Chapter 1788, Xu Wei’s Tragedy
“Brother Zi, why must you be this way!” Xu Wei squeezed out an ugly smile, “This Xu was not your opponent from the beginning, if you really wanted to kill me, this Xu would have no ability to resist. But Brother Zi, do not forget, that little brat said he will be hiding in the cracks, following us around. Young Lord Dong is only a Third-Order Origin Realm cultivator, if that boy were to launch a successful sneak attack, what would the consequences be? Brother Zi should be clear.”
“Naturally, this King understands,” Zi Long’s expression remained indifferent. “But what does this have to do with you? If my son is in danger, this King will notice.”
“You can’t say that for certain,” Xu Wei shook his head, “If this old master is still around though, that boy will have to split his attention, improving everyone’s safety, right?”
Zi Long frowned, as if he was thinking for a while before raising his brow slightly a moment later, “What Brother Xu says is correct.”
Xu Wei secretly let out a sigh of relief.
“But… Brother Xu, your situation isn’t optimistic now. Even if you can divert a part of that boy’s attention, just how much is debatable. This King would be happy to take this opportunity to kill you and avenge the many Purple Star cultivators who suffered at your hands,” Zi Long squinted slightly, a murderous intent flashing across his eyes.
Xu Wei’s heart, which had just relaxed, clenched tightly as he secretly cried to himself while cursing Yang Kai again and again in his heart. If it were not for the attack by Yang Kai just now, how could he have fallen into this predicament?
Zi Long coldly snorted, “Brother Xu, don’t say this King didn’t give you a chance. This King will now give you two choices: First, I kill you. Death ends all troubles!”
Xu Wei bit his lip and asked in a deep voice, “And the second option?”
“Hand over your Soul Brand and obey this King’s orders from now on!” Zi Long crossed his hands behind his back and stared down at Xu Wei in an imposing manner, “You are a worldly man who has experienced great winds and waves, you should know what decision to make!”
“Hand over my Soul Brand?!” Xu Wei’s face became cold as he thought about attacking Zi Long on the spot; however, considering the consequences of such actions, he forcefully suppressed his anger.
If he handed over his Soul Brand, he would have to obey Zi Long’s orders in the future, if not, Zi Long could make his life a living hell with a single thought!
However, if he refused, he would definitely die!
Xu Wei surprisingly discovered that Zi Long disgusted him even more than Yang Kai!
Yang Kai taunted him, played some cheap tricks, and sneak attacked him, but Zi Long, as the revered Sect Master of Purple Star, a famous figure throughout the entire Star Field, was actually shameless enough to add insult to injury at this moment!
“Time is short and this King’s patience is also limited. Think quickly, Brother Xu.” Although Zi Long’s words were light, they were nothing less than thunderous in Xu Wei’s ears, causing him great suffering.
A look of struggle filled Xu Wei’s face for a moment before he grit his teeth and said, “Fine, this old master accepts. If you want the Soul Brand of this old master, then this old master will hand it over to you! However, I hope Brother Zi won’t make things too difficult for this old master in the future!”
Zi Long nodded with satisfaction, and said, “This King will naturally not embarrass you, because… It won’t be this King who is in charge of your Soul Brand, but my son!”
“What? Zi Dong?” Xu Wei shouted as he turned to look at Zi Dong, a look of rage appearing on his face.
Zi Dong was also startled when he heard this, but in the next moment, he turned an ecstatic look towards his father, one filled with gratitude.
Even if he was the Young Master of Purple Star, and had some rights to mobilize the Origin King Realm masters of Purple Star to do things for him, this power was extremely limited; after all, which Origin King did not have great power and authority as well?
Any time Zi Dong asked these masters for something, he would have to pay them handsomely for their services.
Now there was a chance for him to completely control an Origin King. This was nothing short of a treasure falling from the sky into his lap, causing Zi Dong great happiness.
His thoughts quickly turning, Zi Dong’s face sank as he glared towards Xu Wei, “What, does Elder Xu think that this Young Master is not qualified to control your Soul Brand? If that is the case, then this Young Master doesn’t want it either. This Young Master has no interest in forcing a man to act against his will.”
While this rhetoric seemed upright and appropriate for a Young Master of Purple Star on the surface, Xu Wei could not help cursing violently in his heart.
Right now, he was nothing more than a fish on the block, so how could he dare to resist? What’s more, he had already made a concession before, so even though he knew the situation would be quite different from what he had imagined, his unwillingness had decreased noticeably.
There were many cases where, after one made a concession, it became easier to make a second concession… and then a third concession…
After thinking about it, Xu Wei squeezed out a smile and said, “Young Master misunderstands. Young Master is a dragon among men, and his future achievements will certainly be higher than this old master’s, so how could this old master have such thoughts? Being able to serve Young Master is this old master’s honour.”
“En, it is indeed as you say!” Zi Dong smiled widely, the gloom which had clouded his mood thanks to Yang Kai being quickly wiped away. Zi Dong’s mood was extremely happy right now and, in his heart, he swore that if he were to ever see Yang Kai again, he would make Xu Wei kill him to soothe the hate he felt.
Although Xu Wei was missing an arm due to the Seven Coloured Radiant Light, this damage had little effect on his strength as an Origin King. As long as he recuperated well, Xu Wei would still be a powerful master.
“Brother Xu, if you’d please!” Zi Long urged to avoid complications due to delay.
Even though Xu Wei was unwilling, he had to condense his Soul Brand, walk over to Zi Dong, and transfer it to him.
During this whole process, Zi Long was watching him vigilantly, so he had no chance to play any tricks.
After completing this, Xu Wei felt a deep sense of loss.
From this moment on, he was no longer an Elder of Abandoned Lair, but a servant, a thug… he no longer had his freedom.
As he was thinking so though, Xu Wei’s expression suddenly changed dramatically as he felt his Knowledge Sea churn and a splitting, almost unbearable pain assaulted his head.
Even though he was an Origin King, Xu Wei could not resist this kind of pain and suffering.
He could not help screaming and instantly collapsed to the ground, holding his head in his hands as he writhed in agony.
He quickly realized what was going on, and bracing his spirit, he grit his teeth and called out, “Young Master, why are you…”
“En… it’s really effective,” Zi Dong looked down at Xu Wei, who had fallen to the ground howling, without the slightest pity on his face. Instead, he watched with great interest as he continued to apply pressure to the Soul Brand he had just acquired.
Xu Wei’s cries grew more desolate and more violent by the moment as he continued to wail, “Young Master, stop quickly. If this continues, this old master’s Soul will be extinguished!”
“This old master?” Zi Dong’s eyes flashed coldly, “In front of whom are you daring to call yourself old master? Who gave you such gall?”
“Aaah! Old… Old Servant was wrong! Young Master, please stop, Old Servant won’t dare act presumptuously again!”
“Hahaha, you’re quite clever. It seems you’ll make a good dog in the future!” Zi Dong laughed as a wicked, ferocious grin filled his face. Tormenting an Origin King like this gave him immense satisfaction.
Yang Kai had repeatedly insulted him as a dog that could only bark and not bite, so Zi Dong was now venting this resentment on Xu Wei.
“Enough, despite everything else, Elder Xu is still in some sense your Senior. You cannot treat him like this in the future!” Zi Long looked at his son and indifferently ordered.
“Yes!” Zi Dong replied and immediately ceased.
The intense pain in Xu Wei’s Knowledge Sea disappeared at that moment, but even so, he was still unable to get up and was forced to lay on the ground for a long time before struggling to his feet, keeping his head lowered to conceal the hatred which was flashing across his eyes.
A moment ago, he was an Origin King Realm Elder of Abandoned Lair, but now his Soul Brand was controlled by another and he had also been humiliated and tortured by a mere Junior. How could he not feel resentful?
But people under the eaves have to bow their heads, and Xu Wei was naturally not stupid enough to show open hostility here.
He had to hide everything well now if only to find an opportunity in the future to make Zi Long and his bastard son pay.
“Does Elder Xu have any objections to this Young Master’s conduct? Just now, this Young Master was simply experimenting a bit to determine the usefulness of this thing; after all, this Young Master has never controlled an Origin King’s Soul Brand before. It was a novel experience,” Zi Dong stared at Xu Wei and asked with a faint smile on his lips.
“I wouldn’t dare!” Xu Wei gasped as he lowered his head deeply, “Young Master should address Old Servant by his name directly in the future. Old Servant does not dare claim to be an Elder before Young Master. As for what happened just now, Old Servant naturally does not mind.”
“Great!” Zi Dong nodded with satisfaction, “Follow this Young Master carefully and protect his safety. When this Young Master becomes stronger in the future, it will naturally benefit you.”
“Yes!” Xu Wei nodded respectfully.
“By the way, what have you gained since entering this medicine valley? Bring out everything you have for this Young Master to inspect,” Zi Dong seemed to think of something again and asked brightly.
Xu Wei’s face twitched slightly, and his heart stung, but he didn’t dare to resist in the slightest. Quickly removing his Space Ring from his hand, Xu Wei handed it to Zi Dong and said with a flattering smile, “All of Old Servant’s possessions are inside, please have a look Young Master, if there is anything you like, feel free to take it.”
He had to do this; after all, his life was now no longer his to control, so he would not be able to control his possessions either.
Zi Dong did not act polite and after taking the Space Ring, he released his Divine Sense to investigate it. After a while, an expression of joy appeared on his face as he began removing all the valuable treasures from Xu Wei’s ring.
These things not only included everything Xu Wei harvested in the medicine valley, but also the treasures he had collected over the many years of his life.
Abandoned Lair was a gathering place for people who committed all kinds of evil, and as an Elder, Xu Wei had killed many and robbed them of their possessions, so there were truly a lot of good things in his Space Ring.
Each of these treasures was worth a great deal, even to someone like Zi Dong, so he was not planning on letting anything off.
As he watched his possessions being taken out and put into Zi Dong’s Space Ring, Xu Wei felt like his heart was bleeding, but he did not dare to show any dissatisfaction, simply standing to the side and squeezing out a smile.