"I am Xu An! As for my background… that's something you don't need to know for now."
Sensing that Hai Bodong had dissipated his Dou Qi, seemingly giving up resisting for the moment, Lin Yuan's eyes sharpened. With a thought, he used his Pill Fire technique to summon the Green Spirit Flame. Then, with a shift of his hand seals, a burst of purplish-red energy emerged from his Natal Blood Pill, merging into the flames. The fire immediately condensed into a small, nimble dragon-shaped Fire Spirit.
"Fire Tribulation, Ancient Dragon Spirit Suppression Seal."
The dragon-shaped Fire Spirit easily entered Hai Bodong's unguarded body, forming a seal. As the seal took shape, Hai Bodong's aura rapidly dropped, finally falling to the level of a Dou Grandmaster.
'Looks like this sealing technique is basically complete. I'll have to study the seal techniques used by Queen Medusa later to see if there are ways to improve it.' Seeing Hai Bodong's weakened aura, a trace of satisfaction appeared in Lin Yuan's eyes.
The Ancient Dragon Spirit Suppression Seal was a unique sealing technique Lin Yuan developed by combining multiple sealing-type Dou Skills with his own knowledge. It could suppress another's Dou Qi cultivation, and the user could detonate the seal's energy to directly cause devastating internal damage to the sealed person.
With the deepening of his Hundred Beast Spirit Refinement Art training, Lin Yuan had gained more insight into beast bloodlines and developed additional methods to utilize his Blood Pill. By referencing certain human sealing-type Dou Skills, he finally managed to replicate a similar technique, akin to a beast-bloodline inheritance seal.
Once the seal was complete, Lin Yuan dissipated the Dou Qi in his left hand and withdrew it.
Feeling his Dou Qi weaken, Hai Bodong seemed to recall an unpleasant memory, his face turning pale. He also realized that he now had no chance of resisting. Summoning his strength, he asked in a hoarse voice, "What have you done? And what do you intend to do?"
"Done? Don't worry. I've only added a seal for you, Ice Emperor Hai Bodong," Lin Yuan said lightly with a smile.
Hearing the young man call out his name, Hai Bodong's heart sank, and he muttered inwardly, This isn't a coincidence. This person came for me. Looks like I'm doomed this time.
"As for what I intend to do, that's not the time to tell you yet. But I can say this: the Jia Ma Empire has already fallen into a whirlpool. Some massive forces are making their moves here, and the faction I represent is one of them. You have been chosen as my collaborator," Lin Yuan said, feigning mystery.
"Collaborator? Is this how you treat a collaborator? You take a collaborator's possessions and seal their power. Is this your idea of cooperation?" Hai Bodong sneered at the young man.
Lin Yuan paid no mind to Hai Bodong's mockery and answered honestly: "I took your item because I need it. I sealed your power to more easily control your actions. Now that I surpass you in strength, it is natural that my will takes precedence. If our positions were reversed, you would have done the same. After all, this is the fundamental law of the Dou Qi Continent—might makes right."
"Then should I thank you for sparing my life and giving me the chance to work for you?" Hai Bodong replied with a hint of irony. While he agreed with the principle of might makes right, he couldn't help but retort when facing it personally.
"No need to thank me. And it's not about working for me; it's cooperation—mutually beneficial. I hope we can establish this cooperative relationship, and your life is one of the assurances of our sincerity," Lin Yuan said in a gentle tone, though the underlying meaning was merciless.
"So if we fail to cooperate, I'll die, right?" Hai Bodong asked rhetorically, though he already had his answer.
Lin Yuan's previous words had conveyed a deeper meaning. Hai Bodong understood that, despite the calm tone and plain words, the young man's decisiveness and ruthlessness were unnerving.
"You may understand it that way. Additionally, I need you, Ice Emperor, to hand over the other part of the remaining map. You still have a portion of it, right?" Lin Yuan said, looking steadily at Hai Bodong.
Hai Bodong's eyes narrowed, then he let out a cold laugh. "You want the map? That depends on your sincerity. When I obtained this fragment in the desert after countless efforts, I divided it into two perfect pieces using my years of cartography experience. One piece is what you've already taken. The other… heh heh—"
"Forget it. I'll take it myself!" Lin Yuan interrupted Hai Bodong without hesitation.
"Freeze."
With Lin Yuan's light command, a peculiar fluctuation emitted from his Natal Blood Pill. Hai Bodong's seal seemed to sense this fluctuation; a purple current flowed, releasing a special pressure. Hai Bodong, already reduced to a Dou Grandmaster level, could not resist and was immediately suppressed, unable to move.
Calmly, Lin Yuan took Hai Bodong's Space Ring, then released him and placed the ring in front of Hai Bodong. Lin Yuan said lightly, "Take out the items. Believe me, even if you don't move, I can still retrieve what's inside. But if that happens, your losses will be significant."
As he spoke, Lin Yuan unleashed his powerful soul force, completely locking onto Hai Bodong. Hai Bodong felt it instantly, while Lin Yuan also condensed a formidable Dou Qi to serve as a deterrent, any sudden move from Hai Bodong would be met with immediate lethal force.
"This soul force… a High-Grade Alchemist," Hai Bodong muttered in resignation. Feeling the overwhelming power capable of breaking the soul imprint on his Space Ring, he let out a helpless sigh. His fingers brushed the Space Ring, and a small, extremely ancient piece of yellowed parchment flashed into his hand.
"Here. I admit defeat this time. But how did you know that this map was definitely in my Space Ring?" Feeling that Lin Yuan had completely locked onto him with lethal intent, Hai Bodong dared not make any extra movements and handed over the remaining map fragment.
Lin Yuan dispersed his soul force, confirmed that it was indeed the remaining fragment of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame map, and stored it in his Space Ring. Only then did his tense heart relax, and a trace of lightness entered his tone: "Because if it's me, I would do the same. For the strong, the only person truly worth trusting is oneself. Important things should naturally be kept close."
He paused, then added, "Besides, it was only a test. If it failed, there wouldn't have been any real loss, right?"
"Aren't you afraid I might go all out?" Hai Bodong asked, staring deeply at Lin Yuan, as if trying to see through the young man.
Lin Yuan smiled lightly. "Even if the fish dies, the net still won't catch it," he said calmly, full of absolute confidence. "Moreover, someone who trained to Dou Emperor in the remote northwest lands, and became the once-famous Ice Emperor, would so easily give up his life?" he retorted.
Hai Bodong's eyes narrowed, and he did not respond. In his mind, however, he was thinking furiously: Calling the northwest lands a remote backwater… this person must be from another region. Could it be the Central Continent? The so-called massive force he mentioned… could that be a major power from the Central Continent? And 'making a move'—what exactly is happening in the Jia Ma Empire?
Lin Yuan glanced at Hai Bodong, who was lost in his own thoughts. He guessed that Hai Bodong was likely imagining all sorts of possibilities—exactly the effect he wanted.
'Combine authority with grace. The intimidation has already done its job; now for the favor, and maybe feed his imagination a bit more. Let's make the first move. Hai Bodong is indeed a good leverage point to influence the Jia Ma Empire. In the future, he might come in handy when I deal with that troublesome Protector Wu,' Lin Yuan secretly calculated, firming his resolve.
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