After settling on a few more matters,
A short while later, a thunderous boom echoed above the great hall as a massive black vessel tore through the void and shot off into the distance.
Han Li stood at the bow, gazing out into the distant expanse, his face etched with contemplation.
"Husband, did that Fellow Daoist Ming have something important to discuss with you?" A gentle voice came from behind as elegant footsteps approached. It was none other than
"That is quite the long story. Let me explain everything in detail once we return to our quarters," Han Li replied with a wry smile, turning around.
…
Several months later, in some mysterious pocket of space, three monstrous beasts of terrifying form each clamped their jaws down on a strand of purple-gold chain. Their faces were taut with unease as they stared fixedly at the far end of the three chains, where a black-robed young man stood wrapped head to toe in identical bindings.
Though the young man appeared trapped and stood utterly motionless in place, there was not a trace of fear on his face. On the contrary, he regarded the three beasts beside him with a look of mockery that never wavered.
After an unknowable stretch of time, the black-robed youth finally spoke, his voice cold as ice and utterly devoid of emotion.
"If any of you three are willing to submit now, I can still honor my earlier promise — I will spare your lives and take you on as spirit servants under my command, and afterward I will bring you along to the
"Impossible! The backlash of the Chains of Laws was supposed to target you, a cultivator from the Immortal Realm, only! Why would the three of us be drawn into it as well? Even if these chains do backlash, the brunt of the power should fall on you, with only the remainder split among the three of us. That should pose no real danger." From the body of one of the beasts — a grotesque creature with the head of a deer and the body of a bear — rang a voice filled with shock and fury.
"Heh heh. I have no idea which fool taught you this method of triggering the Chains of Laws. They clearly understood only half of it at best, yet you actually dared to use it on me. Still, had I not reacted quickly enough and pulled you all inside with a spatial treasure, I might truly have fallen prey to someone's ambush out there. But now? We are locked in mutual restraint, with nothing to do but wait for the backlash of the law force. However, the severity of what is coming is far beyond what you lesser true spirits could ever comprehend. Even a fraction of the backlash would be enough to reduce you to ash on the spot. Tell me — have you not already felt the true essence in your bodies beginning to be slowly devoured by the Chains of Laws? Moreover, my immortal body is incomparably more powerful than anything your lowly existences could boast, and I also happen to have an immortal treasure to shield me. Even if I bear a greater share of the backlash, it merely means a longer period of recovery." The black-robed youth let out a soft laugh, his tone dripping with contempt.
"Nonsense! This method was personally imparted by Lord Golden Dragon King — how could it possibly be flawed? Don't you think you can sow discord among us with a mere pill! Humph — if what you say were true, all you need to do is sit and wait. Why bother spouting all this to the three of us?" The deer-headed, bear-bodied beast snorted and roared in response.
The other two beasts heard this and their expressions turned exceedingly grim.
"If I didn't have more pressing matters to attend to and didn't want to waste any more time on you, do you think I would bother exchanging words? Fine — I shall make one more promise. Whoever among you is willing to be the first to let go, besides being taken to the Immortal Realm, I will bestow upon them a True Soul Pill, enabling them to attain the soul of a true immortal. However, this promise is valid for only half a day. After that time, don't expect me to agree to anything further." A trace of impatience finally surfaced on the black-robed youth's face.
"A True Soul Pill…"
The other two beasts both startled at this promise, and a flicker of burning desire passed involuntarily through their eyes.
The temptation of that pill was so great that every one of them felt their hearts skip a beat in that instant.
"Either your souls perish completely in short order, or you become my spirit servants, receive a spirit pill, and travel with me to the Immortal Realm — the choice is yours. As for whatever bonds you hold with the Jiaochi Clan, or any other connections to this world, I can sever them all for you. And from here on, I won't say another word." The black-robed youth finished with a cold laugh, then shut both his eyes. He appeared to settle into a comfortable state of repose, resting peacefully amidst the heavy bindings.
The three great beasts exchanged glances, their expressions a complicated mixture — yet none of them spoke a single word.
As time trickled onward, one drop at a time, each of the three true spirits transformed into beasts felt the chains devouring them faster and faster. They had long since secretly deployed countless techniques and secret arts to resist, but nothing had worked in the slightest. If anything, the erosion of the law force seemed to have accelerated.
This time, the three beasts truly began to panic.
If this continued, then by the time the true backlash of the Chains of Laws arrived, their strength would have been whittled down to less than a tenth of its original level. How could they possibly stand any chance of survival then?