Chapter 381 - 379: Signing a Contract

In the grand hall, the magnificent, brilliant radiance of the Red Lotus Sword blossomed, filling the entire field of vision.

The entire grand hall was plunged into scorching heat, and the Spiritual Essence Spring Water in the pool evaporated completely.

After the strike.

A crack stretched from Luo Tian’s feet all the way to the end of the grand hall, where the Mermaid Lady lay.

A scorched, bloody gash ran across her body from her shoulder to her abdomen, blood spattering from the wound.

"COUGH, COUGH... You actually have a Profound Artifact!"

The Mermaid Lady coughed up trickles of blood, her face deathly pale. She appeared extremely weak.

Had this been her Peak Era, she would not have feared Luo Tian’s strike.

But she was merely a wisp of a Residual Soul. She had already consumed much of her power defeating that faint blue phantom, leaving her in a weakened state.

Now, Luo Tian’s strike had piled injury upon injury, making her condition even more severe.

"You just lied to me!"

Luo Tian’s face was dark with fury as he held the Red Lotus Sword.

Just moments ago, the Mermaid Lady had feigned compromise, only to launch a sneak attack that gravely injured Ning Xueyao.

If Luo Tian hadn’t possessed this trump card, it all would have been over.

"I... so what if I lied to you? The Sea Blue Holy Pearl was my property to begin with, yet you took it by force!"

The Mermaid Lady’s expression was proud and her tone unyielding, but a flicker of panic flashed through her eyes.

"Still defiant!"

Luo Tian snapped.

If it weren’t for him, the Mermaid Lady might still be a corpse, or she might have remained in an eternal slumber.

The Mermaid Lady showed no gratitude. Instead, she repaid kindness with malice!

SWOOSH!

A Leather Whip Hook appeared in Luo Tian’s hand. Its surface glowed with faint black patterns as it instantly extended for dozens of meters, snaking toward the Mermaid Lady like a phantom.

"What is this?"

The Mermaid Lady was startled, recognizing the item was extraordinary.

She had no time to dodge and released a layer of crystalline Cold Mist from her body. However, such a physical defense had little effect on the Leather Whip Hook.

The hook merely slowed slightly before piercing through the crystalline Cold Mist. It latched onto the Mermaid Lady’s neck and instantly yanked her in front of Luo Tian!

The beautiful and noble mermaid’s nude body was now barely half a foot from Luo Tian. Her full, snow-white breasts were practically pressed against his chest.

A stunning face, a noble and elegant aura, an exquisite, nude body... Any other man would have found it hard to resist the passion flaring within him.

But at this moment, Luo Tian was in no mood to appreciate any of it.

"You were planning another sneak attack, weren’t you!"

Luo Tian asked coldly.

His Spiritual Sense had detected the Mermaid Lady secretly gathering her power, as if preparing for another sneak attack.

That was why Luo Tian had decisively used this Exotic Treasure to restrain the Mermaid Lady.

"Ngh... Bastard, let go of me!"

The Mermaid Lady’s qi and blood froze. It felt as if her thoughts and consciousness had been sealed; she could barely move, let alone speak.

’She’d never imagined Luo Tian would see through her plan.’

’And this treasure was far from ordinary.’

’How does this kid have so many trump cards?’

"You still look defiant."

Luo Tian’s eyes were icy. He slowly pierced the Mermaid Lady’s flawless body with the Red Lotus Sword.

A searing Flame Power began to burn inside her.

"Ah..."

The intense pain made the Mermaid Lady’s entire body shudder as a weak, agonized cry escaped her.

In fact, if the Mermaid Lady had succeeded in gathering her power for that sneak attack, she might have turned the tables.

Luo Tian appeared to possess an ultimate weapon like the Red Lotus Sword, but the cost was immense. That single strike had consumed fifty to sixty percent of his True Qi.

He could force a second strike, but its power would be diminished, and a third would be impossible to execute.

The Mermaid Lady had noticed this very point, which was why she had prepared to attack.

Unfortunately for her, Luo Tian had seen right through it.

Now, the Mermaid Lady was restrained by the Leather Whip Hook, leaving her with no combat strength.

Luo Tian didn’t even need to activate the Red Lotus Sword. The blade’s inherent sharpness and power were enough to wound the Mermaid Lady.

’Damn it... I’ll never forgive you...’

The Mermaid Lady’s cold, sinister eyes were filled with malevolence as she glared at Luo Tian, cursing him in her heart.

’To be tortured like this by a mere human brat from the Spirit Sea Realm, despite her status and background...’ The Mermaid Lady felt an unprecedented sense of humiliation.

"I don’t like the look in your eyes,"

Luo Tian said flatly.

He began to slowly withdraw the Red Lotus Sword from the Mermaid Lady’s body. The process was agonizingly slow, and her face contorted in pain.

Then, Luo Tian chose a new spot and plunged the Red Lotus Sword in again.

Luo Tian was doing this to gradually worsen the Mermaid Lady’s injuries. The weaker she became, the safer he would be.

Beyond that, he needed to intimidate the Mermaid Lady.

"Now tell me, will you submit, or do you want to die on this sword!"

Luo Tian’s expression was glacial, his tone unhurried.

"I..."

The Mermaid Lady was drenched in a cold sweat.

If not for her robust constitution, those two strikes would have already claimed her life. The intense physical torment caused the hatred and rage in her heart to swell to monstrous proportions. How could she be willing to submit?

However, the torment and her worsening injuries were also causing her spiritual consciousness to grow steadily weaker.

"If you refuse to submit, you can just shake your head. With the third strike, I will pierce your heart!"

Luo Tian said coolly, slowly withdrawing the Red Lotus Sword and aiming it at the Mermaid Lady’s heart.

An overwhelming sense of deathly peril washed over the Mermaid Lady.

She had no doubt that Luo Tian would follow through with the strike.

Her vow to never submit, even in death, now wavered, replaced by a powerful will to live.

Just as the Red Lotus Sword began to press forward,

the Mermaid Lady managed a pained nod, a look of submission in her eyes.

THUMP!

Luo Tian withdrew the Leather Whip Hook and the Red Lotus Sword, and the Mermaid Lady’s body slumped to the ground like a puddle of mud.

HUFF... HUFF...

She gasped for breath, anger and resentment flaring in her eyes before quickly dissipating.

Luo Tian went to Xueyao’s side and lifted her veil.

The familiar face from his memories appeared once more.

Luo Tian’s heart trembled. He sighed in confusion, "Xueyao, why did you have to hide your identity..."

’He imagined that if he hadn’t faced a life-or-death crisis, Ning Xueyao might never have revealed her identity.’

Ning Xueyao was unconscious and did not answer.

Luo Tian checked Ning Xueyao’s injuries and found nothing serious. Her mind had simply suffered a powerful shock, causing her to faint. She would wake up soon.

"Who exactly are you? And how did you die?"

Luo Tian asked casually, turning to the Mermaid Lady as she tended to her wounds.

"I... don’t know."

The Mermaid Lady’s brow furrowed slightly as she shook her head.

She had been dormant for too long, and now, as just a wisp of a Residual Soul, she had lost too many memories. Her mind was almost a chaotic blank.

"Give me the Sea Blue Holy Pearl, and I can answer your question," the Mermaid Lady said, her eyes full of longing.

"Never mind. I’m not that curious anyway."

Luo Tian turned his head to look at Ning Xueyao.

The Mermaid Lady’s face fell, and she looked annoyed.

Her Soul was currently in an extremely weak state.

She had been gravely wounded during the fierce battle with the faint blue phantom, and Luo Tian’s subsequent strike had inflicted massive damage on top of that.

If Luo Tian were to strike her again at this moment, her soul might scatter, and she would perish completely.

"Actually, the Martial Venerable’s residual will wasn’t destroyed. It was just dispersed. It can still reform!"

the Mermaid Lady added.

Luo Tian was slightly startled; he truly hadn’t known that.

"If I recover enough of my power, I can destroy the Martial Venerable’s residual will and take control of this place. You could gain even more benefits through me!"

the Mermaid Lady said seriously.

Luo Tian was instantly lost in thought.

’This place was filled with treasures. If the Martial Venerable’s residual will was in control, he would only be able to choose two treasures according to the rules.’

’But if the Mermaid Lady could control this place, then things would be negotiable, and he could obtain far more benefits.’

’Although he had already obtained the Martial Venerable’s heritage, it was of the Water Dao System and didn’t align with his own Martial Arts.’

"How would you take control of this place?"

Luo Tian wasn’t easily convinced.

Even without the Martial Venerable’s residual will, this Crystal Palace wasn’t something an ordinary person could control.

Luo Tian had asked the Celestial Book, and the answer he received was that it was impossible for him to control this place at his current stage. It might be possible if he spent a few decades, or if he broke through to the Celestial Pool Realm.

"The residual soul consciousness that tried to possess my body earlier was related to Venerable Biqing. I didn’t completely destroy it; in fact, I absorbed and fused with a portion of it..."

The Mermaid Lady paused, then confessed, "As long as I obtain the Residual Soul within the Sea Blue Holy Pearl, I can completely absorb and fuse with it, thereby gaining control of this Heritage Treasure Hall."

Luo Tian rubbed his chin, pondering.

「A moment later.」

He made his decision. "I agree to your proposal, but I can only give you forty percent of the Residual Soul within the Sea Blue Holy Pearl."

This was Luo Tian’s bottom line.

The Sea Blue Holy Pearl was the Mermaid Lady’s lifeline. He had to maintain control over it; it was his means of keeping her in check.

After all, once the Mermaid Lady’s Soul grew stronger and her power was restored, the threat she posed would increase. Luo Tian had to be on his guard.

"Furthermore, we will sign a contract to prevent you from violating our agreement after you grow stronger!" Luo Tian added.

The Mermaid Lady nodded in agreement.

’As long as I can gain control of this place and recover to my peak strength, anything is negotiable. When that time comes, I’ll make Luo Tian regret this!’

"Celestial Book, I need a contract that can bind others."

The Celestial Book consumed some of its power and presented several different types of contracts.

"Oh? There’s even a Master-Servant Contract..."

Luo Tian’s gaze lingered on one of the contracts. After pondering for a few moments, he had the Celestial Book perform an Inference on it.

After that, Luo Tian cut his finger, drawing forth his blood, and sketched a complex, bizarre, blood-red pattern in the air.

"Offer a drop of your Essence Blood."

Luo Tian said to the Mermaid Lady.

The Mermaid Lady’s brow furrowed. She hesitated, sensing that something was wrong with the contract Luo Tian had drawn.

But with over ninety percent of her memory gone, she was unable to discern the problem. Desperate for the other part of her Residual Soul, she did as requested and brought forth a drop of her Essence Blood.

Instantly, the bizarre, blood-red pattern distorted in mid-air, gradually turning transparent before merging into both Luo Tian and the Mermaid Lady.

Luo Tian and the Mermaid Lady both felt a strange connection form between them.

’Whew. The Master-Servant Contract is complete!’

Luo Tian sighed in relief, a wave of elation washing over him.

’With this contract signed, the Mermaid Lady was now his handmaiden, his servant. She had to obey his commands.’

’With this, the threat the Mermaid Lady posed to him was reduced to practically zero.’

’And he had also gained a peerlessly beautiful mermaid maid of unfathomable power!’

’Once this woman takes control of this place, if I have a chance to return in the future, the treasures here won’t be hers... they’ll be mine...’

At this thought, Luo Tian instantly felt like he had hit the jackpot.