Chapter 4977: Signing a Contract
Long Chen followed Long Qianxue with the expression of a victim until he was alone in his private room. Once he was there, he burst into laughter.
“You really are shameless!” teased the Earth Cauldron.
Long Chen’s counterattack with a bogus accusation left the Long clan’s experts baffled. Even the Earth Cauldron found it funny.
“Hehe, against shameless people, you need to be even more shameless,” chortled Long Chen.
Long Chen then consumed a medicinal pill to recover. The sudden drop in his realm left him feeling unnaturally weakened, significantly reducing his combat prowess. He knew he had to adjust quickly to avoid any potential risks.
After three days of intensive adjustment, Long Chen finally acclimated to his new state. As soon as he emerged, he received an invitation from the clan leader.
In a rather small assembly hall, the clan leader, the three Heavenly Saints, and the Heaven Overseer were already waiting for him. Long Chen had barely taken his seat when the clan leader spoke directly, “The matter of the divine pool doesn’t need to be mentioned again. Let us move on to the next issue. We have decided that you can enter the Jiuli Tower to cultivate, but there is one condition.”
“Tell me,” said Long Chen indifferently.
“During the time you are in the Jiuli Tower, you must lend the Heaven Earth Cauldron to us,” replied the clan leader.
At first, Long Chen thought they would require him to fight Long Tianrui for this opportunity. According to Long Ziwei, Long Tianrui was an undefeated prodigy within the Long clan, held in high regard by all.Hence, he had expected them to use Long Tianrui as a tool to shatter his goals. However, to Long Chen’s surprise, their true objective was the Heaven Earth Cauldron.
Long Chen’s anger flared. He was about to confront them when the Earth Cauldron’s voice rang out in his mind. “Don’t rush. This is part of the plan. Keep negotiating.”
Long Chen was startled, realizing that the Earth Cauldron’s appearance and the deliberate display of its light were not merely for show; they held a deeper significance.
Suppressing his anger, he sneered, “What a joke. How could I lend the Heaven Earth Cauldron to you? Wouldn’t that be sending a sheep into a tiger’s den?”
The clan leader seemed to have expected Long Chen’s answer, so he calmly said, “Whether it is the Heavenly Fate Divine Pool or the Jiuli Tower, they are treasures meant for the cultivation of Long clan’s disciples. Each usage incurs an immense cost. Your baptism in the divine pool exhausted a vast amount of its energy. The clan had to use over half of our resources just to preserve it. As a disciple of the Long clan, you have the right to use these treasures, but you also have the duty to protect and sustain them.”
“What does protecting it have to do with the Heaven Earth Cauldron?” asked Long Chen.
“You used so many resources that it severely impacted the cultivation of others. This deficit can be made up for with the Heaven Earth Cauldron. We can use the Heaven Earth Cauldron to help the disciples who no longer get to enjoy the same benefits as you because of what happened in the divine pool. Through other means, we can make up for our losses. This is a kind of equivalent trade,” said the clan leader.
“Use the Heaven Earth Cauldron to help those people get stronger? Don’t con me. How come I didn’t know of such a thing?” demanded Long Chen doubtfully. This wasn’t an act but the truth.
Long Yaoting couldn’t help but say, “There are many things you don’t know. What matters is that you can lend us the Heaven Earth Cauldron and enter the Jiuli Tower. When you come out, the Heaven Earth Cauldron will be yours again. If you agree, we can sign a contract right now. If not, then since you’ve gone through the divine pool’s baptism, we won’t pursue your crime of damaging it. You can leave.”
“The Jiuli Tower can help someone rapidly increase their cultivation base. Furthermore, the increased cultivation base will be exceedingly stable. It won’t be affected by a fallen realm,” reminded Long Qihua.
The reminder caused Long Chen to act like his tail had been stepped on. He cursed, “So you admit it! You made my realm fall so I would have no choice but to use the Jiuli Tower to fix it! You really had this whole scheme set up!”
“You…!” Long Qihua’s face darkened with rage. He cursed himself for being so kind as to remind Long Chen. Now, he made it sound like a trap.
Seeing the discussion suddenly go off target, the clan leader hastily said, “Calm down everyone. That’s not what happened. I can swear on my soul, alright?”
Long Chen’s expression improved after the clan leader said this, but he heard the Earth Cauldron laugh in his mind, “That’s about enough. Don’t act too far!”
Long Chen’s acting skills were so convincing that the Earth Cauldron almost couldn’t control itself. These people were so unfortunate to have encountered Long Chen.
Long Chen’s expression improved, but he didn’t speak. No one else dared to speak either, fearing to say something provocative like Long Qihua had. In their minds, they acknowledged that Long Chen was a wily old fox.
While Long Chen was silent, he was actually communicating with the Heaven Earth Cauldron. He really didn’t trust the Long clan.
“Don’t worry. They are using me, but it just so happens I also need their resources to rapidly recover my energy. With the Long clan’s power, they cannot threaten me, nor can they keep me against my will. On the other hand, you will need to work hard once you enter the Jiuli Tower. You’ll have to directly climb to the great circle of the twelfth Heavenstage.”
“Climb directly to the great circle of the twelfth Heavenstage?” repeated Long Chen, barely able to believe his ears.
“Once you enter, you will know. Why else would I make you come to the Long clan? As for what you do once you’re inside, I’ve already left a rune in your mind-sea, and it will automatically guide you there. Do you see the sealed rune on your chest? Activate it once you come out. It will seal your cultivation base between the fifth and seventh Heavenstages. That way, the Long clan won’t suspect anything,” replied the Earth Cauldron.
It seemed that the Earth Cauldron had long since planned everything. Long Chen didn’t need to do anything but listen.
Long Chen stopped pretending and asked the clan leader to take out the contract. As he scanned it, he instantly noticed the problems with it, even catching a strange reaction from the Heaven Overseer who clearly wanted to warn him. But Long Chen pretended not to notice anything and placed a drop of his blood as his signature.
With the contract signed, Long Chen directly took out the Earth Cauldron. Although the Long clan’s experts were mentally prepared, seeing it again still filled them with overjoyed greed they couldn’t conceal.
Long Chen didn’t even look at them and simply asked, “Who is bringing me to the Jiuli Tower?”
While everyone else’s attention was on the Earth Cauldron, only the Heaven Overseer responded, “Let me send you there.”
Just like that, Long Chen left with the Heaven Overseer.