Early in the morning the next day, Lin Feng still hadn't understood what the white jewel Ancestor Ye Tian had given to him was. However, he guessed that since it could produce chills tens of thousands of degrees below zero, then it had something to do with the Ground Penetrating Ocean of Flames.
Lin Feng couldn't even hold the jewel in his hand, so he had to throw it in a corner of his spirit world. In that area, water quickly froze and layers of ice appeared on the ground. An area of ten thousand li was frozen around the pearl. It became a land of frozen ice all around.
When Lin Feng saw the ice and newly formed icebergs, he was delighted. There were all sorts of landscapes in his spirit world; deserts, flatlands, forests, and now ice caps. It was slowly turning into a completely normal world.
Now, he just needed to have some extremely strong cultivators inside for his world to develop. Of course, Lin Feng didn't want too many people in there, because people were good at changing things and they were also difficult to control. If he put too many people inside and didn't pay attention for a little while, they could reproduce extremely quickly and then there would be too many people. His spirit world would go out of control then.
The Ancestor's soul had already dispersed, so he would never appear in Tian Dao Yuan ever again. Lin Feng had to stop thinking about all the questions he wished he could have asked him and focus on what he had to do next.
——
That afternoon, Lin Feng went to the great hall. It was already full of people. The four former leaders were at the front. Dao Cheng Zi and Dao Fu Zi stood close to them. Ancestor Kong and the others, as well as Lin Qiong Sheng, were opposite them.
"Lin Feng, we have a request and hope you can help us," spoke up Lin Ou when Lin Feng sat down. He looked quite grave.
Lin Feng smiled and asked, "How may I help you, Master?"
"I need to talk to you privately," requested Lin Ou solemnly.
Lin Feng nodded slowly on seeing that. Lin Ou glanced at the three other ghosts. They nodded, then Lin Ou drifted over to Lin Feng. Dao Cheng Zi and the others were curious to know what they needed to talk about. Why did they need to talk so quietly?
However, they weren't qualified to know what they were talking about. They were just Supreme Elders and nobody dared contradict Lin Feng anymore. He was now the official Master of Tian Dao Yuan.
"I'm all ears, Master," Lin Feng said. He was less than a meter away from Lin Ou.
Lin Ou whispered to Lin Feng, "Lin Feng, can you give us the Old Servant's body?"
"What?" asked Lin Feng, surprised. Had he heard properly? Lin Ou wanted the Old Servant's corpse?
Lin Ou looked quite serious, he ground his teeth when he saw Lin Feng's expression and continued, "He had the strength of the fifth Great Supreme God layer. He's dead now, but you still have his corpse, and it hasn't decomposed, it is intact. With bodies, our chances to resurrect will increase.
"We are hoping that you can give us the Old Servant's corpse so that one of us can return," explained Lin Ou seriously. The four of them had learned from Ancestor Kong that Lin Feng had killed the Old Servant and destroyed his soul jewel, but not his body.
The four thought that a body like that would be perfect. They wouldn't have to only rely on their soul strength if they had a body.
It was a great thing. Of course, they could only wait for Lin Feng's answer. However, would Lin Feng agree to give up the Old Servant's body? Not necessarily…
When Lin Feng heard Lin Ou, he was lost in thought, and hesitated. He initially intended to make the Old Servant into a demon corpse. With a cultivator of the fifth Great Supreme God layer on his side, traveling would be much safer.
But Lin Ou wanted it, so naturally, Lin Feng hesitated. He didn't refuse straight away. But… he didn't know the four former leaders that well, so he couldn't agree to all their requests straight away. Even with friends he would have thought carefully, because that corpse was extremely precious.
Thinking about that, Lin Feng raised his head and said seriously, "If I agree, I want something in exchange."
He was straightforward because Lin Ou could see Lin Feng wanted something anyway.
As expected, when Lin Feng said that, Lin Ou smiled broadly. He was afraid Lin Feng would hem and haw. They could now proceed to negotiations quickly without wasting time. Since Lin Feng had said that, it also meant their chances of obtaining the corpse were quite high now.
Lin Ou smiled and asked, "What do you want in exchange?"
"To tell you the truth, I initially wanted to use that corpse as a puppet. Having a cultivator of the fifth Great Supreme God layer on my side would be useful during my travels, and I wouldn't need to worry too much. If you take it, I need something as a compensation," Lin Feng grinned.
Dao Cheng Zi, Supreme God Zi Dian and the others all looked at them, but couldn't hear anything and didn't dare listen secretly.
Their curiosity was even more aroused when they saw Lin Feng's cheeky smile. Lin Ou's cheeks were also shining. Their conversation was going well.
Lin Ou looked at Lin Feng pensively. and after a while, one could see he was about to promise something very important.
"If you give us the corpse, no matter who will come back, that person will stay at your side for a year. What do you think?"
That was a big promise, but it was worth it for the Old Servant's corpse.
Lin Feng seemed surprised. Of course, he didn't look excited, as he had anticipated something like that. He had told Lin Ou honestly what he intended to do with the Old Servant's corpse. If it hadn't been that important, he wouldn't have cared so much, anyway.
Lin Ou was smart. He didn't try to dicker, so they quickly reached an agreement.
Lin Feng agreed. He didn't care about who would be resurrected.
Lin Ou nodded in satisfaction and walked back. He nodded at the three other ghosts. Chen Cheng, Shang Guan Si Yue, and Shi Si Ming were all visibly moved.
One of them would now have the opportunity to return to life. After hundreds of thousands of years in the underground palace, things were changing quickly and for the better again!
"Alright, if you have nothing to ask, please leave," Lin Feng said to the crowd.
Dao Cheng Zi had no questions, even if his curiosity was aroused and that he wanted to know what Lin Feng and Lin Ou had just talked about. However, he didn't dare ask, so he got ready to leave.
However, at that moment, a disciple quickly came in, seeming flustered. He knelt down and said to Lin Feng gravely, "Master, some people are here; they say they are representatives of the Tai Qing Sect."
"Why would the Tai Qing Sect send people now?" asked Dao Cheng Zi skeptically.
"Is it because their competition is going to start soon?" Ancestor Kong asked Lin Feng.
Lin Feng frowned, as he didn't know either. If it was about the competition, sending people was not necessary at all. The white-bearded old man had already visited them a few times to talk to Lin Feng about it.
It didn't seem to be about the competition, but that didn't mean it wasn't. Lin Feng didn't intend to avoid the competition, for his reputation and dignity.
"Tell them to come," Lin Feng ordered, nodding at the disciple. The disciple hastily ran away.
—
After a short time, a guard came back in with Chen Guang Yu, the disciple trailing behind.
Chen Guang Yu crossed the great hall, walked past Dao Cheng Zi and the others, and stopped in front of Lin Feng. When he saw Lin Feng, he was surprised; he had heard a few things, and it turned out they were true.
"I am the elder in charge of foreign affairs of the Tai Qing Sect, Chen Guang Yu! Greetings, Master!" said Chen Guang Yu, bowing hand over fist. He felt a bit weird acting like this in front of Lin Feng, but he had no choice, as etiquette was important.
Lin Feng looked at Chen Guang Yu and remembered Chu Chun Qiu. They really looked alike, he even thought they were the same person.
If that was the case, then, after leaving the Demon King's body, Chu Chun Qiu had probably gone through a lot in life. Where was the Demon King now? That was also a mystery.
It wasn't time to think about that now, though.
"No need for so many formalities. The Tai Qing Sect sent you as a representative; what is the purpose of your visit?"