Chapter 923
Chapter 923
At one point, he sensed something and opened his eyes.
He raised his hand, and the power of the contract condensed in his palm. It was no longer a simple pale gold, but rather a hazy gray color like the beginning of chaos, with faint seven-colored light spots flickering within. This was not the "Contract Origin Creation" power that he had forcibly simulated before, but a higher level of primordial contract power that naturally arose after his own contract origin and the origin of the Contract Origin Stone had initially merged.
This power embodies the essence of the five true meanings and can be transformed at will, its power and mystery far surpassing those of the past.
"The early stage of the Nascent Soul realm is now completely stable, and I've even touched the threshold of the middle stage." Fu Shaoping felt satisfied with his own condition.
The gains from this retreat far exceeded expectations.
He looked at the Qiyuan Stone, his mind stirred, and he tried to communicate with it.
"Senior...or rather, the original will of the contract here?" he uttered in his mind.
The Origin Stone glowed slightly, and a gentle yet vast thought responded, not in concrete language, but as a pure flow of information: "Practitioner of the contract...you have been initially recognized...you may cultivate here...and also utilize the power of this place...to fulfill the way of the contract..."
Fu Shaoping understood. This Origin Space, or rather the Origin Stone itself, seemed to possess a vague, instinctive will to "protect the order of the contract." It acknowledged Fu Shaoping's actions and path, allowing him to use this place as a cultivation base and providing him with support to a certain extent.
This is undoubtedly a huge boost. It means that he has a stable and top-tier place to comprehend the origin of the contract, and can even reactivate the power of the contract source stone at crucial moments (at the cost of doing so).
"Thank you," Fu Shaoping said solemnly.
He did not intend to stay here for long. The path of cultivation requires a combination of activity and stillness; travel and enlightenment are equally important.
Before leaving the Source Stream Space, he used the power of the contract to leave a more complete restriction at the entrance, ensuring the safety of this place. At the same time, he also established a miniature "contract beacon" based on the resonance array. With this beacon, as long as he is within a certain range (roughly covering half of the cultivation world), he can vaguely sense the location of the Source Stream Space, and when necessary, by consuming a huge cost, achieve temporary teleportation over extremely long distances (similar to a return scroll, but with many limitations and should not be used lightly).
After dealing with the matter of the Source Stream Space, Fu Shaoping returned to the outside world.
Instead of returning to the Northern Covenant or immediately heading to Middle-earth, he began to travel through the endless ice plains, the surrounding North, and even more remote regions.
As a Nascent Soul Venerable, with a lifespan of a thousand years, he had ample time to explore a wider world. He traveled while digesting what he had gained from his seclusion, integrating his new insights into contracts into his own magical system.
He revisited the "Ancient Witch Mountain Range," studied the "Secret Records of Witch Contracts" in depth, gained a deeper understanding of unorthodox contracts such as curses and prayers, and further improved the technique of "contract transfer and grafting."
He explored other areas of the "Heavenly Abyss Rift," honing his skills amidst the spatial turbulence and collecting some rare spatial attribute materials.
He even ventured to the deeper reaches of the "Dragon's Fall Abyss" in the Western Regions. Although he still failed to find the true dragon's heart blood, he discovered a few drops of "Dragon Blood Essence," which was contaminated by malevolent energy but possessed extremely high essence, in a very hidden dragon blood crystal vein. He carefully processed it with his purifying power and eventually obtained three drops of "Pure Dragon Blood," which, while not as good as the heart blood, still contained powerful vitality and dragon might, and might be of great use in the future.
During his travels, he occasionally encountered injustices. When he encountered evil cultivators committing crimes, monsters causing havoc, or contract disputes, he would intervene if his mood permitted. Sometimes he would adjudicate with swift and decisive measures, and sometimes he would mediate with the power of contracts. He did not deliberately publicize it, but his Nascent Soul cultivation and unique contract techniques still allowed the name "Contract Venerable Lu Ping" to quietly spread in the fringes of the cultivation world.
Five years have passed quickly in my travels.
On this day, Fu Shaoping was enjoying tea in a small town on the eastern coast of Donghua Domain when an emergency communication jade talisman from Tianji Pavilion at his waist suddenly became slightly warm.
He probed with his divine sense, and his expression immediately turned serious.
The message, sent by Guan Xingzi, was concise yet astonishing:
"A dramatic upheaval has occurred in the Central Plains! Three days ago, the entrance to the 'Ancient Contract Battlefield' suddenly appeared at the 'Myriad Manifestations Dojo,' the site of the 'Ten Thousand Laws Assembly'! Five major forces and countless rogue cultivators have poured in, vying for the 'Contract Treasures' and inheritances that may exist within. However, the battlefield is permeated with evil energy, suspected to be secretly guided and orchestrated by the Myriad Contracts Alliance. Several Nascent Soul cultivators have already disappeared or perished after entering, the situation is bizarre. It is rumored that at the core of the battlefield, there may be contract artifacts of the same origin as the 'Contract Pivot,' or even more ancient ones. Return immediately to discuss this!"
"Ancient Pact Battlefield?" Fu Shaoping was shocked. The venue for the Myriad Laws Assembly actually concealed such a secret? And it was related to the Myriad Pacts Alliance?
He immediately realized that this was likely another massive vortex, perhaps even more dangerous than the Battle of Burial Valley. But the potential for invaluable contracts and legacies within held a fatal attraction for him. Moreover, with the Myriad Contracts Alliance becoming active again, he absolutely could not stand idly by.
"It seems it's time to return to Middle-earth."
Fu Shaoping put down his teacup, left the spirit stone behind, and quietly disappeared from the teahouse.
He determined the direction and flew towards the nearest large teleportation array.
In the land of China, the winds of change are rising once more.
This time, Fu Shaoping, the "Contract Venerable" who has just stabilized his realm and made great progress in strength, will officially step into this more magnificent stage as a Nascent Soul cultivator.
What awaits him is new opportunities, but also greater challenges.
Ancient Contract Battlefield
Ask the Way City, the main hall of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion.
Five years have passed, and the place remains as magnificent as ever, but today the atmosphere inside the pavilion is unusually solemn.
In the quiet room, Fu Shaoping met Guan Xingzi, along with two other Supreme Elders of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion whose auras were profound and whom he had never seen before. One of them was none other than one of the mid-Nascent Soul elders who had guarded the entrance to the Hidden Star Realm, with the Daoist name "Hidden Star"; the other was an elderly man with a clear and slender face, holding a star chart, with the Daoist name "Mysterious Mystery," and whose cultivation was also at the mid-Nascent Soul stage. "Fellow Daoist Lu, you must be tired from your journey." Guan Xingzi invited Fu Shaoping to sit down, his expression weary and worried. "The situation is more complicated than described in the message."
Elder Yinxing replied in a deep voice: "'The entrance to the Ancient Contract Battlefield' suddenly appeared deep beneath the Myriad Manifestations Demonstration Ground after the Myriad Laws Assembly ended and all forces withdrew. Within the crack, evil energy and pure contract energy intertwined and surged forth, and spatial-temporal turbulence raged. The five major forces immediately blocked the news and jointly investigated, but they suffered considerable losses in just three days."
Elder Xuanji added, "According to reports from our spies, the battlefield's interior is extremely vast and unstable, containing numerous traces and relics from the ancient contract wars. There are indeed astonishing leaks of contract treasures, and even suspected 'contract source script' stone tablets and complete inheritance caves of ancient contract cultivators. However, it is also filled with various dangerous contract traps, remnants of battle spirits, and... corrupted contract evil objects."
"The presence of the Myriad Alliance is undeniable," Guan Xingzi said with certainty. "They are active frequently on the outskirts of the battlefield, seemingly guiding evil energy and setting up some kind of guiding or summoning formation. What's even more suspicious is that there seem to be people within the five major forces who are secretly colluding with the Myriad Alliance; otherwise, the news of the battlefield entrance could not have been leaked so quickly, and the Myriad Alliance's actions could not have been so precise."
Fu Shaoping frowned: "What is the reaction of the five major powers?"
“Naturally, we have deployed heavy troops to guard the entrance and organized elite teams to explore it,” Elder Xuanji said. “The Tianyan Sect, Taixu Sword Palace, Jiuxiao Thunder Mansion, Daguangming Temple, and Zaohua Academy have all sent at least one Nascent Soul elder to lead a team of Golden Core elites. Our Tianji Pavilion has also sent a team led by Elder Tianquan (early Nascent Soul stage), who entered three days ago, but so far the messages they have sent back are very few and vague, as if they have been interfered with.”
Elder Yinxing looked at Fu Shaoping: "Fellow Daoist Lu, you possess the orthodox inheritance of contracts and have purified the 'Contract Pivot,' making you keenly sensitive to the evil energy of contracts. The Pavilion Master's intention is for you to represent the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion in the ancient contract battlefield. Firstly, to explore the opportunities within and enhance our Pavilion's foundation in the way of contracts; secondly, to investigate the schemes of the Myriad Contracts Alliance and thwart them as much as possible; and thirdly, to support Elder Tianquan and his party and ensure their safety."
Fu Shaoping did not immediately agree, but instead asked, "What is the situation at the battlefield entrance? What are the restrictions on entering?"
"The entrance is currently sealed by the 'Five Elements Sealing Array' jointly set up by the five major forces. Only cultivators holding tokens from the five major forces or a few top forces such as the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion are allowed to enter, and their cultivation level is limited to the Nascent Soul stage or below," said Guan Xingzi. "According to preliminary detection, there seems to be some kind of suppression on Nascent Soul cultivators inside the battlefield. Power above the Nascent Soul stage will cause spatial instability or even collapse, so the Nascent Soul Ancestors have not made any moves."
"Furthermore," Elder Xuanji cautioned, "the spacetime within the battlefield is distorted, and the flow of time may differ from that outside. Moreover, there seems to be some kind of 'contract rule field' inside, where the power of any spells or treasures related to the contracts of those who enter may be amplified or weakened, so we must be careful to adapt."
Fu Shaoping pondered for a moment. The ancient contract battlefield was undoubtedly a tremendous opportunity, possibly offering a chance to resolve the root cause of the Myriad Contracts Alliance and even further elevate the Way of Contracts. However, the dangers were also undeniable. The Myriad Contracts Alliance's conspiracies, the infighting among the five major forces, and the inherent perils of the battlefield all required careful consideration.
"Okay, I'll go." Fu Shaoping finally nodded. He had no reason to back down, neither for personal nor professional reasons.
"Fellow Daoist Lu is truly wise and righteous!" The three elders were delighted. Guan Xingzi took out a specially made Star Token and a jade slip containing known battlefield intelligence. "This is the pass token and the intelligence. In addition, the Pavilion Master has specially bestowed upon you a 'Star Escape Talisman,' which can be activated in times of crisis to randomly teleport you to any relatively safe location on the battlefield. However, it can only be used once, so use it with caution."
Fu Shaoping accepted the gift, thanked the man, and then asked, "Are there any other fellow Daoists going along?"
Guan Xingzi shook his head: "The Nascent Soul elders all have important duties, and the situation on the battlefield is still unclear, so it is not advisable for them to get too involved. Among the Golden Core disciples, Junior Sister Liu Rushuang is the best candidate, but she is currently in the Northern Territory assisting Junior Brother Xingyan with alliance affairs and cannot leave for the time being. Meng Qingyuan, Luo Bingyun, and others have also entered with their respective sects. Fellow Daoist Lu will probably have to travel alone this time, or wait for an opportunity to join Elder Tianquan and the others after entering."
"Understood." Fu Shaoping didn't mind traveling alone. With his current strength and abilities, as long as he wasn't surrounded by multiple late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators or triggered a forbidden zone restriction, he should be able to protect himself.
When does Fellow Daoist Lu plan to depart?
"There's no time to lose, let's go tomorrow."
The following day, Fu Shaoping arrived at the Wanxiang Performing Arts Center.
The former grand venue is now shrouded in a massive five-colored light barrier. Outside the barrier, cultivators from the five major powers stand ready, the atmosphere tense and deadly. Beneath the barrier, in the center of what was once the training ground, a rift over ten zhang wide and bottomless, its edges shimmering with twisted light, has opened. From within the rift, dark gray malevolent energy and pale golden contractual energy surge forth like two intertwined evil dragons, emitting chilling hiss.
Fu Shaoping revealed the Tianji Pavilion token and underwent a rigorous inspection (mainly to check whether it had been corrupted by evil energy) before being allowed to approach the crack.
Standing at the edge of the crack, he could clearly feel the chaotic and massive energy fluctuations inside, as well as that familiar aura of ancient contract wars.
"Fellow Daoist of Tianji Pavilion, please." A Nascent Soul Elder of Tianyan Sect (whom Fu Shaoping had met at the Myriad Laws Assembly) nodded to him, indicating that he could enter.
Without further hesitation, Fu Shaoping leaped into the crevice!
The feeling of falling and the familiar sense of spacetime distortion came over him, but unlike entering the Contract Dao Source or Origin Stream Space, this time, the surroundings were filled with violent energy turbulence and sharp spatial fragments. He had to raise the Contract Guardian Shield and at the same time use the "Spell-Breaking Spiritual Eye" to observe the path and carefully avoid it.
After about half a cup of tea's time, I felt a sense of solidity under my feet.
He landed on a barren, scorched land.
The sky was a perpetual dark red, like congealed blood. The air was thick with the pungent smells of sulfur and blood, and a rich, mingled aura of the covenant rules, a mixture of purity and malevolence. The earth was cracked, riddled with enormous craters and bottomless ravines, littered with countless broken weapons, armor, and the skeletons long since reduced to white bones. Some of the corpses were enormous, clearly not of human origin.
In the distance, one can vaguely see broken mountain peaks, crumbling palace ruins, and areas that shimmer with eerie light.
"This is the ancient battlefield of contracts..." Fu Shaoping focused his attention on sensing. The rules of contracts here were indeed extremely active and chaotic. His contract power was like a fish in water here, and his sensing range was greatly increased. However, at the same time, he also sensed many hidden and dangerous auras lurking in the shadows.
He took out the jade slip given to him by Elder Xuanji and compared it with the surrounding environment. The jade slip contained only a rough map of a very small area on the outskirts of the battlefield, which was originally sent back by Elder Tianquan and others.
According to the map, his current location should be in the "Bone Wasteland" on the outskirts of the battlefield. This place is relatively open, but many "bone beasts" and "battle spirits" mutated by the evil energy of the contract lurk here, so he needs to be careful.
Fu Shaoping checked the direction and decided to head to a relatively safe spot marked on the map—"Broken Sword Peak." It was a temporary stronghold that Elder Tianquan and his group had initially established, and perhaps it held some clues.
He concealed his aura and used "Shadow Step" to swiftly traverse the scorched earth. (End of Chapter)