Free Web NovelChapter 603: Chapter 603: Unity Outer Dao Alliance?
Celestial Mansion, Mengwei City.
Lü Yang and Mountain Mover landed together in the center of the city.
But just then, a furious roar suddenly erupted, echoing between heaven and earth. It was followed by a second, then a third... each one slamming down on Lü Yang.
"What demon dares trespass against our Outer Dao Alliance?"
"Who goes there? You’re courting death!"
As the words rang out, figures materialized one after another. Shockingly, each possessed a True Monarch Position, their combined presence making the very heavens and earth tremble.
’There are quite a few of them...’
Lü Yang was surprised. Including Mountain Mover, this small Mengwei City actually housed seven Outer Dao True Monarchs. Even in the Immortal Pivot, such a force couldn’t be underestimated.
After all, seven Outer Dao True Monarchs, even if they were all merely Fifth-class True Monarchs, could join forces to repel someone like True Monarch Chengtian Zhengde. When quantity creates such an overwhelming advantage, a lack of quality can be a fatal flaw. If a real fight broke out, the latter would even be in mortal danger.
’Of course, if it were me, it wouldn’t be a problem,’ Lü Yang thought to himself.
They were merely from the Outer Dao. Never mind seven of them; even if seventy or seven hundred appeared, his own Position would crush them. Killing them would be as easy as slicing vegetables.
On the surface, however, Lü Yang still put on a panicked expression.
"This—! This is... Fellow Daoists, are you trying to kill me?"
Seeing him act this way, both Mountain Mover and the other Outer Dao True Monarchs—who had actually been tipped off long ago but were feigning ignorance—were secretly overjoyed.
’Stupid, aren’t you? Didn’t see that coming, did you?’
’We just love watching you stinking outsiders from Beyond the Heavens come to the Celestial Mansion to beg. If we don’t bully you mercilessly, what’s the point of all the years we’ve spent here in the Celestial Mansion?!’
Of course, a show of force was one thing, but they couldn’t actually scare the man into a panic.
So, Mountain Mover quickly stepped forward.
"Fellow Daoists, it’s all a misunderstanding... This is Fellow Daoist Minghe. Like us, he’s a refugee who has fled here. He’s also interested in joining our Outer Dao Alliance..."
Mountain Mover’s explanation was a masterpiece of heartfelt sincerity.
At his urging, the expressions of the other six Outer Dao True Monarchs softened considerably, and the tense, hostile atmosphere dissipated.
Lü Yang, however, watched with an amused expression.
’Trying to pull this on me?’
’When did I say I wanted to join the Outer Dao Alliance? One plays good cop, the other bad cop... are they trying to create a done deal? Bullying me for being an outsider?’
Anyone less worldly might have actually been fooled. They’d think Mountain Mover was on their side, and even feel grateful. But in Lü Yang’s eyes, the tactic was clumsy. In a Broken Place like this, he figured even a Qi Refining disciple could see what was going on.
The next moment, Mountain Mover turned back to him.
"Don’t you worry, Fellow Daoist Minghe, it’s all right now. Just a misunderstanding that needed clearing up. After all, from now on, we’re all fellow Daoists in the Outer Dao Alliance."
The moment Mountain Mover finished speaking, Lü Yang felt the gazes of the other six Outer Dao True Monarchs land on him, creating an invisible, oppressive atmosphere.
’Crude. So very crude.’
’In the end, they still resort to intimidation. It just makes their whole act seem forced. This Outer Dao Alliance... their level of professionalism isn’t very high, is it?’
But he couldn’t blame them.
They were Outer Dao, after all. Just managing to scrape by and earn the title of True Monarch was hard enough. They’d never had any advanced training at the Immortal Pivot, so it was only natural their skills were a bit lacking.
Lü Yang shook his head inwardly, but on the outside, he nodded decisively.
"Indeed, indeed. As we are all Outer Dao True Monarchs, we should naturally help one another."
"Hahaha, excellent!"
Mountain Mover let out a hearty laugh and clapped Lü Yang on the shoulder. He then produced a Jade Scroll and presented it to Lü Yang. "This is the Great Dao Contract for joining."
"Since you’re joining our Outer Dao Alliance, Fellow Daoist, you should sign it quickly."
"...A Contract?"
Lü Yang’s eyebrow twitched. He looked down at the Jade Scroll, titled "Unity Alliance Contract," and gave it a cursory scan with his Divine Sense.
The contents of the Contract were instantly clear to him.
’Just like the "User Agreement" for the Great Dao Immortal Talisman, it was full of roundabout phrasing. But if you boiled it down to its core, it was only a few sentences.’
"I, Minghe, voluntarily authorize the Outer Dao Alliance to use my Magical Power Mechanism as collateral for loans from the Heaven and Earth Immortal Journey. All resulting debt shall be borne by myself. The Outer Dao Alliance assumes no liability. Furthermore, should I choose to sell my own Fruit, the Outer Dao Alliance holds the right of first refusal."
’These bastards!’
Lü Yang’s eye twitched as he read. It was the most basic form of contract fraud, yet he still felt a profound sense of malice and helplessness.
Damn it, is there not a single decent place anywhere?
Lü Yang was already in despair over this Broken Place. What happened to the orthodox Cultivation Realm he’d heard about? In the entire, vast Outer Heaven Sea of Light, how could every single person be so wicked!
"...Fellow Daoist? What’s the matter? Hurry up and sign."
Seeing Lü Yang actually take the time to read the Contract so carefully, Mountain Mover’s expression began to shift, the smile on his face slowly disappearing.
’This stinking out-of-towner is pretty cautious.’
’Then again, he did escape from that hellhole, the Immortal Pivot. It’s normal for him to be cautious. Anyone not sharp enough would have been eaten alive long ago.’
’A shame. But what’s the use in seeing through it?’
’Since you’ve already followed me here and entered Mengwei City, you don’t get to decide what happens next! You’ll sign this Great Dao Contract whether you want to or not!’
Mountain Mover was full of confidence. After all, they were all Outer Dao True Monarchs, and they outnumbered him seven to one. No matter how you looked at it, the advantage was theirs.
’First, we’ll force him to sign the Contract. Then, we’ll take it to the Heaven and Earth Immortal Journey and take out a high-interest loan, establishing the karmic links. We’ll make it so he can’t even cover the interest payments, and we’ll keep squeezing him until we’ve extracted everything of value. When he finally defaults, his Fruit will be confiscated, and then we’ll all chip in and buy it...’
’Just like that, the Fruit will be ours.’
’After all, how could a True Monarch from Beyond the Heavens, even one willing to join, ever be as reliable as one the Outer Dao Alliance nurtured itself?’
This was the main reason Mountain Mover had brought Lü Yang here without much of a background check.
’We have to get him to sign the Contract before the people from Heaven and Earth Immortal Journey arrive to register him. That’s the only way we can legally acquire his Fruit later!’
The thought made Mountain Mover a little excited.
’With him, we’ll have eight True Monarchs. If we can just get one more, a total of nine, we can formally apply to advance to the sixth layer...’
"Fellow Daoist, stop dawdling."
Mountain Mover urged him on, his voice sharp and tinged with threat. "Or perhaps you don’t dare to sign, Fellow Daoist, because you harbor ulterior motives and mean to bring harm to our Celestial Mansion?"
"The Tax Collector from Heaven and Earth Immortal Journey will be here soon. Trespassing in the Outer Realm is a serious crime, Fellow Daoist. If you don’t have our Outer Dao Alliance to vouch for you, the Tax Collector will show no mercy. When that happens, it won’t be as simple as having your Divine Soul obliterated. You don’t want to die, do you?"
At this point, Mountain Mover’s expression grew even more solemn.
"You’d best not have any illusions, Fellow Daoist. Otherwise, when the Tax Collector arrives, I’ll have no choice but to say you’re a Demon sent by the Immortal Pivot."
"You! You’re shameless!"
Lü Yang looked grief-stricken and indignant. "How could you frame an innocent person like this!"
"Idiot," Mountain Mover said with a dismissive look. "Those Demons from the Immortal Pivot are powerful for a reason; they must have their merits. We’re just learning a thing or two from them."
But in the next moment, Lü Yang shook his head in a rage.
"You can forget about coercing me! I won’t sign!"
"In broad daylight, under a just Heaven, I don’t believe you can twist right and wrong! My conscience is clear, I have nothing to fear. If it comes to it, just let that Tax Collector investigate!"
At these words, Mountain Mover frowned, cursing his bad luck under his breath.
’This stinking out-of-towner is so stubborn, so obsessed with inflexible principles. He wasn’t even bluffed by my threats. Could he actually be from the Righteous Dao?’
