Chapter 531

The gray cauldron was filled with spiritual light.

Nine fire dragons, exuding an aura that devoured 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 an earth-shattering blow at any time.

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

His eyes, staring fixedly at the Hunyuan Cauldron, shone with spiritual light; flowers in a 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 rustling.

Such a scene truly lived up to the "such a formation" mentioned by the old voice in the cauldron!

One could imagine how terrifying it would be if Luo Chen were to suddenly attack.

Especially!

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

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

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

Or rather, dealing with any Nascent Soul True Person, one must absolutely not relax their vigilance.

He responded calmly: "It is not that Luo is making a mountain out of a molehill, but that it is truly a last resort; please forgive me, Senior Han."

There was a moment of silence in the cauldron.

Then came a helpless voice.

"This old man can understand."

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

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

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

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

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

Han Zhan sighed, his tone seemingly becoming frank.

"This old man now only has a wisp of remnant soul left; even without mentioning the inability to truss a chicken, my ability is truly limited. Little friend, after escaping, you didn't kill me on the spot to eliminate future trouble; that already shows your true character."

"Then, how do you intend to deal with this old man now?"

How to deal with him?

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

Regarding Han Zhan, Luo Chen's mood was very complicated.

This was a legendary figure who had often lingered in his ears since he crossed over.

The most outstanding genius in the history of the Yuding Domain, whose cultivation speed was fast and whose combat power was outstanding, even surpassing Ren Pingsheng, the number one Jin Dan 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 being promoted to the Supreme Elder of a sect!

After that, at the age of three hundred, he quietly condensed his Nascent Soul, achieving that great cause of a cultivator and stepping into the realm of a True Person.

He and he originally had no intersection.

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

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

Whether it was the Battle of Burning Incense Valley that destroyed the Flame Alliance, or the fact that Qu Xiyuan of the Luoyun Sect voluntarily opened the spiritual vein restriction of Tianlan Immortal City when he was forming his core, the kindness shown by the other party could be seen.

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 there was give and take, Luo Chen asked himself that he didn't owe the other party anything, but it also left him with a very good impression of Han Zhan.

Therefore, he would not take advantage of Han Zhan's dying state to kick him while he was down.

But now?

If the other party were still a high and mighty Nascent Soul True Person, Luo Chen could still be like a fish in water and communicate with the other party normally.

No other reason, he was used to it!

In this life, Luo Chen was too familiar with dealing with superiors.

If the other party fell into the dust and Luo Chen rose, and the two situations were reversed, there would be no big problem.

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

But now, it was just awkward.

Control him?

Luo Chen considered himself absolutely not weak among the Jin Dan stage; even if a late-stage Jin Dan cultivator took action personally, he had three-tenths of confidence in self-preservation.

But in front of a Nascent Soul True Person, even if it was just a wisp of remnant soul, he didn't dare to be complacent.

If he were backlashed, it would be a laughingstock.

Kill him?

Luo Chen couldn't get past this hurdle in his heart.

Let him go?

Luo Chen also felt it was a pity; he had lived in the Hunyuan Cauldron for almost four years, and he hadn't even paid 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, after a Nascent Soul cultivator awakened, they became pale and powerless.

The natural suppression in realm made those plans of Luo Chen unable to be easily spoken.

An unspeakable silence permeated the cultivation room.

The old voice suddenly sounded.

"Luo Chen, you hesitated."

"Hehe."

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

Luo Chen raised his eyelids and said calmly: "Why does Senior Han need to put me on a pedestal? If I were a true gentleman, I would have let you out openly long ago."

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

The final result!

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

"Senior wants to live, and live freely?"

Han Zhan laughed at himself, "There is great terror between life and death, especially since I survived by luck under that wisp of Nirvana Holy Fire, I cherish my life even more, which makes you laugh."

Luo Chen felt deeply the same.

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

For this, he even secretly dug a hole, ready to run away at any time.

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

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 conditions!"

"What exactly does it take to let this old man out of the cauldron."

The other party's choice to meet nakedly instead saved Luo Chen from the hesitation in his heart.

His expression became solemn, and he said frankly: "What Luo is worried about, fellow Daoist must know best."

"Afraid that this old man will secretly harm you?"

"Yes, Senior's methods are mysterious and unpredictable, impossible to guard against. The Thunder Prison God Peng was deceived by you, and you thereby faked death to survive. I also once believed that you had no ability to truss a chicken, but you exploded with powerful strength under the Nirvana Holy Fire. Although it seems now that you only have a wisp of remnant soul, there is an ancient rumor that those who are strong, even if only a drop of blood remains, have the power to dye the blue sky with blood. A wisp of soul, who knows if it can explode with True Person means?"

"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 contract? Luo Chen, you established the Luotian Alliance before, you should have extra talisman contracts, or I also have a blood contract method, just need the essence blood of the two of us, and it can 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 anticipated it, 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 borrowing a knife to kill someone."

"For the rest of my life..." Han Zhan muttered, and finally laughed bitterly: "Too long, you know very well, the higher the realm of our generation of cultivators, the closer to the Great Dao. The Great Dao oath made is more likely to take effect. These two words 'rest of my life' are a shackle; I'm afraid if I make this oath, I won't be able to advance for a lifetime."

Speaking of this, he paused, and then sighed:

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

Han Zhan formed his core at three hundred, the internal war of Yuding and the opening war added up to a hundred years, now he is four hundred.

Indeed very young!

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

"Senior Han only has a wisp of remnant soul left now, yet he is still thinking about the Soul Transformation realm; could it be that there is a method of plastic body and returning soul, and re-cultivating the Great Dao?"

Han Zhan was stunned for a moment; he didn't expect Luo Chen's sense of smell to be so keen.

But since he was the fish and the other party 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, Luo Chen, you also have designs on me!"

"Let me think, what does this old man have that you can miss."

Before Luo Chen could refute.

He said to himself: "This old man's storage belt was taken by the demon cultivators of Cangwu Mountain long ago, so I can say I have nothing."

"This Yin-Extreme puppet is quite extraordinary, but it was also 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 those things in this old man's brain."

"Techniques, secret arts, puppet-making techniques, prescriptions, formation maps... or, this method of plastic body and returning soul, and re-cultivating the Great Dao?"

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

Luo Chen blinked, but he didn't feel embarrassed or angry when his thoughts were guessed.

Talking about conditions is exposing each other's bottom line step by step.

He said loudly: "Senior's four hundred years of knowledge, how could it not be 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 is controlled within a certain period, for example, when you condense the Nascent Soul and are promoted to a generation of True Person. At that time, you must have a certain ability to protect yourself, and you will naturally not fear me. And what I can repay you is to assist you in Core Formation 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 the Great Dao in the future."

After listening to these words, Luo Chen fell into long thinking.

It has to be said that this is the most ideal state!

He has walked through this life, although he has the support of good friends and the help of Dao companions, he lacks the guidance of a so-called "bright teacher."

If Han Zhan is willing to assist him sincerely, there will inevitably be huge help.

And the things he pays are not too many.

The Great Dao oath has average binding force for normal low-grade cultivators, but it is very strong for high-grade cultivators.

Especially, Han Zhan's current state can be called a child without clothes to cover his body; once he violates the promise, under the backlash of the oath, he will die on the spot.

Suddenly, Luo Chen spoke firmly.

"Deal!"

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

However, it only seemed so.

After a while, a laugh and scolding came from the cauldron.

"Good boy, actually cautious to this extent."

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

"Okay!"

"Cultivator Han Zhan, hereby makes an oath to assist fellow Daoist Luo Chen wholeheartedly... This oath, the Great Dao is the proof! If there is any violation, five thunders will strike the top, heart demons will backlash, sink into the abyss, and fall into reincarnation forever!"

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

Luo Chen listened carefully to ensure there were no excessive word game loopholes in it.

Gradually... after the four words "Great Dao is the proof" were spoken, a vague connection was established between Luo Chen and Han Zhan.

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

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

Thus, the oath was made.

Luo Chen let out a long sigh of relief.

The spiritual light in his eyes dissipated, and the cyan flame in his hand was withdrawn.

Opening his mouth to inhale, the nine fire dragons escaped into his mouth.

Finally, he waved his large sleeve, and the cauldron hummed, and a black light flew out.

Before he could say a polite word, the black light swayed and planted itself on the ground.

Crack, crack...

Luo Chen looked closely, the black wood that made up the puppet doll was already like charred charcoal, falling apart, only a slightly transparent illusory doll looked 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.

After all this, this was the reason why the other party had been recuperating in the cauldron for four years and finally had to wake up!

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

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

"Senior, please enter this banner!"

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

"The conditions were just negotiated, and now you want to refine me into a soul banner demon head; Luo Chen, you are too much!"

No wonder he was so angry.

There is a difference between entering a magic banner as a soul.

The difference lies in living soul and dead soul!

Those who die unjustly, resentment condenses, and after death, they do not dissipate, the divine soul remains in the world, which is a dead soul. Such existence, if refined, is a proper magic treasure, making people impossible to guard against during battle, and it is ever-changing and extremely practical.

But a living soul, after a cultivator has achieved a realm, even if the body is destroyed, can still retain consciousness, and even borrow a body to re-cultivate.

Such existence, if it enters a magic banner gathered with dead energy, ghost energy, resentment, and Yin energy, even if it is a living soul, after a long time, it becomes a dead soul and can never return to the normal path of cultivation.

Han Zhan's current state was clearly a living soul that had achieved a realm but unfortunately had its physique destroyed.

Regarding his anger, Luo Chen smiled.

"Senior, don't be angry, this humble person has a method, you can listen to it in detail."

Under Han Zhan's half-believing and half-doubting state, Luo Chen told Han Zhan word by word a technique he had obtained in his early years.

"Ghost God Secret Record"

Although it is a method for ghost cultivators, it has both living soul and dead soul paths.

Not only that, it also includes the understanding of the Ghost God Valley using formations to raise and refine Yin souls.

The reason why Bai Meiling was able to be promoted to a second-tier ghost general in just a few years back then was because she practiced the "Ghost God Secret Record" and was assisted by a soul-raising banner.

Luo Chen didn't have a soul-raising banner, but he had a soul-refining banner!

Combining Han Zhan's ability in the way of refining gods with the "Ghost God Secret Record" and slightly modifying it, wouldn't this banner be an excellent place to live?

Raising, using, and refining are all in one body!

After listening to Luo Chen's retelling, Han Zhan showed hesitation.

"There is indeed some feasibility, but this old man has to study it."

As he spoke, he jumped and drilled into that long banner.

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

This soul-refining banner now welcomed a Nascent Soul-stage remnant soul; if the low-grade souls were fully replenished, it could not only repeat the power of the soul-refining banner but even compete with the legendary hundred-thousand fierce soul banner.

Most importantly!

It didn't need 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 prime, he was absolutely above ordinary Jin Dan cultivators.

"Only in this way did I finally have a little bit of confidence to roam the Demon Sea!"

(End of chapter)