If Chen Tianfei's cultivation were below his own, Yang Kai might have been able to plant some restrictions within his Dao Seal. But this fat man was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven cultivator who outstripped him by a wide margin—Yang Kai simply didn't have the means.
Besides, having killed so many of Red Star's people this time, wouldn't Chen Tianfei harbor some resentment? Letting him live now might be easy, but the consequences of a future backlash were impossible to predict.
Hearing this, Lu Xue resumed her killing strikes, forcing Chen Tianfei into desperate peril. He teetered on the boundary between life and death, liable to fall at any moment.
Chen Tianfei blanched with terror. He knew that if he couldn't change Yang Kai's mind, he was truly in grave danger. Ducking and weaving to avoid Lu Xue's lethal blows, he called out urgently: "I have the Scroll of Loyalty! I'm willing to present it to you, sir, as a show of good faith!"
Yang Kai had no idea what the Scroll of Loyalty was, but Lu Xue's eyes flickered with surprise at the words. "The Scroll of Loyalty is in your possession?"
Yang Kai was puzzled and sent a voice transmission to her for clarification.
After Lu Xue explained the Scroll of Loyalty's capabilities, his eyes lit up immediately. He raised a hand: "Spare his life!"
Lu Xue sheathed her sword at once. Chen Tianfei, pale-faced and trembling with the aftershock of fear, gasped for breath.
Yang Kai descended from the sky step by step, landing beside Lu Xue. He looked at Chen Tianfei and asked: "Where is the Scroll of Loyalty?"
A flicker of reluctance crossed Chen Tianfei's eyes, but he quickly produced a palm-sized book from his Space Ring, offering it with both hands: "Here is the Scroll of Loyalty, sir. Please inspect it."
Yang Kai beckoned with one hand, and the Scroll of Loyalty flew into his grasp. The texture felt strange—the entire book appeared to have been forged from the hide of some exotic beast, thick and substantial, with three large characters inscribed on the cover: Scroll of Loyalty.
Yang Kai leafed through it and found that the Scroll contained a mere nine pages, every one of them blank. Tucked within the book was also a small horn, roughly the length of a finger, resembling a tiny bamboo shoot.
Both the Scroll of Loyalty and the small horn emanated a faint aura of Sacred Spirits.
Yang Kai's heart skipped a beat. The Scroll of Loyalty had been forged from Sacred Spirits—he couldn't imagine which mighty being had crafted it. Every Sacred Spirit, once fully grown, was comparable to a High-Order Open Heaven cultivator. Killing one was exceedingly difficult, let alone using one's remains to refine an Artifact.
Sensing Yang Kai's bewilderment, Lu Xue explained from the side: "The Scroll of Loyalty was forged from the fur, flesh, and blood of a Xiezhi, which grants it the ability to distinguish right from wrong and the loyal from the treacherous. Congratulations, sir."
"The Xiezhi!" Yang Kai's brow twitched. He naturally knew of this creature—it was one of the Sacred Spirits, ranked quite high on the Sacred Spirit Registry. Legend held that the Xiezhi, with its glaring eyes, could discern right from wrong, truth from falsehood, good from evil, loyalty from treachery. It was the very embodiment of impartiality. An Artifact refined from its body and materials having such abilities was hardly surprising.
Lu Xue continued: "Several thousand years ago, a man known as the Loyalty Demon used this Scroll of Loyalty to enslave a group of Open Heaven cultivators, wreaking havoc across the Three Thousand Worlds. His atrocities drew the ire of both heaven and men, and in the end, the mighty beings of the Blessed Realms joined forces to eliminate him. Though the Loyalty Demon perished, his Inner World did not collapse. Instead, it vanished into the void, whereabouts unknown. Two hundred years ago, someone uncovered this lead at a Star Market. At the time, the Sword Pavilion, Thunder Light, and Red Star joined forces to search for the Loyalty Demon's Inner World. They successfully entered it but failed to find the Scroll of Loyalty. Everyone assumed it had been destroyed or seized by those from the Blessed Realms. Who would have thought it ended up in your hands?"
Yang Kai gave a slight nod, then cast a meaningful glance at Chen Tianfei. Zhao Baichuan probably didn't know about the Loyalty Demon affair either. It seemed this fat bastard wasn't quite as loyal to Zhao Baichuan as he made himself out to be.
Then again, if he truly were loyal, how could he have abandoned Zhao Baichuan to his fate and fled for his life just moments ago?
"How is this thing used?" Yang Kai asked.
Before Lu Xue could explain, Chen Tianfei answered: "Your subordinate need only leave his name and aura upon it, and you, sir, will hold dominion over my life and death."
To save his own life, he was holding nothing back. Though leaving his name and aura on the Scroll of Loyalty would mean his fate was bound to another's will, that was still better than being cut down right here.
"If you ever harbor divided loyalties..." Yang Kai gazed at him with a smile.
Chen Tianfei's expression turned grave: "That will absolutely never happen. Should such a day truly come, you need only use this Xiezhi horn to scratch out my name, and I will die instantly!"
"But my cultivation is lower than yours." Yang Kai put on a troubled look. "The Scroll of Loyalty may be impressive, but I can't guarantee there won't be any unexpected complications."
"It shouldn't be an issue..." Chen Tianfei himself wasn't entirely certain either. He had conducted experiments after obtaining the Scroll of Loyalty, but those subjects had all been weaker than himself. He had no idea what it would be like to use it against someone stronger.
Yang Kai pondered for a while. Killing Chen Tianfei wouldn't affect the larger picture, but keeping him alive could prove useful. After all, the man was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven cultivator—hardly insignificant combat power. More importantly, he had managed Red Star for years and clearly ran a tight ship; he was evidently a talent in that regard. If the people from the Star Realm came over, someone would still be needed to look after things. Lingxiao Palace had Chief Steward Hua Qingsi and Second Steward Bian Yuqing, but they were strangers to the Three Thousand Worlds as well. Having someone to help them along would speed up their integration.
This fat man was a suitable candidate.
Before long, Yang Kai had made up his mind. He opened the Scroll of Loyalty: "Leave your name."
The weight on Chen Tianfei's heart lifted immediately. Tears of gratitude streamed down his face: "Thank you for sparing my life, sir! I will give my all to serve you, even at the cost of my own life!"
Lu Xue shot him a look of contempt from the side, but Chen Tianfei pretended not to notice.
He raised his hand to his mouth, bit his finger, and forced out his essence blood. On the first page of the Scroll of Loyalty, he wrote his name. In that instant, Yang Kai felt a wondrous new connection form between the Scroll and Chen Tianfei, and he knew the artifact had taken effect.
Best of all, the Scroll of Loyalty required no refinement on his part and placed no burden upon him whatsoever.