That bastard is absolutely audacious!

"Are you threatening me?"

Frost spread across Shao Xuanji's jade-like Face, and her voice suddenly sharpened.

As a powerhouse of the Hedao Realm, even though she didn't intentionally release any cultivation fluctuations, a vast pressure still surged forth under her agitated emotions, pressing down like a mountain of ten thousand tons.

At this moment, the jade pendant at Qi Yuan's waist hummed, releasing ripples of radiant light that barely managed to withstand this terrifying pressure.

He seemed oblivious, nodding nonchalantly.

"You can think of it that way."

Something is wrong!

This brat dares to be so insolent before me; he must have something to rely on!

As her thoughts raced, Shao Xuanji instead restrained her Aura and looked down at the man with a grave expression, saying coldly:

"Junior, my Linglong Holy Land has a Legacy spanning hundreds of thousands of years; our Foundation is far beyond your imagination."

"Unless you hide in Taixuan Holy Land for the rest of your life, I don't even need to act personally. I only need to give the word, and I can ensure you have no place to be buried out there. Even Ancestor Fei Huang wouldn't be able to protect you. Are you not afraid?"

"Afraid? Of course, I'm afraid!"

Qi Yuan shrugged, a relaxed and easy smile appearing on his Face. "This Junior simply doesn't want to die mysteriously one day, which is why I specifically came to see you, Sect Master Shao."

"As the Dao Child of Tai Xuan, if I were to have an accident in Linglong Holy Land for no reason, setting aside whether Taixuan Holy Land would let it go, even your Sect's Ancestor Fei Huang would definitely not stand idly by."

"Regardless, I am safe no matter what I do right now, which makes it the perfect time to negotiate terms with you!"

He was also somewhat nervous; if he didn't completely handle this woman, he would have to live in constant fear in the future.

He knew that although Cheng Feihuang followed his every word, the priority of the command to protect Linglong Holy Land was higher for her!

With that command in place, it was unlikely that Cheng Feihuang would take action against the Sect Head of Linglong Holy Land.

Qi Yuan, being a high-ranking member of Taixuan Holy Land himself, understood very well how terrifying the power held by the Master of a Holy Land was.

As long as Shao Xuanji wished, there were countless ways to make any Nascent Soul Realm Cultivator vanish from the Face of the earth without leaving a single clue... Upon the throne, Shao Xuanji narrowed her Phoenix eyes, her gaze flickering with a murderous intent so thick it was tangible.

"To think you'd dare come here to negotiate terms with nothing but your words—you certainly think highly of yourself."

"As I said before, for the sake of the Grandmaster's Face, as long as you obediently swear a Heart Demon oath, I will spare your life."

A mocking curve formed at the corner of Qi Yuan's mouth. "Oh? Then why don't you take a look at this?"

In the next moment, an ancient-looking scroll suddenly appeared in his hand, and he slowly unfurled it.

The moment she saw the scroll, Shao Xuanji bolted upright from her throne and cried out in disbelief:

"A top-grade beast taming scroll?!"

What made her break out in a cold sweat even more was the pale gold dot that appeared in the bottom left corner of the scroll... the essence blood of the Mythical Beast!

Realizing something, her eyes widened in terror, and her mind began to reel.

Qi Yuan smiled faintly and said casually:

"Sect Master Shao is indeed well-informed. This is indeed a genuine top-grade beast taming scroll."

"As long as I lightly imprint my Divine Soul upon this scroll, the Innate Divine Beast, the Mythical Beast that has protected your Sect for over a hundred thousand years, will be mine!"

"Also, you'd better not try to snatch it. With this top-grade Magic Treasure, the Nine Luminaries Liluo Pendant, protecting me, I have plenty of time to activate the scroll before you succeed."

How is this possible?!

Upon hearing this, even though Shao Xuanji was used to great storms, she couldn't help but be deeply shaken, her Face turning pale with shock.

She never expected that Ancestor Fei Huang would do something so inconceivable—willingly lowering her status to become a slave for an outsider.

Is she insane?

As the Sect Head of Linglong Holy Land, Shao Xuanji knew all too well the importance of the Mythical Beast to the Sect. If this beast taming scroll were to take effect, Ancestor Fei Huang would surely leave the Sect and have no further connection to Linglong Holy Land!

When that time came, how could she, as the Sect Head, Face the ancestors of Linglong Holy Land, or the many Elders and Disciples... No!

No matter what, she could not let him activate that scroll!

At this thought, her tone completely softened, her voice trembling slightly with fear:

"Qi Yuan, what... what exactly do you want?"

Below the steps, Qi Yuan still maintained a calm and composed expression.

"I'm actually quite a superficial person; don't overcomplicate me. It's simple: compared to Ancestor Fei Huang, I still prefer you, the Empress."

Saying this, he pulled another scroll from his sleeve.

"Sect Master Shao, as long as you sign this master-servant contract recognized by the Heavenly Dao, I will immediately destroy the beast taming scroll and promise never to use one on Ancestor Fei Huang in the future. How about it?"

What?!

Shao Xuanji was completely stunned. She never dreamed that a mere Nascent Soul Realm Junior would dare to make such a demand of her.

This bastard was simply audacious!

A master-servant contract was generally an unequal contract forced upon a weaker party when the stronger party's power was overwhelming.

This kind of contract was common in ancient times but had long been lost in the Cultivation World. She didn't know where this kid had obtained one.

A master-servant contract was bound by the Heavenly Dao; once established, no matter how high one's cultivation was, it would be useless to resist.

Its effect was similar to a beast taming scroll: the servant must obey the Master unconditionally, or they would suffer the backlash of the contract, while the Master had no obligations to fulfill.

For a moment, Shao Xuanji's Face flushed, her mind in a mess as she hesitated over whether to agree to such an absurd demand.

Seeing her fall into a state of indecision, Qi Yuan immediately spoke bluntly:

"Sect Master Shao, it seems that in the end, you still put your own interests above those of Linglong Holy Land. You'd rather sacrifice the Sect's greatest support than suffer a little grievance yourself."

"Fine then. Since that's the case, I'll just activate the beast taming scroll. After all, with Ancestor Fei Huang guarding me in the future, I doubt any of you could touch a single hair on my head."

Faced with these piercing words, Shao Xuanji finally made up her mind and said through gritted teeth:

"Fine! I'll sign!"

It's done!

Hearing this, Qi Yuan breathed a heavy sigh of relief in his heart.

Ultimately, everything he did was just to ensure his own safety.

After all, no one knew if Shao Xuanji might one day have a lapse in judgment and decide to eliminate him, a potential threat to the Foundation of Linglong Holy Land.

Although he seemed to have the upper hand in the confrontation just now, he was actually walking a tightrope.

What Shao Xuanji didn't know was that the Mythical Beast already had a beast taming Restriction on her; she was a Divine Beast with a Master.

Therefore, Qi Yuan had no way to activate that beast taming scroll at all; bringing it out was merely a bluff.

If Shao Xuanji hadn't been intimidated, he would have had no options left.

Fortunately, in the Face of the Sect's greater good, this difficult woman finally compromised.

Sigh, no wonder that enchantress Ji Chan'er was convinced I'm a peerless Devil Head. I have to say, I'm starting to look more and more like a villain... At this thought, his expression became somewhat complicated.

A short while later.

Qi Yuan, feeling as if a weight had been lifted, put away the freshly minted master-servant contract and said with a smile:

"Sect Master Shao, from now on, we are one family."

"Also, Taixuan Holy Land will soon send an envoy to discuss the terms of our alliance."

"As I promised just now, the agreement reached by both parties will not leave Linglong Holy Land at too much of a disadvantage."

Hearing this assurance, Shao Xuanji's expression softened slightly, and she said in a heavy voice:

"Qi Yuan, I can work for you in the future, but you are not allowed to force me to do anything that harms Linglong Holy Land, nor are you allowed to use the contract to do anything filthy to me."

"Otherwise, I would rather end my own life than let you have your way!"

Qi Yuan nodded very seriously:

"Sect Master Shao can rest assured. In time, you will realize that I am actually a rare gentleman in this world."

"Hmph, I hope so."

Although Shao Xuanji didn't believe a word of it, things had already come to this, and she could only choose to wait and see.

Qi Yuan, however, rubbed his nose with a chuckle:

"Sect Master Shao, since the master-servant contract has been established, shouldn't the way we address each other change?"

"What?"

Shao Xuanji frowned, seemingly not yet understanding his meaning.

Qi Yuan blinked, looking very expectant. "When others are around, I won't mind if you call me by my name."

"But when no one is around, you must call me—Master."

"Don't even think about it!"

Shao Xuanji's Face hardened as she flatly rejected the request.