"You are very ambitious for someone at your cultivation stage," the Founder noted.
"I will take that as a yes," Lingtian said, taking a sip from his teacup.
Gu Tianying laughed, a rich, genuine sound that echoed across the underground lake.
"Old friend," he said, looking at Lu Yang. "You really brought me a monster this time."
"I promised you it would be worth your time," Lu Yang replied, and they both chuckled.
"Take this," Gu Tianying said, handing a folded parchment to Lingtian.
"What is this?" Lingtian asked, opening the map.
"This is the map of the entire wilderness. The red crosses represent every intelligence network we have established. You are holding more than fifteen decades of my life's work in your hands," Gu Tianying explained, standing to his feet.
"Old friend, thank you for sparing us your time," Lu Yang said as he and Lingtian bowed in appreciation.
"I owe you much more. You brought a grand trade to my doorstep; you deserve it," Gu Tianying replied, waving a hand over the waters.
Almost immediately, a circular platform emerged, parting the underground lake as it rose fully to the surface. It was identical to the one that had brought them in.
Lingtian grabbed his cloak from the wooden rack and threw it on, tossing Lu Yang's cloak over as well.
"We will take our leave now," Lu Yang stated. He and Lingtian flew to the circular platform, and in an instant, they were transported back to the hidden stone corridor within the noodle shop.
They quickly adjusted their cloaks and pulled their hoods low. They walked swiftly through the hidden alley, past the patrons still quietly slurping noodles, and nodded to the waiter who stood patiently by the door.
"Thank you for your patronage," the waiter bowed as Lingtian and the Patriarch stepped out into the waiting carriage.
Inside the carriage, neither of them spoke a word as they navigated through the bustling, vibrant city.
"Senior, did I do something wrong?" Lingtian finally broke the silence as the carriage stopped right at the exit of the massive city gates.
Lu Yang simply sighed in response.
"Senior, everyone at the table must hold their own trump cards, shouldn't they? I do not think I did anything wrong by withholding the true purpose of my meeting," Lingtian continued smoothly, reaching for a hidden pocket in the corner of his cloak.
The waiter, under Gu Tianying's command, had sneakily slipped a token into Lingtian's robes, the exact token required to access the Lunar Region's intelligence network. Lingtian had noticed the sleight of hand before the token even dropped, but he had simply chosen to play dumb.
"Can I visit my friends tomorrow?" Lingtian asked, casually flashing the authorization token at the Patriarch.
"You two have already started your collaboration," Lu Yang sighed, staring at the token before stepping out of the carriage. Lingtian followed suit, stepping down as they walked through the massive gates.
"You can see your friends today. Who knows what backup plan you have prepared if I refuse," the Patriarch muttered, launching himself into the night sky, leaving Lingtian behind.
Lingtian laughed dryly and shot into the sky, following closely.
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"Senior, this is the place the Patriarch asked to house him," a sect disciple reported. He had escorted Lingtian directly to the secluded courtyard.
Forming a quick hand seal, the disciple unlocked the heavy wooden double doors.
As the doors groaned open, Lingtian's beast let out a thunderous cry, rising to its feet as its massive head towered high into the air.
"Dao You, you finally came to visit," the incapacitated Dao Elder noted, taking a slow sip from a floating teacup.
"A lot has happened since I arrived. I did not have the time," Lingtian said, walking into the courtyard and gently patting the dragon beast's enormous, slender scales.
"Where are the others?" Lingtian asked, taking a seat at the opposite side of the stone table, facing the blind elder.
"Wang Ping and his junior returned to the sect," the dragon beast answered, lowering its massive head.
"I almost forgot they were disciples of that old monster," Lingtian chuckled.
"Old monster? Who are you referring to?" the Dao Elder asked, taking another sip.
"Lu Yang, of course," Lingtian replied casually.
"The Patriarch of the Eclipsed Sun Sect?" the Dao Elder choked softly, coughing up a mouthful of tea.
"I was discussing a business proposal with him. That is why I could not visit earlier," Lingtian smiled proudly, watching the Dao Elder cough even louder.
"You brat... you went from battling a Dao Realm practitioner at the Perfection Stage to rubbing shoulders with a Sovereign Immortal in just one month," the dragon beast rumbled, writhing its massive body in sheer disbelief.
"I just realized that I still have no idea what your name is," the incapacitated Dao Elder pointed out, raising his blindfolded head toward Lingtian.
"Mo Lingtian."
"Ah. Mo Lingtian... why exactly are you keeping me around?" the Dao Elder asked, a sudden, heavy tension spiking between them. The dragon beast instinctively shifted away to avoid interfering in their conversation.
Lingtian did not answer immediately. He simply took the floating cup in his hands and took a slow sip.
"I have no eyes, nor do I have hands. You are definitely not the type of person to keep someone of zero value by your side. I am practically useless to whatever grand plans you are making," the Dao Elder continued, tilting his head to emphasize his severed arms.
"I do not know your name either," Lingtian replied, completely ignoring the elder's deduction.
"My name is Ping 'An," the Dao Elder answered, shifting his head as he tried to gauge Lingtian's aura.
"Senior Ping 'An, have you thought of a way to reforge your severed arms and eyes?" Lingtian asked, staring at the indigo-dyed blindfold.
"The only way to reforge my body is to step onto the Immortal Pathway. But unfortunately, my core has been severely damaged. I can never cultivate again," Ping 'An sighed deeply.
"You already know this. Do you actually have a way to repair my core?" Ping 'An asked, his foot gripping the stone floor tightly as a sudden wave of desperate hope washed over him.
"Senior, I currently have two options that will allow you to cultivate again and step onto the Immortal Pathway. But neither of them is exactly easy," Lingtian replied, standing up.
"If I can find a way to cultivate again, there is no price I will not pay. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," the Dao Elder declared, raising his head sharply to track Lingtian's movement.
"The first option is this," Lingtian said. He snapped his fingers, igniting a dark-greyish flame of death energy in his right palm.
"With this, I can reforge your core and grant you a second chance at the peak," Lingtian stated before closing his fist, instantly extinguishing the flame.
"What is the downside?" Ping 'An asked, mentally preparing to accept whatever brutal condition was coming.
"There are two downsides to this option," Lingtian answered coldly. "The first is that you must endure the agony of the death energy's corroding engulfment over your core. You have seen it before, death energy can only reforge what it has already devoured."
"I have survived the engulfment of death energy once. I can bear it again," Ping 'An replied without hesitation. "What is the second?"
"The second downside is that your core will be entirely under my control," Lingtian stated emphatically, turning around to face the courtyard doors.
"What do you mean?" the Dao Elder asked, his eyebrows rising in suspicion.
"Whatever is reforged by my death energy is permanently marked with an imprint of my will," Lingtian explained simply.
"Does that mean my..." Ping 'An stuttered as the terrifying realization crashed into him.
"Yes. Your body already received an imprint of my will the moment I revived you. I intended to tell you and Wang Ping after we escaped the death zone, but there was simply no time," Lingtian sighed.