Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts-Chapter 423 - The Deal (Two in One - )

Xu Ming gazed at the massive mountain of flesh before him.

The warden’s mouth was full of sharp teeth, and the oppressive aura emanating from him was enough for Xu Ming to tell that this was no ordinary person. He was, at the very least, a cultivator of the Upper Five Realms.

It made sense. Managing a prison filled with the most vicious and dangerous criminals—if he weren’t at least of the Upper Five Realms, he might not be able to keep them in check.

“Both of you, please follow me,” the warden said.

Without further words, he turned and walked toward the darkness.

With every step the warden took, Xu Ming could feel the ground trembling beneath him.

Finally, the warden led them to the entrance of a stone cave. A massive boulder blocked its entrance.

“Ao Jin is inside. You may go in directly,” the warden informed them.

Xiao Lan turned to Xu Ming and bowed slightly. “Lord Xu, you may take your time inside. There is no time restriction, so there is no need to rush. I will wait outside the door. If you require any assistance, simply crush this token.”

As she spoke, she removed a jade token from her waist and handed it to Xu Ming.

Xu Ming nodded in acknowledgment and bowed slightly to both of them. “Thank you. But before I go in, may I ask—do you have any wine here? If possible, I’d like two jars.”

Xiao Lan glanced at the warden, who said nothing. He simply walked away, and before long, he returned with two large jars of wine.

In the warden’s massive hands, the jars looked as small as tiny teapots.

“I appreciate it,” Xu Ming said, taking one jar in hand.

The warden then inserted a thick iron chain into a hole in the stone wall. With a deep, grinding noise, the boulder blocking the entrance began to shift, revealing a dark passageway.

A pitch-black tunnel stretched out before Xu Ming.

Without hesitation, he stepped inside and made his way forward.

The surrounding darkness was absolute—he couldn’t see even a sliver of light.

But after walking a certain distance, a sudden glow flickered ahead of him.

In the next moment, torches along the walls of the cave began to ignite one after another, illuminating the path forward.

At the end of the cave, a prison cell stood.

Inside the cell, a man with disheveled hair knelt on a pile of straw.

His hands and feet were bound with shackles, and his clothes were tattered, covered in scars from countless lashes.

Hearing the approaching footsteps, Ao Jin slowly opened his eyes and looked at the figure walking toward him.

The moment he saw Xu Ming, a flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes, followed by a deep confusion.

“It’s been a long time,” Xu Ming said.

“It truly has,” Ao Jin replied calmly. “I never expected that the one to visit me would be you.”

His gaze remained steady on Xu Ming. “How did you get in here?”

“How else?” Xu Ming smiled. “The Dragon Empress allowed it.”

Then, he placed the jars of wine in front of the prison cell.

Taking out a few cups from his storage pouch, Xu Ming poured the wine and placed a cup before Ao Jin.

Without hesitation, Ao Jin picked up the cup and took a sip.

“It seems the Dragon Empress thinks highly of you,” Ao Jin said, looking at Xu Ming.

He didn’t know exactly what Xu Ming’s relationship with the Dragon Empress was, but considering his status as a condemned prisoner, the fact that she still allowed Xu Ming to meet him spoke volumes about the favor Xu Ming held.

“That’s true. The Dragon Empress does hold me in high regard,” Xu Ming nodded.

Ao Jin took another sip of wine, then asked, “How is the world outside?”

Instead of answering directly, Xu Ming responded with a question of his own:

“What do you think has become of the world outside?”

Ao Jin frowned. “What else could have happened? Since the Dragon Empress has already uncovered our plan with End Mountain, then Dragon King’s Soar is no longer something the East Sea can claim. If nothing unexpected happened, it should already be in the North Sea by now. And before long, they’ll be gathering their forces to demand accountability from the East Sea.”

Xu Ming shook his head. “If things had played out exactly as you said, it would’ve been a much simpler matter, and the Four Seas wouldn’t have ended up in their current state.”

Hearing Xu Ming’s words, Ao Jin’s frown deepened. “What do you mean?”

Xu Ming met Ao Jin’s gaze directly. “What else could I mean? Just take my words at face value. Otherwise, tell me—after the plan failed, how do you think the Four Seas would end up?”

Ao Jin looked at Xu Ming and slowly spoke. “We collaborated with End Mountain for the sake of Dragon King’s Soar.

Since we lost Dragon King’s Soar, it naturally would’ve returned to the North Sea palace.

With our plan exposed, given the Dragon Empress’s temperament, there’s no way she’d let this slide. The other two Dragon Kings of the seas would also come to hold my royal father accountable.

However, since my royal father allied with End Mountain, I trust they wouldn’t stand idly by.”

Xu Ming let out a short laugh. “I’ll be straight with you—Dragon King’s Soar has been completely destroyed. It’s gone.”

Ao Jin’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What did you say? How could Dragon King’s Soar be gone? That’s an ancient relic passed down since antiquity!”

Xu Ming looked at him as if he were a fool.

“In this world, nothing is truly indestructible. The Dragon King’s Soar of the Four Seas is no exception.

When your plan was exposed, the Dragon Empress took the opposite approach—she attempted to refine the Dragon King’s Soar into her personal life-bound artifact.

But who would’ve expected that End Mountain would go all out in a desperate, scorched-earth move?

Your royal father was killed by End Mountain. His heart was carved out, and with some unknown techniques, that old man from End Mountain completely destroyed Dragon King’s Soar.

Once the Dragon King’s Soar was shattered, the depths of the Four Seas fell into chaos.

In the North Sea’s Abyssal Trench, an ancient being broke free.

But in the end, the Dragon Empress suppressed it.

According to her, dealing with similar ancient entities in the other seas wouldn’t be much of an issue.

But as for the East Sea... I’d say you’re in real trouble.

Right now, the East Sea is leaderless, and I imagine it’s your brothers who are struggling to hold everything together.”

“My father is dead? No! You must be lying!” Ao Jin’s gaze locked onto Xu Ming, his eyes filled with raw intensity.

Xu Ming sighed. “What do I have to gain from lying to you? You were already doomed to die—what reason would I have to deceive you?”

Ao Jin’s eyes trembled violently.

Finally, as if accepting reality, he clenched his fist and slammed it hard against the ground. “How could End Mountain dare to do this?!”

Xu Ming swirled the wine in his cup and took a sip. “To put it in Miss Xiao Lan’s words—your alliance with End Mountain was no different from bargaining with a tiger.

Earlier, you assumed that End Mountain wouldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

But in reality, in their plans, all of you were expendable pawns.

Your royal father was nothing more than a bargaining chip they willingly sacrificed.”

As Xu Ming spoke, he could see the overwhelming fury in Ao Jin’s eyes.

Ao Jin lifted his head, his gaze bloodshot as he stared at Xu Ming. “What about my sister? What happened to my sister? Yin’er is innocent—she knew nothing of any of this. I’ll take full responsibility for everything.”

Xu Ming raised an eyebrow and took another sip of wine. “Now you remember your sister?”

Ao Jin: “...”

Xu Ming exhaled softly. “To tell you the truth, even if she had done nothing—even if she knew nothing—it wouldn’t change the fact that she is a member of the East Sea.

Because of your actions, your sister was at the very least doomed to be imprisoned in the North Sea for thousands of years.

But I happen to be friends with Yin’er, so I pleaded on her behalf.

Fortunately for her, the Dragon Empress likes your sister.

She agreed to let her go soon.”

Ao Jin’s fists trembled slightly before he lowered his head.

“Thank you...”

Upon confirming his sister’s safety, Ao Jin seemed to collapse in on himself. His eyes had already lost their light, filled only with the shadow of death.

“I’ve always had a question for you,” Xu Ming looked at Ao Jin with curiosity. “By all logic, your sister going to land shouldn’t have been such a big deal. Why were you all so adamantly against it?”

Hearing this, Ao Jin sighed and shook his head. “It’s because of my sister’s unique constitution.

This is something only my father and I knew. But now that the Dragon King’s Soar is gone, there’s no harm in telling you.

When my sister was born, every sea creature in the East Sea felt a mysterious calling.

Above the East Sea’s royal palace, the phantom of a true dragon circled endlessly, while the sun and moon intertwined without pause.

After she was born, a sun-and-moon pattern appeared on her lower abdomen. According to the ancient records of the East Sea, my sister was born with the Sacred Sea Spirit Physique.

The so-called Sacred Sea Spirit Physique grants an extreme affinity with the ocean.

As her cultivation grows, this affinity will only strengthen.

Eventually, she’ll be able to command the sea creatures with almost no resistance, and the entire ocean will become her personal training ground.

But this physique has a fatal flaw—before reaching the Nascent Soul realm, she must never set foot on land.

If she does, her Sea Spirit Physique will weaken, dealing a severe blow to her path of cultivation.

Our original plan in the East Sea was to claim the Dragon King’s Soar, then collaborate with End Mountain to manipulate the balance of power among the other seas.

With the Dragon King’s Soar assisting her cultivation, my sister could have progressed at an unprecedented speed.

In less than a thousand years, she would’ve reached the Ascension Realm.

At that point, she could have directly challenged the Dragon Empress.

Not only that, but even if the other three seas combined forces, they wouldn’t have been our match. The entire Four Seas would have been ours to rule.

But fate had other plans.”

Xu Ming chuckled. “Seems like the East Sea’s ambitions were quite grand.”

“Hah,” Ao Jin let out a cold laugh. “It wasn’t just the East Sea. Ask the other three seas—who among them isn’t ambitious?

Controlling the Dragon King’s Soar means controlling the very lifeline of the Four Seas. At the very least, it grants the power to threaten the others.

Who wouldn’t want to unify the entire ocean and become the true ruler of the seas?”

“But in the end, you failed,” Xu Ming said. “And now the Four Seas are in turmoil, their people suffering. Your name will forever be engraved on the pillar of disgrace.”

“That’s true,” Ao Jin admitted with a sigh. “Failure is failure. The defeated have no excuses.”

After a brief silence, he looked at Xu Ming with genuine gratitude.

“Thank you, Young Master Xu, for protecting my sister. Now that the East Sea is gone, I can only imagine how many eyes will be coveting her power.

If possible, I hope you can take her to land.

If her Sacred Sea Spirit Physique is broken, at least she’ll be able to live a peaceful life.”

“I’ll discuss it with her,” Xu Ming replied. “But whether she agrees or not is up to her.

That said, I didn’t come here just for a casual chat.

Our relationship was never close enough for that.

The reason I came is to make you a deal.

If you accept, you might just survive.

If you refuse, then your only fate is death.

It’s your choice.”

Ao Jin met Xu Ming’s gaze head-on. “What kind of deal?”

“You return to the East Sea and become its ruler.

The North Sea will assist in your coronation.

But in exchange, you must leave a fragment of your soul in the North Sea and light a Life Lamp.

In other words, from this day forward, you will be the North Sea’s hound.

Whatever the North Sea commands, you must obey without question.

The East Sea will become nothing more than a vassal of the North Sea.

If you agree, you will live.

If you refuse, you will die here.”

Xu Ming didn’t bother with any pleasantries—he spoke bluntly and directly.

A matter like this had to be laid out clearly so the other party could fully understand and make a proper decision. It also demonstrated his sincerity.

For some people, as long as they could survive, what did it matter if they became a dog?

Especially a dog that stood above all others, second only to one.

But for the dragon race, it wasn’t that simple.

They carried an innate pride, believing they should never be humiliated.

Especially someone like Ao Jin.

The fact that the Dragon King of the East Sea had chosen him for this plan showed how highly he was valued—proof that his abilities were recognized.

And his willingness to come here alone, unafraid of death, only further proved the depth of his pride.

Whether he would accept the offer, however, was not something Xu Ming cared about.

If he refused, so be it. Xu Ming had given him a choice.

But if he agreed, then the East Sea would fall firmly under the control of the North Sea.

With two of the Four Seas under its command, the North Sea’s strength would increase tremendously.

This would significantly improve the Dragon Empress’s ability to handle future threats.

Keeping Ao Jin alive was far more valuable than simply killing him.

“I accept.”

After a long moment of contemplation, Ao Jin met Xu Ming’s gaze.

“I am willing to become the North Sea’s dog. The entire East Sea will become a vassal of the North Sea.

But I have one condition—regarding End Mountain, the North Sea must help me take revenge.”

“There’s no need for you to say it,” Xu Ming replied. “The Four Seas and End Mountain are already locked in a battle to the death.”

With that, Xu Ming stood up and walked toward the cave entrance.

“Enjoy these two jars of wine. In a few days, someone will come to take you out.

Prepare a fragment of your soul.

From this day forward, your life belongs to the North Sea.

It is no longer your own.”