Chapter 109: Chapter 108 White Bone Demon Presents Treasure [Second update requesting subscription]_1
"My master is very wealthy."
My master is very wealthy. The six words echoed in Sha Chen’s mind.
His hand froze mid-air. Slowly, he lowered it, patting the White Bone Demon’s shoulder with a smile.
"Look at you, why aren’t you wearing clothes? What will you do if you catch a cold?"
Sha Chen smiled as he took out a robe and dressed her in it, placing the Dragon Binding Rope around her neck.
The Undefined Flying Rings were then placed on her head.
He helped her down from the pillar and laughed, "My, my, it seems we had to fight to get acquainted. Tell me, how much wealth does your master possess?"
The White Bone Demon was still in shock. Sha Chen seemed like a completely different person, unfathomable to her.
"Compared to him, you are a pauper," she replied truthfully.
Sha Chen wasn’t angered by her words. Instead, he asked with a thrill of excitement, "How poor?"
"The difference between a king and a beggar," the White Bone Demon said.
HISS!
Sha Chen sucked in a sharp breath, rubbed his hands together, and had her sit down. Then, he personally prepared a few of his specialty dishes and warmed a pot of wine.
He invited her to sit, raised his cup to hers, and then asked, "With your master being so wealthy, can you really steal from him?"
The White Bone Demon replied, "I can."
She now understood that Sha Chen was eyeing her master’s wealth, and this was her chance to survive.
Even if it wasn’t possible, she had to say it was.
Sha Chen asked again, "Is it difficult? Is it safe? Will it expose me?"
The White Bone Demon answered, "It won’t be difficult. I’m very familiar with it."
Even if it were difficult, she would declare it easy.
Sha Chen was tempted.
He further inquired, "Where does your master cultivate? What are his abilities, and what’s his full name?"
The White Bone Demon answered each question, making Sha Chen’s blood boil with excitement, yet also filling him with caution and a sense of apprehension about what might follow.
The White Bone Saint, a Daluo Golden Immortal, cultivated on the distant White Bone Island. He had numerous disciples and countless subordinates.
The White Bone Demon was one of his favored disciples, but only one among many; there were others equally, if not more, outstanding.
I hadn’t expected her background to be so profound. I can’t just let her leave easily, Sha Chen thought.
He coughed. "You understand, with a master and sect as formidable as yours, if I were to let you go easily and you decided to renege, I’d be powerless."
After speaking, he looked at the White Bone Demon, waiting for her response.
The White Bone Demon sighed. She knew getting away wouldn’t be easy; she would have to give up something.
Gritting her teeth, she said, "I am willing to sign a contract with you, Your Excellency, and swear never to betray you."
Sha Chen replied, "You’re not a spirit beast, so we can’t sign that kind of contract. And I don’t trust ordinary promises."
The White Bone Demon then said, "I am willing to make a heavenly oath. If I break it, may I be struck by divine retribution and plagued by inner demons!"
It was indeed a very harsh oath. Yet, Sha Chen still refused.
He shook his head. "Your life or death is irrelevant to me. What’s important is my own safety."
"If you can’t give me that assurance, you’re not leaving. I’d rather find someone else to plunder your master’s treasury than let someone I don’t trust go free."
The White Bone Demon clenched her teeth in frustration. She hadn’t expected Sha Chen to be so meticulous and so cravenly afraid of death.
To think she had offered such an oath, only to be rejected!
She knew that at her level of cultivation, rashly making such a vow meant that its violation would indeed bring about dire consequences.
But Sha Chen didn’t care whether she faced divine retribution or annihilation; he only cared about his own safety.
After a moment of deep thought, the White Bone Demon stood up. She extended her hand, and a cluster of Netherworld flame emerged from between her eyebrows, landing in her palm.
After a moment’s hesitation, she offered it to Sha Chen. "This is my soul’s origin power, directly linked to my Primordial Spirit. If I break my oath, you can obliterate my Primordial Spirit with a single thought."
A smile touched Sha Chen’s lips. He took it and, after several careful inspections to confirm it was indeed her soul’s origin and not some trap, began the refining process.
The White Bone Demon watched him with a complex expression. This man was so incredibly cautious.
She would probably be unable to escape him for the rest of her life.
Suddenly, she collapsed, rolling on the ground and howling in agony, "My Lord! My Lord! No, no, Master! What are you doing? Stop tormenting my soul! It hurts! That place... I can’t take it..."
Sha Chen chuckled. "Apologies. I was just testing its efficacy. It seems to work fine. I believe you now."
He helped the White Bone Demon up and wiped the cold sweat from her brow. "However," he then said, "these are all just verbal promises. To earn my genuine respect, you must deliver substantial results."
The White Bone Demon, thoroughly broken by Sha Chen’s torment, quickly said, "Master, rest assured! I will do my utmost to empty my own master’s coffers and dedicate everything to you!"
Sha Chen patted her shoulder. "I’m very satisfied with that attitude."
He sensed the deep fear she had of him and, worried she might only be feigning compliance, decided it was time to truly win her over.
He smiled. "We were enemies out of necessity before. Now that we’re in the same boat, I hope you’ll genuinely strive."
"If you don’t work for me, I won’t kill you. But if you leave, you’ll be hunted by Buddhism, and even by your own sect, for revealing things you shouldn’t have."
The White Bone Demon’s expression grew complex. This was precisely why she had steeled her resolve to follow Sha Chen.
Sha Chen continued, "If you commit to working for me, I won’t treat you poorly. Just look at Yu Er. Doesn’t she now have Sweet Dew Jade Liquid for her refining?"
Mentioning this made his heart ache. I was too rash.
The White Bone Demon nodded, however. A flicker of anticipation sparked within her, as Sha Chen seemed quite generous to his own people.
If she could earn Sha Chen’s genuine trust, her treatment would likely be good as well.
Sha Chen added, "Look at your time with Buddhism. The Bodhisattvas discarded you without a second thought—no future there. And with your own sect, after all this time, you’ve made so little progress—even less of a future there."
The White Bone Demon wanted to retort that her own progress had been swift. But then, seeing Sha Chen’s advancement, she was left speechless.
Sha Chen used Jade Rabbit as another example. "Look at Yu Er. Before she joined me, she was merely an ordinary Golden Immortal. In just a short century, she’s almost caught up to you."
The White Bone Demon was indeed spurred by this, her eyes shining. Eagerly, she asked, "Master, what will you teach me?"
Sha Chen said, "I know many things, but why should I teach you? You need to show some sincerity."
The White Bone Demon nodded to herself. Then, gritting her teeth, she snapped off one of her own phalanges and handed it over. "This phalanx was a gift from my master. It’s the transformed remains of a great expert, containing his lifelong cultivation. My master and I have already refined most of it, but there’s still some Divine Power left—enough to rival all the peaches from one of your trees."
Sha Chen was instantly elated. He took the phalanx and, after several checks, confirmed it indeed contained boundless Divine Power.
This phalanx was akin to a Buddhist Shariputra.
He looked at the White Bone Demon again, his gaze flickering. Fearful, she hurriedly said, "That’s the only piece I have on me! The rest are in the treasury!"
Sha Chen accepted the phalanx, though still half-doubting her, and said with a smile, "Since you’ve shown such sincerity, I will teach you a Dao Technique."
"I am a demon," the White Bone Demon said, a hint of disdain in her voice. "I cultivate demonic arts, not Dao Techniques."
If she had known it was a Dao Technique, she wouldn’t have offered up the phalanx. What a rip-off! I feel like I’ve been completely swindled!
Sha Chen said, "What I will impart to you is the [Hero Spirit Formula], one of the Three Thousand Great Dao Techniques. It can strengthen your Primordial Spirit."
"You were formed from white bone. It might seem like your skeletal frame should be your strongest aspect, but in truth, it’s your soul—your Primordial Spirit."
The White Bone Demon’s eyes instantly lit up. She knelt before Sha Chen and declared, "Master, I want it!"