivate the Great Dao?"

"Luo Chen, do you think my judgment is correct?"

Luo Chen blinked; having his thoughts guessed, he did not feel embarrassed or angry.

The matter of negotiating conditions was just exposing each other's bottom line step by step.

He said loudly: "Senior's four hundred years of knowledge, isn't it a more precious wealth than those things you mentioned?"

Han Zhan laughed freely, "Since that's the case, why don't you and I each take a step back."

"How to take a step back?"

"I can make a Great Dao oath, but the time limit will be controlled within a certain period, for example, when you condense your Nascent Soul and advance to become a generation of True Persons. At that time, you must have a certain ability to protect yourself and will naturally not fear me. And what I can repay you is to assist you in forming your Nascent Soul as much as possible without violating my own principles. Of course, in this process, you have to help me collect corresponding materials so that I can continue to extend my Great Dao in the future."

After hearing these words, Luo Chen fell into a long period of thought.

It had to be said that this was the most ideal state!

He had walked this life, although he had the support of good friends and the help of his Dao companions, he lacked the guidance of a so-called "wise teacher."

If Han Zhan was willing to assist him sincerely, it would inevitably be of huge help.

And the things he had to pay would not be too many.

Great Dao oaths had average binding force for normal low-tier cultivators, but they were very strong for high-tier cultivators.

Especially, Han Zhan was currently in a state that could be called a child without clothes to cover himself; once he violated the promise, under the backlash of the oath, he would die on the spot.

Suddenly, Luo Chen spoke decisively.

"Deal!"

After these two words were spoken, the condensed air seemed to loosen.

However, it only seemed so.

After a long while, a laugh and curse came from the cauldron.

"Good boy, actually cautious to this extent."

Luo Chen curled his lips, "Please, Senior, make the oath first; the junior will let you out immediately."

"Fine!"

"Cultivator Han Zhan, hereby makes an oath to assist Fellow Daoist Luo Chen wholeheartedly... This oath is sworn by the Great Dao! If there is any violation, may I be struck by five thunders, suffer the backlash of heart demons, sink into the infinite, and fall into reincarnation forever!"

Every word and every sentence was as if making a contract with someone.

Luo Chen listened carefully, ensuring there were no excessive loopholes in the word games.

Gradually... after the four words "Great Dao as proof" were uttered, a connection that seemed to exist or not was established between Luo Chen and Han Zhan.

For Luo Chen, it was like a breeze brushing his face, as if he hadn't noticed.

For Han Zhan, it was like golden locks intersecting and wooden shackles hanging on his neck.

Up to this point, the oath was completed.

Luo Chen let out a long sigh of relief.

The spiritual light in his eyes dissipated, and the cyan flames in his hands were withdrawn.

He opened his mouth and inhaled; the nine fire dragons escaped into his mouth.

Finally, he raised his large sleeve, and the cauldron hummed; a streak of black light flew out.

Before he could even say a polite word, the black light swayed and fell to the ground.

*Crack, crack... *

Luo Chen looked closely; the black wood that made up the puppet was already like charred coal, broken into pieces, with only a slightly transparent, illusory little person looking at Luo Chen with a bitter smile.

"Little friend, now I have to trouble you to find a place for me to stay."

Luo Chen was dumbfounded.

So that was the reason why the other party had been recuperating in the cauldron for four years and finally had to awaken!

Looking at the other party's state, Luo Chen's heart suddenly stirred.

He reached out and summoned, and a long banner fell into his hand.

"Senior, please enter this banner!"

Seeing this banner, Han Zhan was both shocked and angry.

"We just negotiated the conditions, and now you want to refine me into a demon head of a soul banner; Luo Chen, you are going too far!"

No wonder he was so angry.

There was a difference between souls entering a demon banner.

The difference lay in living souls and dead souls!

Those who died unjustly had resentment condensed; after death, they did not dissipate, and their divine souls remained in the world, which were dead souls. Such existences, if refined, were proper demonic treasures, unpredictable and ever-changing in battle, and extremely practical.

But living souls were those who, after a cultivator had achieved success in their cultivation realm, could retain their consciousness even if their body was destroyed, and could even borrow a body to re-cultivate.

Such an existence, if it entered a demon banner gathered with dead energy, ghost energy, resentment, and yin energy, even if it was a living soul, after a long time, it would become a dead soul and would never be able to return to the path of normal cultivation.

Han Zhan's current state was clearly a living soul who had achieved success in his cultivation realm but unfortunately had his physique destroyed.

Regarding his anger, Luo Chen laughed.

"Senior, do not be angry; I have a method, you can listen to it in detail."

Under Han Zhan's half-believing and half-doubting state, Luo Chen recited a cultivation method he had obtained in his early years to Han Zhan, word for word.

*Ghost God Secret Record*

Although it was a ghost cultivation method, it possessed both living soul and dead soul paths.

Not only that, it also contained the understanding of using formations to cultivate and refine yin souls in the Ghost God Valley.

The reason why Bai Bai Meiling was able to advance to a second-tier Ghost General in just a few years back then was because she cultivated the *Ghost God Secret Record* and was assisted by a Soul-Nurturing Banner.

Luo Chen did not have a Soul-Nurturing Banner, but he had a Soul-Refining Banner!

With Han Zhan's ability in the way of refining spirits, combined with a slight modification of the *Ghost God Secret Record*, wouldn't this banner be an excellent place to stay?

Nurturing, using, and refining were originally one body!

After hearing Luo Chen's retelling, Han Zhan revealed a look of hesitation.

"It does have some feasibility, but I have to wait for me to study it."

As he spoke, he leaped and drilled into the long banner.

Seeing this, Luo Chen's mouth couldn't stop curling up.

This Ten Thousand Soul Banner now welcomed a Nascent Soul-stage remnant soul; if the low-tier souls were fully replenished, it would not only be able to repeat the power of the Ten Thousand Soul Banner but could even rival the legendary Hundred Thousand Fierce Soul Banner.

Most importantly!

It didn't require Luo Chen to be distracted to control it at all.

In this way, in battle, Luo Chen was equivalent to having an extra powerful helper out of thin air.

With Han Zhan's ability, even if he couldn't exert the Nascent Soul power of his peak, he was definitely above ordinary Golden Core cultivators.

"With this, I finally have a little bit of confidence to roam the Demon Sea!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 532 =====