Chapter 456: The Final Victor
It was only after waiting such a long time that the Black Dragon King had dared poke his head out, and someone had actually been waiting for him as calmly as if they were waiting for their tea to brew!
“Im–impossible!!”
The Black Dragon King’s face ashened from disbelief straight away. Even though his strength was that of a peak late-stage class six, his soul was still that of a class seven and had the instincts to go with it.
He didn’t even sense this man until he spoke!
That could only mean one thing….the person in hiding is stronger than the Black Dragon King at his strongest!
When the person spoke, his aura descended down onto the Black Dragon King, locking him into place while also confirming his greatest fears.
Slowly forcing his body to turn around, the Black Dragon King turned up to look at where the voice was coming from.
When he looked, the Black Dragon King’s eyes widened fractionally.
Up in the air above him stood not just one person, but two! One old man and one young man!
The younger male stood up in the air, his dark-purple robes billowing gracefully with the wind to accentuate his dignified bearing.
Standing behind him was a white-haired elderly man, but his cloak covered his face so it couldn’t be recognized.
The Black Dragon King’s eyes widened again; he knew who that old man was. Practically besides himself, he spoke up in sadness, “It’s….it’s you, Qin Bangjie….”
He and this man had met before!
The old man looked at him again, a voice speaking out from the black robes, “It’s been a very long time, Black Dragon King….”
“Indeed. Sixty years, has it? I never thought you’d be able to become a peak late-stage Soul King. A Soul Emperor is within your grasp now…..” The Black Dragon King spoke as though he was chatting with a friend.
“I remember my fight half a year ago had several men in black helping the Beast Taming School. They belonged to you, I presume? They were killed before they could use their true strength, and here you stand today, hiding your strength as well….
“Your cooperation with the Beast Taming School was within my expectations. Even if my true body died, I would still live on and wait….but never did I imagine that you’d know about my cloning ability. I had thought that there was no one in this world that knew my secret….”
His voice grew icy.
“But, do you really think that after I refused to form a soul contract with you sixty years ago, you can force me into agreeing to one now in my current state?!”
Qin Bangjie once sought him out sixty years ago in an attempt to form a soul contract with him, but the Black Dragon King refused.
Qin Bangjie didn’t press the issue and had even helped him kill a Soul King after him but the Black Dragon King remained hesitant. There was something Qin Bangjie was planning on, but he didn’t know what, so in the end, they remained only ‘acquaintances’.
“Black Dragon King, you misunderstand me.” Qin Bangjie spoke, “I came here today to accompany the young master, that’s all.”
“Young master?!”
His eyebrows flew up. Looking to the young man standing in front of Qin Bangjie, the Black Dragon King was gobsmacked. This young man had been standing there the entire time with only a smile on his face.
Returning the Black Dragon King’s look with a warm smile of his own, the young man spoke, “I’m sure you understand the situation you’re in today, Black Dragon King. Allow me to show you your two choices.”
The Black Dragon King narrowed his eyes, but he remained silent.
“One, you die here and be erased from this world completely and utterly.”
The young man smiled, his words chilling to the bones.
But before the Black Dragon King could speak up in anger, he continued on with his choices.
“Two, you form a soul contract with me.”
“….”
The Black Dragon King’s mouth snarled to give the young man a death glare, “You’ve guts, I’ll tell you that much. Do you really think you can twist my hand like this?!”
“I’m sure you’ve already made your choice.” The young man laughed.
“You are no longer the same Black Dragon King who once sowed destruction onto the world. Any passing Soul King could easily kill you as you are now. You need a patron, that is your best and most favorable option.”
He paused for a moment.
“Furthermore, you misunderstand me. I’m not forcing you to do anything. I am not like the Beast Taming School….
“Our soul contract will be half and half. Aside from forming a soul contract with me, you will remain the Black Dragon King and will experience no limitations. We will even help you to quickly restore your strength.”
“…..”
A look of impassivity crossed over onto the Black Dragon King’s face now. His mind was filled with concern: he was at the complete mercy of these two people in front of him, and there was no leeway to make in the choices given to him.
If he refused, he’d die here….
As a proud and mighty being of the Eight Soulbeast Rulers, the Black Dragon King desired to live. After dying once, he wasn’t keen on repeating the action.
“I’ve one condition.” The Black Dragon King spoke at last.
“Say it.”
“I want my Nephrite Throne back. With that, I’ll be able to regain my strength very quickly.”
The young man smiled, “We’ve already dispatched someone to go grab it. That beast tamer Xing Yuan won’t be able to find it….it won’t be long before they return, in fact.
“But since you given up on the Nephrite Throne, it belongs to me now. If you want to train with it, I’ll be happy to give it to you. I hope we’re both clear on this.”
The Black Dragon King’s mouth curled up to snarl, but he didn’t say a word.
Something about this man frightened him.
From what Qin Bangjie was saying, everything seemed to be going to the tune of this young man’s hand, from having him become a contracted soulbeast, his main body dying, and even using the Soul Refining School to do so….
……
Now with this compromise, the Black Dragon King hadn’t anything else to do but rise up into the skies to stand behind the young man silently.
As the three prepared to leave, Qin Bangjie suddenly drew in a sharp breath, looking to his west as he did.
Noticing his actions, the other two turned their heads as well. Just over a kilometer away, a streak of scarlet light was flying towards them, screeching as it did.
It was the palm-sized blood bat.
“A blood bat….” The Black Dragon King remarked, looking at Qin Bangjie. The blood bat was heading for him.
This must’ve been one of his soulbeast pets. Pet soulbeasts were not like contracted soulbeasts and could raised like a normal pet by people as long as their intelligence wasn’t too high. Many strong families and houses could arrange for soulbeast pets to raised without much trouble, though they were rarely shown to others. Soulbeast pets were extremely convenient to use as scouts or messengers, and perhaps fighting.
Qin Bangjie’s eyebrows were furrowed together when he noticed the blood bat coming for him, a strange look in his eyes.
There was another streak of red light coming for the blood bat!
“Bang!!”
When the blood bat finally ran out of strength, the red streak of light collided with the soulbeast, destroying it completely!
It had been the same blood bat Bai Yunfei fired at earlier, and that red streak of light had been the homing bullet fired off from his Flame Eagle!
The homing effect had no limits. As long as it had its target, the bullet would chase down its prey no matter where it went!
Qin Bangjie frowned. This was the soulbeast he sent out to oversee the mission to take back the Nephrite Throne. It heading back alone and then dying meant that something unexpected had happened.
The young man’s eyes were narrowed as well.
Suspicious, the Black Dragon King looked at the two, though on the inside, he didn’t say a word.
After a long moment of silence…..
“Let’s go.”
The young man finally broke the silence with those two words before leaving the two behind.
The Black Dragon King chose then to speak, “Ah, just who are you? Qin Bangjie said you were the ‘young master’, but can you be….”
Without even turning his head, the young man said.
“My name is Mo Ni.”