All Things Are Contracts

On the back of the giant snake, the Spirit Eye Clan chief still looked dazed.

“Honored guests, did you really eliminate one of the seven Disaster Beasts, the Fear Beast?” Chief Ming Guang asked. Although he knew the letter from the Mountain Demon Clan ancestor was likely genuine, it was still hard to believe.

Zhanyue nodded, “The Fear Beast has been eliminated. We heard that the Spirit Eye Clan possesses one of the divine artifacts, so we came to visit.”

The old chief felt a chill. His clansmen had just ambushed these two with arrows. If they had gotten angry, given their strength, they could have wiped out the entire clan. After all, the strongest Spirit Eye ancestor could no longer protect them.

“Alas…” Chief Ming Guang sighed, “If only you had come earlier. Please, follow me.”

With that, Ming Guang led the two into the clan’s territory.

The Spirit Eye Clan was a race that lived deep in the forest, preferring to dwell in treehouses. They had cultivated this vast woodland, now fully integrated with the forest. Treehouses nestled against massive tree trunks, scattered artfully among the treetops. Each treehouse was built of wood, adorned with vines and colorful flowers, as if created by nature itself. Wisps of smoke rose slowly from the chimneys, dispersing in the fresh air, mingling with the faint scent of wood and flowers, creating a sense of tranquility and comfort.

This clan territory was home to three to four thousand Spirit Eye Clan members. They weren’t as numerous or widespread as the Mountain Demon Clan. A race with only three to four thousand people was already in a precarious situation. Fortunately, they had no natural predators and lived in a dreamlike forest reminiscent of a hidden paradise, allowing them to develop and multiply in relative peace.

At the center of this treehouse town stood several enormous ancient trees. The towering trees were covered with colorful ribbons, seemingly part of a blessing ritual. More intimidating was the sight of snakes coiled around the branches. With so many Blind Snakes guarding it, this was clearly the most important sacred site of the Spirit Eye Clan.

“That is our clan’s sacred tree,” Ming Guang replied, his eyes filled with deep concern as he looked at it.

A group of people, men and women, old and young, gazed curiously at Zhanyue and Yunyao atop the giant snake – rare visitors to their clan. Each of these Spirit Eye Clan members had a Blind Snake coiled around their shoulders, having lived in symbiosis for many years. Chief Ming Guang didn’t linger in the clan territory but led Zhanyue and Yunyao deeper into the forest to a somewhat open area. This place had been cleared to serve as a cemetery, where the Spirit Eye Clan’s ancestors were buried.

Among the many graves, Zhanyue keenly noticed that some had tombstones while others didn’t. Moreover, about ten graves were noticeably more elaborate than the others.

“Those few graves are the heroes’ tombs. Some rest there, while others are cenotaphs. These heroes all sacrificed themselves trying to eliminate the Disaster Beasts for our Spirit Eye Clan,” Chief Ming Guang explained, his eyes filled with both sorrow and admiration.

“So many?” Zhanyue was surprised. It seemed the Spirit Eye Clan had a close connection to the Disaster Beasts.

“Alas…” Another long sigh escaped before the Spirit Eye chief slowly began his tale. “I believe you’ve already learned quite a bit about the seven Disaster Beasts from the Mountain Demon ancestor. Let me tell you some things you don’t know.”

“Years ago, when the seven Disasters plagued the world, an outsider came – someone who looked much like you. This celestial being was incredibly powerful and single-handedly sealed the seven Disaster Beasts. However, he said the seven Disasters were immortal and indestructible, and that a special method was needed to completely eliminate them. So he forged seven divine artifacts. Just as he was about to use these artifacts to thoroughly destroy the seven Disasters, he told the world that his homeland had suffered a calamity and he had to return immediately.” The Spirit Eye chief recalled the story his ancestor had told him.

“Before he left, seemingly anticipating that he might never return, he entrusted the seven divine artifacts to seven powerful races. He hoped they could find people capable of using the artifacts to eliminate the seven Disasters. Yes, our Spirit Eye Clan was once one of those seven great races. But as time passed, we declined.”

Zhanyue and Yunyao listened quietly. Those events from many years ago had become legend, and any additional information they could gather would be helpful.

“At first, all seven races actively sought suitable candidates to use the divine artifacts. However, we all failed. Not even a single Disaster Beast was eliminated. Gradually, everyone lost their fighting spirit. After all, the seven Disasters being sealed didn’t affect anyone’s daily life. But our Spirit Eye Clan was different… we couldn’t just ignore it.” Chief Ming Guang’s face was bitter. The other six great races could leave the seven Disasters alone, but they couldn’t.

“Why?” Zhanyue asked curiously.

“You saw the sacred tree earlier. At our clan’s peak, we had over thirty sacred trees. Now only one remains. Our ancestors said that we, the Spirit Eye Clan, are a race born alongside the sacred trees. If the sacred trees become extinct, it will be the day our clan perishes. Our clan’s talents are the two divine abilities of ‘Thousand-Mile Eye’ and ‘Vision Sharing’. However, these abilities are deeply hidden in our bloodline and aren’t innate like other races’ abilities. The fruit of the sacred tree can awaken our divine abilities,” Chief Ming Guang continued to explain.

“I see, but what does this have to do with the Disaster Beasts?” Zhanyue asked, puzzled.

“Our Spirit Eye Clan is highly dependent on the sacred trees. Where the sacred trees grow is where our clan must be, and now the sacred tree can only take root here. All attempts to transplant it have failed. So we can only stay here and can’t relocate. And one of the seven Disasters, the Mirror-Hugging Monkey, lives on Monkey Mountain not far from here! We live adjacent to a Disaster Beast and can’t move away.”

The chief’s tone had become somewhat indignant, perhaps resentful of heaven’s unfairness towards them. “What’s more desperate is that we’ve discovered the beast’s seal is gradually weakening. The area it can roam is expanding, and sooner or later it will cover where our sacred tree is. That day will be the day our clan perishes. Unless we give up the chance to awaken our bloodline’s divine abilities. But if we abandon our divine abilities, what right do we have to exist? Extinction would still be inevitable. So while other races can ignore the Disaster Beasts, we must find a way to eliminate them.”

“Generation after generation, clan chiefs have sought warriors capable of using the divine artifact to destroy the Disaster Beast, both from within the clan and outside. This is the origin of those heroes’ tombs you saw. The heroes either never returned from Monkey Mountain or came back insane and subsequently committed suicide. Until… our clan gradually declined, talented individuals became scarce, and we lacked the resources to search for suitable candidates outside. Finally… our ancestor personally took the divine artifact and ventured into Monkey Mountain.”

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