Chapter 1644 (Raw 1626):
The gray-clad old man would never have imagined, even in his dreams, that he would end up in Xiao Chen's hands one day.
The other party was only a hairless brat in the half-step Primal Core Realm.
If it were a proper fight, the gray-clad old man would not even care about such a minor character. He could easily kill such a person. His upper hand in cultivation made him fearless.
This thought was not wrong. The current Xiao Chen was indeed not a match for him.
If Xiao Chen fought head-on, he would fall within a hundred moves. He would have no other option than to flee.
However, Xiao Chen had the Black Cutlass, a powerful weapon almost equal to a 5-Star pirate ship. The moment it bared its sinister side, not to mention the gray-clad old man, even a peak Major Primal Core opponent would die.
Furthermore, Xiao Chen still had the Immemorial Demon Soul Formation and the two Cold Steel Eagles.
"I have been careful all my life. Unexpectedly, I fell in your hands, a junior," the gray-clad old man, who was held up by the two Cold Steel Eagles, said, showing a bitter smile.
With a thought from Xiao Chen, the two Cold Steel Eagles could tear the gray-clad old man apart.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
As the two Cold Steel Eagles hovered in the air, their knifelike wings flapped continuously, kicking up a strong wind.
Xiao Chen's white clothes and long hair fluttered noisily in the strong wind.
"There is no need for self-reproach. No one would imagine that I would have a peak 4-Star pirate ship."
Xiao Chen smiled indifferently; no one could figure out what he was thinking.
The gray-clad old man said sullenly, "Cut the crap. Kill me if you want to. Don't humiliate me."
This gray-clad old man was an Outer Sect Elder of the Beast Governing Sect. He was still quite stubborn and proud, not begging for mercy.
Xiao Chen said softly, "If I wanted to kill you, why would I keep you alive until now?"
"You…"
The gray-clad old man's eyes gleamed with hope. No one wanted to die for no reason. If there was hope to live, naturally, one would be tempted.
"What do you want?"
Xiao Chen showed a serious expression as he looked at the other party. "It's very simple. I just want you to focus on working on the pirate ship. Not only will I not kill you, but I will even give you the Life Juice Source that you want."
That was right. Xiao Chen was interested in the other party and wanted to continue improving the pirate ship's combat strength.
This person was not weak and was from a Rank 3 sect. He was also old and experienced, having seen many things. He was not someone Xiao Suo and Xiao Chen could compare to.
Having a person who was experienced and strong and also knowledgeable about beast taming on the pirate ship would undoubtedly be a good thing.
The gray-clad old man's eyes flickered; he was clearly tempted. However, he felt suspicious in his heart. What does this fellow intend?
To think that he dares to keep me on his ship! He is not a fool, right?
As long as I recover from my injuries, it will be easy for me to take over the ship. Is he not worried about me plotting in secret, pretending to cooperate while causing him trouble?
"My patience is limited. I do not have much time to waste here. You have one second to consider!"
Xiao Chen caused such a tremendous commotion earlier and had long startled the surrounding cultivators. He needed to leave quickly.
Since he said one second, there would be only one second.
One second later, Xiao Chen did not wait for the other party to answer, directly turning and coldly saying, "Kill him."
As two enormous forces pulled on the gray-clad old man's body, the fear of death immediately spread through him.
Given the urgency, the gray-clad old man quickly roared out his reply: "I'm willing!"
"Bang!"
The two Cold Steel Eagles flung the gray-clad old man onto the deck.
A satisfied smile appeared on Xiao Chen's face as he walked down step by step. Clapping, he said, "Welcome our new crewmember of the Black Cutlass, the Beast Governing Sect's Elder Tang."
"Welcome! Welcome!"
Many crewmembers walked out and chimed in happily. Being able to have a Rank 3 sect Elder as their captive clearly gave them a strong sense of accomplishment.
"Get your tortoise beast to follow us. After we leave this area, I'll send someone to treat it," Xiao Chen instructed calmly.
Now that the gray-clad old man was living due to Xiao Chen's mercy, he had to bow down. He endured this and formed hand seals while muttering something, which produced some special musical notes.
Below, in the starry sea, the severely injured tortoise beast, which had suffered from several rounds of the Neptune's Rages, slowly swam over.
"Captain, we found the storage rings of those two Venerates. That should make up for some of our losses."
Xiao Suo leaped out from the sea and landed on the deck, speaking excitedly.
Bandits never walked away empty-handed. This nature was hard to change.
Anyway, the storage rings of two Major Primal Core Venerates were definitely of extraordinary value.
"Let's go!"
Now that everything was ready, the Black Cutlass quickly set off, leaving this area.
The earlier battle caused a tremendous commotion. Due to the Neptune's Rages firing several rounds, this sea region looked like a huge storm just passed through it.
It would be hard to avoid the attention of other cultivators.
"What horrifying Demonic Energy Cannons! They should be Neptune's Rages."
"Based on the lingering aura, two Major Primal Core Venerates died."
"They were really seeking death. I wonder which reckless Venerates they were? They actually dared to offend a pirate ship with Neptune's Rages equipped."
"Who knows? These days, there has been no lack of reckless people."
Many of the experienced Grave Sea cultivators figured out the general situation and did not dare to linger here.
Not every 4-Star pirate ship in the Grave Sea could equip Neptune's Rages.
One needed extremely high authority and sufficient contributions to the Pirate Alliance's inner circle. Furthermore, they were very expensive; just one fetched a high price.
No one would dare to offend a pirate ship equipped with Neptune's Rages. This was common knowledge.
At this moment, the root of this incident recovered its ordinary appearance, sailing freely in the starry sea.
Everyone on the ship was in a good mood. This was the Black Cutlass's first big battle since coming to the Grave Sea.
The victory seemed simpler than expected. Now, all the crewmembers felt a strong sense of belonging to the Black Cutlass.
Inside the captain's quarters, the Beast Governing Sect's Elder Tang, who already changed his clothes and appeared to be in much better spirits, faced Xiao Chen. There was a silver jade bottle on the table between them.
The jade bottle contained the highest-quality Life Juice Source.
Greed flashed in Elder Tang's eyes as he occasionally shifted his gaze to Xiao Chen, waiting for Xiao Chen to say something.
"I keep my word. Since Elder Tang is willing to humble yourself and stay on the Black Cutlass, I naturally cannot be stingy. Take it, then."
Xiao Chen waved his hand in invitation.
Elder Tang's face lit up with joy. Unexpectedly, Xiao Chen really was so straightforward. Elder Tang had been stuck at late-stage Major Primal Core Realm for many years already and could not break through to the peak. This golden Life Juice Source held a fatal attraction for him.
"Many thanks."
Elder Tang reached out to take the jade bottle, feeling somewhat excited.
"That's nothing much. I'll go and rest first. After I recover, this old man will definitely do his best to serve Young Master Xiao."
Elder Tang showed a smile as he stood up, preparing to go.
Xiao Chen narrowed his eyes as he smiled. "You will serve me with all your strength after you recover? Elder Tang, do you really take me for a fool?"
"Huh?!"
Elder Tang pretended to be stupid, looking like he did not understand Xiao Chen.
"I want to leave a restriction in your body. Elder Tang, what do you think?" Xiao Chen asked probingly.
The smile of the Beast Governing Sect's Elder Tang froze. However, he immediately replied, "Yes, that is necessary."
Elder Tang had answered delightedly, but he was smiling coldly to himself. I just knew that you would do this.
However, you are still too inexperienced to be playing with me.
A Rank 3 sect has accumulations from long ago. You are just a half-step Primal Core cultivator. What restrictions can you leave in me to restrain me?
Xiao Chen shot a sharp gaze at Elder Tang, indicating for him to let down all of his defenses.
Feeling very confident, Elder Tang did not give it much thought but just let down all his mental guard.
"Dragon Blood Soul Breaking Finger!"
Xiao Chen extended his finger at lightning speed to press it against Elder Tang's forehead.
Before Elder Tang, who let down his mental guard, could react, extremely destructive Soul Energy entered the depths of his soul like a flash of lightning.
Elder Tang's heart sank; he felt like his soul was about to leave his body, torn apart by this external force.
He was frightened into going pale and immediately tried to put up some resistance.
"Whoosh!"
Just as the energy from the Soul Breaking Finger in the depths of his soul was about to erupt, Xiao Chen quickly stopped it and withdrew his hand.
Elder Tang fell to the floor, holding his forehead. As he looked at Xiao Chen, he showed a horrified expression.
He could feel a vague scarlet light in the depths of his soul. It was like a time bomb planted there.
Xiao Chen smiled and said, "That was dangerous. This is the first time I used the Soul Breaking Finger to set a restriction. Fortunately, my bloodline has been improved; I actually did not fail.
"Rest properly, then. Elder Tang, don't overthink."
It's over. It's over. It's all over. This is a Soul Dao restriction. I will only have a small chance of escaping Xiao Chen's control when I advance to the Cloud Sea Realm.
Elder Tang showed a sorrowful expression as he pointed at Xiao Chen and exclaimed angrily, "Junior, you tricked me!"
Xiao Chen smiled calmly. "Let it go. We were trying to outwit each other in the first place. It is just a matter of whose means are better. In the future, the Black Cutlass will be in your care."
That was right. No one was stupid. However, no matter what, in the end, Xiao Chen was the one with the last laugh.
