Chapter 901
Chapter 901
Xing Yanzi's gaze lingered on Fu Shaoping for a moment, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "Fellow Daoist Lu is too kind. My friend's Golden Core has just been formed, yet his aura is deep and his foundation is profound. Moreover, he has the Daoist rhyme of the Contract flowing through him. He is indeed extraordinary. It seems that what Nephew Liu said in his letter was not an exaggeration."
After everyone took their seats, Manager Zhou served them spiritual tea.
Xing Yanzi got straight to the point: "I have come here on the orders of the Pavilion Master to handle all matters related to 'Qi Shu'. My junior brother Liu has already sent back a detailed account of the Battle of Burial God Valley, which the Pavilion Master takes very seriously. Fellow Daoist Lu, I have a few questions, and I would appreciate your frankness."
"Please ask, senior."
"First, what is the specific relationship between the 'Contract Order' fragment within your body and the 'Contract Pivot' projection in the Burial God Abyss? Can you determine the state and location of the 'Contract Pivot' itself?"
Fu Shaoping pondered for a moment before deciding to reveal part of the truth: "'The Contract Order' should be fragments formed after 'The Pivot' was broken. Of the two fragments I possess, one is relatively intact and governs the Order Contract; the other is corrupted by evil power and contains some characteristics of the Evil Contract. The projection of 'The Pivot' in the Burial God Abyss was triggered by the resonance between the two fragments and the original body under the stimulation of the Blood Sacrifice Evil Array and the Seven-Colored Strange Light."
He paused for a moment, then said, "As for the 'Qi Shu' itself, I can only vaguely sense that it is located in the deepest part of the Burial God Abyss, in a state of being 'sealed' and 'contaminated'. The specific details will only be known after further investigation."
Xing Yanzi nodded and then asked, "Secondly, why is the Dark Contract Organization so obsessed with the 'Contract Pivot'? What is their ultimate goal? Does Fellow Daoist Lu know?"
Fu Shaoping shook his head: "I have clashed with the Dark Contract organization several times. I only know that they seem to want to achieve some kind of conspiracy of 'renegotiating the contract' or 'overthrowing the existing order' by controlling the 'Contract Hub'. The specific purpose is probably only known to its core high-ranking members."
Xing Yanzi and Wen Xin exchanged a glance. Wen Xin said softly, "According to the intelligence collected by the General Pavilion over the years, the Dark Contract Organization originated in the late ancient period and is suspected to have been created by an ancient powerful being who cultivated the 'Way of Evil Contracts'. Its purpose is to manipulate all living beings with evil contracts and establish an absolute, twisted order that reveres contracts. As the core of the ancient contract treasure, the 'Contract Pivot' could indeed grant them subversive power if they could control it."
Chu Hongxiu sneered, "A bunch of lunatics who can't stand the light of day! If they succeed, the Northern Territory and even the entire cultivation world will become slaves under contracts!"
Bai Wuyai stroked his beard and said, "Therefore, stopping them is our duty. Fellow Daoist Xingyanzi, what are the Grand Pavilion's plans?"
Xing Yanzi said solemnly, "The Pavilion Master's decree is: at all costs, prevent the Dark Contract Organization from obtaining the 'Spirit of Contract'. If the 'Spirit of Contract' has been corrupted or out of control, it must be purified or resealed. It must not be allowed to fall into the hands of evil."
He looked at Fu Shaoping: "Fellow Daoist Lu, you are currently the only one who can resonate with 'Qi Shu' and are also the key to fighting against the 'Evil Qi Power' of the Dark Qi organization. The Grand Pavilion hopes that you can become the core of this operation, and the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion will give you its full support."
Fu Shaoping had anticipated this, and said in a deep voice, "It is my duty to do so. However, after this defeat, the Dark Contract Organization will surely strengthen its defenses and may even take action ahead of schedule. We need to formulate a detailed plan as soon as possible."
Xing Yanzi nodded: "That's right. Wenxin, tell me the latest information."
Wenxin unfolded the bamboo scroll in her hand, and a light screen appeared in the hall, marked with densely packed information nodes.
Three days ago, the three major peripheral forces of the Dark Contract Organization in the Northern Territory—'Shadow Killing Tower,' 'Black Market Merchants Association,' and 'Hundred Poisons Sect'—simultaneously announced their merger to form the 'Myriad Contracts Alliance,' jointly led by three mysterious late-stage Golden Core cultivators. On the day of its establishment, the Myriad Contracts Alliance dispatched more than three hundred cultivators towards the Burial God Valley, including no fewer than twenty Golden Core cultivators!
"At the same time, regarding the five major forces: the Xuantian Sword Sect has dispatched the 'Sword Tomb' elders to the outskirts of the Burial God Valley; the Netherworld Sect and the Barbarian King Palace show signs of joining forces; the Hundred Flowers Palace has an ambiguous attitude; and my Heavenly Mystery Pavilion has also mobilized its elite forces, led by Elder Tianxuan, who can arrive in Cold Moon City within three days."
"The seven-colored anomaly in Burial God Valley has increased in frequency to once every ten days, with each occurrence lasting up to half an hour. The level of malevolent energy and spatial disorder within the valley has risen sharply, and several Golden Core cultivators have gone missing while exploring it."
"In summary, the Dark Pact Organization—or rather, the Myriad Pacts Alliance—is very likely planning a full-scale offensive, which will take place nine days after the next anomaly appears!"
Nine days!
Everyone's expression tightened.
Xing Yanzi looked at Fu Shaoping: "Fellow Daoist Lu, in nine days, could you adjust your condition to its best and try to establish a deeper connection with 'Qi Shu'?"
Fu Shaoping pondered for a moment and nodded: "It's worth a try. However, we need an absolutely safe and quiet room that can isolate us from outside detection, preferably near the Valley of the Burial Gods, so that we can sense it."
Xing Yanzi said, "The Heavenly Mystery Pavilion has a secret base called the 'Star Gazing Platform' located three hundred miles northeast of the Burial God Valley. It is equipped with the 'Great Array of the Celestial Stars,' which can isolate all prying eyes and is rich in spiritual energy. You can go there to cultivate in seclusion."
He then looked at Liu Rushuang and the others: "Junior Nephew Liu, Lord Chu, Fellow Daoist Bai, you will come with me to the Star Gazing Platform to assist in the deployment and to contact allies. Jian Qi and Wen Xin, you will be responsible for intelligence gathering and tactical simulation."
"Nine days from now, the decisive battle at Burial Valley will determine the fate of the Northern Territory for the next few centuries. Everyone, I entrust this to you!"
"I will certainly live up to your expectations!"
On that day, Fu Shaoping, along with Xing Yanzi and others, arrived at the Star Gazing Platform through the secret teleportation array of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion.
The observatory is located atop a solitary peak, surrounded by swirling clouds and mist. The night sky above appears exceptionally clear, with bright stars. The entire mountain is enveloped by the "Zhou Tian Xing Chen Grand Array," appearing from the outside as just ordinary clouds and mist, but inside lies a hidden world, rich in spiritual energy, with ancient and rustic architecture.
Fu Shaoping was placed in a separate Starry Night Chamber, which was filled with arrays for gathering spirit and concentrating the mind. In the center was a "Star Source Spirit Spring", from which spiritual liquid containing the power of stars constantly gushed out, which was of great benefit to cultivation.
He wasted no time and immediately began his seclusion.
This time, he no longer simply consolidated his cultivation, but tried to actively establish a connection with the "Spiritual Pivot" deep within the Burial God Abyss.
He sat cross-legged beside the Star Source Spirit Spring, took out two fragments of the "Contract Order," and placed them in front of him. The Source Core operated at full power, and the "Divine Contract Response Chapter" in the "Contract Source General Outline" silently began to operate.
The contracted spirit, like tentacles, cautiously extended towards the Valley of Burial Gods.
Three hundred miles is not a long distance for a Golden Core cultivator's divine sense, but the malevolent energy and spatial disorder within the Burial God Valley severely hindered exploration. Fu Shaoping could only rely on the resonance of the fragments of the "Contract" to approach little by little.
One day, two days, three days... His contracted spiritual sense struggled through the baleful mist, constantly sensing the vague yet enormous aura of the "Contractual Pivot".
Late on the seventh night, his spiritual sense finally broke through all the barriers and "saw" the scene deep within the Burial Abyss—
It was a vast underground space, with a dilapidated, three-dimensional altar suspended in the center, composed of countless contract runes. The altar was divided into nine layers, each corresponding to a contract rule: order, protection, trade, oath, curse, enslavement, sacrifice, judgment, and end.
But at this moment, the altar was completely dark and its surface was covered with eerie, black, writhing patterns. In particular, the three layers of "Curse," "Entrapment," and "Sacrifice" were almost completely covered by the black patterns, exuding a strong evil aura.
At the very top of the altar, where the "Spirit of Contract" should have been located, a dark golden crystal riddled with cracks now floated. Inside the crystal, one half was filled with pure golden light of the contract, while the other half was corroded by dark, malevolent energy. The two were intertwined and clashing, causing the entire crystal to tremble constantly, emitting chaotic and dangerous fluctuations.
"This is the true form of 'Qi Shu'? No, this should only be the core control center of 'Qi Shu'. The real 'Qi Shu' is probably the entire altar, or even the entire Burial God Abyss!" Fu Shaoping was shocked.
He could sense that the pure power of the contract within the dark golden crystal was being gradually eroded by the dark, malevolent energy. Once completely eroded, the "Contract Pivot" would utterly fall into evil and be controlled by the Dark Contract Organization!
"We must purify those evil energies and repair the crystal!" Fu Shaoping tried to probe the crystal with his contracted spiritual sense.
However, the moment his spiritual sense touched the crystal, a sudden change occurred!
The dark, malevolent energy within the crystal suddenly surged, transforming into a hideous ghost face that eroded Fu Shaoping's spiritual consciousness in the opposite direction! At the same time, a frenzied, chaotic, and malicious thought directly assaulted his soul!
“Even a lowly…ant…dares…to spy on…the pivot…”
"Join...us...give...everything...and you will receive...eternity..."
"Those who resist...die..."
Fu Shaoping groaned, his contracted spiritual consciousness violently trembling, the "Guardian Contract" runes flashing wildly as he barely managed to steady himself. He immediately severed his connection with the crystal, but the invading evil energy was already like a bone-deep infection, clinging to his spiritual consciousness and attempting to corrupt the very essence of his contract!
"net!"
Fu Shaoping gave a low shout, and the Source Core operated at full power. The dark gold fragments emitted a purifying light, which, together with the star power of the Star Source Spirit Spring, finally dispelled that trace of evil energy.
He opened his eyes, his forehead beaded with cold sweat, still shaken.
"What terrifying evil energy! The degree to which this 'Spirit of Covenant' is corrupted is far deeper than I imagined. Moreover... it seems to have already developed a certain degree of 'evil consciousness'!"
That crazy thought just now was not simply polluting energy, but some kind of twisted, nascent evil thought!
Just then, Xing Yanzi's voice came from outside the meditation room: "Fellow Daoist Lu, are you alright? Just now, the formation sensed an abnormal fluctuation of evil energy in your meditation room."
Fu Shaoping opened the barrier: "Senior, please come in."
Xing Yanzi, Liu Rushuang, Wen Xin and others quickly entered.
Fu Shaoping briefly recounted what he had just seen and encountered.
Xing Yanzi's expression was solemn: "The evil energy has taken form, and even generated evil consciousness... The corruption of this 'Qi Shu' has reached a critical point. If it is further stimulated by the Dark Pact organization with blood sacrifices or evil Pact rituals, it may be completely corrupted, or even... awaken as an evil spirit with the authority of the 'Qi Shu'!"
Wen Xin quickly calculated: "Nine days from now, when the next seven-colored phenomenon appears, the rules of heaven and earth will be most chaotic, which is precisely when the evil energy is most active and the seal is weakest. The Myriad Contracts Alliance will definitely launch a general attack at that time, using some secret method to completely corrupt and control the 'Contractual Pivot'!"
Liu Rushuang looked at Fu Shaoping: "Junior Brother Lu, do you have a solution?"
Fu Shaoping pondered for a long time before slowly saying, "The pure power of the contract within the core crystal of 'Qi Shu' is still fighting against the evil energy. If we can interfere with the Wanqi Alliance's ritual from the outside, and at the same time, I will try to use the 'Qi Ling' fragment as a guide to communicate with the pure power within the crystal, working together from the inside and outside, we might be able to temporarily suppress the evil energy, or even... reseal 'Qi Shu'."
He paused for a moment: "But this requires precise timing and strong external support. If I fail, I may be completely corrupted by the evil energy."
Xing Yanzi solemnly said, "Although the risk is great, this is the most feasible plan at present. Fellow Daoist Lu, rest assured, at that time, the forces of Tianji Pavilion, Tingyu Tower, Hanyue Sanren, as well as some forces of Xuantian Sword Sect and Baihua Palace will restrain Wanqi Alliance from the outside. We will create opportunities for you."
Wenxin added, "According to the calculations, the best time is when the seven-colored phenomenon reaches its peak and begins to decline. At that time, the fluctuations of 'Qi Shu' itself are the strongest, the confrontation between evil energy and pure energy is the most intense, and external interference is most likely to have an impact."
"Nine days later... at the peak of the phenomenon..." Fu Shaoping took a deep breath, "I understand. I will try then."
Over the next two days, Fu Shaoping stopped trying to directly sense the "Contract Pivot" and instead focused on adjusting his state, familiarizing himself with the newly mastered Golden Core stage contract technique, and repeatedly rehearsing the details of the operation with Xing Yanzi and others.
The ninth day, early morning.
All the participants gathered in the main hall of the observatory.
The Tianji Pavilion side consisted of Xing Yanzi (Golden Core Perfection), Jian Qi (Golden Core Mid-Stage), Wen Xin (Golden Core Early Stage), Liu Rushuang (Golden Core Mid-Stage), and ten Golden Core disciples and thirty Foundation Establishment elites led by Elder Tianxuan.
On the allies' side: Chu Hongxiu (mid-stage Golden Core) led three Golden Core cultivators and twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators from Tingyu Tower; Bai Wuyai (mid-stage Golden Core) led two close Golden Core friends; in addition, the Xuantian Sword Sect's "Sword Tomb" elders stationed nearby, after learning of the Dark Contract Organization's (Wanqi Alliance) conspiracy, also sent five sword cultivators led by "Gu Hongzi" (late-stage Golden Core) to help; Baihua Palace sent "Lanxin Fairy" (mid-stage Golden Core), who was skilled in formations, along with three disciples.
The total number of Golden Core cultivators exceeds thirty, and Foundation Establishment cultivators exceed one hundred! This is a rare joint operation in the Northern Territory in nearly a century.
Xing Yanzi stood in the main seat and said in a deep voice: "Everyone, today's battle concerns the fate of the Northern Territory, as well as the future of the cultivation world. Our goal is to prevent the Myriad Contracts Alliance from completely corrupting the 'Contractual Pivot'; and if possible, to assist Fellow Daoist Lu in resealing the 'Contractual Pivot'."
"The operation will be divided into three routes: The first route, led by myself, Elder Tianxuan, Fellow Daoist Gu Hongzi, Lord Chu, and Fellow Daoist Bai, will be the main force to directly restrain the main force of the Myriad Contracts Alliance and disrupt their ceremony." (End of Chapter)