While Zhou Qing was making his way to the Moonlit Pool, his other clones were not idle either.
In a wilderness within the World Prison, a black-haired old man sat cross-legged, radiating an endless chill.
"Kid, I advise you to give up."
Sensing Zhou Qing approaching him, the black-haired old man slowly opened his eyes.
"You're just an Empyrean God and a third-tier True Immortal. What makes you worthy of making me, Three Ultimatums, submit?"
Hearing Swordmaster Three Ultimatums say this, Zhou Qing did not get angry. Instead, he nodded and said, "You're right, senior. I really am just a little Empyrean God and a third-tier True Immortal, nothing more than an ant."
"But an ant like me holds the hope of escape for someone like you, senior."
As he spoke, he took out the World Prison's command talisman and waved it in his hand.
Though it was not the first time he had seen the object in Zhou Qing's hand, Swordmaster Three Ultimatums could not help his pupils contracting.
But Swordmaster Three Ultimatums promptly gave a soft snort and sneered. "I long to get out, but not so much that I'd bow and scrape before an ant like you."
"One hundred million years."
Faced with the resolute Swordmaster Three Ultimatums, Zhou Qing wasted no words and simply stated his terms.
"If you're willing to become my follower for one hundred million years, senior, I'll release you from the World Prison after I become an Ancestor Immortal."
Zhou Qing had given careful thought to proposing a term of one hundred million years.
On the one hand, a fixed term was easier for the proud prisoners of the World Prison to accept than becoming his followers forever.
On the other hand, given one hundred million years to grow, his strength would have undergone earth-shaking changes, and the prisoners of the World Prison probably would not be of much use to him by then.
Swordmaster Three Ultimatums' eyes flickered at his words.
Swordmaster Three Ultimatums admitted that Zhou Qing's terms tempted him.
After a long moment of deliberation, Swordmaster Three Ultimatums asked, "Kid, do you mean what you say?"
"Every word," Zhou Qing promised.
"Do you dare swear a Lifeblood Oath?"
Swordmaster Three Ultimatums then took a jade-green crystal sphere from his storage treasure.
"You have an Oathstone, senior?"
Although Zhou Qing had long known the story, he still put on a show of surprise.
"Hmph!" Swordmaster Three Ultimatums looked displeased. "Back then, to establish a sect, I went out of my way to exchange nearly a bottle of Chaos Spirit Liquid for this Oathstone."
"Who would have thought that not long afterward, I'd offend someone in the Nine Directions Chaos Kingdom and be thrown into this World Prison?"
Hearing this, Zhou Qing said, "Since you have an Oathstone, senior, of course I'm willing to swear a Lifeblood Oath. However..."
He changed tack. "Before I swear my Lifeblood Oath, I need you to swear one first, senior."
Hearing this, Swordmaster Three Ultimatums glanced at him and said, "Fine. Come and get the Oathstone, then."
Zhou Qing then sent out a Divine Power Avatar, which approached Swordmaster Three Ultimatums and took the Oathstone.
After obtaining the Oathstone, Zhou Qing refined it and placed a Lifeblood Oath within it.
He carefully considered the oath's wording and restrictions to prevent any loopholes.
"Please swear the Lifeblood Oath, senior."
Zhou Qing spoke after once again using his Divine Power Avatar to return the Oathstone to Swordmaster Three Ultimatums.
Swordmaster Three Ultimatums placed his hand on the Oathstone. Guided by its power, his soul began to swear the oath: "I swear upon my life that, as long as Taixu swears a Lifeblood Oath to release me from the World Prison after becoming an Ancestor God or an Ancestor Immortal, I will follow Taixu for one hundred million years."
Having just refined the Oathstone, Zhou Qing could also sense the Lifeblood Oath sworn by Swordmaster Three Ultimatums.
Zhou Qing then erased his refining imprint from the Oathstone and returned it to Swordmaster Three Ultimatums.
Swordmaster Three Ultimatums placed another Lifeblood Oath in the Oathstone. After receiving it, Zhou Qing checked the oath's contents, and once he had confirmed that there were no problems, he promptly swore the Lifeblood Oath as well.
"I swear upon my life that I will release Swordmaster Three Ultimatums from the World Prison after becoming an Ancestor God or an Ancestor Immortal."
After seeing Zhou Qing swear the Lifeblood Oath, Swordmaster Three Ultimatums hesitated for a moment before saying, "Master."
Clearly, although Swordmaster Three Ultimatums had reluctantly accepted becoming Zhou Qing's follower, it was still rather difficult for him to call him "master."
Zhou Qing was magnanimous about it and simply said with a smile, "There's no need for that, senior. Just call me Taixu."
"Fellow Daoist Taixu."
Although Zhou Qing had said that, Swordmaster Three Ultimatums still added "fellow Daoist."
Even so, Swordmaster Three Ultimatums felt less resistant to becoming Zhou Qing's follower.
The first thing Zhou Qing then had Swordmaster Three Ultimatums do as his follower was hand over the Oathstone.
After receiving the Oathstone, Zhou Qing turned it over in his hand.
With the Oathstone and the World Prison's command talisman, he was confident he could bring most of the prisoners in the World Prison under his command.
That included the dozen or so prisoners at the Ancestor God and first-tier Ancestor Immortal level.
The Moonlit Pool.
On the floating wooden bridge over the icy sea, Zhou Qing and Snowfiend had already been locked in a fierce battle for a long time.
On one side was a fierce claw technique, with the powers of time and space intertwined.
On the other was a seamless staff technique, its Taiji Power defense so watertight that not a drop could get through.
The two were evenly matched, their battle too close to call.
Of course, if Zhou Qing used fourth-level Heartforce to bolster himself, Snowfiend would probably be defeated within a few breaths.
But it was rare to encounter an expert whose Primordial Power had reached the fourth level, so Zhou Qing naturally wanted to fight Snowfiend a little longer and properly hone himself.
Although there were also people in the World Prison whose Primordial Power had reached the fourth level, every one of them was a True God or a first-tier True Immortal. With his current strength, Zhou Qing was simply unable to confront them head-on.
An unknown amount of time passed like this before the golden light on Zhou Qing's claws suddenly flared.
The next moment, all six of his arms struck at once. His six claws broke straight through Snowfiend's defense and tore the golden ape to pieces.
A moment later, Snowfiend's true body re-formed.
"You broke through?!"
Snowfiend stared at the golden light on Zhou Qing's claws, his expression full of surprise and uncertainty.
"That's right." Zhou Qing nodded with a smile.
"I have you to thank for that. If not for our fierce battle, I wouldn't have reached the fourth level of Space Power so quickly."
That was indeed the case. Zhou Qing had long felt that his Space Power was only one step away from breaking through to the fourth level. During his fight with Snowfiend, he had witnessed the many mysteries of fourth-level Taiji Power, and by applying what he learned to his own understanding, his Space Power had broken through smoothly.
"Impressive," Snowfiend praised him. "In all the endless ages, you're the first Empyrean God I've seen make a breakthrough while fighting me."
"Actually, after fighting me for so long, you had already qualified to pass my trial."
"I just didn't expect you to break through in the middle of battle and defeat me."
"You win." As soon as the words left his mouth, Snowfiend turned into countless snowflakes and vanished between heaven and earth.