Chapter 896
Chapter 896
Even more terrifying, the pitch-black stagnant water in the pool began to boil and churn as if boiling. One by one, huge "water giants" made of viscous black water and resentment slowly stood up, waving their arms made of poisonous water and bones, and taking heavy steps to block off other directions!
This dragon's vengeful fire can actually control everything in this place that it has polluted and eroded!
In an instant, Fu Shaoping was surrounded, with deadly threats on all sides! The soul impact of the poisonous fire arrived first, causing a sharp pain and dizziness in his sea of consciousness, and his protective spiritual light fluctuated violently!
Crisis! A crisis even more dangerous than facing the four Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Poison Dragon Gang!
Fu Shaoping dared not hold back in the slightest.
Within the sea of consciousness, the golden rune of "Guardian Contract" shone brightly, protecting the core of the divine soul! The source core operated at full power, providing pure contractual power to resist erosion! The "Contract Protection" shield was activated to its limit, resisting the poisonous fog and physical attacks!
At the same time, he rapidly formed hand seals and uttered incantations:
"net!"
"Yu!"
"Disperse!"
The triple covenant mantra was superimposed! A layer of pale golden purifying halo spread out, weakening the shrieks of the vengeful spirits and the corrosive effects of the poisonous fire; a more solid covenant light shield appeared in front of him; an invisible repulsive force field was generated around him, repelling and shattering the first few rotten dragon maggots that rushed up!
However, the enemy's numbers were overwhelming! The Corrupted Dragon Maggots fought fearlessly, wave after wave. The Water Giant's steps were heavy, its attacks powerful and devastating, each strike causing the Contract Light Shield to tremble violently. The true form of the Dragon's Venomous Flame slowly rose from the dragon skull, hovering in mid-air, its dark purple flames flickering and contracting, as if brewing an even more terrifying attack.
"We can't just passively defend; we must take the initiative and strike at the core!" Fu Shaoping's eyes sharpened. He realized that the source of power and the core of action for these manipulated monsters lay in that cluster of Dragon Vengeful Poison Fire. As long as the poison fire was defeated or suppressed, these monsters would be no threat.
He took a deep breath, connecting his entire being with the Source Core and the fragment of the "Contract" in his arms. Faced with this being imbued with the power of ancient dragon resentment and an evil contract, ordinary methods had limited effectiveness; only by employing a power of the same origin but at a higher level could he succeed!
He no longer maintained a wide-ranging defense, but instead contracted "Contract Guardian" to his body, concentrating his power. He pushed "Shadow Step" to its limit, his figure transforming into a pale golden afterimage. Instead of retreating, he advanced, charging straight towards the Dragon Vengeful Poison Fire in mid-air, facing the raging tide of the Corrupted Dragon Maggots and Water Giants!
Countless rotting dragon maggots swarmed forward, crashing into the protective light shield and exploding, splattering foul-smelling venom that corroded the shield with a hissing sound. The water giant's heavy fist was also guided and deflected by Fu Shaoping with his exquisite movement and the power of the contract.
He had only one goal—poisonous fire!
With less than ten feet away from the poisonous fire, the Dragon Vengeance Poisonous Fire seemed to be enraged, suddenly shrinking inward before erupting with a roar! It transformed into a dark purple firestorm, sweeping towards Fu Shaoping! Within the flames, countless phantoms of vengeful dragons bared their fangs and claws, carrying a viciousness and chilling coldness that could incinerate souls!
This attack was far more powerful than the previous soul-shaking strike!
Fu Shaoping's eyes flashed with golden light, and he suddenly clasped his hands together in front of his chest!
"Contract...Resonance! Seal Evil...Suppress Soul!"
He no longer merely mobilized his own power, but instead attempted to draw upon the vast and ancient power of the "Contract Order" fragment in his possession, combining it with the power of the Source Core to simulate the "Contract Order" in his memory, which was used to fight against external enemies and suppress evil spirits!
An indescribable aura of solemnity, majesty, and order, seemingly emanating from an ancient battlefield, erupted from Fu Shaoping! The pale golden light was no longer gentle, but carried a sharp edge of judgment and suppression!
Before him, countless pale golden contract runes surged and combined wildly, instantly condensing into a massive "Contract Sealing Shield" woven from countless tiny chains! At the center of the shield, a complex rune, strikingly similar to the remnants on the fragment of the "Contract Order," radiated an overwhelming power that suppressed everything!
The dark purple firestorm slammed into the golden sealing shield!
There was no earth-shattering explosion. Two diametrically opposed forces, both imbued with powerful contractual attributes, clashed like water and fire, emitting a sickening hissing sound of annihilation! The illusory dragon within the firestorm crashed against the shield, emitting a mournful howl, its form rapidly dimming and disintegrating. The golden sealing shield also trembled violently, the runes on its surface flickering, clearly bearing immense pressure.
Fu Shaoping's face instantly turned ashen, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Forcibly activating the power of the "Contract Order" fragment was far beyond his imagination! But he gritted his teeth and frantically activated his source core and his own true essence to maintain the sealing shield.
Stalemate! Struggle!
Just then, another unexpected event occurred!
The fragment of the "Contract Order" in Fu Shaoping's arms seemed to be stimulated by the dual stimulation of the same source aura (the core of the poisonous fire) and the fierce confrontation. It actually broke free from his control and turned into a dark golden stream of light. It flew out of his arms and went straight into the complex runes in the center of the golden sealing shield!
"Om-!"
The sealing shield shone brightly! Its power surged several times over in an instant! The rune on the shield's surface seemed to come alive, radiating an even more ancient and vast contractual aura, like a slumbering king awakening!
The dark purple flame storm seemed to have met its nemesis, and was quickly suppressed, contracted, and annihilated! The poisonous fire itself let out a shriek filled with fear and resentment, and the flames rapidly shrank and dimmed!
Those corrupt dragon maggots and water giants that had lost the support of the poisonous fire power were as if their souls had been ripped out, collapsing and turning back into mud and black water.
The light of the sealing shield slowly receded, transforming back into a palm-sized, subdued fragment of the "Contract," hovering in mid-air. However, at this moment, the fragment's surface seemed to have some extremely fine dark purple patterns, and its aura had become more profound and complex.
The cluster of Dragon Vengeful Poison Fire was now reduced to a tiny, dark purple spark the size of a bean. Its aura was extremely weak, and it trembled under the pressure of the remaining sealing shield, no longer displaying its previous ferocity.
Despite the excruciating pain in his soul and body, Fu Shaoping stepped forward, reached out, and carefully picked up the tiny spark of poison with the power of the contract. Below, in the depression of the dragon bone skull, was a new fragment the size of a fingernail, completely black, with dark gold and dark purple interwoven runes flowing across its surface...
Two fragments! One is the original, relatively complete fragment of the dark gold "Contract." The other is this smaller fragment, which has fused with part of the Dragon's Vengeful Poison Fire's essence and the power of the evil contract—a "subsidiary" or "contaminated" fragment!
As the two fragments approached, they trembled violently simultaneously, emitting complex fluctuations that both attracted and subtly repelled each other. The original dark gold fragment yearned for completeness, while the newly acquired pitch-black fragment exuded resentment and an eerie aura.
Fu Shaoping could sense that the two fragments were originally one, but shattered during some event (most likely the great ancient war). One of them was devoured and corrupted by the Dragon's Vengeful Fire, undergoing a mutation. Now that they have reunited, there is a tendency for them to merge and return, but there is also a conflict between corruption and purity.
He didn't immediately try to fuse them. Given his current state and understanding, acting rashly could easily backfire, or even cause him to be devoured by the evil power within those dark fragments.
He carefully separated and put away the two fragments, then used the power of the contract to seal away the last remaining spark of poison (this item might have another use for him). Then, he collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, and took a pill to regulate his breathing.
The battle just now, though short, was extremely dangerous, almost exhausting all his strength and shaking his soul.
After a full day and night of recuperation, Fu Shaoping barely regained his mobility. He glanced at the dragon skeleton, which had been completely corroded by the poisonous fire, and without further hesitation, quickly left the dangerous depression.
Deeper into the Swamp of Ten Thousand Poisons, he found a relatively dry and enclosed cave made of natural poisonous rocks. After setting up numerous restrictions, he began his true seclusion to heal his wounds and digest the gains from this battle.
With the two fragments of the "Contract Order" in hand, and the resonance between them and his Source Core, he gained a deeper understanding of the ancient contract war and the "Contract Order" itself. At the same time, his confrontation with the Dragon's Vengeful Poison Fire also gave him a more intuitive understanding of the "purification," "sealing," and "suppression" characteristics of the power of the contract.
He needs time to refine and harmonize the two fragments, and to try to draw power from them to improve himself.
This retreat is destined to be much longer than the one in Youhuang Valley.
Time flies, and deep within the Ten Thousand Poison Swamp, poisonous miasma surges, silently recording another year. Inside the cave, Fu Shaoping slowly opened his eyes. The light in his eyes was restrained, and his aura was as deep and unfathomable, his cultivation having already reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment! Not only that, the pale golden contract true essence flowing around his body faintly carried a strange luster of interwoven dark gold and dark purple, exuding an even more complex and majestic aura.
Before him, two fragments of the "Contract Order" floated silently. They were not fully fused, but through Fu Shaoping's long-term harmonization and refinement, using the Source Core as a bridge and the "General Principles of Contract Source" as a method, a stable "dual-core" structure had been initially formed. The dark gold fragment was the primary one, dominating order, protection, and contract authority; the pitch-black fragment was secondary (or "prison"), containing purified and restrained dragon's vengeful poisonous fire power and some evil contract characteristics, which could release powerful corrosion, erosion, and soul attacks under certain circumstances.
He successfully incorporated this dangerous and powerful force into his own system of control. Although he hadn't yet fully mastered it, it was already a powerful trump card.
“It’s time to leave.” Fu Shaoping looked out of the cave. Although the Ten Thousand Poison Swamp was dangerous, it could no longer provide him with the resources and environment he needed to advance further. Moreover, during his seclusion, he had sensed several times that powerful divine senses had swept through the depths of the swamp. Although they had not found his exact location, it was clear that the search from the outside world had not stopped.
That mysterious "above" has probably never been abandoned.
He needs a wider sky, and he also needs... stronger allies, or perhaps, more complete concealment.
Packing his belongings and erasing all traces, Fu Shaoping left the Poison Rock Cave, where he had been in seclusion for nearly two years, as quietly as he had come, heading towards the outer edge of the swamp.
His aura deepened, and his methods became even more unpredictable. The poisonous creatures along the way seemed to sense the oppressive power emanating from the Dragon's Vengeance Fire within him, and they all retreated.
When he finally stepped out of the edge of the swamp of ten thousand poisons and felt the relatively fresh air and sunlight outside again, he felt not much relief, but rather a greater sense of gravity.
What lies ahead?
Returning to the core of the human cultivation world carries immense risks, but also offers many opportunities. Venturing into even more treacherous and desolate wilderness might allow one to evade pursuit, but cultivation resources will become even scarcer.
As he was pondering, the source core in his arms and the two fragments of the "contract" simultaneously emitted a strange, faint resonance pointing in the northwest direction.
That resonance wasn't a call, but more like a... vague "beacon" sensation. It seemed that in the far northwest, something of the same origin or related to them was undergoing some kind of change, or... waiting.
The Northwest? That's the "Northern Territory," a place even more remote than the vast ancient plains, rumored to be teeming with sects, powerful figures, and chaos.
Fu Shaoping's eyes flickered.
Perhaps it's time to go and see that wider world.
Whether the road ahead is a den of dragons and tigers or a land of opportunity and fortune, his path of contracts will usher in a new chapter there.
Without further hesitation, he discerned the direction, and his figure transformed into an inconspicuous streak of light, speeding towards the northwestern border of the Zhao state.
Behind them, the miasma of the Ten Thousand Poison Swamp slowly closed in, as if no one had ever set foot there.
Ahead lay the vast and boundless northern frontier, awaiting his arrival.
After leaving the Ten Thousand Poison Swamp, Fu Shaoping did not immediately head northwest, but instead detoured to a remote market town on the border of the Zhao Kingdom.
During his two years of seclusion in the Swamp of Ten Thousand Poisons, he not only broke through to the late Foundation Establishment stage in his cultivation, but also gained a deeper understanding of the "General Outline of the Origin of Contracts." In particular, his initial mastery of the dual-core structure of the "Contract Command" gave him abilities far exceeding those of his peers.
But the more this was the case, the more vigilant he became.
The fact that the mysterious "higher-ups"—let's call it the "Dark Pact Organization"—could so quickly pinpoint his location in the southwest of Zhao indicates that its intelligence network is extremely extensive. Rushing into the northern border might just be playing into their hands.
“I need a new identity, and… detailed information about the North.”
Fu Shaoping found an inconspicuous little shop on the edge of the market and spent dozens of mid-grade spirit stones to buy a map leading to the Northern Territory, as well as a jade slip that recorded the general situation of the major forces in the Northern Territory.
According to the jade slip, the Northern Territory is not a unified region, but a complex area comprised of dozens of kingdoms of varying sizes, countless sects, cultivation families, and independent cultivators. Among them, five major forces stand out as the most powerful:
Xuantian Sword Sect, a holy land for sword cultivators in the Northern Territory, is rumored to have a Nascent Soul stage sword cultivator presiding over it;
The Netherworld Cult cultivates the Yin and Ghost Path, acts in secrecy, and controls a large area in the southwestern part of the Northern Territory.
The Heavenly Mystery Pavilion is renowned for its ability to deduce heavenly secrets and craft magical artifacts. It is a neutral force with branch pavilions in various locations.
The Barbarian King's Palace is a place where physical cultivators and witch cultivators gather, occupying the bitterly cold northern region of the Northern Territory.
The Hundred Flowers Palace only accepts female cultivators and excels in alchemy and formations; its influence should not be underestimated.
Besides these five major powers, the Northern Territory also has three other perilous places: the Abyss of Ten Thousand Ghosts, the Frozen Wasteland, and the Ancient Battlefield Ruins. (End of Chapter)