All Things Are Contracts

Chapter 246: Back to Square One

Zhanyue was exasperated. Had they been framed? Not only was the Desert Worm Clan matriarch killed by Lulu, but they had never even heard of this “Life-Nurturing Soil.”

“Return the Life-Nurturing Soil! Return the Life-Nurturing Soil!” Everyone below became enraged. Some flying Sand Worm Clan members took to the air, and many ranged attacks began to charge up.

“What’s wrong with you all? You believe everything he says?” Zhanyue said, speechless.

“Why would you two outsiders be so kind as to save us without an ulterior motive? We don’t know how you took the Life-Nurturing Soil, but no one’s leaving without an explanation!” A Sand-Armored Giant Clan giant said. Legend had it that such a large oasis existed in this desert because of a magical soil buried underground, called Life-Nurturing Soil. Though none of them had seen it, they believed the legend unquestioningly. If the soil were taken, the oasis would eventually turn to desert, leaving them nowhere to live.

“Don’t waste words on them. They seem to trust that Lulu more than us,” Yunyao said coldly, her expression displeased.

Lulu stood in the distance, smiling at the two’s predicament.

“If we stay, we’ll inevitably conflict with them. Though we’re not afraid of bearing any guilt, killing indiscriminately isn’t good. Let’s leave first and think of another way,” Zhanyue suggested.

“Alright.” The two fought off the intercepting Sand Worm Clan members and headed into the deep desert.

“We can’t let them escape so easily. The Life-Nurturing Soil can’t be taken away,” many people pursued them. Zhanyue and Yunyao moved extremely fast, quickly shaking off their pursuers. However, they looked somewhat disheveled in the vast desert.

“That disgusting worm must be cut into pieces later,” Yunyao said through gritted teeth. An inconspicuous character had become a major obstacle in such a short time; she had underestimated this world’s beings.

“I just find it strange. Are those people brainless? Why are they so easily misled?” Zhanyue wondered.

“It must be that golden scepter. I felt something odd about it earlier,” Yunyao speculated.

“The golden scepter is completely different from the divine artifacts we’ve seen before. It can control the disaster beast and mislead people? Is this really a divine artifact? It seems more like a demonic artifact.”

Both were very puzzled but had no clues to solve the situation.

“Sigh, it’s laughable,” Zhanyue shook his head.

“What’s laughable?” Yunyao asked.

“We’ve come full circle, back to square one. The oasis just exchanged one king for another. We still know nothing,” Zhanyue sighed.

“Not entirely. The beings we encountered before, whether the Spirit Eye Clan or the Mountain Yao Clan, were kind and simple. This time, this worm has taught us a good lesson,” Yunyao said.

“True.” Zhanyue recalled the worm’s humble attitude towards him earlier and felt the irony.

As the sun set, the two walked through the desert, unable to find shelter as the desert wasn’t safe. Fortunately, both were extraordinary. Soon after, night fell, and the quiet desert was filled only with the sound of wind and their breathing.

“This world has no stars,” Zhanyue looked up at the sky.

“This isn’t a real world after all. Not every detail has to be perfect,” Yunyao opened her eyes and looked at the sky too.

“How did the Void Emperor do this? It doesn’t seem fake, but it’s not real either,” Zhanyue couldn’t understand how the Void Emperor had constructed this trial space.

“Stop overthinking. It’d be strange if you could figure it out. Just rest well,” Yunyao said. The two connected their spiritual power to create a spirit tent, keeping out the wind and sand.

What they didn’t know was that terrifying events were unfolding in the oasis. Each Clan had sent their strongest and elite to attend a meeting for the new ruler, supposedly to decide the future safety and development of all oasis Clans. But these strong and elite members had entered the castle long ago and hadn’t returned even by sunrise the next day.

Lying on the bed in the castle, Lulu the sand worm burped contentedly. He had eaten well that night, doing something he had never dared to do before but now indulged in shamelessly.

“Tastes good, but my strength only increased a little. To continue improving, I still need to devour those two celestial beings,” Lulu muttered to himself. He picked up the golden scepter beside him and caressed it gently like a lover. “My precious, my life depends on you from now on. Once we find the Life-Nurturing Soil, I’ll take you away to a broader world outside. There will be enough food for me to devour there. That Sand Dune King was truly sick in the head, holding such power yet only wanting to build a tall tower. You were wasted on him.”

Outside the Heavenly Book world, Feng Bulang finally woke up after careful treatment. Being burned by heavenly fire was no small injury, even though Alchemy Daoist had intervened promptly.

He stared out the window with empty eyes, no longer carrying his previous laziness and open-mindedness. He couldn’t understand why heaven was so unfair, that such a great opportunity would ultimately fall to such a despicable person. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much his talent was praised, the gap in their strength was visible to the naked eye.

Mastering the wind domain before reaching the Spirit God Realm, cultivating his contract object to the legendary transformation state – each achievement alone would amaze the world. This naturally required his hard work. But now it seemed all this praise was unnecessary. He couldn’t think of any way to catch up to the Bird Clan young master Tianxian. His talent and efforts were insignificant compared to bloodline and opportunity; his starting point was too low.

Feng Bulang wasn’t afraid of losing. He had even conceded directly to Yunyao without futile struggle. But he couldn’t accept losing to Tianxian. The scenes from the Cyan Lotus Treasury that day were unforgettable. Tianxian’s actions were heinous; his friends and family suffered greatly because of it, yet Tianxian soared to heights Feng Bulang could only look up to. Feng Bulang couldn’t accept this.

In his daze, the smell of roasted meat wafted in from outside, seemingly the scent of roasted chicken legs.

“What are you doing here?” Feng Bulang’s face showed surprise, not expecting that person to leave Night City to come here.

“I’m here to see you. If I didn’t come, my dear would fall into demonic ways,” a sleazy voice came from outside the window. Soon after, a figure climbed through the window to Feng Bulang’s bedside. It was the mysterious old man who had sent Feng Bulang to participate in the Heavenly Book trial, the Night Watcher who had guarded the Eternal Night Kingdom for countless years.

He held a chicken leg to Feng Bulang’s mouth.

Feng Bulang took a bite but found it tasteless.

“Your technique is terrible. What a waste of good ingredients,” Feng Bulang couldn’t help but criticize.

“Ah, after so many years, I still can’t learn to roast meat properly. Either too much seasoning, or I forget to add any, or the cooking time is wrong. Guess why?” the Night Watcher asked.