All Things Are Contracts

“You’ve finally returned. I thought I might have come for nothing,” said the pale-skinned man. It was already night when Zhanyue rushed back to the academy, thanks to the Ghost Shark elder taking him so far away in his caution.

“Who are you?” Zhanyue felt his hair stand on end. This man gave him a feeling he’d never experienced before, as if he were gazing into an abyss.

“Not bad. Indeed, your value far exceeds that of the Light Holy Maiden,”

“The Holy Maiden? What have you done?” Zhanyue’s heart jumped. This person sat here silently, undetected by anyone in the academy. If he meant harm to the Holy Maiden, no one could stop him.

“Nothing yet. After all, my purpose here is you, not the Holy Maiden.” the man waved his hand, and two cups appeared before Zhanyue, though he was clearly alone.

“Old friends reunite on a narrow path. Goddess come out and let’s have a chat?” the man said to no one in particular.

These words chilled Zhanyue to the bone. The other person could sense the Illumination Goddess’s presence. Who exactly was he?

The Illumination Goddess no longer hid, revealing herself looking gravely at the man.

“Are you a Nightmare?” the Goddess asked, her tone uncertain.

The man nodded, “Correct. I once served as a Strategist under the Corpse Emperor and witnessed the Goddess’s unparalleled heroism. But you might not remember me. Let me reintroduce myself – Nightmare clan, Strategist Ye Xiange.”

“Strategist Ye Xiange…” Zhanyue turned to look at the two bright Illumination Towers in the Academy Town , then back at the man before him. The Illumination Towers were not much different from the sun; even Lord-level Nightmares couldn’t move freely under them. So what was going on with this Strategist? Moreover, Nightmares generally lacked reason; even at the King level, they could only act on instinct. Only Lord-level and Great Lord-level Nightmares above the King level had so-called wisdom. This man gave Zhanyue an unfathomable feeling. Was he a Great Lord-level Nightmare? And he was standing openly under the Illumination Towers, in front of the Illumination Goddess?

“How did you know I’ve come back to life?” the Illumination Goddess asked directly, her expression grim. The Nightmare clan had undergone many changes over the years, especially learning about conspiracies, which might all be related to this person. For the Nightmares to produce such a figure after the Corpse Emperor was sealed was truly unfortunate for humanity.

Ye Xiange smiled, “First, our Lord-level Nightmare imprisoned in the ancient castle perished, but according to our intelligence, neither Thunder Lord nor Sword Lord of the human race were in that area at the time, so another mysterious expert must have intervened. Second, the cold poison I left in the Holy Maiden’s body has been suppressed. Third, I’ve already confirmed that the Holy Maiden is practicing the ‘Great Sun Traversing Sky Technique’. It’s not hard to guess that you’re still in this world, but you say you’ve come back to life? That’s interesting.”

Ye Xiange looked at Zhanyue beside the Illumination Goddess, “As the Illumination Goddess, instead of secretly guarding the Light Holy Maiden, such a good successor, you choose to protect this boy. Do you also know the secret of the Boundless Tower?”

“The secret of the Boundless Tower?” Zhanyue couldn’t understand Ye Xiange’s words at all, and the Illumination Goddess looked equally puzzled.

Ye Xiange continued, “So you don’t know. That’s even more interesting. Why would you choose to stay by this boy’s side?” The Strategist naturally couldn’t imagine that the Illumination Goddess was Zhanyue’s contract object. He had assumed the Illumination Goddess knew Zhanyue’s identity and chose to protect him, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

“Sister, this person is extremely cunning, likely a brain-level figure in the Nightmare clan. Can you strike and kill him? If he dies, the Nightmare clan’s strength will surely be greatly diminished,” Zhanyue communicated secretly with the Illumination Goddess.

“I’ll try, but he’s a clever one and might have precautions,” the Illumination Goddess had indeed thought of killing this great enemy of humanity on the spot, even if it meant severe injury to herself.

“Hmm? Let me guess, you’re thinking of suddenly sneak attacking. Do I scare you that much?” Ye Xiange continued smiling.

“I advise you not to do that. Although after the Corpse Emperor was sealed, the Goddess is indeed the strongest in the world, and even several Great Lords together wouldn’t be your match. But my ability to stand in this position, to become the temporary leader of the Nightmares, has never been about strength,” Ye Xiange said calmly.

“What’s your purpose in coming here?” the Illumination Goddess asked. She felt uneasy, as Ye Xiange’s target was clearly Zhanyue, not the Holy Maiden. What did the Nightmares know? Why was Zhanyue more important to them than the Light Holy Maiden?

“To see him, and if possible, kill him. Unfortunately, you’re really still alive and constantly guarding him,” Ye Xiange made no effort to hide his killing intent towards Zhanyue.

Zhanyue was internally shocked. Was he so important in the eyes of the Nightmare clan that Ye Xiange would personally appear to kill him? And why wasn’t he afraid of the Illumination Towers? This was what truly worried Zhanyue and the Illumination Goddess.

“I like reading human books. According to the settings of those books, I’m like the final boss right? They often don’t notice the protagonist’s existence, allowing them time to develop, only thinking of dealing with them when they’ve grown strong. Unfortunately, I’ve read the script. I won’t give you time to grow. Goddess, the final battle between humans and Nightmares begins anew from this moment,” Ye Xiange’s words represented a formal declaration of war to the Illumination Goddess as the leader of the Nightmare clan.

Zhanyue stood dumbfounded, feeling the Illumination Goddess’s body tremble, also shocked by Ye Xiange’s words. According to previous predictions, the Nightmares should have waited for the Corpse Emperor to break his seal before launching the final battle.

“By the way, after so many years of conflict, does the Goddess know where Nightmares come from?” Ye Xiange suddenly said.

“I’m all ears,” the Illumination Goddess composed herself.

“All humans have souls. After death, souls return to heaven. These souls are divided into two categories: those willing to continue as humans in the next life, and those unwilling to have a next life. The former reincarnate, while the latter lose all memories of their past lives and become Nightmares. To completely eliminate Nightmares, there’s only one way: make everyone feel that ‘life is worth living’.

Haha, can you achieve this? If not, Nightmares will always exist alongside humans. This is why even though you nearly wiped out the Nightmare clan back then, we could easily make a comeback. The more humans, the more Nightmares, you know,” Ye Xiange explained.

Zhanyue and the Goddess were both stunned. This was the first time humans had heard about the origin of Nightmares, and from a Nightmare’s mouth no less. If what Ye Xiange said was true, didn’t it mean that Nightmares could never be completely eliminated? Creating a world where everyone is satisfied – how was that possible? Especially when this world was already full of injustice and oppression.

“Are you trying to destroy my will to fight?” the Illumination Goddess quickly realized. “Whether what you say is true or false, Nightmares must have weaknesses, and problems must have solutions. Otherwise, why would you go to such lengths to plan everything?”

“Oh my, as expected of the Goddess, seeing through my intentions so easily,” Ye Xiange smiled.

The Illumination Goddess’s killing intent intensified. She felt this Strategist was even more terrifying than the Corpse Emperor. She had made a decision – no matter the cost, she had to kill him here. This Nightmare was too special, special to the point of not seeming like a Nightmare at all.

“Such strong killing intent. But I’m not unprepared. How about I show you a magic trick?” With that, Ye Xiange snapped his fingers. Suddenly, the Academy Town originally illuminated by two Illumination Towers, plunged into darkness, as if someone had turned off the lights. Both Illumination Towers simultaneously failed. The strongest protection that had sheltered humanity for so long was easily broken.

At the same time, millions of Nightmares appeared around the Academy Town , surrounding it. Among them were terrifying presences of Great Lord-level beings, seemingly ready to attack at Ye Xiange’s command.

“Though I’m not talented, I do have some ability. The Goddess has a 50% chance of killing me if she goes all out. But the price would be the lives of the Light Holy Maiden, this little fellow behind you, and all the human geniuses in the Academy Town . If you gamble and win, killing me would be a great victory. But if you lose and I escape, with the Holy Maiden and him dead, it would be a huge loss. Are you willing to gamble?” Ye Xiange said the harshest words in the calmest tone.

The Illumination Goddess’s face was like water. She and Zhanyue both knew that the curse still existed in the depths of her soul, making it impossible for her to use her full power. She didn’t even have a 50% chance, let alone daring to gamble, as Zhanyue’s death would mean her own. However, the all-calculating Strategist didn’t know this point, otherwise he wouldn’t have negotiated with her. At this moment, she could only choose to give up the idea of killing the Strategist.

“It seems you’ve made the rational choice,” Ye Xiange’s body floated up, flying towards the distance.

The Illumination Goddess clenched her fists tightly, only able to watch him leave. Missing this opportunity, Ye Xiange would likely never appear alone before her again. Killing him in the future would be almost impossible. But the terrifying number of Nightmares outside the Academy Town left her no choice. Without the protection of the Illumination Towers, Wind Lord and his peers were no match for Great Lord-level Nightmares. More importantly, Zhanyue couldn’t come to harm.

“This time, consider it a reunion gift for the Goddess. Not a blade of grass in the Academy Town will be harmed by Nightmares. Next time, there won’t be such good treatment. Please remember what I said earlier, the final battle between Nightmares and humans begins anew from this moment,” Strategist Ye Xiange said before disappearing. With his departure, millions of Nightmares left simultaneously. The two Illumination Towers lit up again, but this time their light could no longer give Zhanyue any sense of security.

Only now could Zhanyue truly feel what Nightmares meant for humanity, and how great of a pressure the Illumination Goddess had been facing all along.

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