Chapter 3039 Taking an Inch and Wanting a Mile
Su Bai had also been taken hostage! This news shocked Lin Xun, but he quickly calmed down. He had already discerned that neither his son, Lin Fan, nor his disciple, Su Bai, had perished. That was enough.
“Who are you?” Lin Xun didn't ask what they wanted to discuss, but instead inquired about their origins.
“Gaoyang Li,” introduced the black-robed youth with a smile, “Years ago, outside Fortune Divine City, I sent my Will Dharma Form to meet Fellow Daoist Lin once. I never imagined that in less than a hundred years, Fellow Daoist Lin would have achieved such great accomplishments on the Eternal Path. It's truly astonishing.”
He paused, then pointed to the elegantly dressed man and the icy woman, saying, “This is Ji Guizhen and Jiang Jue. They, like me, come from the World of the Divine.”
“I see.” Lin Xun frowned slightly.
He certainly knew about the World of the Divine. Among the hundreds of epochal civilizations across the Fortune Dominion, the World of the Divine was undoubtedly the number one overlord! Furthermore, the Gaoyang Clan, the Ji Clan, and the Jiang Clan were the hegemons of that civilization! Undoubtedly, Gaoyang Li and the other two had come from these three divine clans.
“Don’t rumors say that the Fortune Dominion is like a prison, and cultivators from all the epochal civilizations within it are unable to escape?” Lin Xun asked.
“Things have changed.” The black-robed youth, Gaoyang Li, smiled. “If Fellow Daoist Lin truly wants to know how we left, I’ll discuss this matter with you properly after we’ve finished discussing our affairs.”
“Then tell me, what do you intend to do?” Lin Xun said.
"Hand over the secrets to controlling Fortune Divine City, and you can get your son back,” stated Jiang Jue, her expression cold and aloof. Then she added calmly, "Hand over the Eternity Coffin, and you can get your disciple back."
Lin Xun's eyes narrowed slightly. "So that's what you've come for. I need to see them first before making a decision."
"Very well," said Ji Guizhen, who was dressed in pristine white. With a flick of his sleeve, a screen of light appeared. The screen displayed the figures of Lin Fan and Su Bai, both unconscious, but seemingly unharmed.
Lin Xun frowned. "This is just an image. I want to see them."
Ji Guizhen said indifferently, "As long as you hand over what we want, then you can see them."
Lin Xun forcibly suppressed the boiling killing intent within him. With a flick of his palm, the Eternity Boat, which was about a foot in size, appeared.
"This is the Eternity Boat, and I can also imprint the secrets of Fortune Divine City onto the jade slip. This is my sincerity. So shouldn't you show me your sincerity as well?" Lin Xun said coldly.
Ji Guizhen, Gaoyang Li, and Jiang Jue exchanged glances, seemingly discussing something via telepathy. After a long while, Jiang Jue waved her sleeve, and two figures appeared out of thin air. However, they were not Lin Fan and Su Bai, but instead Tang Jiang and Gu Xi. One was Lin Xun's final disciple, and the other was Su Bai's dao partner. Both were currently unconscious and bound.
"As long as you hand over the Eternity Boat first, these two little girls can be yours now." Jiang Jue stared at Lin Xun with eyes as cold and sharp as knives, her expression calm as ever.
Lin Xun remained silent for a moment, then said, slowly and deliberately, "What I want to know now is where my son Lin Fan and disciple Su Bai are."
A chilling killing intent emanated from his voice. Seeing that Lin Xun had seemingly been provoked by them, Ji Guizhen's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Lin Xun, the hostages are in our hands now. If you don't want them alive, you can act now. If you do want them alive, do as we say, hand over the Eternity Coffin first, completing this first step of the deal."
Gaoyang Li, standing to the side, chuckled and smoothed things over, "Everyone gets what they need; there's no need to make things too ugly. Fellow Daoist Lin, I told you before, Lin Fan and Su Bai are not in any immediate danger. You can rest assured."
Lin Xun's expression grew even calmer. He glanced at the three opposite him and said, "What if I hand over what you want and you don't release them?"
Gaoyang Li smiled, "Fellow Daoist Lin, since we're here for a transaction, we naturally don't want to fight you to the death. That wouldn't benefit either of us. Besides, this is the Eternal True Realm. With your current cultivation level, if you really fought with your life on the line, the three of us aren’t confident we could withstand you. Only a fool would do something so thankless."
Lin Xun remained silent. After a long pause, he flicked his sleeve, and the Eternity Boat sped towards the other party. "Hand them over."
Gaoyang Li immediately showed a relieved expression, praising, "Fellow Daoist Lin, your courage is remarkable!"
Ji Guizhen, on the other hand, acted as if facing a formidable enemy, channeling all his power to guide the Eternity Boat into his palm. Only after confirming there was no danger did he relax considerably, nodding to Jiang Jue beside him.
Jiang Jue tossed the figures of Tang Jiang and Gu Xi, whom she had been keeping captive, to Lin Xun from afar. Lin Xun spread his divine sense, checking the two women for a moment. Confirming there was nothing amiss, he then stored them within the Limitless Abyss Sword Cauldron.
"Now, can you release my child and disciple?" Lin Xun asked softly.
Ji Guizhen frowned and asked, "Why can't this Eternity Coffin be opened?"
"Only by refining it can it be opened." Lin Xun casually replied, "Don't tell me you don't even understand this simple principle."
His voice carried undisguised sarcasm. Ji Guizhen's expression turned slightly unpleasant. He coldly snorted, "If you want your son and disciple, you can have them. Just come with us to the Fortune Dominion."
"The Fortune Dominion..." Lin Xun's eyes flashed with terrifying killing intent. "So, from the beginning, you never intended to make a proper deal with me?"
Gaoyang Li quickly said, "Fellow Daoist Lin, please calm down. We're just taking precautions. After all, even if you hand over the secrets of controlling Fortune Divine City to us now, we can't verify its authenticity. The safest course of action is for you to go there personally with me."
Lin Xun no longer concealed his emotions. His voice was icy. "Once we reach the Fortune Dominion and you control Fortune Divine City, I'm afraid you'll make other demands, won't you?"
"It seems Fellow Daoist Lin doesn't trust us?" Gaoyang Li sighed softly, a bitter smile on his face.
Lin Xun said, "Let me guess, once we reach the Fortune Dominion, you'll demand my life too before you'll truly feel at ease, right?"
Before Gaoyang Li could explain further, Ji Guizhen scoffed, "Unless you're willing to give up on your son and disciple, otherwise...do you even have a choice?"
He was calm and confident, acting as if he had Lin Xun completely under his thumb.
"A choice..." Lin Xun suddenly laughed, but that laugh sent chills down his enemies’ spines. "I knew this deal wouldn't be that simple."
"Enough nonsense, just tell us if you're coming with us." Jiang Jue seemed impatient, speaking coldly.
Gaoyang Li, feigning concern, said, "Fellow Daoist Lin, in my opinion, you'd better cooperate. We're genuinely here to trade with you, but if you continue to show such hostility, things will become difficult."
"Difficult?" A cold glint flashed in Lin Xun's deep, unfathomable eyes. "No, for me, it's actually very easy."
He flicked his sleeve. Whoosh!
The Absolute Beginning Law Power surged forth, obscuring the surrounding world. At this point, Lin Xun no longer worried about the oppression of the laws of heaven and earth; his suppressed cultivation base was suddenly released.
Boom!
A terrifying killing intent permeated the surging pressure, spreading from him. This caused Gaoyang Li and the others to instinctively shrink back in surprise. Despite that, they didn't panic, seemingly prepared.
Gaoyang Li flicked his finger, "Rise!"
Boom!
A crimson glow erupted, burning fiercely and releasing a terrifying, boundless incinerating aura that evaporated the surrounding seawater and even melted away the void itself.
“We also have Divine Rank laws,” Gaoyang Li said with a smile.
At the same time, Jiang Jue, her expression as cold as ice, let out a wave of Divine Rank law power, its deep blue color like the sea, radiating an eerie and chilling divine light.
Ji Guizhen, dressed in pristine white, sneered, “I knew you wouldn’t bow down so easily!”
Boom!
Immediately afterward, countless arcs of law power surged from him, his power rising steadily, leaping from the Law Transcendence Realm to the Creation Realm! Ji Guizhen was actually at this level!
Boom~~
The world roared, plunging into violent chaos. The Absolute Beginning law clashed fiercely with the other two Divine Rank laws. This was akin to the irreconcilable laws of heaven and earth colliding, generating a destructive aura powerful enough to easily annihilate a great world.
On the opposite side, Ji Guizhen was at the Creation Realm, while Gaoyang Li and Jiang Jue emanated power fluctuations belonging to the perfect Law Transcendence Realm. Such a lineup, even in the Ninth Heaven Domain, would leave the Eternal Divine Clans feeling utterly hopeless and helpless!
After all, due to the severe threat of the Great Silence Unlife Calamity, there wasn't a single Eternal at the Creation Realm or above left in the entire Eternal True Realm. Clearly, Ji Guizhen, from the Fortune Dominion, wasn't worried about any of this.
“Now, do you think it’s easy or not?” Ji Guizhen’s eyes were disdainful, as if he was staring at prey struggling for its life.
“Fellow Daoist Lin, let’s talk this out. Why be so impulsive? Take my advice; it’s best to come with us.” Gaoyang Li spoke with a seemingly earnest and persuasive air.
“We captured those hostages before merely as preparation; we didn’t expect them to be of much use. Now that he no longer cares about the lives of his son and disciple, I think we should just take action and imprison him directly,” Jiang Jue said calmly. Throughout the entire ordeal, she seemed completely devoid of emotion, eerily calm.
All three of them had exuded an air of absolute confidence, treating Lin Xun like prey. Seeing this, Lin Xun couldn’t help but laugh in fury, “With this little power, you think you can act with impunity?”
He waved his sleeves repeatedly.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! One after another, Divine Rank law powers roared out, dazzling light and shadow, intertwined and overlapping, covering the entire area around them.
“This...” Ji Guizhen, Gaoyang Li, and Jiang Jue froze, looking as if they had seen a ghost.
