"Most likely, he kept it for himself. How could he possibly let me know where it was?" Ao Tian finished, staring fixedly at Chen Chu. "Kid, do you think it was a good thing that he chose you as his successor? He merely saw your potential and wanted to refine you into a puppet that knew only slaughter. Once you inherited his godhood, your future might not be any better than mine!"
Chen Chu did not respond. Instead, he slowly walked up to Ao Tian and said calmly, "I don't care what grievances you have with Lord Asura. Right now, you have only two choices. Either submit to me, and in return, I will help you remove the restriction. In the future, you may even have a chance to leave behind a bloodline inheritance for your Deep Sea Merman Clan. Or remain trapped here until the Three Baleful Energies completely devour your Divine Soul and turn you into dust within this tower."
Ao Tian's pupils contracted sharply. He remained silent for a long while before asking, "Can you really remove Asura God's restriction?" He had been trapped for a thousand years, and the Three Baleful Energies had long eroded the foundation of his Divine Beast body. If this continued, his Divine Soul would completely collapse within ten years.
He was not afraid of death. After all, death had once been his greatest wish. But now, he had hope of living on, and could even leave behind descendants for his race. The temptation was simply too great. As the strongest of his clan, someone who had nearly ascended to the God Realm, he placed immense importance on the continuation of his bloodline.
Yet he also knew just how formidable Asura God's restriction was. Did this human Soul Emperor of barely over sixty ranks truly possess such ability?
"You do not have much time to consider." Chen Chu took out the Asura Bead and pressed it against the clasp of the chain around Ao Tian's neck. The bead instantly fused into the clasp, and dark-red runes spread along the iron chain.
He circulated his Soul Power. The aura of Divine Slaughter's Domain intertwined with the Asura Bead's power and slowly seeped into the restriction. "I'll count to three. If you refuse, I'll withdraw my power."
"I submit!" Ao Tian gritted his teeth and spoke before Chen Chu could finish counting.
He could feel the Asura Bead's power loosening the restriction. This was his only chance in a hundred years. "But if you break your word, even if my Divine Soul is destroyed, I'll drag you down with me!"
The corner of Chen Chu's lips lifted as he suddenly activated his Soul Power. "Don't worry. I never make empty promises." With a crisp crack, the soul-suppressing iron lock shattered, and the restriction on Ao Tian completely vanished.
He abruptly stretched his body. His massive form, nearly three zhang tall, erupted with a formidable aura, no weaker than that Sword Douluo from before!
After roaring in exhilaration several times, the freed Ao Tian expelled every last trace of Blood Fiend Energy remaining in his body.
"Ao Tian greets Young Master!" After venting his emotions, Ao Tian finally walked before Chen Chu and cupped his hands in salute.
Seeing that the fellow was so obedient and had not turned against him, Chen Chu was quite satisfied. "Senior Ao Tian, please rise. This junior's cultivation is shallow; I cannot accept such a grand salute from you!"
Chen Chu extended both hands in a gesture of support. Though he said that, he was not nearly so trusting of Ao Tian in his heart.
"Senior Ao Tian, although you have already sworn an oath, the necessary rules cannot be neglected." With that, he drew out a wisp of restrictive power from the Asura Bead and held it before Ao Tian.
He had no mind-reading ability, so he naturally could not guess what this fellow was truly thinking. Moreover, since he was using Asura God's former enemy as his enforcer, he had to give Asura God an explanation. This wisp of restrictive power originating from the Asura Bead was the best safeguard and the best answer.
Ao Tian looked at the wisp of detestable yet familiar Divine Power floating before him, feeling miserable. But he also knew that he could never obtain complete freedom. The price of escaping this prison and being able to reproduce was to protect the successor of a god and squeeze out the last bit of his worth.
He did not hesitate. He grabbed that wisp of restrictive Divine Power and swallowed it. A tiny red bead then quietly hid itself within his Soul Core.
Only when Chen Chu saw that he did not resist did he finally relax. He continued deeper into the tower. "Ao Tian, you have remained in this tower for countless years. Do you know of any opportunities within it?"
"Opportunities? I haven't seen many opportunities. There's only me in this tower, along with an inexhaustible supply of Three Baleful Energies."
Ao Tian scratched his head, thought for a moment, and then answered.
"Oh, right. There's also that soul beast over there. It was an extremely high-level soul beast as well. It was killed by Asura God and used to suppress this tower."
Hearing Ao Tian say this, Chen Chu finally became somewhat interested. "Oh? If even Senior calls it an extremely high-level soul beast, then this junior would like to see it for himself."
He immediately walked toward the corpse on the ground, which was like a small mountain. After so many years, the soul beast's corpse no longer possessed any essence of flesh and blood or the bearing of divine bone.
"If this thing could hold Ao Tian down, then there must be something within these bones that suppressed the corpse. The most likely possibility is its own soul bone!"
Chen Chu came beside the corpse and transformed his Soul Power into flames, burning away the flesh on its body.
Not long afterward, he truly found a treasure. "There really is a treasure. It's a soul bone—and a Head Spirit Bone at that!"
Chen Chu picked up the crystalline soul bone, which was surrounded by a treasure-like radiance and brimming with divinity, and carefully examined it.
"Ao Tian, do you know what species this soul beast corpse that held you down was, and how old it was?"
Although he could sense that the soul bone was extraordinary, he ultimately could not determine its exact age or type.
Ao Tian looked at the corpse that had been burned to ashes and replied, "This soul beast had an extraordinary origin. It was said to be a superior descendant of the Dragon Clan. For certain reasons, it was killed by Asura God and stored within this tower. This dragon was called the Dream Dragon, a rare spiritual-type soul beast. This soul bone is also as old as Three Hundred Thousand Years, an exceedingly rare supreme treasure!"
"Three Hundred Thousand Years! Is this for real?" Chen Chu was completely stunned by those words. What had he done to deserve such incredible fortune? He had encountered such an opportunity—no wonder Asura God had stopped him from entering before. So this tower was packed with so many treasures.
"Senior Ao Tian, please guard me. I'm going to absorb it now." Without waiting for Ao Tian's response, Chen Chu immediately regulated his breathing and restored his body to its peak condition. Eagerly, he pressed the soul bone against his head.
The instant it touched him, an immense spiritual force surged toward him.
The vast spiritual power poured into his sea of consciousness like a raging flood. Chen Chu felt an intense pain explode in his head, as though it were about to be burst apart by the force.
He hurriedly steadied his mind and circulated his Soul Power, guiding the force through his sea of consciousness. At the same time, he mobilized his Soul Power to protect his brain and heart.
"Focus and hold on! The spiritual power of this three hundred thousand year soul bone is far too violent. If your mind loses control, your sea of consciousness will be damaged at best. At worst, you'll become an idiot!"
Ao Tian's voice rang out from nearby, carrying a trace of gravity. He had seen Soul Masters lose control while absorbing high-age soul bones before, and their fates had been anything but pleasant. More importantly, if this kid died so soon, then he would be finished. He had not even left behind any offspring yet!
Chen Chu gritted his teeth and nodded, concentrating all his attention within his mind. He could sense that this spiritual power not only contained immense energy, but also retained a trace of the Dream Dragon's Divine Soul imprint. That imprint carried the pride and majesty of the Dragon Clan, relentlessly battering his consciousness as it tried to seize control of his body.
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