327: Accept Bai Qingtian

Situ Jun walked slowly toward Village Elder Gongsun. His steps were light, yet each one seemed to tread upon Village Elder Gongsun's heart.

Situ Jun's gaze swept over him coldly, as if looking at a piece of worthless trash:

"Village Elder Gongsun, harming your Fellow Daoists, refining living souls to forge a Demonic Weapon—your sins are too numerous to record."

Only then did Village Elder Gongsun truly realize that this seemingly gentle man before him was the genuine powerhouse.

His eyes instantly filled with terror, his legs began to tremble uncontrollably, and his voice took on a pleading tone:

"City Lord Situ! This old man was blind! Please spare my life! I am willing to offer you all my treasures! Please give me a chance to reform!"

"Reform?"

Situ Jun sneered, his voice full of mockery:

"Those living souls you refined, did you witness their suffering before death? Did they get a chance to reform?"

The moment his voice faded, Situ Jun raised his hand, and a wisp of pale golden Spiritual Qi flew from his fingertip.

The Spiritual Qi appeared faint, yet it contained the sharp Power of Law, flying straight toward the crown of Village Elder Gongsun's head like a razor-sharp blade.

"No—!"

Village Elder Gongsun let out a desperate scream.

The Power of Law instantly surged into his Sea of Consciousness, shattering his Divine Soul like a fierce storm.

His body slumped softly to the ground, then burst into golden flames, instantly turning into a pile of black ash, which was scattered by the mountain breeze, leaving him no chance of Reincarnation.

After dealing with Village Elder Gongsun, Situ Jun turned toward Bai Qingtian.

Bai Qingtian was currently staring at Situ Jun in shock, his eyes filled with gratitude and awe.

He struggled to stand up, but due to his severe injuries, he immediately coughed violently as soon as he raised his head, and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth again:

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Situ, for saving me! Words cannot express my gratitude. If you ever have need of my services in the future, I, Bai, will not hesitate even unto death!"

Situ Jun spoke lightly, flipping his left hand, and a Medicinal Pill glowing with a strange purple light appeared in his palm:

"Don't thank me, I merely eliminated a demonic Cultivator. However, I do not wish for everything that happened here, including the existence of this Secret Realm space, to be spread. Therefore, if you wish to live, eat this Medicinal Pill."

That Medicinal Pill was called the "servitude pill." Its surface was wrapped in wisps of black mist, radiating an unsettling, strange power.

Bai Qingtian's pupils suddenly constricted, and a chill shot straight up his spine—although he had never seen this pill, he could guess that once consumed, his life, death, glory, and shame would no longer be his to control, and he would forever be reduced to someone else's Puppet.

"Fellow Daoist Situ,"

Bai Qingtian swallowed hard, the bloodstain on his chest spreading further due to his rapid breathing. He looked at Situ Jun, his tone carrying a hint of pleading:

"I swear upon my Dao Heart that I will never mention what happened here today to anyone, not even my Sect elders! As for this servitude pill... may I have a moment to consider?"

Before he finished speaking, he saw Situ Jun's eyes slightly turn cold.

Subtle ripples appeared in the surrounding space again, and an invisible pressure assaulted him, instantly making him unable to breathe.

Luo Yu stood aside, her gaze calmly sweeping over Bai Qingtian's tightly clenched fists, and she spoke lightly:

"Fellow Daoist Bai, you should be clear about your current situation. Village Elder Gongsun is dead, and severely injured as you are, you won't be able to move an inch in this Secret Realm without City Lord Situ's protection. This matter is extremely important, and City Lord Situ sparing your life is already the greatest leniency."

Bai Qingtian looked at the ash that Village Elder Gongsun had become on the ground, then looked at Situ Jun's unfathomable eyes.

He knew that the person before him was definitely not soft-hearted. The consequence of refusal would be the same as Village Elder Gongsun's: turning into a pile of ash, without even a corpse remaining.

The last trace of struggle in his heart was completely extinguished.

Bai Qingtian tremblingly stretched out his hand. The moment his fingertip touched the servitude pill, a bone-chilling coldness spread from his fingertip to his limbs, as if even his Divine Soul were frozen.

Without the slightest hesitation, he tilted his head back and swallowed the Medicinal Pill.

The Medicinal Pill melted upon entering his throat, and a strange power instantly swept through his entire body, like countless tiny insects drilling through his Meridians and into his Sea of Consciousness.

Bai Qingtian let out a muffled groan and knelt on one knee, dense cold sweat seeping from his forehead, his face as pale as paper.

He could clearly feel an invisible mark etched deep within his Divine Soul—that mark was like a chain, linking him tightly to Situ Jun, subtly increasing his loyalty and reverence toward Situ Jun.

"Very well."

Situ Jun withdrew his gaze, his tone completely flat.

He flipped his left hand, and a pure white Healing Medicinal Pill appeared in his palm, which he offered to Bai Qingtian:

"From today onward, you are one of my Subordinates. This is a Healing Medicinal Pill. Find a hidden place to regulate your breathing. Once I control the core of this Secret Realm, I will naturally open the passage and take you away."

Bai Qingtian forced himself to stand up, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.

The arrogance and pride that had originally been in his eyes were now completely replaced by reverence.

He accepted the Healing Medicinal Pill with both hands, bowed slightly, and spoke with a hint of respect:

"This Subordinate... obeys."

Situ Jun raised his hand and waved, and a pale golden Power of Law enveloped Bai Qingtian.

The power was gentle yet irresistible, carrying Bai Qingtian's figure slowly toward the outside of the valley. In just a moment, Bai Qingtian's figure vanished into the depths of the mountain forest.

Only after Bai Qingtian left did Luo Yu look at Situ Jun, her brow slightly furrowed:

"Husband, those Nascent Soul Cultivators are still wandering around. They might damage the spatial structure of the Secret Realm. You should control the Secret Realm Core as soon as possible to avoid complications."

"Yu'er is right."

Situ Jun nodded, his gaze turning to the ten thousand souls banner left behind by Village Elder Gongsun on the ground.

He bent down and picked up the banner. The soul shadows on the banner felt his Qi and instantly became docile, trembling and daring not to make a sound.

A flicker of disgust crossed Situ Jun's eyes. He condensed a wisp of pure Spiritual Qi on his fingertip and gently brushed it across the banner.

The Spiritual Qi was scorching hot like the blazing sun. The sinister power on the banner surface was instantly dispelled, and the bloody runes quickly faded, leaving behind only a tattered black banner, devoid of its previous strangeness.

"This ten thousand souls banner was tainted by too much resentment from living souls during its forging. Keeping it would only cause trouble."

Situ Jun casually threw the banner onto the ground. With a slight movement of his Spiritual Qi, an invisible force shattered the banner.

The black fragments scattered on the ground and were quickly blown away by the wind, leaving no trace.

After finishing all this, Situ Jun turned to Luo Yu, his tone softening:

"Let's go. I'll take you to the Core Space of the Secret Realm. The Spiritual Qi there is the densest; you can Cultivate for a while."

Luo Yu nodded in agreement, her eyes holding a trace of trust and reliance.

The two figures moved. Faint ripples appeared in the surrounding space, and the next second, they vanished into the valley as if merging into the air.

Tranquility returned to the valley.

All that remained were scattered debris, lingering smoke and dust, and a shocking bloodstain on the rock wall, as if the thrilling battle that had just occurred had never taken place.