Fantasy: I Can Control the Script of My Life

"This… This is the Panlong Cauldron?"

Gazing at the massive divine cauldron, which stood as tall as two men, Gu Xiande's voice trembled. This was a treasure that had existed since the ancient era.

"An Emperor-tier Imperial Armament, actually sealed here to be used as a mere container," Ancestor Xuemi couldn't help but sigh. What a reckless waste of a priceless object.

This was an Imperial Armament. If it were to appear in the cultivation world, it would undoubtedly incite a bloodbath. But this discovery only served to strengthen Ancestor Xuemi's resolve. No matter what opening the Zhenhuang Hall might bring them, she could not miss this opportunity. A minor place like the Sishui Heavenly Palace already held such a surprise. If one day they could open the Zhenhuang Hall itself… the possibilities were truly unimaginable.

Both sides saw the Panlong Cauldron, but neither dared to make a move rashly.

The enormous cauldron sat in the center of the grand hall, bound by chains made of some mysterious material. There were eighteen chains in total, seemingly meant to suppress the Wuyang Jade within.

"I don't know what's inside," the Chongqing Bird said, "but if you can obtain this divine cauldron, this trip will not have been a loss."

For the first time in a while, Ezu spoke up on his own initiative. "Boy, I will teach you an inscription. You can use it later to take this divine cauldron for yourself. But let me be clear, this process may take some time."

Before the Chongqing Bird could speak, Lin Yun retorted, "You'd be so kind? Aren't you just focused on seizing my body? For you to say this now… I suspect it's for that same purpose, isn't it?"

Ezu gave an awkward laugh. "I did have that thought before, but now… Boy, you can rest assured, I no longer have any designs on you in that way." He had previously thought Lin Yun was just an ordinary cultivator. But now, it was clear this boy was far from simple. Perhaps they could even engage in some cross-species cooperation.

The Chongqing Bird offered some reassurance. "Don't worry. He is currently unable to seize your body. The inscription is a unique technique of his clan. The only problem is whether you have the ability to imprint it on the Panlong Cauldron."

With so many people watching, if Lin Yun just walked up like nothing was wrong and started carving an inscription, any fool would know something was up.

After learning the inscription from Ezu, Lin Yun glanced at the two factions, who were still locked in a tense standoff.

"Everyone," he called out, "you can stare at each other for a hundred years and it will be useless. In this place, our cultivation is all suppressed. All we can rely on is the meager power of our own treasures. But as you know, that is completely ineffective."

Hearing Lin Yun's words, the expressions on the crowd's faces eased slightly, but they showed no signs of relaxing their guard.

"If you truly wish to obtain the treasure within the Panlong Cauldron, the only way now is to break the seal. And that is not something that can be accomplished by just one or two people."

Hearing this, the leaders looked at each other. They had never been to the Sishui Heavenly Palace before, but this boy had.

Ancestor Xuemi snorted. "You've said so much. Don't tell me you have a good solution?"

Lin Yun smiled. "I do, in fact. When we entered the Sishui Heavenly Palace, the sky-supporting stone pillars were carved with many runes. Those are the keys to this place."

The crowd exchanged glances again. They couldn't even understand those things, how could they be a key?

Gu Xiande asked, "Even if that is true, how would we use them?" Not only were the runes obscure and difficult to understand, they couldn't possibly remember them all. And even if they could, they had no way of carving them onto the Panlong Cauldron.

"With our own power, it is indeed impossible. That is why we must use our own blood to write them," Lin Yun explained. "As long as all these runes are inscribed, we can naturally open the Panlong Cauldron and take what is inside. We might even be able to take the divine cauldron itself."

His words caused a subtle shift in the leaders' expressions. Taking the Wuyang Jade was one thing, but the Panlong Cauldron itself was an unparalleled treasure. A renowned Imperial Armament—who wouldn't want it?

But hearing Lin Yun's method, they were all hesitant again. In a situation like this, he wanted them to cut themselves and offer up their blood? They didn't even know how many runes there were. What if, after inscribing them all, they collapsed from exhaustion? How would they compete for the treasure then?

Ancestor Xuemi sneered. "You think we're foolish enough to believe you would tell us the whole truth so kindly?" Unlike Gu Xiande, she didn't fully trust him and was now suspicious of his motives. After all, Lin Yun was at odds with everyone present. He had every reason to deceive them, to use their ignorance to set a trap.

"You are all free to think that," Lin Yun said calmly. "But I must say this first. Time is short. If you don't trust me, you can simply have someone go and try to inscribe the runes as I say. Or, you can have your people go back and look at the runes on those stone pillars yourselves."

After he spoke, he looked around with an air of absolute confidence. The journey here had been fraught with danger. Who would be willing to go back alone?

"It seems no one wants to go back and investigate. In that case, of all the people present, I'm afraid I'm the only one who knows the secret of the runes."

Seeing Lin Yun's smug and arrogant posture, Zhou Zeming was furious. He had noticed those runes at the time, but it was a great pity he couldn't understand them at all. Otherwise, he would be the one receiving all this attention right now.

Although Lin Yun had spoken clearly, Gu Xiande and Ancestor Xuemi did not agree so easily. Both were extremely shrewd and calculating individuals. They couldn't possibly trust Lin Yun's words alone.

"Ancestor Xuemi, it's useless for us to just stand here staring," Gu Xiande finally said. "Why don't we each send one of our own people to take a closer look? Perhaps the method to break the seal is right there."

In the end, both sides chose one person to go and investigate. Lin Yun had known they would pull a move like this and simply stood there, watching quietly. And just as he expected, the two scouts returned with nothing.

But still, they were unwilling to admit defeat so easily. They couldn't bring themselves to trust Lin Yun enough to let him proceed. The two sides were once again locked in a standoff.

Lin Yun just smiled and sat down to the side. "In any case, I was just brought here as a hostage. If you are unwilling to believe me, then let's just see who has the better skills."

The longer they delayed here, the greater the possibility of conflict between the two sides would become. The various sects in each faction might seem like a united whole, but in reality, each had its own suspicions and grudges. Even the Flowing Cloud Sect couldn't keep everyone in line.