Forming Connections

"In the second round of the Profound God Convention, all participants will be sent to the same battle arena. The rules will reset but remain the same as in the previous round. However, in this round, there will be no natural calamities or profound beasts. Everyone will retain the number of Soul Orbs they have gathered from the previous round, since there are no profound beasts, the single method of gaining Soul Orbs is by slaying other participants in the second round."

"You will be given three days to gather as many Soul Orbs as possible... and only the top one thousand will be able to proceed onto the third round! The top one thousand will also be granted the title 'Heaven's Chosen Children' and the right to cultivate in the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm for three thousand years. It is something which can change one's fate forever, so do not waste a single breath during this round."

"This will be your next battlefield, young experts of the Eastern Divine Region."

Aerion looked around and realised how boring the battlefield looked. It was extremely large yet empty and dried up, not exactly the most pleasant sight.

"Now, without further ado, you may advance onwards and decide your fates once and for all!"

This round should be a little bit more fun. I don't have to do anything and I'll proceed to the next round easily, after all. Maybe I should limit my strength to somewhere in the Divine Spirit Realm to make this more exciting for myself.

Actually, I might do that in the later rounds where there's an actual audience. What should I do now? That's the real question.

Aerion started to explore the battlefield first, in order to find some interesting people to converse with and kill the time. He searched for the strongest of auras, the tenth stage of the Divine Spirit Realm in particular. Coincidentally, one of the auras was rather close so he made his way to this person.

Luo Changsheng... hahaha, the man who was meant to place first in this tournament. He must be quite disgruntled by his third-place ranking.

"Would you care for a drink, Changsheng? I have the finest wine in all of Primal Chaos... it would be a shame if you were to miss out on the opportunity of tasting it."

"Who the hell are you?"

"That's rather cold... well, that is to be expected. This King's identity is still unknown to you. We are both young and supremely talented geniuses of the Eastern Divine Region... I'm obviously better than you, but you're still above everyone else."

"You're... Aerion Targaryen?"

"The one and only." Aerion smiled. "Care for a drink? I have no intentions of harming you, instead, I want to build connections... perhaps there is a chance that you and I could become friends. Such a bond would be beneficial for both of us, I assure you."

"A drink, you say? Very well." Luo Changsheng would rather not make an enemy out of the mad man who had gathered a billion Soul Orbs.

"You're as wise as I expected you to be. Good, let me bring out a few chairs. Young masters like ourselves shouldn't sit on the ground."

"I suppose you're right about that."

Aerion took out two chairs, a table, food and a jar of wine.

"Food?"

"Come now, just because we're in the Divine Realms doesn't mean we can't enjoy some good food once in a while. When was the last time you ate, anyway?"

"A long time ago."

"You don't even know... how depressing. Food can also be a means of enhancing one's cultivation, depending on what its made out of. Honestly, you can skip the food as it is not a speciality of mine. The wine, however, cannot be missed out on... if you may sit down."

"I will try one glass." Luo Changsheng sat down and tried out the wine. "Mn, this is... heavenly!"

Aerion nodded. "The grapes come from a very special place, in fact, you're the first one to try this type of wine other than myself. You can have more if you want."

It comes from the Seventh Heaven Realm, of course, it's heavenly.

"Of course, I'd love to."

... Is it really that good?

Aerion scratched his hair and tried out a glass for himself. "I see where you're coming from."

"Is this jar all you have?"

"No, I have hundreds just like it."

"Could I buy a few when this Profound God Convention is over? Perhaps, we can meet before that..."

I never thought about selling it...

"How much would you pay for one?"

Luo Changsheng stroked his non-existent beard. "Hmm, not only does it have a profound and heavenly taste, but the wine itself is beneficial. The profound energy within it is extremely dense and divine. I do not know how you came upon such a treasure but I'm willing to pay three billion Purple Profound Stones for one jar."

Three billion for some wine!? I'm about to become the richest man in Primal Chaos.

"With enough of this wine, a breakthrough should be swift and seamless."

That's why... I see...

Aerion nodded. "I'm more than willing to sell some to you, Changsheng. Since we're such great friends, I'll lower it to two and a half billion Purple Profound Stones for one jar."

"Friends... I see. We can, indeed, be friends. You are someone I find easy to talk with... there's something about you but I can't quite place my finger on it."

"It is my overwhelming charisma, Changsheng. The sword which pierces the hearts of women and gathers the souls of men."

"Perhaps, that could be it." Luo Changsehng finished another glass, in a single try, no less. "Could you tell me your real cultivation strength? I'll tell you mine in exchange."

"The Second Stage of the Divine King Realm," Aerion replied. "What's your true cultivation strength?"

"The First Stage of the Divine King Realm... hmph, I suppose you truly are superior in that regard as well. Still, one billion Soul Orbs would be almost impossible with just the power of a Divine King. There must be something more to it... am I correct?"

"Yes, my battle power transcends into the Divine Sovereign Realm."

"The... Divine Sovereign Realm!?" Luo Changsheng laughed. "You are even greater than I first thought!"

Aerion smiled. "No need to flatter this King. You, yourself, are a genius worthy of praise. The Holy Eaves Realm does not deserve you... instead, you should stand beside me."

"Stand beside you?"

"That's right, following me will bring countless benefits and ensure your growth. Once the three thousand years have gone past, you will leave the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm an existence only comparable to a God-Emperor... what do you think about that scenario?"

"A... God-Emperor?"

"That's right. All you have to do is swear fealty to me and you'll be a God-Emperor after three thousand years. If you don't swear fealty, then I'll just make you forget that any of this ever happened."

"What is your goal in all of this?"

"I wish to unite the Primal Chaos Dimension under one banner, my own. Doing so would require some manpower, don't you agree?"

"Unite the Primal Chaos Dimension? You have wild ambition..."

"I will complete my conquest, one way or another. Your decision will decide whether you stand against me or beside me... and you certainly don't want to stand against me." Aerion finished his second glass. "Be decisive and swift with your answer."

"I find it agreeable, as long as you promise that your words are all true."

"I wouldn't lie to you about something this important. I will ensure that you leave the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm as a peak Divine Master as long as you join me. For now, all I need is your word... once you leave the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm, that is when you will swear the oath."

"Alright, you have my word. If I reach the peak of the Divine Master Realm in those three thousand years then, I, Luo Changsheng, will swear fealty to you. May the Heavens strike me down if I do not."

"Good, let's continue this little chat by changing the subject. The Heavens can be truly frightening, as I'm sure you already know."

Aerion imprinted the Emperor's command within Luo Changsheng, just in case he would back out of the deal after the three thousand years come to pass.

~

Luo Changsheng... he really overdid it.

Luo Changsheng's head dropped onto the table as he entered a state of pure bliss, unconsciousness to be exact. Even his snoring was elegant and feminine.

Aerion scratched his hair.

What in Seven Hells should I do with him? A good friend would assist him in a time of need and currently, I'd say he's rather defenceless on a battlefield with many Soul Orb starved profound practitioners. Certainly not the best environment to be unconscious in.

Aerion sighed. "You'll pay me back for this, I'll make sure of it."

Perfect Sword Spirit.

Aerion left Luo Changsheng with a guardian angel, his clone, and continued to explore the battlefield. His monstrous aura ensured that not a single profound practitioner would ever approach him. He did, of course, hide it when he located his next target.

This one's Jun Xilei!?

Aerion sighed, Xilei and Yingyue were the ones he didn't want to meet right after Luo Changsheng. He would have preferred an oath from another man rather than a lady. Granted, Lu Lengchuan was far less talented than those two but the deal would be easier to complete with him.

I came this far... the Sword Sovereign and his disciple would be a fine addition to my forces in the future so I mustn't back out. If she rejects my gracious offer, then so be it.

Aerion took a deep breath before removing his concealment.