Chapter 905
Chapter 905
He took out the "Frost Soul Contract" and tried to sense it.
The token was slightly warm, pointing towards the obsidian token in the hand of the mummified corpse at the top center of the altar.
"It seems that's the target. But how do we get it?" Fu Shaoping frowned. The altar was clearly still operating, and the priests were behaving strangely; touching it rashly might lead to unforeseen consequences.
He thought about it and decided to test the waters first.
He took out a low-grade spirit stone from his storage bag, flicked it with his finger, and shot it toward the altar.
The moment the spirit stone entered the altar's range, the vortex of contract runes above the altar suddenly lit up! An invisible ripple swept across, and the spirit stone instantly turned to dust! At the same time, the twelve priests shuddered, black blood seeping from their mouths and noses, but their chanting did not stop; instead, it became even more rapid!
"Such a powerful counter-contract! And it seems to be linked to the lives of these priests?" Fu Shaoping's expression turned grave. Forcibly breaking it would likely kill these priests instantly, and could even trigger a more severe backlash.
“We need to find the ‘node’ or ‘loophole’ in the ritual.” Fu Shaoping carefully observed the altar while simultaneously operating the Ice Soul Calculation to deduce the altar’s contract structure.
Half an hour later, a flash of understanding appeared in his eyes.
"This altar seems to be a 'prayer contract' ritual, in which the life force and offerings of the priests are used as a price to pray for power or knowledge from some unknown entity. The ritual has been going on for countless years, and the priests are long since exhausted, clinging to life only by the power of the contract itself on the altar."
"The core contract of the ritual connects the altar, the priest, the offerings, and... the items in the hands of those three mummies. To safely obtain the Obsidian Token, the ritual's contract link must be temporarily 'suspended' or 'transferred', and the priest's life must not be harmed."
This is extremely difficult. However, Fu Shaoping possesses the Source Core and fragments of the "Contract Order," giving him a far greater grasp of the Dao of Contracts than others of the same level.
“Try ‘contract grafting’.” Fu Shaoping thought of a high-level contract technique recorded in the “General Outline of Contract Origins”—temporarily grafting and transferring the original contract link to another carrier.
He needs to find a suitable "vessel" and he himself needs to have strong enough control over the contract.
Looking around, Fu Shaoping's gaze fell on the animal bone offerings at the bottom of the altar.
“These animal bones contain a faint life essence and are of the same origin as the altar, so they may be used as a temporary vessel. However, the connection between the twelve priests and the altar must be grafted simultaneously, without the slightest mistake.”
He took a deep breath, sat cross-legged, and began to form hand seals.
A pale golden power of the contract surged from his body, transforming into twelve fine golden threads that slowly reached out towards the twelve priests. At the same time, his source core operated at full power, providing pure contract essence to ensure control.
The moment the golden thread touched the altar, Fu Shaoping sensed twelve faint yet resilient life-contract links, the other end of which was deeply embedded in the altar. He carefully wrapped these links with his own contract power, then slowly "peeled" them, guiding them toward the twelve beast bones that had been prepared beforehand.
This process was extremely mentally taxing, and Fu Shaoping soon broke out in a cold sweat, feeling a sharp pain in his soul.
An hour later, the grafting was mostly complete. The contract links of eleven priests had been successfully transferred to the beast bones, leaving only the last one, the most core one, and the one with the strongest link—the old priest.
Just as Fu Shaoping was about to complete the final step, a sudden change occurred!
At the top of the altar, in the center of the mummified corpse, two eerie green soul flames suddenly ignited in the empty eye sockets!
"Who...is interfering with...our people's...prayer..."
A dry, hoarse voice resounded directly in Fu Shaoping's mind! At the same time, an ancient, savage, and cursed power of a witchcraft contract surged back along the last contract link!
Fu Shaoping groaned, his sea of consciousness trembled, and the grafting process almost stopped!
"It's the lingering obsession or fragment of the soul left behind by this mummified corpse!" He gritted his teeth and kept calm, while activating the fragment of the "Contract"!
The dark gold fragment emitted a purifying golden light, protecting the sea of consciousness; the pitch-black fragment released a trace of evil power, fighting against and entangled with the power of the witchcraft curse.
"Contract grafting... complete!"
The last link was successfully transferred! The twelve priests' bodies went limp at the same time, and they collapsed to the ground, but they were still breathing and their lives were not in danger.
The vortex of contract runes on the altar, having lost the life force of the shaman, began to fluctuate violently and dissipate.
"Take the token quickly!" Fu Shaoping suppressed his discomfort and flew forward, grabbing the obsidian token!
The moment he touched the token, the awakened mummified corpse suddenly raised its hand, and a pitch-black curse arrow shot towards Fu Shaoping's heart!
"Frost Soul Pact - Frost Condensation!"
Fu Shaoping was prepared. With his other hand, he pointed his fingers like a sword, and the power of the Ice Blue Contract burst forth, instantly freezing and shattering the cursed arrow! At the same time, he grabbed the token and retreated!
"Blasphemer...leave behind...the covenant..."
The mummified corpse shakily stood up, its eye sockets blazing with soul fire. Its decaying body erupted with an astonishing aura, possessing the pressure of a late-stage Golden Core cultivator! It opened its mouth and spat out a string of obscure sorcery incantations. Instantly, countless twisted sorcery runes appeared around the altar, transforming into a large net that enveloped Fu Shaoping!
"Contract Guardian - Star Shield!" Fu Shaoping activated the Star Robe and simultaneously infused the power of the contract into the Obsidian Token.
The token trembled violently, emitting a soft black halo. Wherever the halo passed, the sorcery runes vanished as if encountering their nemesis!
The mummified corpse let out a mournful howl of despair, its soul fire quickly dimmed, and its body sat down again, returning to deathly silence.
"This token... seems to be a sacred artifact of the Witch Clan's contract? Does it have a suppressive effect on the Witch Clan's contract?" Fu Shaoping understood. Not daring to linger, he grabbed the other two items (the animal skin scroll and the bronze bell), quickly checked the twelve priests, and after confirming that they were only unconscious and not in mortal danger, he turned and rushed out of the cave.
They traveled without hindrance and soon left the Ancient Wu Mountains.
Fu Shaoping only stopped to check his harvest after flying hundreds of miles and confirming that it was safe.
The obsidian token features a ferocious demon face engraved on the front, while the back is covered with countless tiny runes of a sorcery contract. When infused with the power of the contract, the token emits a "witch-breaking" aura, possessing a powerful restraining and purifying effect against witchcraft, curses, and poisons. This item is called the "Witch Contract Token," and like the "Frost Soul Contract Token," it is a special contract token.
The animal skin scroll records an ancient witch clan contract tradition called "The Secret Record of Witch Contracts." Many of its contract concepts differ from orthodox contract practices, focusing on curses, manipulation, and prayers. However, it also contains some unique methods regarding "contract purification" and "contract transfer," which greatly inspired Fu Shaoping.
The bronze bell, named the "Soul-Suppressing Bell," emits sound waves that can shock the soul and interfere with the contract link when shaken, making it a good auxiliary magical artifact.
"This time I've gained quite a bit, especially the purification methods in the 'Secret Records of Witchcraft Contracts,' which may provide new insights into purifying the evil energy of the 'Spirit of Contracts.'" Fu Shaoping put away the items and adjusted his breathing to recover his depleted mental energy.
He looked toward the last marker—the "Origin Stone" of the "Heavenly Abyss Rift Valley".
The Heavenly Abyss Rift Valley is located at the border between the Northern Territory and the Central Divine Continent. It is a massive rift valley stretching thousands of miles, its bottom unseen. Within it, space is chaotic, gales are fierce, and many unknown dangers lurk. Legend has it that in ancient times, a meteorite from outer space crashed into the rift valley, hence its name.
"The Heavenly Abyss Rift is too far and dangerous. With my current strength, going there rashly would be too risky. It would be better to return to the Star Gazing Platform first, digest what I have gained this time, and wait for the 'Day of Polar Night' to open the Ice Soul Mystic Palace." Fu Shaoping made his decision after weighing the options. Two years would be enough time for him to raise his cultivation to the peak of the mid-stage Golden Core realm and to delve into the "Ancient Inscription Examination" and "Secret Records of Witchcraft Inscriptions" to prepare for purifying the "Inscription Pivot".
With his goal set, Fu Shaoping didn't delay any longer. He determined the direction and headed back towards the observatory.
Although this journey did not directly yield a method to purify the "Contract Pivot," it provided crucial clues (the inheritance of the Ice Soul Mystic Palace) and a wealth of knowledge about contracts, and also enhanced one's strength, making it a very fruitful experience.
He has taken a solid first step toward fulfilling the century-long promise.
Next, he devoted himself to cultivation and waited for the right opportunity.
Fu Shaoping's figure disappeared into the horizon at the edge of the Ancient Wushan Mountains.
Ahead lies a wider world, deeper mysteries, and... the ultimate mission.
The principles of contracts are endless.
The Secret of the Mysterious Palace
After returning to the observatory, Fu Shaoping entered into a two-year period of deep seclusion.
Two years is not a long time for a Golden Core cultivator, but with the complementary understanding of the "Ancient Contract Text Examination" and the "Secret Record of Witch Contracts", as well as the continuous harmonization of the "Contract Command" dual core, Fu Shaoping's cultivation steadily improved to the peak of the mid-stage Golden Core, just one step away from the late-stage Golden Core.
More importantly, his understanding of the Way of Contracts reached a new level. The chilling coldness of the Ice Contract and the unpredictability of the Witch Clan Contract gradually merged with the order of the orthodox Way of Contracts, forming the prototype of his own unique contract system. The connection between the two fragments of the "Contract Order" became increasingly close. Although they were not yet fully integrated, they could already communicate with each other, and their power was multiplied when they used "dual-core linkage".
During this period, Xingyanzi and others sent messages informing them that after being injured in the Burial God Valley, the Wanqi Alliance (the Dark Contract Organization) went into hiding, but it still had small-scale activities in various parts of the Northern Territory, seemingly searching for something. The friction between the five major forces also eased somewhat due to the sealing of the "Qi Shu," forming a delicate balance.
Fu Shaoping was single-minded and focused on preparing for his trip to the "Ice Soul Mystic Palace".
Two years have passed in the blink of an eye.
As the polar night approaches, the endless ice plains will be plunged into darkness for three months. Fu Shaoping bids farewell to Xing Yanzi and the others, and once again embarks on his journey north.
This time, he was much better prepared: he not only carried a large number of pills, talismans and spare magic tools, but also refined the "Witchcraft Contract" and "Soul-Suppressing Bell" to perfection, and even perfected the first three forms of "Frost Soul Contract Slash", and made a preliminary deduction of the prototype of the fourth form "Ice Soul Return to Origin".
Ten days later, he arrived near the Ice Soul Spring again.
The endless ice plains were now almost completely shrouded in darkness. Only a faint, dark red glimmer of light remained on the distant horizon. The biting wind was even more intense, carrying ice crystals that cut like knives. A sense of oppression, loneliness, and icy abandonment permeated the air.
Fu Shaoping took out the "Frost Soul Contract Token" and infused it with the power of the contract.
The command emitted a soft, icy blue light, like a lighthouse in the darkness. The light condensed into a thin beam, pointing towards a direction deeper into the icy plains.
"Walk."
Following the beam of light, Fu Shaoping rode the wind through the darkness.
The deeper one ventures, the more rugged and treacherous the terrain of the ice field becomes. Huge icebergs, like ferocious monsters, stand tall in the darkness. Deep, bottomless cracks frequently appear on the ice, spewing forth icy, biting winds. Occasionally, the remains of ancient creatures, frozen within the glaciers, can be seen, revealing the ravages of time.
Fu Shaoping was fully focused, needing to avoid natural dangers while also being wary of potential ice-field monsters—during the polar night, some cold-loving monsters would become more active.
Five days later, he arrived at a desolate place surrounded by countless ice peaks.
This place appears to be the remnant of an ancient glacier, with ice peaks standing like a forest, jagged and interlocking, forming a vast labyrinth. Gale-force winds howl and whistle through the ice peaks, producing a sound like the wailing of ghosts and wolves.
The beam of light from the "Frost Soul Contract" pointed directly at the center of the maze.
Fu Shaoping took a deep breath and stepped into the Ice Peak Maze.
The maze was not only complex in its terrain, but also contained many natural illusion arrays and spatial distortions. Without the guidance of the contract, even a late-stage Golden Core cultivator would likely get lost. Fu Shaoping had to frequently stop to use his "Spell-Breaking Spiritual Eye" and the "Ice Soul Contract Calculation" to deduce the correct path.
They traveled and stopped for three more days.
Finally, he arrived at the center of the maze. Here lay a relatively flat ice field, in the center of which stood a palace entirely composed of dark blue "Ice Soul Jade." The palace was not large, with only three floors, but its design was ancient and solemn. Countless ice-type contract runes were carved on the eaves and pillars, emitting a faint glow in the darkness.
“Ice Soul Mystic Palace…” Fu Shaoping stared at the palace gate. Above the gate were four ancient contract characters, which were the name of the palace.
The gate was tightly closed, with no keyhole or handle, only a groove whose shape perfectly matched the "Frost Soul Contract".
Fu Shaoping stepped forward and placed the contract into the groove.
"Click".
The contract was sealed perfectly. The next moment, the entire palace trembled slightly, and countless contract runes on the door lit up one after another, like stars illuminating the sky. Finally, all the runes converged into a beam of light, sweeping over Fu Shaoping's entire body.
"Contractual bloodline...confirmed. Trial evaluation...optimal. Entry permitted." A voice, both older and gentler than that of the Frost Soul Palace, rang out.
"Boom—"
The gate slowly opened inward, and a purer, colder spiritual energy surged out.
Fu Shaoping withdrew the contract and stepped inside.
The palace interior was completely different from the outside world. There were no opulent decorations, only a pure, icy blue. The walls, floors, and dome were all made of Ice Soul Jade, smooth as a mirror, reflecting a faint, ethereal light. A light mist filled the air, but it wasn't biting; instead, it had a refreshing coolness that cleansed the soul.
The main hall was empty, with only an ice crystal tablet standing in the center. The tablet was inscribed with densely packed contractual text, beginning with: (End of Chapter)