Li Yu looked at the man, Kael, who had surrendered with such pragmatic haste. He was a smart person or at the very least a person that could adapt to the situation quickly, Li Yu thought. Kael had correctly assessed the situation and chosen the only path that gave him a chance at survival. It also required a lot of resolve, the stronger a cultivator gets, the less they would be willing to serve someone else without free will.

A commoner would be much more willing to serve another but to make someone who was a king all of a sudden serve is another thing altogether. It required deep resolve from the person submitting or perhaps a deep hatred they wanted to resolve which was probably more likely with Kael, but perhaps it was a bit of both.

His story of revenge and using the faction for his own ends was plausible, and it aligned with the motivations of many powerful individuals. A 9th stage Core Formation expert was an incredible asset, a powerhouse that could transform the Guild's capabilities. However, Li Yu was no fool and couldn’t just trust him on his word. He himself proved that to be quite a useless thing.

“You are a smart man, Kael,” Li Yu said, his voice calm and even. “And your offer is tempting.” He paused, his gaze hardening. “However, you have still done bad things in the name of the Beast Revolution Faction. You were their elder, their commander. Your hands are not clean, though I don’t think anyone’s hands are clean. I simply cannot trust your word.”

He took a step forward, his own aura seeming to press down on the powerful expert. “If you truly wish to join me, to live, then I will accept your surrender on one condition. You will submit to a beast master-slave seal. Your life and will be mine to control, you should be aware of what the seal is. It is the only way I can be certain of your loyalty.”

Kael’s expression flickered. A master-slave seal was the ultimate form of submission, a complete forfeiture of one's freedom. For a proud, powerful expert at the peak of the Core Formation realm, it was a fate often considered worse than death.

He had offered to surrender and be a slave, but the reality of it was a bitter pill to swallow. Yet, as he looked at the cold, unyielding eyes of the young man before him, and as he heard the distant, final screams of his subordinates being slaughtered by the rampaging Spine, he knew he had no other choice.

“I accept,” Kael said, his voice a low, gravelly whisper. The fight went out of him, replaced by a grim resignation. “I have only one request. My lineage was framed for treason by a rival family, the House of the Crimson Fang, on the White Tiger Continent. They were slaughtered to the last man, woman, and child. I alone escaped. If the opportunity ever comes to face them, I ask that I be allowed to take my revenge.”

Li Yu considered this. It was a reasonable request, and one that aligned with the motivations he already understood. “I never stop my retainers from following their own goals,” he stated, his voice firm, “as long as they do not get in the way of my own. Your revenge is your own to take.

However,” he added, a sharp, warning edge to his tone, “my path is not one of wanton slaughter. If your revenge is against a group that is truly dishonorable, and not some innocent family you have a grudge against, there will be no issues. We will deal with that when the time comes.”

Cyra, who had been listening silently, finally spoke, “He has been true to his word, just look over there at that beast over if you need further proof.” she said, her gaze fixed on Kael. “He has learned recently that the Beast Faction was the group that his revenge was against. He has been allowed to rampage to his heart’s content to quell his rage.”

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A flicker of hope returned to Kael’s eyes. It was a fair condition. He bowed his head in acceptance. “I understand. But I must warn you, Young Master. Even with this seal, you will not be able to get any information out of me regarding the faction’s deepest secrets.”

Li Yu’s eyebrow raised. “What do you mean, explain.”

“While there was no binding seal on my actions, there is a powerful seal on the information I possess,” Kael explained, his voice grim. “It is a failsafe placed on all high-ranking members. It is a soul-curse, tied directly to our consciousness. If I am ever bound by a master-slave seal, or if I willingly try to reveal our deepest secrets—the locations of our main headquarters on the White Tiger Continent, the true identities of our leaders, our communication methods—those memories will be instantly and permanently destroyed. It is their ultimate safeguard. You will gain my strength, but my knowledge of their core secrets will be lost to you.”

Li Yu processed this. It was a significant setback. He had hoped to gain a treasure trove of intelligence by capturing this elder. But the faction was more sophisticated than he had imagined. It made sense, there had to be some fail safes to prevent their information from easily being leaked out or from spies going in and taking it.

Still, the trade was worth it. A 9th stage Core Formation expert’s loyalty was as or perhaps more valuable than information that he could, with time, gather through other means. He had to grow his forces so they could do more. He didn’t want to be the one doing all the fighting against these groups. Ideally, he would be on a vacation, far away from it all while his group did it all, but that is not realistic. At least not yet.

“A pity,” Li Yu said simply. “But the terms are acceptable.” He raised his hand, and a complex, glowing array of runes began to form in the air before him. He began the process of creating the seal. As the final rune was drawn, he pressed his palm to Kael’s forehead. Kael did not resist. He felt a profound, irresistible force enter his soul, a golden chain that wrapped around his very consciousness and bound it to the will of the young man before him. The seal was made.

While this tense negotiation and sealing had been taking place, Spine was still killing everyone. His rampage had nearly concluded. The base, which had housed hundreds of Beast Faction members, a mix of mostly humans, probably those recruited here and some beasts, was now almost completely silent, the ground littered with the broken, mangled bodies of those who had stood against him. His sorrowful rage had been given a brief, bloody outlet, but the deep ache in his soul remained.

With the seal complete and the fighting over, Cyra glided over to Li Yu. She was dragging the unconscious form of the female Tidal Shark-fiend, who she had carefully kept alive. “She has an aquatic bloodline,” Cyra saidl. “She could be a valuable addition to your Koi Sanctuary.” All his retainers knew he was collecting aquatic beasts.

Kael, now a loyal subordinate, looked at the unconscious woman, and a flicker of something akin to pity crossed his face. “I am glad she was not killed,” he said quietly. “She, too, had a story. Her clan was destroyed, and she was forced into service. She is a fighter, not a fanatic. There were a few others like that. I found out each person’s story slowly during my time here, but it looks like only her luck and mine were good enough to survive.”

Li Yu simply nodded, accepting both the captive and the comment without judgment. The day had been long and bloody, not for himself but for Spine, who single handed killed the majority of the people here. The man had become even more fierce and blood thirsty than when he was in charge of the RipTide Legion.

The day however, had also been incredibly fruitful. He now had potentially two new, powerful Core Formation experts under his command, and another enemy base had been wiped from the map. The first stage in their plan was a success, one base down now one more base to go.