In the void.
Somewhere beyond Human Territory.
Dongguan's main body, clad in white robes, stood on an unnamed mineral planet, holding the Sealing Star, his gaze seeming to penetrate it.
"Nine Abyss Venerable, your teacher doesn't seem willing to pay enough for you. Why don't you speak to him yourself?"
At that moment, Nine Abyss Venerable wore simple gray robes and sat cross-legged on the ground inside the Sealing Star.
Hearing Dongguan's words, he opened his eyes. "I've already told my teacher that there's no need to pay anything. If I die, so be it. I'll repay the cost of resurrecting me myself in the future."
Layer upon layer of deathly resolve surfaced in Nine Abyss Venerable's eyes.
If Dongguan hadn't reinforced the Sealing Star with his Control of Space-Time, he might already have self-destructed.
Anyone who could become a Venerable had some spirit.
"Why go that far? Your teacher would be severely injured resurrecting you, too. He might as well pay the price for me to release you."
"It's nothing. I accept defeat. Even if you really have a way to enslave my soul, I'll accept that, too. But,
"can you do it?" Nine Abyss Venerable asked.
Dongguan indeed couldn't do it at present. If he no longer wanted to remain among the Human Race, he could approach an alien race and sell Nine Abyss Venerable to them, but things hadn't reached that point yet.
"Perhaps you're betting on Lord Huang Jian finding this place. But you should know that even if he does, I'm confident I can kill you and then self-destruct. I can do it. If he refuses to pay enough, you'll inevitably have to undergo a resurrection."
"So what?" Nine Abyss Venerable closed his eyes, as though awaiting death.
"In fact, I should have killed you.