Chapter 30: Subjugating the Lord of the Nine Netherworlds

The purple bead slowly spun in the chubby little palm, its surface swirling with intricate lightning patterns. Lin Chuan stared intently at the bead sealed with the former Lord of the Nine Netherworlds, his brow furrowed slightly. How to deal with this once-powerful lord was a matter requiring careful consideration.

“Fatty,” Lin Chuan suddenly spoke, “your soul power is now equivalent to the Saint Martial level, but what about your actual combat strength?”

The chubby boy grinned, revealing his signature sly expression. “Divine Martial.”

The two words floated lightly out but sent a jolt through Lin Chuan’s entire body, nearly causing him to bite his own tongue.

Divine Martial Realm! That was the pinnacle of the cultivation system on the Azure Mysterious Continent, a realm of legend!

“What, scared by your old man’s strength?” the chubby boy said proudly, shaking his head. His blue hair shimmered under the sunlight.

Lin Chuan rolled his eyes. “Get lost! Who’s your father?”

Joking aside, the chubby boy quickly became serious. “But this kind of power can’t be used recklessly. I currently have only a soul, no physical body. Using my full strength once or twice will cause me to drop a realm.”

He explained in detail.

Using Divine Martial-level power consumes enormous energy, and a soul body recovers at less than a tenth the speed of one with flesh and blood.

If overexerted, not only will one fall back to the Saint Martial Realm, but to recover requires extremely rare soul treasures.

“What’s more troublesome,” the chubby boy’s voice dipped low, “is that my renegade disciple is constantly tracking me. As soon as I act, even once, he could detect it.”

Lin Chuan nodded thoughtfully.

The chubby boy’s predicament was indeed tricky—possessing great power but unable to use it freely was like holding a live bomb ready to explode at any moment.

“I have an idea,” Lin Chuan’s eyes flashed with brilliance. “How about letting the Lord of the Nine Netherworlds act in your stead?”

The chubby boy raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“First, it avoids your soul power consumption; second, even if it draws attention, the blame falls on the Lord of the Nine Netherworlds,” Lin Chuan grew more excited as he spoke. “Besides, we need an official ‘background.’ Having a Lord-level powerhouse backing you is perfect!”

The chubby boy’s small eyes spun several circles before he burst out laughing. “Good kid, that’s a fine idea!”

He flipped his palm, and the lightning patterns on the purple bead suddenly brightened.

With a soft “click,” the seal was broken, and the bead transformed into a purple mist, coalescing in the air into the figure of the Lord of the Nine Netherworlds.

The former lord made no fuss upon appearing; he immediately dropped to his knees with a thud and kowtowed three times to the chubby boy.

“Thank you, sir, for sparing my life!” His voice trembled as his forehead pressed to the ground. His purple hair spread out, and not a trace of his former powerful aura remained.

Lin Chuan’s mouth twitched.

He knew the cultivation world was brutal and survival was for the strong, but seeing a dignified lord reduced to such humiliation surpassed even his imagination.

“Don’t be surprised,” the chubby boy whispered, “this old lecher is one of the most cowardly men I’ve ever met. As long as he can live, he’d eat dirt if you told him to.”

The Lord of the Nine Netherworlds, seeing the chubby boy’s lack of reaction, turned to Lin Chuan and without hesitation began the ritual of triple kneeling and nine kowtows.

“Thank you, young master, for pleading with your respected father! I will never forget this kindness!”

Lin Chuan was about to explain his relationship with the chubby boy when the latter interrupted.

“My son said there’s no need to kowtow anymore.”

The lord, as if granted a great pardon, hurriedly rose, his face filled with a servile smile, looking like a dog that had just found a bone.

Lin Chuan’s eyes widened, ready to retort, but the chubby boy once again cut in.

“However, my son isn’t saving you for free. From now on, you’ll follow him as an attendant.”

“Yes, sir!” The lord nodded fervently. “I will serve the young master with all my heart!”

Lin Chuan felt a vein twitch on his forehead as he screamed in his mind, “You idiot! Who’s your son?!”

The chubby boy’s voice came through, unusually serious.

“Chuan’er, this old lecher only respects the strong. At my peak, I could have him kneel just to speak, never standing. But now that I’m just a soul body, I have to give you the identity of ‘my son’ for him to truly fear you.”

Seeing Lin Chuan poised to argue, the chubby boy added, “Think about it—a ‘young master’ who can command a lord as an attendant—what kind of status would that give you in Destiny City?”

That made Lin Chuan calm down.

Indeed, having an intimidating background would make many things easier. Though it felt unfair to be taken advantage of, for the long-term benefit...

“Hmph!” Lin Chuan snorted coldly, tacitly agreeing to the arrangement.

The Lord of the Nine Netherworlds immediately read the mood and hurried forward.

“Master, what are your orders? I will face fire and water without hesitation!”

Lin Chuan sized him up.

At this moment, the lord only possessed the strength of the Respectful Martial Realm, and his soul was incomplete, making his aura unstable. But he had once been a lord, so his vision and experience far exceeded that of ordinary people.

“First,” Lin Chuan said sternly, “don’t call me master—call me young master.”

“Yes, yes, young master!” The lord readily complied.

“Second, explain your situation in detail. Your current strength, abilities, and what conditions are needed for recovery.”

The lord dared not slack and recounted everything precisely.

He was now roughly at the peak of the Respectful Martial Realm; despite his soul’s incompleteness, his combat power was enough to contend with peak Saint Martial opponents.

His specialty lay in soul-based cultivation techniques and formation setups, especially variants of the Nine Nether Soul Refining Formation.

“As for recovery...” The lord glanced secretly at the chubby boy. “It requires a large amount of pure soul energy, or... or permission from the young master to absorb some living souls...”

“Don’t even think about it!” Lin Chuan interrupted sharply. “If you dare massacre innocents, I’ll have Fatty... I mean, my father, destroy you!”

The lord shuddered all over and hurriedly waved his hands. “I wouldn’t dare! I was just listing options...”

The chubby boy struggled to suppress his laughter beside them. Lin Chuan’s ‘young master’ demeanor was surprisingly convincing.

“Listen,” Lin Chuan continued his lecture, “from now on, you follow me. First, no wanton killing of innocents. Second, don’t reveal my father’s identity. Third, whatever I command, you obey, understood?”

“Understood! Understood!” The lord nodded and bowed repeatedly. “I will obey the young master’s every order!”

Lin Chuan nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly remembered something. “By the way, do you have a name? We can’t keep calling you the Lord of the Nine Netherworlds forever.”

“My given name is... Purple Sha,” the lord said awkwardly. “But young master can just call me Little Purple.”

Lin Chuan nearly burst out laughing.

Purple Sha? Little Purple? The contrast was too great!

“Fine, Little Purple,” Lin Chuan barely held back his laughter. “Now give me a strand of your soul origin as a token of allegiance.”

The lord—now to be called Little Purple—changed expression.

Handing over the soul origin meant his life and death were entirely in another’s hands. But seeing the chubby boy’s watchful gaze, he didn’t dare utter a word of refusal.

“Yes...” Little Purple frowned and drew a thread of purple mist from between his brows, respectfully offering it to Lin Chuan.

Lin Chuan took the mist and, following the chubby boy’s instructions, stored it in his sea of consciousness.

Instantly, he felt a bond form between himself and Little Purple—just a thought could shatter the other’s soul.

“All right,” Lin Chuan clapped his hands, “now for the main matter. We’re about to leave the Azure Mysterious Secret Realm; you need to change your appearance.”

Little Purple’s current look was too conspicuous—purple hair, purple eyes, a grim visage that marked him as no friend.

Under Lin Chuan’s guidance, he quickly transformed into an ordinary middle-aged man with black hair and eyes and plain features.

“Not bad,” Lin Chuan nodded with approval. “From now on, you’re an old servant of my family. Just call me young master.”

The chubby boy added from the side, “Remember, don’t reveal a single word about me. If anyone asks, say the young master’s background is unfathomable—something a servant like you has no business inquiring about.”

“Yes, sir!” Little Purple nodded repeatedly.

With the plan settled, the three of them—more precisely, one person with two souls—began to scour the Azure Mysterious Secret Realm for treasures.