Yao Chen, Submit or Die

After leaving the Xiao Clan's sphere of influence, Ling Yuan stopped.

Of course, he had not stopped to return the ring to Xiao Yan. That was impossible.

He had obtained it through his own ability, so why should he return it?

He had cured Xiao Yan's inability to advance. It was already generous enough that he was not demanding payment.

The reason Ling Yuan had stopped was to deal with Yao Chen.

The faint soul power surrounding Ling Yuan stirred slightly. A thread of fragmented white light condensed at his fingertips, and he lightly tapped the ancient, unadorned black ring on his index finger.

The sturdy seal trapping Yao Chen was instantly undone.

Ling Yuan said flatly, "Come out."

The next moment, a translucent phantom slowly floated out of the ring. His hair and beard were completely white—it was Yao Chen.

The moment he appeared, he instinctively swept his gaze across the three people before him.

Especially when his gaze landed on Ling Yun, his body suddenly froze, and shock instantly appeared on his illusory face.

Yao Chen's strength had long since fallen from its former peak. Even his physical body had dissipated, leaving only a remnant soul residing within the ring. Yet he had once been an alchemist who stood at the peak of the continent, and his insight was far beyond that of ordinary people.

Ling Yun did not deliberately release any pressure, but an aura belonging to a Ban Sheng silently spread from him.

Even the slightest trace of it made Yao Chen's remnant soul tremble with fear.

He stared at Ling Yun, his throat bobbing. Only after a long while did he suppress the raging waves in his heart.

Turning to Ling Yuan, who had spoken, his voice carried a faint, nearly imperceptible tension. "Who are you?"

Ling Yuan did not answer immediately. His dark eyes stared directly at Yao Chen's phantom, his gaze as deep as an icy pool, as though it could see through every secret of Yao Chen's past.

And in truth, Ling Yuan did know everything about Yao Chen.

Ling Yuan said, "You possess the Bone Chilling Flame, ranked eleventh on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. You must be Yao Chen, the one expelled from the Yao Clan."

Yao Chen's phantom shuddered violently, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He had hidden in this ring and slumbered for so many years, yet the other party had recognized both the Heavenly Flame within him and his identity at a glance?

He steadied himself as countless possibilities raced through his mind. To possess such insight and have a Ban Sheng expert traveling alongside him, only those Dou God Clans with profound foundations could possibly wield such power across the entire continent.

At that thought, even Yao Chen's voice trembled slightly as he probed, "Are you people from a Dou God Clan?"

In his view, only a Dou God Clan possessed such foundations that they would treat a Ban Sheng expert as a personal guard.

As soon as Yao Chen finished speaking, Ling Yun beside him frowned. His tone carried a hint of reprimand, and the pressure around him grew heavier.

"Our Young Clan Leader asked you a question. Just answer it. Where did all this nonsense come from?"

Yao Chen was pressed so hard by that aura that he could barely breathe, and even his remnant soul became somewhat unstable.

Ling Yun's show of force was quite effective. At the very least, Yao Chen was terrified now, and he clearly understood his current situation.

Ling Yuan slowly raised a hand and gently pressed it down, signaling Ling Yun to restrain his pressure.

Yao Chen was a peak eighth-grade alchemist. Across the entire Northwest Continent, he was among the very best.

There were far too few ninth-grade alchemists on the continent. Even the Ling Clan did not have a single ninth-grade alchemist.

The strongest alchemist in the Ling Clan was only at Yao Chen's level.

Whenever they needed high-grade medicinal pills at the level of Ninth-Grade Treasure Pills, they usually had to ask the Yao Clan to refine them.

If he could recruit Yao Chen into the Ling Clan, it would be no small help to the clan. Naturally, Ling Yuan did not mind spending a little more effort on him.

Without any further nonsense, Ling Yuan directly released fluctuations of his soul power.

That soul fluctuation was condensed and powerful, carrying the pure aura unique to the Ling Clan.

Yao Chen's entire body shook, and he immediately sensed the peculiarity of that soul fluctuation.

With such exceptional soul power and such a distinctive aura, only members of the Ling Clan could possess it throughout the continent.

"Now you know my identity, right?"

Yao Chen obediently nodded. Under Ling Yun's suppression, he was as meek as a quail.

Ling Yuan nodded slightly. "Tell me about your experiences. Why are you in the Northwest Continent, and why are you inside this ring?"

Before experts of this caliber, Yao Chen knew that if he hid anything, the consequences would be miserable.

He took a deep breath and recounted his experiences in full detail.

He had been betrayed by Han Feng, the disciple he trusted most. Han Feng had joined forces with members of the Soul Hall to ambush him, destroying his physical body and leaving only a remnant soul. By sheer luck, that remnant soul had taken refuge in the ring, allowing him to survive until now.

When he spoke of Han Feng, Yao Chen's voice was filled with gritted hatred, and the resentment in his eyes nearly overflowed.

Back then, he had treated Han Feng like his own son, teaching him everything without reservation—alchemy and cultivation alike, hand in hand. Yet in the end, this was the betrayal he received.

Ling Yuan listened quietly. He had already known all of this.

He was merely going through the motions to conceal his identity as a transmigrator.

After Yao Chen finished, Ling Yuan did not ask for any further details. He went straight to the point and gave Yao Chen two choices.

"Just now, I saved you from a Soul Hall expert. That counts as saving your life, doesn't it?"

Ling Yuan lied without even blinking. The other party did not know the truth anyway.

Yao Chen truly did not know what had happened. The moment he awoke, he had been sealed away.

And he did not dare question Ling Yuan.

Whatever Ling Yuan said, went.

Yao Chen hurriedly nodded. "Thank you, Young Clan Leader of the Ling Clan, for saving me. I am endlessly grateful."

"Forget verbal thanks. Because I saved you, I offended the Soul Clan. You need to compensate me for that."

Yao Chen said, "Please speak, Young Clan Leader of the Ling Clan. So long as I possess it, I will offer it with both hands."

"I'll give you two paths. First, serve the Ling Clan. Not only can I help you reconstruct your physical body and revive you, I can also help you take revenge and kill Han Feng. But from this day onward, you must obey my commands. Your Bone Chilling Flame, along with everything else on you, must be handed over."

If Ling Yuan wanted Yao Chen to work for him, reconstructing his body was a given. As for Han Feng, Ling Yuan had already intended to take the Sea Heart Flame from him before eliminating him completely.

He was using something he already planned to do as a condition to recruit Yao Chen.

That alone showed Ling Yuan's shrewdness.

"Second, refuse, and I'll hand you over to the Soul Hall and let them decide whether you live or die..."

That was only for show. If Yao Chen refused, Ling Yuan would not go through such trouble. He would simply crush him to death.

At the thought of the torment he would suffer if he fell into the Soul Hall's hands, Yao Chen could not help shuddering.

Yao Chen felt bitter. Ling Yuan appeared to have given him two paths, but there was no choice at all...

He was now only a remnant soul, completely powerless to resist. If he refused, Ling Yuan could obtain his Bone Chilling Flame, alchemy skills, and treasured possessions with a wave of his hand. They would still fall into Ling Yuan's grasp, while he would not even have a chance to take revenge.

For revival, for the chance to avenge himself personally, and to make Han Feng and the Soul Hall pay the price, he had no other choice.

If he followed Xiao Yan, whether he could take revenge or be revived remained unknown. He had no idea how many years it would take to grow strong enough.

But Ling Yuan was different. He was the Young Clan Leader of the Ling Clan, with a Ban Sheng expert at his side and formidable strength. Helping him revive and take revenge would be no more than a simple matter.

Since following anyone was still following someone, why not follow someone with strength and backing?