Chen Lin put away the East Emperor Bell and met the lofty, enormous face at eye level, his tone calm. "Forcing an attack across worlds brought a backlash from the world's laws. You suffered some serious injuries too, didn't you?"
The old Daoist's gaze sharpened, as though Chen Lin had touched a sore spot.
Then he sneered, his voice steeped in boundless contempt. "A mere native at the nascent soul stage, yet you have a decent eye. Unfortunately, a frog at the bottom of a well knows nothing of the vast celestial river! You destroyed my Sacred Spirit Sect's anchor and killed our elders. Your bodies and souls should be annihilated, never to reincarnate."
He paused, then suddenly adopted a magnanimous tone, laden with a sickening air of charity. "But I appreciate talent. I will take that bell in your hand. And I will take that Deity-Transformation Shell."
"Now, withdraw at once and leave the altar untouched. In ten years, the Cross-World Passage will be fully stabilized, and my Sacred Spirit Sect will descend upon this world. I can make an exception and take you as servants. If you perform well, I might even grant you a chance at immortality."
Take them as servants.
The old Daoist said it as though it were only natural, as though he were bestowing an immense favor.
Heavenly Hatred True Lord and Changqingzi clenched their teeth, humiliation spreading through their hearts, yet neither had the courage even to argue. This was a supreme expert at mid deity transformation, an existence who could erase them with a thought.
Chen Lin looked at the old Daoist, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Servants?"
Standing on the shattered ice, Chen Lin curled his lips into a mocking smile.
On the light screen within the rift, the