180: Invitation to an alliance

Qingyun Main Hall.

Jade Dragon Son followed Xiao Hei inside. Raising his eyes, he saw Lin Chen seated high above.

He did not dare to be negligent and immediately bowed, keeping his posture extremely low. "Taiqing Academy Grand Elder, Jade Dragon Son, greets Sect Master Lin."

Lin Chen leaned against the back of his chair, not even lifting his eyelids. His voice was lazy, yet it carried an invisible pressure. "Heh, didn't you people from the Taiqing Academy have quite a lot of capability before?"

"That fellow named Zhao Qian almost refined our Sect's Elder Li Meng."

"I haven't gone to settle the score with you yet, and here you are delivering yourself to my doorstep?"

"Tired of living?"

Before his voice had even faded, a terrifying pressure as vast as a sea of stars suddenly descended upon Jade Dragon Son like an invisible giant hand!

Jade Dragon Son's entire body shook violently, his face instantly turning pale as cold sweat poured down his forehead.

He felt like a small boat in the midst of wild winds and giant waves, liable to be crushed at any moment.

The other party's aura... was unfathomable!

It was far beyond his own!

The slight pride he held as a Half-step Golden Immortal was instantly crushed to pieces.

"Sect Master Lin, please calm your anger! Calm your anger!"

Jade Dragon Son hurriedly spoke, his voice trembling. "It is all due to this old man's lack of discipline that such a vile creature appeared among my Disciples!"

"That Zhao Qian, along with his Revered Master and all those involved—this humble Daoist has already punished them severely and... expelled them all from the Sect!"

"This old man has come this time specifically to apologize to your noble Sect!"

"Expelled from the Sect?" Lin Chen finally raised his eyes and glanced at him. His gaze was indifferent, yet it made Jade Dragon Son's heart tighten.

Jade Dragon Son understood instantly and hurriedly added, "Sect Master Lin, please rest assured! Upon my return, this old man will definitely clear out the Sect! Not a single one of those troublemakers will be left alive to be an eyesore!"

Only then did Lin Chen slightly restrain his pressure, giving a noncommittal "Mhm."

Jade Dragon Son secretly breathed a sigh of relief, his back completely drenched.

He dared not beat around the bush any longer and directly stated his purpose. "Sect Master Lin, besides apologizing, this old man has come today to discuss an important matter."

"Does Sect Master Lin know that our Qinggu Heaven Domain has a 'Domain Lord'?"

Lin Chen didn't speak, merely looking at him.

Jade Dragon Son continued, "Your noble Sect can resurrect True Immortals, which involves the secrets of the Origin."

"Regarding this, our Three Great Academies have no designs on it. The academy's purpose is education; we have no intention of competing for it."

"But... that Domain Lord will definitely be interested!"

"Once he takes action against your noble Sect, I'm afraid..."

"So?" Lin Chen raised an eyebrow.

"Therefore, this old man has come today representing the Three Great Academies, hoping to form an alliance with your noble Sect to jointly deal with that Domain Lord!" Jade Dragon Son's tone was sincere.

"An alliance?"

Lin Chen laughed with undisguised contempt. "On what basis? Just based on your Three Great Academies? Or just based on your... cultivation at the third level of the Half-step Golden Immortal realm?"

He saw through Jade Dragon Son's background at a single glance.

Jade Dragon Son's old face flushed, but his tone became more urgent. "Sect Master Lin might not know! That Domain Lord has an immense background, and his strength is even more terrifying!"

"Tens of millions of years ago, he suddenly descended upon the Qinggu Heaven Domain, and no one could match him!"

"Our Three Great Academies... were actually forced to submit and be driven by him. Every ten thousand years, we must scour the Heaven Domain for resources to offer as tribute!"

"Now, only three years remain until the next tribute period!"

Lin Chen frowned.

The Three Great Academies were all forced to submit?

This Domain Lord indeed seemed to have some skill.

If the Qinggu Heaven Domain had a Domain Lord, what about the other Heaven Domains? Did they have Domain Lords too?

Could there be the same power behind them?

This was getting interesting.

Seeing Lin Chen in thought, Jade Dragon Son quickly added more weight. "Your noble Sect has risen powerfully. If you wish to truly reign supreme in the Qinggu Heaven Domain in the future, a battle with the Domain Lord is inevitable!"

"Rather than facing him alone, it's better for us to join forces. Only then will there be a sliver of hope for victory!"

"This alliance will bring a hundred benefits and not a single harm to your noble Sect!"

"That sounds nice," Lin Chen said indifferently. "Specifically? What do you plan to do in three years? You want to form an alliance with just empty words?"

Jade Dragon Son immediately said, "Three years from now, when the Domain Lord descends to collect the tribute, that will be our chance to strike!"

"At that time, we will gather the strength of our Three Great Academies and your noble Sect, and then call upon the various major powers of the Six Great Immortal Continents to resist together! To show our sincerity..."

With a wave of Jade Dragon Son's hand, an exquisite Storage Pouch appeared in the hall.

The mouth of the bag opened slightly, and instantly, a treasure light shot into the sky as an extremely dense Immortal Spirit Qi permeated the air.

"This is ten million top-grade Immortal Crystals, serving as a small gift from our Three Great Academies. I wish us a pleasant cooperation!"

Ten million top-grade Immortal Crystals!

Even though Lin Chen had seen much of the world, he still slightly raised an eyebrow.

These Three Great Academies were truly willing to pay a high price to drag him into this.

He glanced at Xiao Hei standing nearby and found that the dog's drool was almost flowing onto the floor.

"This matter is of great importance. This Sect Master needs to consider it carefully."

Lin Chen did not agree immediately. He waved his hand. "Leave the things and go back for now."

Jade Dragon Son knew he couldn't force it. Being able to leave the items meant there was a chance.

He hurriedly added, "By the way, Sect Master Lin, there is one more thing."

"In one year, it will be the time for our Three Great Academies' centennial 'Three Academies Disciple Competition'."

"To show our sincerity for the alliance this time, the competition will widely invite the young talents from various major powers of the Qinggu Heaven Domain to participate."

"I wonder if your noble Sect..."

Before he could finish, a "ding" sounded in Lin Chen's mind.

[Ding! Side quest detected: Display Might at the Academy!]

[Task Requirement: Dispatch Wending Sect Disciples to participate in the Three Great Academies Joint Competition in one year and take first place!]

[Task Reward: Huge rewards will be issued based on completion level and Disciple performance.]

A System task?

And it just happens to be a Disciple competition?

The corner of Lin Chen's mouth curled up imperceptibly.

With a task, the nature of the situation was different.

"I see." He looked at Jade Dragon Son and spoke casually, "When the time comes, my Wending Sect will naturally send people there."

Jade Dragon Son was overjoyed. "Yes! Then this humble Daoist will await Sect Master Lin's arrival at the Three Great Academies!"

Having achieved his goal, Jade Dragon Son did not stay any longer. After bowing respectfully, he quickly withdrew from the hall.

Quiet returned to the hall.

Lin Chen thought to himself, 'That old fox, when did This Sect Master ever agree to go personally?'

He didn't even give Lin Chen a chance to speak before leaving directly.

Now, it seemed Lin Chen would have to go when the time came.

Looking at the bag of glittering Immortal Crystals on the ground, Lin Chen thought for a moment.

Three years... For the Wending Sect, which had the great dao spacetime pagoda, that would be nearly a thousand years inside the tower.

Combined with the System rewards and these resources, it was enough for the Sect's strength to rise by one or even several levels.

He himself was only one step away from becoming a true Golden Immortal.

In this Lower Heaven, if he still couldn't walk with his head held high, then there really was no point in continuing.

"Domain Lord?"

Lin Chen chuckled with a hint of playfulness and indifference. "I hope you're a bit more durable. Don't tell me you can't even break through This Sect Master's azure vault immortal shield defense."

"Sigh," he stretched, his tone sounding somewhat bored. "Being invincible... is actually a bit lonely."

Xiao Hei, listening from the side, rolled its dog eyes and quickly lowered its head, pretending it hadn't heard anything.

The way the Sect Master showed off—it gave him a perfect score.