Must he take it back?
Ye Futian looked at Daoist Monk Mu and said with a smile, “You may certainly give it a try, sir.”
“Very good.” Daoist Monk Mu nodded. As soon he finished speaking, this area of the sea was suddenly enveloped by flames, turning it into a domain of fire.
This was a domain of blue and green fire. All around Daoist Monk Mu, these bluish-green flames turned into a lotus of the same color. Above the lotus, strands of ethereal aura of the divine flames shrouded this boundless space and swooped towards Ye Futian.
“This is forged by my life spirit; my comprehension of the flaming Great Path is integrated into it. It is called the fire of creation. This being the green lotus of creation, possessing the power of creation that could continue procreating. Although it is not yet a mature enough technique, the power it possesses is considerable. If you have really cultivated to the Ninth-Realm, you will be incinerated as soon as you touch it. It’s not too late for you to return the Deity Map to me now. I can still let you live,” Daoist Monk Mu said.
Ye Futian felt the fire of the green lotus of creation and knew that it was the fire of tribulation. After having survived the Divine Tribulation of the Great Path, he integrated his own comprehension of the flaming Great Path and forged this fire of creation. Indeed, it had the potential to be stronger in the future, but it required an opportunity, as well as the baptisms of other divine flames between heaven and earth.
“Sir, rather than using it to kill, this fire may be more suitable for alchemy.” Ye Futian said, “How about I make a wager with you?”
Daoist Monk Mu looked a little surprised as he stared at Ye Futian. This young man looked calm and confidant, with absolutely no change in his expression when facing the domain of fire. It seemed as if he was not afraid of it at all.
“What are you wagering?” Daoist Monk Mu asked as his eyes fixed on Ye Futian.
“I will bathe in your fire. If I can’t bear it, I will return the Deity Map to you. In addition, I will gift you the Shadow and Solar True Fire,” Ye Futian replied.
“The Shadow and Solar True Fire?” Daoist Monk Mu stared at Ye Futian. “Who are you?”
“Let’s talk about the stakes at hand for now. So, how about it?” Ye Futian did not respond directly.
“To bathe in the green lotus with flesh without resorting to external forces or other treasures to resist?” Daoist Monk Mu mused as he looked at Ye Futian. These words were too preposterous. Could someone in the Ninth-Realm really make such a wager?
“Yes,” Ye Futian nodded.
“Very well,” Daoist Monk Mu agreed with a nod.
“You are not asking what will happen if I win.”
“If you win, then I am clearly not capable enough and will be at your mercy anyway. What else can I do?” Daoist Monk Mu replied. Ye Futian smiled because this was indeed the case. If he could bath in the lotus of creation, then the outcome of this battle couldn’t have been clearer. What other conditions could there be?
“Please go ahead,” Ye Futian said.
Daoist Monk Mu stared at Ye Futian. This arrogant white-haired young man… The green lotus of creation under him flew out towards Ye Futian. It settled beneath Ye Futian, and the lotus bloomed around Ye Futian until it wrapped his entire body within. Suddenly, the divine flames from the lotus of creation enveloped Ye Futian’s body, trying to swallow him.
Ye Futian, just as he had said, stood there without moving. He was bathing in the fire from the lotus of creation, his body radiant beyond description. The divine light flowed upon him like a divine body of the Great Path—immortal and indestructible.
The divine fire invaded and penetrated his body, but Ye Futian’s expression remained unchanged as he stood there unscathed. The flowing divine light of the Great Path actually seemed to swallow up strands of divine fire so that the divine flames from the lotus of creation surged into his body as if tempering and nourishing him instead.
There was a change in the eyes of Daoist Monk Mu. He looked at the white-haired young man in front of him and saw that even his head of white hair seemed to have transformed into the Great Path, impervious to the divine flames. This kind of ability shocked him to his core because even Li Qingfeng—the pavilion master of the Breeze Pavilion—would absolutely dare not do the same, as he would no doubt be burned to death. In their battle, he used only his powerful Swordsmanship to suppress Daoist Monk Mu.
But this white-haired young man dared to stand there like this!
Moreover, in his perception, the opponent’s cultivation was only in the Renhuang of the Ninth-Realm, so how did he do it?
Daoist Monk Mu thought his setup was meticulous and well-calculated. To find the Deity Map, he was willing to take tremendous risks. If Li Qingfeng was not so sensible, he might have already slaughtered him. He concealed the Deity Map while trading and had left a mark on the trader in order to retrieve it after the storm had passed over.
However, it seemed that he had picked the one cultivator he should not have been trading with.
“What do you think?” Ye Futian smiled and asked Daoist Monk Mu.
Daoist Monk Mu stared at the handsome man before him, and the flames on his body grew stronger as the lotus of creation was still expanding. The monstrous divine flames submerged Ye Futian’s body, burying him inside the fire; it was as if all this was refining Ye Futian’s body.
But even so, the fire still could not touch Ye Futian’s body. His body of flesh and blood was like a divine body, impervious to the flames of the Great Path.
At this moment, Daoist Monk Mu understood that the strength of this youngster had far surpassed himself. He could sit directly in the flames of the Great Path as if nothing was happening. How could Daoist Monk Mu even continue to fight this battle?
The reason why Ye Futian dared to make this wager was due to none other than his confidence in the divine body. His physical body was cast by the divine body of Shenjia the Great Emperor through his own comprehension. He had been baptized numerous times by the divine tribulation. This body of his was one of his strongest methods. He has also been bathed in the flames of rules, with the Shadow and Solar True Fire still inside his body, so he was pretty confident he could take on the power of this flaming Great Path with his body.
He could even devour the fire of the lotus of creation.
Daoist Monk Mu looked deeply at Ye Futian and knew that he had lost. And he had lost miserably and completely.
Buzz! In just a flash, Daoist Monk Mu disappeared from where he was without a trace. He had chosen to escape!
The fire surrounding Ye Futian thinned out into just wisps of divine fire, then dissipated altogether with the disappearance of Daoist Monk Mu.
Obviously, Daoist Monk Mu did not want to fulfill his part of the bargain. So, if he could leave, he would.
But Ye Futian merely revealed a cold smile as his figure flashed, disappearing from where he was. He reappeared directly behind Daoist Monk Mu, not too far away.
When Daoist Monk Mu sensed the presence behind him, his face changed slightly. He took a step forward, moving like flowing water, leaving countless afterimages in the void. He was like a gray stream flowing between heaven and earth.
Ye Futian’s body disappeared from where he was again. Daoist Monk Mu had very powerful methods and was an expert at speed. His ability to escape and camouflage was second to none.
Unfortunately, his opponent was Ye Futian, who had cultivated Buddha’s Celerity.
The two of them shuttled continuously upon the sea with extreme speed. Daoist Monk Mu fled for some time. He found that he could not get rid of Ye Futian. At this time, however, a figure in white directly blocked in front of him, and Daoist Monk Mu changed his location immediately. Nonetheless, Ye Futian appeared in front of him once again.
After the same thing repeated several consecutive times, Daoist Monk Mu finally stopped and did not run away again. He looked at the white-haired young man in front of him and said, “I didn’t expect that I would fall into the hands of a youngster. Who are you?”
“Ye Futian, from the Original Realm!” Ye Futian responded.
Daoist Monk Mu was stunned. Clearly, he had heard of this name before. When he was in Jiuyi City, he heard that Ye Futian had slaughtered Zhong Miao. But because he was not concentrated on anything but the Deity Map at the time, he didn’t pay too much attention, or else he would have guessed Ye Futian’s true identity a long time ago.
“It’s well-deserved,” Daoist Monk Mu said with a smile. “What do you want in return?”
“Your cultivation is exceptional, and I especially appreciate the fact that you are a grandmaster of alchemy. I would like to invite you to join me at Ziwei Segmentum in the Original Realm. What do you think?” Ye Futian said.
Daoist Monk Mu was taken aback, looking at Ye Futian. He thought he truly deserved the reputation of being the number one genius talent in the Original Realm.
“You want me to follow you obey your order?” Daoist Monk Mu asked.
“I did not say that, but if you want to see this way, I have nothing else to add,” responded Ye Futian.
“I have been as free as the clouds all these years and have been cultivating on my own for countless years. I have traveled all over the West Sea and am accustomed to moving about freely. I don’t much like to be constrained by others. If I wanted to join other forces, I would have done it a long time ago and am not waiting until now. I am afraid I cannot comply with what you are asking of me,” replied Daoist Monk Mu.
“Fine,” Ye Futian said. As soon as his voice fell, this area of the sea was covered by a terrifying aura of the Great Path that directly overpowered and sealed the area shut. A murderous intent flashed across Ye Futian’s eyes as a terrible coercion pressed down on this space, shrouding Daoist Monk Mu completely.
At this moment, an extremely powerful murderous intent emerged from this handsome white-haired young man.
“What do you want?” Daoist Monk Mu fixed his eyes on Ye Futian.
“You used me to hide the Deity Map, and if my cultivation were weaker, perhaps my life would be forfeited. Now, you are the only one who knows that I have the Deity Map, and you ask me what I want to do.” Ye Futian continued, “What’s more, when I hunted and killed Zhong Miao, it was so that my true strength could be concealed. Until this day, no one knows the strength I really possess. But now you know, so, what do you think I am going to do?”
Suddenly, Daoist Monk Mu didn’t feel so well, and his face had a terrible look on it. No matter how he looked at it, Ye Futian had to get rid of him based on these two points. It was completely understandable, too. If he were standing in Ye Futian’s shoes, he would do the same, and that was to silence him!
As soon as his voice faded, a horrific murderous intent swept out. Divine swords lined up in the sky, all pointing at Daoist Monk Mu.
Daoist Monk Mu looked up and felt this terrifying coercion. His heart was beating fast.
He obviously knew that Ye Futian was not joking.
“I can refine some pills for you,” Daoist Monk Mu quickly replied.
“Refining pills?” Ye Futian laughed coldly. The divine light of the sun and moon appeared above the firmament, as the Shadow/Solar power descended on this space at the same time. He said, “I am also an alchemist myself. Why else would I bother looking for the Deity Map? I wanted to recruit you into the Ziwei Segmentum not because you are indispensable but because I need to spend more time on cultivation instead of alchemy. I thought I could work with you to improve your alchemical abilities after we find the celestial mountain and let you be the one responsible for matters in alchemy. I thought it was a win-win proposition, but you thought it was because I need some pills?”
His voice resounded throughout the void. Daoist Monk Mu’s heart trembled. Even his mind was destabilized, and his will shook because of Ye Futian’s words.
Daoist Monk Mu had lived for a long time, but he had never seen such a terrifying individual. Although Li Qingfeng was powerful, he was nothing like Ye Futian. Work with Li Qingfeng or Ye Futian? Which one of them was stronger?
Ye Futian did not just frighten him but also appealed to his greed with the promise of searching for the celestial mountain, improving his alchemical strength, and entrusting him with alchemical matters.
Therefore, he did not have the slightest doubt as to what Ye Futian said. From a logical standpoint, it was a flawless argument. Ye Futian could have easily killed him already, and he didn’t because he had value to be used.
Boom! The divine swords fell down, and the murderous intent shot to the sky. Ye Futian had a sharp murderous intent in his eyes as well. It seemed as if he was ready to deliver the final blow. Daoist Monk Mu’s heart palpitated as he said, “I submit.”
Buzz… The divine sword slammed down, causing Daoist Monk Mu’s expression to change to shock. The aura of the Great Path exploded on his body as the lotus of creation flew towards the divine swords, blocking their attack. However, he stared at Ye Futian in fright. If he was determined to kill him, why talk to him at all?
“You agreed to my wager, but you broke your promise and evaded me. Now you reluctantly agree under the threat of death. How can I trust you?” Ye Futian said as the divine swords continued to fall down, aiming squarely at Daoist Monk Mu.
At this moment, Daoist Monk Mu finally realized that Ye Futian was so aggressive because he was truly moved to kill. If he failed to give this man a satisfactory answer, he would most certainly die on the West Sea today.
“I hereby swear that I am willing to follow you,” Daoist Monk Mu said loudly. “If you still don’t believe me, you can look inside my memories and learn of my secrets. Then, you will know the true from the false.”
When Ye Futian heard him, his divine consciousness stopped its downward motion, but the murderous intent on his body was still potent.
He floated forward, stopped in front of Daoist Monk Mu. He said coldly, “Loosen up your consciousness.”
With that, his divine consciousness pierced into Daoist Monk Mu’s brow chakra, and suddenly, Daoist Monk Mu’s memory was revealed to him.
After a while, Ye Futian retracted his divine consciousness and withdrew from the memory of Daoist Monk Mu. He sneered inside. As expected, under the threat of death and temptation, there was always an opportunity to bargain.
It turned out that Daoist Monk Mu still had family somewhere, but no one knew of them. He had hidden it deep inside.
The divine swords dissipated, as well as the murderous intent. Over the West Sea, the sea breeze passed through as the sun shone on the sparkling surface of the sea. Everything returned to normal, and the sun was warm and peaceful.
“If you had agreed sooner, it would have saved us a lot of trouble,” Ye Futian said with a smile. “Let’s wish us both a happy and successful partnership.”
Daoist Monk Mu looked at Ye Futian’s handsome visage, with a smile on his face like a spring breeze, but he felt a chill in his heart. He was, in fact, a little afraid of Ye Futian. The young man in front of him was more terrifying than many older guys he had seen; none of them were even close to this man.
This time, he lost fair and square, but now he had no more thoughts of disloyalty.
“I don’t dare to call it a partnership, but I should try my best to assist Renhuang Ye.” Daoist Monk Mu knew his place well. Although the person in front of him was younger, he was more than just a little bit stronger than Daoist Monk Mu. Since he had agreed to stand down, it was only natural for him to recognize their positions in relation to one another and behave accordingly.
Ye Futian looked deeply at Daoist Monk Mu and didn’t mind it. He smiled and said, “Please forgive me if I offended you, but I had to do it. I don’t have much choice in the cultivation world, as a wrong step was a matter of life and death. Now that we are working together, we will join hands to find the ancient imperial celestial mountain, and I will help you to become a top alchemy grandmaster.”
“I understand.” Daoist Monk Mu nodded and replied!
