All Things Are Contracts

“You abandoned your human form to become a Nightmare, controlling the Nightmare Clan, just to understand the false gods and their laws. If the false gods descend, what are our chances of victory?” the old man asked.

“One hundred percent,” Strategist said calmly. “For the human race, for all races in the universe, for the dignity of living beings, for the will of freedom, we can only succeed.”

“You’re still the same as ever. I hope your years of planning will succeed. By the way, have you been outside the barrier? What’s it like there now?” the old man asked again.

“It’s not possible. Even Nightmares can’t pass through that barrier. Big Brother’s strength was too great; the barrier he left behind has become both a wall and a cage. Currently, only the Ghost Shark Clan can freely travel between the two sides, as they possess that divine artifact,” Strategist said.

“The Ghost Shark Clan? I remember they’re still occupying the Human Cultural Realm, right? They really don’t know what’s good for them. I never thought there’d be a day when humans would fall so low that even the mere Ghost Shark Clan dares to occupy our ancestors’ legacy. Sometimes I really want to wipe out the Ghost Shark Clan on Ghost Island, but it seems there’s no benefit other than alerting our enemies,” the old man sighed.

“Third Brother, let the children reclaim what was left for them. We should focus on preparing for the impending false gods,” Strategist reminded.

“You’re right. By the way, this child you speak of with a sage’s potential, he won’t side with the false gods, will he? After all, he also qualifies to become a false god,” the old man asked worriedly.

“That’s why in the coming battle, he’ll have only two outcomes: live and fight for humanity, or die. I respect his free will to choose, but he must also be responsible for his choice,” Strategist said.

“You’re indeed like that. It’s fortunate he was born on this side of the barrier and not the other. Otherwise, we’d have no chance of winning him over,” the old man remarked.

“Third Brother, it’s not safe to stay here long. You should go. The day the false gods arrive won’t be far off. You might die, so enjoy yourself while you can.”

“Yes, I might die, but I’ve lived long enough. I should have died long ago but lived these extra years. I’ve profited,” the old man smiled, having long forgotten about life and death.

“By the way, the Heavenly Book trial, Big Brother’s legacy, who will it ultimately fall to? You’re the smartest of the Void Nine Emperors. See if you can guess Big Brother’s intentions this time,” the old man asked finally before leaving.

“The successor Big Brother would like has only one word: ‘true’,” Strategist said, not specifying who it was.

The old man laughed heartily upon hearing this, “Big Brother bears the title ‘Void’ yet likes ‘true’ the most. Haha, indeed interesting. Seventh Brother, we’ll meet again in the final battle!”

With that, the old man’s figure disappeared, leaving Strategist alone in the empty underground palace.

No one knew that the Void Nine Emperors hadn’t all perished. The Night Watcher guarding Night City was the third seat of the Void Nine Emperors – the Universe Emperor, while humanity’s nemesis, the current leader of the Nightmare Clan, was the seventh seat – the Wisdom Emperor. The two remained hidden in the mortal world, all for the moment that was about to come. This war was a continuation of the previous one…

In the Heavenly Book world, at the edge of the oasis.

Zhanyue and Yunyao were hiding here. Zhanyue had already gone in to scout using his earth-burrowing technique. The various races inside were in a state of panic. They weren’t liberated by the Sand Dune King’s death. Although they no longer had to build the Millennium Tower, they discovered another terrifying thing. This newly appointed ruler of the Sand Dune Kingdom would summon some powerful individuals from various Clans to enter the castle every night, but those who entered never came out again. No one knew who would be next, but they didn’t dare resist. Lulu the sand worm’s strength was now too great, and it wielded the golden scepter.

At this moment, no one cared about the Life-Nurturing Soil anymore. They probably realized that those two people likely didn’t take the Life-Nurturing Soil. After all, it was a legendary item. Let alone whether it could be taken away, its very existence was uncertain. Of course, they still tended to believe it existed, as no one could explain how such a large, unchanging oasis could exist in the barren desert for thousands of years.

Inside the castle, Lulu the sand worm had just finished another feast, burping contentedly.

“This won’t do. The oasis is ultimately too small. The number of strong individuals is limited; sooner or later, I’ll eat them all. I should find the Life-Nurturing Soil soon and leave. They all think it’s just a legend, but I know it truly exists. It’s one of the rarest divine objects in the world, and it must and can only belong to me.”

Lulu waved the golden scepter, and the disaster beast fish school underground began to busily search for the location of the Life-Nurturing Soil.

“How is it?” Yunyao asked, looking at Zhanyue who had returned from scouting. She was getting impatient. Why think when you can solve problems with action?

“The castle’s defenses are practically non-existent. It seems that fellow doesn’t take us seriously at all. The key problem still lies with the golden scepter. I plan to go steal it.”

“Stealing again?” Yunyao looked at Zhanyue with disdain.

“What’s wrong with stealing? The identity this world trial gave me is the Saint of Thieves. If the Saint of Thieves doesn’t do this, wouldn’t it be letting down the Heavenly Book world’s arrangement? This is heaven’s will,” Zhanyue argued.

“Fine then, be careful. I don’t think stealing the golden scepter will be that simple,” Yunyao thought for a moment, then plucked a feather from her wing. The pure white feather looked unremarkable.

“What’s this?” Zhanyue asked, puzzled.

“My contract object. I can instantly teleport to wherever this feather is,” Yunyao explained.

“Huh? Aren’t you a body contractor? Shouldn’t your contract object be your wings?” Zhanyue was even more confused.

“Who said that? That’s just their guess. I never explained it. In reality, it’s not my wings, just this single feather. Although it’s just a feather, it grants spatial abilities, including the technique I used earlier to switch our positions,” Yunyao explained.

“This feather isn’t yours, is it?” Zhanyue asked.

“No, it’s not,” Yunyao shook her head. “Only my master and I knew about this. Now you’re the third.”

“I’m honored you told me. I’d like to know, which Heavenly Emperor’s power did you inherit?” Zhanyue asked again.

Unexpectedly, this time Yunyao told him honestly, “It’s the Feather Heavenly Emperor. Don’t guess anymore. This feather indeed belongs to her. I successfully contracted with this feather, and later receiving her legacy was also related to it. As for how I obtained this feather, that’s another story.”

“Moreover… although the Feather Heavenly Emperor was human, she had wings like mine. But her wings probably didn’t belong to the Bird Clan, but to another extinct race – the Wing Clan. She was a mixed-blood like me,” Yunyao couldn’t help but say.

“I didn’t know about this. Then your previous self-doubt was completely unnecessary. If she could grow to the level of a Heavenly Emperor, you might be able to as well,” Zhanyue was a bit surprised. The nine human Heavenly Emperors established the golden age of humanity. He never expected that among them, the Feather Heavenly Emperor was also of mixed blood, yet ultimately belonged to the human race. Who knows what story unfolded in her life.

“You dare bring that up?” Yunyao glared at Zhanyue fiercely.

Zhanyue felt a bit wronged. Weren’t you the one who brought up the topic? But he knew not to argue at a time like this. He just smiled shamelessly, “Don’t worry, I’ve completely forgotten about what happened before. I don’t even remember what shape your feet were.”

“You!” Yunyao’s sword was already out of its sheath, but Zhanyue’s earth-burrowing speed was faster. He had already vanished without a trace.

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