Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud

"If you're not dead, get up. While I still haven't changed my mind, you'd better offer me something decent as compensation." Qian Xunling glanced at Dugu Bo, who lay on the grass, nearly at his last breath.

Bitterness showed on Dugu Bo's deathly pale face.

They had destroyed his garden and beaten him up, and now they wanted him to compensate them?

Was there any justice left? Was there any law?

Bibi Dong tugged at Qian Xunling. "Martial uncle, how about treating him?"

Qian Xunling narrowed his eyes and looked down at Bibi Dong. "Little Spider, has martial uncle really been too good to you? You actually dare make demands of me?"

"Little Spider won't say anything more." Bibi Dong lowered her head.

Dugu Bo forced himself up and said respectfully, "Thank you for sparing my life, sir. This old man is Dugu Bo. I wonder what compensation you would like? As long as it is something I can provide, I will hold nothing back."

"Forget it. You're an independent cultivator. What could you possibly have? If you had anything good, you would have used it already. But I won't spare your life for nothing. How about this? Be a servant to the two of us for twenty years," Qian Xunling said calmly.

"Huh?" Dugu Bo was about to protest, but immediately lowered his head and clenched his fist. He was a Soul Douluo, yet he was going to be someone's servant. What kind of situation was this?

Qian Xunling chuckled. "All right, since you're unwilling, why don't you go ahead and die, then?"

"No." Bibi Dong was the first to speak, but she immediately lowered her head again, smiling cautiously and awkwardly.

Dugu Bo made his decision. He seemed to age another thirty years as he replied, "All right, young... young master."

The young man before him was so young, yet he already had such strength and such a terrifying Soul Ring Configuration. His future accomplishments would surely be great.

By contrast, Dugu Bo had let so many years slip by, only to barely reach the Soul Douluo level. His body was also riddled with toxins, and even his descendants suffered terribly from them.

"Yay! Then I'll call you Grandpa Dugu from now on." Bibi Dong giggled and finally let go of Qian Xunling's leg, looking at Dugu Bo.

Seeing a little girl who was so cute and kind, Dugu Bo felt somewhat warmed. His bitter face twitched at the corners of his mouth. "All right, young miss."

Qian Xunling looked at Dugu Bo with some distaste. "The toxins all over your body really are unpleasant to look at, but I can see they're closely tied to your Soul Power. Washing them out directly would greatly diminish your strength. You're already weak, and that would only make you even more useless."

"I don't need a useless servant. Here's what you'll do: find a Soul Bone and force the toxins in your body into it. Then find a doctor to prescribe you some medicine to help with the fusion, and come here every day to carefully fuse with it.

"That should let you store your toxins without reducing your Soul Power, and you'll still be able to use them normally."

Dugu Bo listened carefully to Qian Xunling's words.

He could only marvel at Qian Xunling as if he were a being from heaven.

The method was highly feasible. He was only missing a Soul Bone, and though Soul Bones were rare, it wasn't as if he couldn't find one. It was only a matter of quality.

Dugu Bo's eyes were now filled with pure gratitude and respect. "Thank you for your guidance, young master. I can never thank you enough."

If this plan worked, his son could live.

Qian Xunling waved his hand. "Save the gratitude. We've taken all the Immortal Herbs, and there's no use staying here. Let's go."

Bibi Dong smiled. "Okay!"

Dugu Bo badly wanted to ask what faction Qian Xunling and Bibi Dong belonged to.

But he didn't ask, and followed them instead.

Qian Xunling opened a wormhole.

They returned to Heaven Dou City.

As soon as they landed, Dugu Bo stared at Qian Xunling in shock, but Qian Xunling said impatiently, "Don't ask. I don't feel like explaining."

Dugu Bo nodded, feeling that he seemed to have chosen the right master.

But he quickly shook his head and said with a fawning smile, "No, young master. I wanted to say that I do have something presentable: the Wishful Hundred Treasure Purse. It can store living things. Perhaps you'll have a use for it someday."

Qian Xunling looked at him, smiled, and accepted it. "Not bad."

Dugu Bo's heart ached, but he kept his fawning smile. Then he examined the decorations of the residence where they had landed and asked, "Young master, are we at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's residence?"

Bibi Dong answered first. "Yes! Martial uncle is an honored guest of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. He even treated Grandpa Gu Rong's poison wounds, attended His Majesty Xue Ye's ceremony this morning, gave those awful people from the Clear Sky Sect a good scolding, and killed one of them."

Though she was talking about Qian Xunling, Bibi Dong was even more excited and delighted than he was, as if praising her martial uncle had become one of her pleasures.

Dugu Bo had already been in awe of Qian Xunling's mysteriousness. Hearing that he had dared to provoke the Clear Sky Sect, killed one of its members, and was still here unharmed, his eyes lit up. He nodded. "I think so too."

"Right? Martial uncle really is amazing!" Hearing Dugu Bo praise her martial uncle as well, Bibi Dong beamed and laughed happily. Dugu Bo nodded again.

Qian Xunling glanced at them, speechless.

Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong heard the noise and immediately came out from the inner courtyard. When they saw Qian Xunling, their worried expressions relaxed at once.

Ning Fengzhi smiled. "Immortal, you're back."

Only then did Ning Fengzhi notice Dugu Bo. Surprised, he asked, "Senior Dugu Bo, why are you here too? And why did you come back with the immortal?"

Dugu Bo gave a bitter smile, too embarrassed to speak.

Qian Xunling said directly, "Never mind him. He's my servant now, more or less. If anything comes up in the future, I'll have him handle it for me. You don't need to worry."

"I see. That really is impressive." Ning Fengzhi smiled.

Gu Rong, meanwhile, took a closer look at Dugu Bo's injuries and wondered whether Dugu Bo had fought Qian Xunling and lost.

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Gu Rong looked at Qian Xunling in some shock. Dugu Bo was a Soul Douluo. How had Qian Xunling beaten him?

Ning Fengzhi then said, "Immortal, His Majesty Xue Ye sent someone with a message just now. He asks that you come to the palace alone. He has an important matter to discuss with you."

Qian Xunling chuckled. "All right."

Ning Fengzhi didn't ask what it was about. He watched as Qian Xunling turned and left with Bibi Dong and Dugu Bo, heading for the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.

Xue Ye had been waiting for Qian Xunling in the great hall, a blue-black iron box held in his hands. He was alone; all the servants and guards had been dismissed.

Hearing footsteps at the entrance, Xue Ye looked over and saw Qian Xunling in his white robes. He walked over happily. "Immortal, you came, just as I expected."

After welcoming Qian Xunling into the hall and sitting down, Xue Ye looked in surprise at Dugu Bo, who stood beside Qian Xunling as a servant. He asked no questions, however, and only looked at Qian Xunling with greater resolve.

Perhaps this great gamble really would be a guaranteed win for him.

Qian Xunling gave a rare smile. "Your Majesty Xue Ye, I'm truly pleased with you. We should have plenty to talk about in the future."

Xue Ye smiled too. "Talking with you puts me at ease as well, Immortal. But we should keep this short. This matter is of great importance, and there can be no mistakes."

With that, Xue Ye placed the blue-black box on the table and slowly opened it, revealing the triangular blue-black object inside. Others couldn't see what was special about it, but Qian Xunling had studied Soul Tools and recognized it at a glance as the Boundless Cosmic Shroud.

"Immortal, this is Heaven Dou's national treasure, known as the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud. According to our ancestors, it has countless wondrous uses, but as time passed, no one in the Heaven Dou Imperial Family has been able to use it," Xue Ye said, spinning nonsense. In truth, he had only a half-baked understanding of the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.

But he did know the basic tricks of a pyramid scheme.

Qian Xunling ignored this and smiled. He took three lumps of iron from his storage pouch, along with a stack of papers at least half the thickness of an adult man's palm, and placed them on the table.

"Deal."

Qian Xunling took the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud and stood up.

Xue Ye felt somewhat shortchanged, but the benefits before him were what best suited the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's current circumstances. He smiled. "Wait, Immortal."

"Hm?" Qian Xunling turned to look at him.

Xue Ye looked at him pleadingly. "Immortal, this may cause you some trouble, but I would still like to ask your permission. May I grant you a noble title? That way, if others discover the national treasure is missing in the future, I'll have an easier time dealing with them."

Qian Xunling waved his hand. "A small matter. Do as you please."

With that, Qian Xunling strode out of the hall.

He hadn't expected to obtain the Heart of the Ocean on this trip.

With this, his place as the Sea God's sole candidate was a nail hammered into a board.

The immediate priority was to activate the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.