Chapter 1535 - Negotiations Falling Through
It felt like as long as Ren Qingyuan willed it, he could destroy the souls of any of them present in an instant.
This was the tremendous power harnessed within the Pavilion Master Seal!
Other than the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn, the Pavilion Master Seal could be said to be the number one treasure of the Master Teacher Pavilion. While the deputy pavilion masters could only wield a tenth of its true prowess, it was more than enough to solidify the Master Teacher Pavilion’s standing on the continent, making all of the major powers deferential to its authority.
Granting the deputy pavilion master might that was unmatched beneath Ancient Sage, even experts of Yang shi’s caliber would not dare clash head on with him!
“Your student might be powerful, but with the Pavilion Master Seal in hand, I will be able to crush her soul directly, and not even her Innate Poison Body will be able to stop me!” Ren Qingyuan said as he allowed the Pavilion Master Seal to float freely in front of him.
The carrot and the stick. Since he had already shown them a possible way out of the dilemma that they were in, he should also let them know that the prowess of the Master Teacher Pavilion did not just stop at words so that they knew the decision that they had to make.
Wei Ruyan glanced at the seal before turning to her teacher. However, before she could speak, Zhang Xuan had already shaken his head and interjected. “You won’t be a match against it.”
The Pavilion Master Seal floating in front of Ren Qingyuan was many times stronger than his Sanctum Head Token. If Ren Qingyuan really tapped into its power, they would indeed stand no chance at all.
“Since that’s the case, may I ask how imprinting my soul on it will affect me?” Zhang Xuan asked.
“Don’t worry, the effects will only be beneficial to you. Firstly, it ensures that you’ll never be able to turn your back on the Master Teacher Pavilion, so no one will be able to doubt your loyalty to mankind. Secondly, if you are in any danger, you’ll be able to communicate with the Master Teacher Pavilion through your soul imprint on the Pavilion Master Seal, and we’ll be able to bring reinforcements to you in the fastest time possible!” Ren Qingyuan replied.
“It ensures that I’ll never be able to turn my back on the Master Teacher Pavilion? In other words, I will be signing a soul contract and putting my soul under your control, won’t I?” Zhang Xuan asked.
Based on what he had heard, it was similar to the contract between a beast tamer and their tamed beast. If he imprinted his soul on it, that would be as good as placing his life in the hands of the Master Teacher Pavilion.
“The only reason I am asking you to imprint your soul on it is just to avoid the possibility of you ever committing treacherous acts against mankind. You can rest assured that I won’t force you to do anything at all!” Ren Qingyuan replied.
The reason he was asking Zhang Xuan to put his soul imprint on the Pavilion Master Seal was in case the worst-case scenario ever happened. It was not to make things difficult for Zhang Xuan.
This procedure was just to forge an inseverable link between the other party and the Master Teacher Pavilion so that they would not have to worry about him anymore. This would be a win-win situation for both sides. The Master Teacher Pavilion would gain a powerful, reliable ally, and the other party would have the full backing of the Master Teacher Pavilion.
“My apologies, but even if you won’t use the soul contract against me, I’m unwilling to entrust my life to you!” Zhang Xuan shook his head.
As long as his soul imprint remained on the Pavilion Master Seal, even if Ren Qingyuan said that he would not force him to do anything, there was no guarantee that his promise would last. Should Ren Qingyuan ever decide to go against his word, he would be forced to do whatever Ren Qingyuan commanded him to do, as if a human tamed beast. How could he possibly agree to such derogatory treatment?
Their grounds were simply not equal. It would be an irreversible decision, and it could very well haunt him for life.
For one, what if Ren Qingyuan ordered him to cripple Wei Ruyan and destroy the Poison Hall right after he imprinted his soul on the Pavilion Master Seal? In the eyes of the world, that would simply be the duty of a master teacher, and very few would criticize Ren Qingyuan for making such a call!
In such a case, Ren Qingyuan would have nothing to lose whereas he had everything to lose.
“Are you turning down my offer?” Ren Qingyuan’s face darkened. “Do you understand the consequences of your decision?”
No matter what, he could not allow someone who wielded as much influence as Zhang Xuan to remain uncontrolled. In his view, it was only a matter of time before he became a threat to the world.
“I do.” Zhang Xuan nodded before turning to the young lady before him with an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. It seems like I have implicated you this time around…”
If he refused to submit, the Master Teacher Pavilion would surely choose to eliminate him. Considering that Wei Ruyan was there to save him, the stance that he had chosen would be equivalent to placing Wei Ruyan on the opposing side of the Master Teacher Pavilion as well.
“Teacher, please don’t say that you have implicated me. You are the one who gave me a new life, so there’s no need for such words between us,” Wei Ruyan replied with a tender smile.
Following which, she stood up and gazed coldly at Ren Qingyuan and the other 9-star master teachers before continuing. “However, if they really want to make a move against us, they should first prepare themselves to lose half of their personnel!”
With a flick of her wrist, countless people materialized in front of her.
They were all dressed in master teacher robes, and one thing that the crowd immediately noticed was that their faces were all pitch-black. Despite having lost consciousness, they were still writhing on the ground in agony.
It would not take a genius to figure out that they had all been poisoned.
“They are… our master teachers?”
“She actually poisoned so many of our master teachers?”
Shocked gasps echoed from here and there.
Ren Qingyuan’s complexion also turned extremely ugly.
He recognized some of those master teachers lying on the ground. They were the top experts of the Master Teacher Pavilions within a sixty thousand li radius of the Glacier Plain Court, and many of them were 8-star master teachers. In their respective Master Teacher Pavilions, they were powerful figures who could determine the fates of countless people with just their words, but against the head of the Poison Hall, they stood no chance at all.
It was inevitable that they would be captured by her.
“What do you want?” Ren Qingyuan spat coldly with narrowed eyes.
“Nothing in particular. If you wish to make a move on me and my teacher, be my guest. However, I can promise you that if we die here today, the poison masters of the Poison Hall will immediately leap into action, and at least half of all master teachers across the Master Teacher Continent will lose their lives in the time to come!” Wei Ruyan replied haughtily as she placed her hands behind her back in emulation of her teacher’s usual posture.
A few months ago, she had still been a young lady reliant on her teacher, but at this very moment, she was already a true leader who could stand her ground on the Master Teacher Continent. Even the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters no longer wielded the power to kill her at will.
“Outrageous! This is completely outrageous!”
“How dare you threaten us? It seems like the Master Teacher Pavilion has really erred by not destroying you miscreants sooner!”
Upon hearing those words, the 9-star master teacher in the air trembled from sheer rage.
As the number one occupation on the Master Teacher Continent, they were used to being treated with the utmost respect and honor. No one had ever spoken to them like that.
Glaring coldly at Wei Ruyan, Ren Qingyuan said, “Every single one of our master teachers has already resolved themself to lay down their life for mankind when they became a master teacher. It’s futile to threaten me with their lives!
“Your poison masters are indeed a difficult bunch to deal with, but know that your poisons aren’t omnipotent! As long as we devote our effort to it, the Master Teacher Pavilion will be able to find a way to nullify all of the poisons that you have.
“Back then, the treacherous soul oracles were a powerful force as well, but the Master Teacher Pavilion still managed to destroy them at their very roots. It’s only in view of the fact that the poison masters’ unique insight into medicinal herbs could aid the advancement of mankind that we have tolerated you all so far. I advise you not to end the Poison Hall’s long legacy due to your own selfishness!”
Seeing how Ren Qingyuan was devoid of fear, Wei Ruyan burst into laughter. “You said that your master teachers are willing to lay down their lives for mankind? Wonderful! I have always wanted to see how deep their resolve is. Let’s see which of us is the first to cave in then!”
With a wave of her hands, the poisonous air that shrouded her immediately diffused into the surroundings.
The closest 9-star master teacher to her failed to escape in time, and his face immediately turned pitch-black as he collapsed to the ground and vomited non-stop.
“Ah?”
Seeing how fearsome the poisonous air was, Zhang Wuheng, You Ruoxin, and the others hurriedly fled in fear.
The prowess of the Innate Poison Body was really as fearsome as its reputation made it out to be!
“Since you are courting death, I’ll fulfill your wish!” Ren Qingyuan uttered coldly.
The poisonous air that Wei Ruyan was diffusing could very well reduce the entire Empire Alliance into a state of living hell. Unable to watch such atrocities being committed right before his eyes, Ren Qingyuan reached out and tapped the Pavilion Master Seal ahead of him.
Weng!
The Pavilion Master Seal buzzed softly in response, and following which, a dizzyingly immense force burst forth from it, intending to obliterate Wei Ruyan’s Primordial Spirit straight!
Hong long long!
Wei Ruyan’s eyebrows shot up as she quickly gathered all of her zhenqi to defend against that attack.
Hong long!
Just as Wei Ruyan was about to reach her limits, a wintry voice echoed in the air.
“You speak of soul oracles in contempt, and yet, you use the very soul arts that you frown upon to deal with my teacher and my junior. Just how far can the hypocrisy of the Master Teacher Pavilion go?”
A massive soul abruptly appeared right in the sky, looming over the crowd. With a slight wave of his finger, the Pavilion Master Seal flew right into the hands of the soul. The seal struggled intensely to escape, but it was unable to break free from the grasp of the massive soul.