"I know those forces better than you do."
Hu Yang's tone was calm but sharp. "They walk among the heavens like packs of gluttonous beasts that devour men and leave not even bones behind. What I said wasn't meant to scare you—it's simply the truth of what will happen."
He leaned slightly forward, his expression confident. "As long as you join the Eternal Society, you can take shelter beneath our wings. Even if those powers covet you, they'll still fear the Eternal Society and won't dare touch you."
"So tell me—why are you being so kind?"
Yang Cheng's voice was indifferent.
"I won't deny that I have selfish motives," Hu Yang replied with a faint smile. "Of course, I'm here for profit as well. But unlike other factions, I'm not greedy. Once we reach an agreement, I'll never go back on my word. I'll treat you as a true partner."
His words sounded convincing—so convincing, in fact, that he seemed almost sincere.
But Yang Cheng already knew what the Eternal Society really was. No matter how smooth Hu Yang's lies were, they could never deceive him.
"Master Yang, I think Master Hu truly means it," Wang Rou said softly.
Even she was fooled.
Zheng Qiu chimed in with a jealous sneer. "Master Yang, being able to work with Master Hu would be your good fortune."
Yang Cheng smiled faintly. "Well said. But I'll repeat myself—cooperation is fine. Great Zhou will handle production. You can handle sales. As for who wins the sales market, that's up to your own abilities."
Hu Yang's smile vanished. His face darkened instantly. "Master Yang, I've spoken to you out of good will, yet it seems you don't appreciate my sincerity."
Hearing that tone, Yang Cheng didn't bother with politeness anymore. His expression turned cold.
"Master Hu, don't bring your little tricks from those ephemeral worlds into the Wasteland Realm."
His gaze sharpened. "I know exactly what your Eternal Society is. Let's take your so-called Heavenly Profound Spirit Pill as an example—it was originally stolen from an alchemy master in one of those ephemeral worlds. You took his life's work, built upon it, and then killed him decades ago, scattering his ashes to the wind."
He took a step closer, his tone icy calm. "But I'm not that alchemy master, and the Wasteland Realm isn't that world. Here, especially in Great Zhou, I don't care what your background is. You follow our rules. Whoever dares to break them—whoever dares stir up trouble—will pay the price."
Hu Yang's face twisted in fury.
Wang Rou and Zheng Qiu's eyes went wide in shock.
They had always admired Hu Yang. To learn that his so-called great creation, the Heavenly Profound Spirit Pill, had been stolen—that revelation struck like thunder.
If what Yang Cheng said was true, then Hu Yang didn't deserve any of his fame or praise.
"Master Yang, you've clearly spent too long in some backwater realm. You think the little bit of power you've seen makes you understand what true strength is?"
Hu Yang's eyes turned cold as ice.
In the next instant, golden light surged from his body, transforming into countless golden threads that coiled toward Yang Cheng like living serpents.
A terrifying pressure erupted.
Wang Rou and Zheng Qiu stumbled backward, barely managing to remain standing under the crushing force.
A half-god.
There was no doubt—Hu Yang was a half-god realm cultivator, and his spiritual power had already reached the level of a true god.
In the blink of an eye, Yang Cheng was enveloped by golden threads.
Hu Yang looked down on him, his tone dripping with arrogance. "Master Yang, do you still have the same confidence you had a moment ago?"
Yang Cheng raised an eyebrow, his expression unruffled. "I didn't expect you to have nearly grasped a Dao Domain already."
Hu Yang smirked. "So you do have some insight. But since you understand what a Dao Domain means, you should also understand how powerful I am."
"I'll give you thirty breaths," Hu Yang said, his tone turning grim. "Within that time, you'll make your decision. Otherwise—"
He paused, the corner of his lips curling into a cruel grin. "Don't worry. You're too talented for me to kill outright. Instead, I'll start by killing your assistant."
More golden threads split off from Hu Yang's body and coiled tightly around Wang Rou.
"Don't come near me!"
She struggled desperately, her qi flaring to resist, but it was useless. Her true energy couldn't block Hu Yang's power.
"No! I don't want to die! Someone—please, someone save me!"
Wang Rou's voice trembled as she cried for help.
She wasn't some warrior tempered by hardship, nor did she have an extraordinary physique or indomitable will. She was just an ordinary woman from a simple family in the Horn Constellation Realm.
Because of her strong talent in alchemy, she was admitted into the Alchemy Hall of the Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy.
At eighteen, she completed her studies and stayed on to teach. Slowly, she rose through the ranks—first as an instructor, then promoted to lecturer after five years, and had held that post for another six years.
This year, she was thirty-one.
For mortals, that was not young. But among cultivators, she was still a young girl.
Having spent all her time inside the academy, far from danger or bloodshed, she still carried an air of youthful innocence.
Now, faced with real terror for the first time, her whole body trembled uncontrollably.
Even Zheng Qiu hadn't expected things to turn out like this.
But at this moment, he was shaking as well, backing away with pale lips and trembling knees.
His cowardice made Wang Rou's fear deepen until tears blurred her vision.
It wasn't sorrow—it was pure terror.
If even Zheng Qiu, a man over forty, was so afraid, how could a twelve-year-old like Yang Cheng possibly withstand this crushing pressure?
Yet when she turned her eyes toward Yang Cheng, she froze.
He stood motionless where he was—calm, composed, without a trace of fear on his face.
Ding!
[Bad news! The host has encountered Hu Yang of the Eternal Society and has been threatened. Even Wang Rou has been taken hostage by Hu Yang.]
[Hu Yang is a powerful Yang God cultivator, and his alchemy mastery has reached the Shattering God level. Within the Eternal Society and across the heavens, he holds immense influence.]
[The host is now facing great danger and a difficult decision. Triggering choice mission—]
[Please choose one of the following options:
1. Submit to Hu Yang, save Wang Rou, and preserve your life. (No reward.)
2. Reject Hu Yang, abandon Wang Rou, and escape alone. (Reward: one Bronze Corpse Puppet.)
3. Reject Hu Yang, but protect both Wang Rou and yourself. (Reward: one Silver Corpse Puppet.)]
Yang Cheng's eyes flickered slightly. 'There's even a reward for this? Not bad.'
"I choose option three," he said firmly in his heart.
Hu Yang smirked, believing he was fully in control. "Yang Cheng, are you really willing to watch such a lovely beauty die before your eyes?"
Yang Cheng tilted his head slightly, his voice casual. "Your Eternal Society is so powerful—yet didn't you ever hear what happened when Qingming Sect in the Azure Jade Realm once placed a bounty of ten million supreme spirit stones on my head? Even Night Owl, that infamous assassin, came after me—and I wiped them all out in one night."
"What did you say?"
Hu Yang frowned, his expression darkening. Then, realization dawned on him. "A year ago, Qingming Sect did issue such a bounty…"
The next second, his face changed drastically. "That person—they were hunting you?"
Before he could react, a terrifying power burst from within Yang Cheng's body.
Hu Yang instantly felt his golden threads being forced apart. He frantically poured more energy into them, but it was no use.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
All of the golden threads binding Yang Cheng snapped one after another.
Yang Cheng stood there unscathed, not even a scratch on him.
"Damn it!"
Hu Yang's face twisted in fury, cold sweat dripping down his forehead. He roared as a golden flame burst from his body—a strange fire, raging and bright—and he hurled it toward Yang Cheng.
But in the next instant, a layer of black-and-white flame ignited around Yang Cheng's body, swallowing the golden blaze completely, leaving not a trace of it behind.
The sight drained all color from Hu Yang's face. His will to fight shattered.
He could only roar in disbelief, "Yang Cheng! Do you have any idea how powerful the Eternal Society is? The Grand Elder of our Society alone is a Yang God cultivator! And beyond him, there are nine Yin God experts—and dozens of Insight God existences…"