Chapter 13: The Serpent's Offer

With the Quantum Matrix humming beneath the Institute, Ao Yetian was finally unburdened by the parasitic drain of the CEO card.

His Profound Core was safe, and his human anchors were now simply his devoted allies, not his life support.

His final goal was clear: acquire a massive, concentrated cache of spiritual treasures that the TDG Realm could provide before using his infinite fuel source to buy his way across the multiverse.

The target was the Sacred Family, the ambitious, traitorous noble house he and Ye Zong had been working to suppress.

Ao Yetian knew their greatest secret wasn't their Soul Force techniques, but a hidden Secret Realm Map—a passage to a forgotten Treasury dating back to the Age of Ancient Gods.

He recalled the details from the novel: a repository rich with spiritual stones and unique Demon Spirits.

Ao Yetian contacted Shen Hong, the Patriarch of the Sacred Family, through a highly discreet, third-party messenger—a merchant with no traceable ties to the Alchemist Association or the City Lord's Mansion.

The message was simple and devastating: I know the true weaknesses of your Soul Force technique, and I have the solution. Meet me alone at the Crimson Falls at midnight, or remain a crippled power in the face of the coming horde.

Shen Hong was already under immense pressure.

The Sacred Family’s finances were inexplicably collapsing under the coordinated pressure from the Alchemist Association (run by Yang Xin's ruthless strategies) and the constant 'patrols' of the Black Gold Rank expert, Ye Zong, who was eliminating the high-level Demon Spirits they relied on.

Ao Yetian's message hit him at his lowest point.

Shen Hong arrived at the secluded meeting spot radiating cold fury and suspicion, two heavily veiled bodyguards positioned high on the cliffs.

Ao Yetian stood alone, dressed in a simple, dark silk robe, his expression one of calm, absolute superiority.

"You have the audacity to summon me, boy?"

Shen Hong sneered, his Black Gold Rank aura surging forward, attempting to crush Ao Yetian with spiritual pressure.

Ao Yetian merely let the pressure wash over him.

His ATG Profound Energy was an inner ocean compared to the external pressure of Black Gold Rank Soul Force. He felt nothing.

"Your intimidation is pathetic, Shen Hong,"

Ao Yetian said, his voice flat.

"It is the mark of a dying family clinging to fading power."

Shen Hong’s face darkened with rage.

"You will regret that insolence!"

"No,"

Ao Yetian countered, cutting him off with the authority of a sovereign.

"You will regret not taking this meeting years ago. I know your family’s deepest secret: the cultivation method you stole is flawed. It requires excessive resources and breeds internal stagnation. You will never reach Legend Rank."

Shen Hong flinched, his eyes revealing a flicker of genuine terror. That was a secret only the eldest family members knew.

Ao Yetian didn't let him recover. He pulled out a scroll, not of parchment, but of refined silver paper, etched with a single, complex Grade 7 Inscription blueprint.

"This is a Tier-7 'Purifying Flow' Inscription,"

Ao Yetian stated.

"It will restructure the Sacred Family’s cultivation method, allowing you to refine your Soul Force with unprecedented speed and efficiency, and guarantee you a path to Legend Rank within five years. It is the power you crave."

Shen Hong's eyes were riveted to the scroll.

A Grade 7 Inscription was unheard of in Glory City, a legend spoken only in hushed tones.

Ao Yetian’s lines were flawless, radiating a chilling complexity that screamed authenticity.

"What is your price, demon?"

Shen Hong finally hissed, his greed overcoming his fear.

Ao Yetian’s smile was cold, calculated, and utterly predatory.

"The price is singular and non-negotiable. I want the Map to the Ancient God Secret Realm—the one located beneath the Sunken Gorge, the one only your Patriarchs have ever known."

The air froze. Shen Hong’s control snapped.

"Impossible! That is the lifeblood of our family! We will kill you before—"

"You will give me the map,"

Ao Yetian interrupted, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, laced with an echo of his twisted past.

"Because if you don't, I will sell this inscription to Ye Zong instead. He will use it to crush you, and the Sacred Family will be wiped from history before the horde even arrives."

He let that sink in. Ye Zong, armed with this power, would eliminate the traitorous Sacred Family without a second thought.

Ao Yetian was offering Shen Hong the only path to survival—a path that involved trading a future asset for immediate salvation and power.
Shen Hong was caught in a trap of perfect logic.

The map was useless if the Sacred Family was destroyed. Yetian's deal guaranteed his family's ascent and survival.

"I... accept,"

Shen Hong ground out, the words tasting like ash. He ordered his bodyguard to retrieve a sealed scroll from a hidden pocket.

The exchange was made quickly and silently.

Ao Yetian took the aged, worn leather map, confirming the faint inscription pattern that marked its authenticity.

Shen Hong snatched the silver scroll, his hands trembling.

"You now have the key to power,"
Ao Yetian said, folding the map.

"Use it well. And tell no one of this exchange, or I will personally ensure your family's destruction."

Ao Yetian returned to his hidden forge, the map clutched in his hand.

He had just delivered the final, crippling blow to the Sacred Family, simultaneously securing his last great resource.

He had solved every strategic problem in the TDG realm:

* Fuel: Quantum Matrix (Sustainable).
* Defense: Ye Zong (Enforcer).
* Finance: Yang Xin (Accountant).
* Logistics: Xiao Ning'er and Ye Ziyun (Trusted, pure-hearted allies).
* Final Treasure: The Ancient God Secret Realm Map.

He looked at the map, then to the pulsating purple core of the Quantum Matrix.

He had everything he needed. He thought of his anchors—Ning'er's fire, Ziyun's virtue, and Yang Xin's ambition.

He knew the twisted, powerful affection he felt for them was real, a confusing blend of protective desire and proprietorship that stemmed from the deep, dark fissure of his past.

He had built an empire, and they were the most beautiful pillars of his creation.

But the time for the TDG realm was over for now.

He pulled out the CEO card. He had enough energy from the Quantum Matrix to fuel the biggest transaction possible.

He had enough Universal Credit from his city-wide manipulation to buy anything he wanted.

Of course it was still painful to lose all of his savings but it couldn't be helped.

“I have completed the contract with this world, Ao Yetian thought, the cold, powerful focus returning. Now, it's time for the next reality.”