Chapter 925
Chapter 925
Fu Shaoping's heart skipped a beat. He could clearly sense that the evil power contained within the source pool was far greater than any evil contract he had encountered before, and even comparable to the "Contract Pivot" when it was most severely corrupted. If it were to fully erupt, the entire ancient contract battlefield would likely be corrupted, and it might even spread to the outside world!
What alarmed him even more was that a large number of people had gathered around the source pool.
The Myriad Alliance members! There were no fewer than a hundred of them! They were busy at the edge of the Source Pool, seemingly setting up some kind of extremely large evil array. At the nodes of the array, one could vaguely see mountains of demonic beast skeletons, the corpses of human cultivators, and several altars burning with black flames.
At the core of the formation, near the very center of the source pool, stood three figures.
The man in the center was a tall figure clad in a long, dark purple robe, his face shrouded in shadow. He stood with his hands behind his back, his aura as deep and unfathomable as an abyss—clearly a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator! He was none other than the true leader of the Myriad Contracts Alliance, the owner of that gigantic black hand at the bottom of the Burial God Abyss!
To his left was an old woman with a hunched back, holding a white bone staff. But unlike the one Fu Shaoping had killed earlier, this one had a much colder aura and was actually a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator! To his right was a figure shrouded in a black cloak, whose face was obscured. His aura was mysterious, and he was also a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator!
"Three Nascent Soul cultivators, and their leader is at the late Nascent Soul stage!" Fu Shaoping's heart sank. This power far exceeded his current limits. Even with his greatly improved strength, he had no chance against three opponents, especially with hundreds of Golden Core cultivators and that massive evil formation providing support.
"We can't fight head-on; we must wait for reinforcements." Fu Shaoping suppressed the urge to act immediately, quietly concealed his aura, and used the terrain to hide himself. At the same time, he took out the emergency communication talisman from the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, briefly informed Elder Tianquan of the situation, and requested him to contact other Nascent Soul cultivators from other forces as soon as possible to come and stop them together.
The message talisman vanished in a streak of light, but he wasn't sure if it could break through the battlefield's interference and successfully reach its destination.
He could only wait and observe the movements of the Wanqi Alliance.
The leader of the Myriad Contracts Alliance raised his hand, unleashing countless complex black runes that disappeared into the Source Pool. The evil energy in the Source Pool immediately boiled even more violently, and in the center of the pool, a huge "cocoon" made of pure black contract runes slowly rose. Within the cocoon, a curled-up human figure could be vaguely seen, emanating an extremely evil yet extremely pure contract energy.
"That is... the Seed of Evil Pact?" Fu Shaoping's pupils contracted slightly. He could feel that the "cocoon" was frantically absorbing the evil power of the source pool, and the aura of the being gestating inside was increasing every moment.
"It must be prevented from being born!"
Just as Fu Shaoping was anxiously waiting, several powerful auras suddenly appeared outside the source pool!
The Nascent Soul elders of the five major powers—Tianyan Sect, Taixu Sword Palace, Jiuxiao Thunder Palace, Daguangming Temple, and Zaohua Academy—led their respective Golden Core elites and finally arrived!
The leader of the Tianyan Sect was an elderly man in white robes with white hair and beard, exuding a powerful aura; he was at the peak of the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm. The Taixu Sword Palace was led by a middle-aged sword cultivator carrying an ancient sword, whose sword energy soared into the sky; he was also at the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm. The burly man from the Nine Heavens Thunder Palace was surrounded by lightning; he was at the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm. The leader of the Great Bright Temple was an old monk with a dignified appearance, holding a Zen staff; he was at the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm. The leader of the Creation Academy was a refined middle-aged scholar, holding a scroll of bamboo slips; he was also at the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm.
Five powerful Nascent Soul auras, along with no fewer than twenty Golden Core cultivators in their respective teams, instantly shattered the balance around the Source Pool!
"Wanqi Alliance! Your conspiracy will not succeed today!" The white-robed elder from Tianyan Sect spoke in a booming voice.
"Amitabha Buddha, evil cannot prevail over good. Lay down your butcher's knife and turn back to the shore." The old monk chanted the Buddha's name, yet his killing intent was chilling.
The leader of the Wanqi Alliance looked up at the suddenly appearing allied forces of the five major powers, a mocking smile seemingly appearing on his face in the shadows.
"You've finally arrived... I've been waiting for you for a long time."
Before the words were even finished, the massive evil array surrounding the source pool, which appeared to be incomplete, suddenly activated in full!
Countless jet-black beams of malevolent energy shot into the sky, instantly forming a massive Ten Thousand Evils Sealing Heaven Array that enveloped the entire Source Pool Basin! Within the array, malevolent energy surged, illusions abounded, and countless evil spirits and demonic beasts condensed from malevolent energy pounced on the allied forces of the five major powers!
Meanwhile, the Wanqi Alliance cultivators who had seemed to be busy at the edge of the Source Pool all stood at their respective nodes, activating the power of the formation to divide and surround the allied forces of the five major powers!
"We've fallen into their trap! They've already set a snare, just waiting for us to come!" the burly man from the Nine Heavens Thunder Palace roared angrily.
A fierce and chaotic battle erupted at the edge of the Source Pool!
Although the five major forces' Nascent Soul cultivators were strong, the Myriad Contracts Alliance was well-prepared, and with the support of the formation, the surging evil energy was suppressed in a short time.
Meanwhile, in the center of the Source Pool, the gestation of the "Seed of Evil Contract" is accelerating!
Fu Shaoping watched anxiously from the shadows. He couldn't bear to see the "Seed of Evil Contract" born, nor could he stand idly by while the five major powers were besieged and annihilated by the Myriad Contracts Alliance.
His gaze swept across the battlefield, finally settling on the leader of the Wanqi Alliance.
This person is the strongest, the core of the Myriad Contracts Alliance, and the mastermind behind the entire conspiracy. If we can interfere with or even severely injure him, we might be able to turn the tide of the battle, or at least delay the birth of the "Seed of Evil Contracts."
"We have no choice but to take the risk."
Fu Shaoping took a deep breath and began to mobilize all his power. The Source Core and the "Contract Command" resonated wildly, and the trace of origin left in his body by the Contract Source Stone was also activated, causing the chaotic gray power of the origin contract to surge within him. He took out the Star Escape Talisman, but not to escape, but to use it to approach his target at a crucial moment.
He waited.
The battle on the battlefield is becoming increasingly fierce. The Nascent Soul cultivators of the five major forces are clashing fiercely with the three Nascent Soul cultivators of the Myriad Alliance (the leader has not yet made a move). Magical light, sword energy, lightning, Buddhist light, Confucian and Taoist laws, and evil energy are colliding wildly.
Finally, the leader of the Myriad Contracts Alliance seemed to feel that the time was right. He flashed and personally joined the battle! He single-handedly faced two Nascent Soul stage cultivators, a white-robed elder from the Heavenly Evolution Sect and a middle-aged swordsman from the Taixu Sword Palace, and actually gained the upper hand! Dark evil power transformed into countless tentacles, ghost faces, and curses, forcing the two to retreat steadily!
"Now!"
Fu Shaoping crushed the Star Escape Talisman without hesitation! Due to the interference of the Myriad Evils Sealing Heaven Formation, the Star Escape Talisman's teleportation could not pinpoint the leader's exact location, but it was enough to send him to the edge of the Source Pool, close to the leader's area!
With a flash of starlight, Fu Shaoping's figure suddenly appeared less than a hundred feet away from the leader of the Myriad Alliance!
"Who goes there?!" The leader instantly sensed the spatial fluctuations and unleashed a wisp of evil energy that transformed into a giant palm to strike!
Fu Shaoping was prepared. He neither dodged nor evaded, but concentrated all his power in his right index finger. The chaotic, gray power of the primordial contract shone brilliantly, transforming into a terrifying sword light, only as thick as a finger, yet containing the power to purify and judge everything.
"Origin of Creation - Judgment!"
This was the most powerful strike he created after he secluded himself in the Origin Space, merging and sublimating "Origin Creation" and "Contract Judgment"!
The sword light pierced through the giant, evil palm as easily as paper! Its speed undiminished, it aimed directly at the leader of the Myriad Alliance's brow!
The leader of the Myriad Alliance's expression changed drastically! He sensed the terrifying threat contained within that sword light—a power capable of truly harming his very essence!
He disregarded the two Nascent Soul cultivators from the Heavenly Evolution Sect and the Taixu Sword Palace, and rapidly formed hand seals, instantly conjuring a massive black shield composed of countless twisted contract runes in front of him!
"boom!"
The sword light clashed with the shield! A terrifying energy explosion erupted, and fine cracks appeared in the surrounding space! The shield trembled violently, its surface runes flashing wildly, and finally, with a "crack," a thin crack appeared!
The sword light was weakened by most of its strength, but a sliver still pierced the shield and struck the leader's shoulder! "Thud!"
A gaping hole exploded in the leader's shoulder, spurting out black blood! He groaned and staggered backward, his eyes filled with shock, anger, and disbelief!
"It's you! You brat who ruined my plans in the North! How dare you... hurt me?!"
Fu Shaoping's attack was successful, but his strength was almost completely drained, and his face was pale. However, he stubbornly refused to fall and sneered, "I hurt you? Today, I will also kill you!"
The leader was about to launch a sudden attack, but how could the white-robed elder from the Tianyan Sect and the sword cultivator from the Taixu Sword Palace let such a good opportunity pass by? Taking advantage of the leader's injury and distraction, the two launched their strongest attacks at the same time!
"Heavenly Evolution Orthodox Law - Starfall!" The white-robed elder thrust out his hands, and a dazzling pillar of starlight descended from the sky, crashing towards the leader!
"Sky-Piercing Void Slash!" The middle-aged swordsman's sword intent soared to the sky, and a huge sword aura that spanned the heavens and earth slashed towards the leader's waist!
The leader's expression changed drastically. He couldn't care less about pursuing Fu Shaoping and used all his evil power to resist the combined attack of the two mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators!
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion! Countless cultivators from the Myriad Alliance within hundreds of feet were killed or injured by the aftershocks! Although the leader barely managed to withstand it, his injuries worsened, and his aura weakened.
"Retreat!" He made a decisive decision, glared hatefully at Fu Shaoping in the distance, and let out a sharp cry!
At his command, the Myriad Evils Sealing Heaven Formation suddenly contracted, transforming into a barrier that temporarily forced back the cultivators from the five major forces. The Nascent Soul cultivators, the old woman, the cloaked figure, and some Golden Core elites from the Myriad Contracts Alliance quickly retreated towards the center of the Source Pool.
"The Seed of Evil Pact has been born!"
The leader formed hand seals, spat out a mouthful of blood essence, and shot it toward the giant black cocoon in the center of the source pool!
The giant cocoon shuddered violently, its surface cracking open with countless fissures! An extremely evil yet terrifying power surged forth, like a colossal beast awakening from its slumber of millennia!
"boom--!"
The giant cocoon bursts open!
A strange figure, as black as ink and exuding endless evil and an aura of contract, slowly rose from the shattered cocoon!
It was a humanoid creature, entirely black, about the size of a normal person, but its body was entangled with countless twisted contract runes. It had no facial features, only a pair of eyes burning with eerie green soul flames, and a mouth that constantly opened and closed, dripping with black liquid. The moment it appeared, the evil energy of the entire Source Pool seemed to find its master, frantically surging into its body!
"The Seed of Evil Pact has finally... been born!" The leader of the Myriad Pacts Alliance laughed wildly.
However, his smile froze the next moment.
Because the "seed of evil pact" did not obey his commands as he expected, but slowly turned its head, its pair of eerie green soul-fire eyes staring straight at him, as well as the old woman and the cloaked man beside him.
"You... need to... pay... a... price... to summon me..."
A cold, harsh voice, as if from the deepest abyss, came from the mouth that was flowing with black liquid.
Immediately afterwards, a jet-black chain of contracts shot out from the "Seed of Evil Contracts" without warning, instantly piercing through the old woman's body!
"Ah—!" The old woman let out a shrill scream as her body rapidly withered away. All her true essence, vitality, and even her soul were frantically extracted by the chains! In just three breaths, a mid-stage Nascent Soul expert was reduced to a dried-up corpse!
The chains retracted, and the extracted power surged into the "Seed of Evil Pact," making its aura even stronger!
"No—!" The leader of the Wanqi Alliance was both shocked and furious. He finally realized that he had released a monster that was completely out of his control!
The Seed of Evil spoke again: "Not enough... We need... more... more powerful... sacrifices..."
Its eerie green soul fire turned towards the leader and all the Wanqi Alliance cultivators around him!
"No! Retreat!" The leader, his face ashen, made a snap decision, even disregarding his men, and turned to flee!
But he was fast, and the "Seed of Evil Contract" was even faster!
Countless jet-black contract chains shot out wildly from its body, like a net covering the sky and earth, instantly enveloping the entire source pool! The Golden Core cultivators of the Myriad Contracts Alliance didn't even have time to scream before being pierced by the chains and drained of their life force! Even the cloaked figure in the mid-Nascent Soul stage only lasted a few more breaths before following in the old woman's footsteps!
The aura of the "Seed of Evil Pact" surged to a despairing level after frantically devouring hundreds of Golden Core cultivators and two Nascent Soul cultivators! The void around it began to distort and crack, emanating a terrifying pressure comparable to a half-step Nascent Soul cultivator or even a Nascent Soul cultivator!
"Roar--!"
It roared to the sky, and the evil contractual fluctuations swept across the entire battlefield! The Nascent Soul and Golden Core cultivators of the five major forces were almost unable to breathe under this pressure!
"It's over... We've released a monster that we can't fight at all..." The white-robed elder from the Tianyan Sect was deathly pale.
Fu Shaoping also felt that oppressive sense of despair. But as he stared intently at the "Seed of Evil Contract," a strange feeling welled up inside him.
The source of the contract stone within his body, as well as the two fragments of the "contract order," were trembling slightly, conveying an emotion that was not fear, but rather... anger and disgust!
This "seed of evil contract" is a distortion and depravity of the way of contract, and a desecration of the origin of contract!
"We must... purify it!" Fu Shaoping gritted his teeth, even though he knew he was no match for it, he had no intention of backing down.
However, at that moment, the "Seed of Evil Contract" seemed to sense something, and its ghostly green soul fire suddenly turned towards Fu Shaoping!
“You…have…the origin of the contract…and…a familiar…aura…”
It tilted its head, as if trying to recall something.
“I remember now…it was you… who broke…the contract…the corruption…and…fusion…that caused…me…to be…forced…to be born…early…and…incomplete…”
Its voice was filled with deep resentment!
"You...you deserve to die!"
Before he finished speaking, a pitch-black chain, ten times thicker than before and containing endless evil power, lunged at Fu Shaoping like a black dragon, baring its fangs and claws!
Wherever the chains passed, space shattered and the rules twisted! The power of this attack far surpassed that of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, comparable to that of a Deity Transformation cultivator! (End of Chapter)