An ominous force occupied the sky.
An eerie unease instilled fear.
"Who are you!"
A loud shout rang out, and Zhang Feng appeared, his aged face filled with horror. An unprecedented sense of crisis filled his heart, as if he had already stepped into the Death Domain. He unleashed all his potential, mobilizing his mental force, in an attempt to fight against this foreign invader.
The ocean at sunset churned with towering waves.
The seawater, transformed from mental force, surged towards the sky, as if to cleanse the world.
This deathly stillness...
Evil Soul Master?!
Has Mirror Hongchen sided with the Evil Soul Master?
Or is this His Majesty's will?
"So noisy!"
An undeniable, authoritative voice rang out, and an unfamiliar, ancient character fell.
In an instant.
Zhang Feng was stunned.
The next moment.
A massive crack appeared in the sky, which was filled with an eerie gray aura, and more erosion poured in from it. A large gray hand reached out, like the Grim Reaper from hell, and the scythe that judged the fate of living beings fell.
He grabbed Zhang Feng with a large hand.
The gray forces have completely taken over this sea of spirits.
Everything seemed to happen in the blink of an eye; the outcome was already decided.
Strange characters were drawn out.
That was a master-servant contract.
...
outside world.
A beam of gray light shot into An Zhen's brow.
A contract appeared before An Zhen's soul. After glancing at its contents, the young man smiled and signed his soul imprint on it. The next second, a message was sent to his mind. An Zhen looked at the old man in front of him, his dark eyes calmly gazing at him, as if a giant were looking down at a chess piece in his hand.
"…" Zhang Feng slowly opened his eyes.
Mirror Hongchen nervously gripped the level nine spirit tool that was already prepared and charged.
Zhang Feng looked at An Zhen.
As he sensed the information coming through his mind, a bitter smile suddenly appeared on his face.
Zhang Feng's bitter voice rang out, "Should I address you as master?"
Mirror Hongchen: It's done?!
Smile Meng and her siblings:? What happened? Why did Old Zhang suddenly say that?
An Zhen smiled and shook his head gently, "Although it is a master-servant contract, I do not treat Elder Zhang as a slave, but hope that Elder Zhang can lend me a hand."
Master-servant contract.
The "master" controls the "servant".
Everything about the attendants was under the master's control.
It has a stricter level of control than the Soul Spirit Contract.
An Zhen can even clearly sense the other person's thoughts whenever he wants.
This is also why Zhang Feng's attitude changed so quickly.
It's not because he, as a Ninth-Level Soul Engineer, lacks dignity and pride.
Having been reduced to a puppet, unable to even control her own life and death, what's the point of any further struggle? It would only bring her more humiliation. Even if she were to die for Empire, whether she could die or not would depend on the other party's mood.
Moreover, he also has a family.
"Let's skip the 'master' title," An Zhen said with a smile. "I think 'Your Highness' is fine."
"Your Highness?" Zhang Feng was taken aback. This title wasn't used casually.
Could it be...?
"Now, although the Empire is prosperous and its people are strong," An Zhen stepped forward and looked to the side, where a picture of the Sun Moon Empire unfolded before him, "the emperor is incompetent and neglects state affairs, while the princes are vying for power, damaging the foundation of the Empire."
Zhang Feng was startled.
This person seems to have very grand schemes.
However, having enslaved this Ninth-Level Soul Engineer, it wouldn't be surprising if he rebelled; the ability to subdue this Ninth-Level Soul Engineer so directly is simply unheard of.
"If that's the case, then so be it." An Zhen raised his hand, and several names appeared on the scroll beside him.
Zhongli Wu, Phoenix Ling...
Zhang Feng glanced at it, then looked at An Zhen.
He recalled the deathly stillness he had just sensed in the sea of consciousness.
The terrifying mental force that rendered him powerless to resist was one of the reasons why he changed his attitude so quickly.
"Elder Zhang, as a veteran of the Sun Moon Empire, you should know how the current emperor successfully rebelled against the previous emperor," An Zhen said.
"To collaborate with Holy Spirit Church," Zhang Feng said.
He is well over a hundred years old.
Not to mention a decade or two ago, even decades ago, he was already a Ninth-Level Soul Engineer, a high-ranking member of the Sun Moon Empire. Although he didn't know everything about what happened that time, he still had a general idea of some of the details.
"Partnering with the Holy Spirit Church would undoubtedly put the entire Empire in a very dangerous situation."
The young man's voice rose a few decibels, filled with youthful arrogance and ambition. "And I, the King, will lead the Ninth-Level Soul Engineers of Empire to purge the evil spirits from the court, cleansing away all those demons and monsters! I will lead Empire to a whole new level!"
"Such achievements, saving the empire from collapse, it wouldn't be too much to ask the new emperor to bestow upon him the title of Regent."
Zhang Feng:...
Ninth-Level Soul Engineer "We"?
A new emperor?
Regent?
He's not the only Ninth-Level Soul Engineer they want to enslave.
His Highness's "appetite" was even greater than he had imagined.
Rebellion is rebellion, yet you make it sound so grand.
"Hmm?" An Zhen looked at Zhang Feng.
"Ahem, what I meant was, Your Highness is wise." Zhang Feng quickly corrected himself, managing a forced smile on his wrinkled face.
How sad.
He doesn't have many years left to live to be an old man.
They'll be pulled onto this entrepreneurial ship to pull off another big success.
It's still in this form of "enslavement".
"Old Zhang, a true man knows when to yield and when to stand firm." Mirror Hongchen smiled excitedly, indicating that things were progressing very smoothly.
"Hehe." Zhang Feng looked at Mirror Hongchen with a resentful gaze.
This is a scam!
I came here out of kindness to help you, and this is how you treat me?
Then, as if he had thought of something, Zhang Feng's eyes suddenly held a hint of a smile when he looked at Mirror Hongchen.
Tsk, thankfully, I still have you, Mirror Hongchen, to be my colleague.
Zhang Feng had absolutely no idea that this "Your Highness" was Mirror Hongchen's grandson. There was no fluctuation of spirit power, and the mental force was terrifying enough to crush him; the other party's strength was definitely far superior to his own. Without a doubt, Mirror Hongchen couldn't possibly have such a grandson, and the other party was in the same situation as him.
An Zhen sensed Zhang Feng's inner thoughts.
The other party didn't realize that the person who attacked him and the person standing in front of him were actually two different people, but An Zhen didn't intend to explain it. He let him guess, as long as it wasn't anything negative.
"Alright, the master-servant contract is now in effect." An Zhen looked calmly at Zhang Feng. "You should know that your future destiny is now in my hands."
The black-haired boy raised his palm, and a dazzling, life- like light swirled around his fingertips. His primal desire drew the attention of everyone in the room.
"Give."
With a flick of his fingertip, the pure and rich power of life shot into Zhang Feng's body.
Like the warm winter sun, or a clear spring in the desert, Zhang Feng felt as if his body had been infused with vitality, experiencing an unprecedented sense of comfort.
"Your mental force is still good, but this physical body is old. This power can keep your body active for nearly two more years." An Zhen's calm tone stirred up a huge wave in Zhang Feng's heart. Ninth-Level Soul Engineers are high-ranking members of the Sun Moon Empire and have access to many rare and precious materials. However, the most top-tier treasures are beyond human reach and are rare opportunities that cannot be sought after.
A little bit of Life Power is nothing compared to Gold of Life, but for Zhang Feng it is a priceless treasure that can prolong his life.
"Follow me and work hard, and I will certainly not treat you unfairly." An Zhen looked at Zhang Feng, whose face was full of joy, and said slowly and calmly, " What the Sun Moon Royal Family can give, you can get even more of, and you and your family will benefit from it."
The old man glanced at An Zhen with a complicated expression in his eyes.
Zhang Feng bowed slightly and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."
This time, the tone was much more respectful than before.
A big stick and a sweet date.
Threats plus benefits.
Even knowing this, he couldn't control himself, because this "benefit" was what Zhang Feng truly wanted. Moreover, there was the "master-servant contract" driving him, and the path of retreat was already blocked. These words were meant to make him more self-aware.
As a seasoned veteran, Zhang Feng quickly adjusted his mindset.
There was nothing we could do; the car doors had been welded shut, so we couldn't get out.
Moreover, the benefits are real. And with this person's abilities, it might actually work.
I still have some questions in my mind.
Is Your Highness from Holy Spirit Church?
That deathly, despair-inducing power left a deep impression on Zhang Feng.
"No, you'll find out the more specific details later." An Zhen's voice suddenly rang out, startling Zhang Feng so much that he quickly controlled his mind and stopped thinking nonsense. Making assumptions about superiors is a big taboo, especially since the other party is the kind of person who can hear your thoughts.
An Zhen looked at Mirror Hongchen.
Mirror Hongchen took out a stack of paper documents and handed them to An Zhen, "This is Empire..." General information about Ninth-Level Soul Engineers.
After taking down Zhang Feng, there's no rush to move on to the next one. After all, according to normal procedure, Zhang Feng and Mirror Hongchen should be researching Spirit Tool right now.
Meanwhile, Electrolux offered a response: "Someone like him, even if he has suicidal thoughts, can be subdued before he can act on them. But if he's stronger, to be on the safe side and prevent him from committing suicide, you should lure him into a trap."
An Zhen: Oh, I see.
The situation is much better than expected.
Although Zhang Feng is old, his strength is not among the weakest Ninth-Level Soul Engineers; he ranks in the lower middle. Moreover, in terms of mental force alone, most Ninth-Level Soul Engineers are not that different. Their ranking is due to their research on spirit tools and spirit power.
An Zhen is flipping through the documents.
The first step went smoothly, and with some experience gained, the rest was much easier.
Smile Meng and her brother had already recovered from their shock. But Zhang Feng's sudden bowing and submission still gave them a sense of unreality; the sudden turn of events was truly too shocking.
Upon seeing An Zhen open the documents, a look of struggle flashed in Zhang Feng's eyes. He took a step forward and said, "Your Highness, I have a fairly good relationship with several Ninth-Level Soul Engineers and am willing to contribute to Your Highness's great cause."
As he had experienced before, Zhang Feng didn't think his old friends could hold out. Since that was the case, he might as well take the initiative to speak up, both to make some contributions and perhaps to secure a "good future" for his old friends.
Lifespan is a great temptation.