After the three-headed, six-armed shadow solidified, it revealed itself to be another Brahma Saint Demon God, albeit much shorter in stature.
At that moment, the other three-headed, six-armed demon god dissipated into smoke within the demonic flames.
It turned out to be nothing more than a shell condensed from the Brahma Saint Dharma Form. Han Li had already shed it like the previous Gold Devouring Beetle King, stealthily positioning himself above Ma Liang and seizing the moment to strike with the Profound Heavenly Treasure, slaying this true immortal.
Han Li could clearly sense that the Nascent Soul hidden within Ma Liang’s body was astonishingly powerful. However, under the destructive force of the Profound Heaven Severing Spirit Sword, it was instantly shattered beyond any possibility of revival.
It was pitiable—given this true immortal’s actual strength, even if his body were destroyed in the Immortal Realm, his Nascent Soul’s innate abilities would have been enough to ensure his safe escape.
But in the Spirit Realm, due to the constraints of the plane’s laws, his Nascent Soul’s spellcasting and escape speed were significantly slower than usual.
In an ordinary battle, this might not have been noticeable, but in a life-or-death moment like this, it became the primary reason for his humiliating demise.
“You actually killed him? Do you know he was a disciple of the Nine Extremes Sect, a direct disciple of the Nine Origin Dao Ancestor?”
The dark-skinned youth witnessed this scene with an expression of disbelief before his face twisted into a strange smile.
“If I didn’t kill him, he would have killed me. Knowing his backing, should I have just waited for death? Besides, no matter how powerful the Nine Origin Dao Ancestor is, he’s still in the Immortal Realm. Whether I can even ascend there is uncertain,” Han Li replied indifferently, his gaze fixed on the dark-skinned youth.
“Marvelous! It’s been ages since I’ve met someone so utterly unconcerned about the Nine Extremes Sect—and from the lower realm, no less! Haha, I wonder what expression the Nine Origin Dao Ancestor would make if he heard this,” the dark-skinned youth burst into laughter.
“You seem quite at ease. Do you not intend to continue fighting?” Han Li casually retrieved a golden storage bracelet from Ma Liang’s remains before speaking.
“The man is already dead, and the contract between us is void. Why should I fight? Besides, without Ma Liang—a disciple of the Nine Extremes Sect—even if I teamed up with that stupid flood dragon, I wouldn’t stand a chance against you. Naturally, I won’t waste my effort on a futile endeavor. Rest assured, I won’t be returning to the Immortal Realm anytime soon, so I won’t be leaking your secrets. The Nine Origin Dao Ancestor is in seclusion most of the time, and even if the Nine Extremes Sect has other divination experts, the plane’s laws will prevent them from deducing much about the lower realm,” the dark-skinned youth replied nonchalantly.
“But I don’t trust you. I don’t know why a celestial demon would follow a true immortal, but to me, only the dead are truly reliable,” Han Li’s expression darkened as he sneered.
“You’re just as paranoid as Ma Liang. Fine—if you don’t trust me, how about I stay and follow you?” The dark-skinned youth rubbed his forehead as if exasperated.
“Follow me?” Han Li was momentarily stunned.
“Indeed. I can sign a Heavenly Demon Contract with you, serving as your shadow for a set period, capable of tasks even ordinary immortals cannot accomplish. In return, you must periodically offer me a portion of your essence blood. And if you die unexpectedly during the contract, your soul will be entirely absorbed by me, becoming part of my power—forever erased from reincarnation. Just like this Nine Extremes Sect disciple here.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the dark-skinned youth formed a hand seal, and a surge of black mist erupted from his back, coalescing into a massive, green-faced, fanged ghost head.
The ghost head let out a piercing shriek before opening its maw and inhaling toward Ma Liang’s remains.
With a *puff*, a layer of eerie gray-white gas flew out from the corpse, swirling into a dense mass before being swallowed by the ghost head.
The ghost head flickered and vanished into thin air!
The dark-skinned youth closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and wore an expression of pure ecstasy.
“Excellent, truly worthy of a Nine Extremes disciple. The flavor of his soul is exquisite—enough to rival tens of thousands of years of my cultivation. So, what do you say? If you agree to let me follow you, I can even persuade that foolish flood dragon to become your spirit servant,” the dark-skinned youth murmured before opening his eyes and giving Han Li a knowing smirk.
Han Li’s expression turned grave as he glanced at the flood dragon still locked in a stalemate with the Spirit Devouring Firebird. He remained silent for a long while.
This was the first he had heard of the Heavenly Demon Contract—how could he agree so easily?
Meanwhile, the blood seal projection in the sky, now devoid of Ma Liang’s sustaining magic, finally flickered and shrank into a tiny inch-long seal before plummeting downward.
The three-colored mountain below also shrank rapidly with a resonant hum, its radiance enveloping the small seal and forming a glowing sphere that shot toward Han Li.
At the same time, the eight blood dragons vanished instantly as the massive blood seal projection disappeared, leaving behind only faint traces of blood in the air.
With no enemies left, the golden crab rolled and transformed back into the Taoist, rushing toward Han Li. The Emerald Swarm Sword Formation dispersed with a sharp cry, scattering into countless green sword shadows.
Han Li waved a hand, drawing the three-colored mountain and the blood seal into his sleeve. The green sword shadows shot toward him, blurring before reverting to seventy-two small green swords that vanished into his body.
A thunderclap sounded nearby as Crab Taoist appeared on a thick arc of lightning.
“Brother Crab, do you know of the Heavenly Demon Contract? How binding is it for celestial demons?” Han Li turned and asked.
“The Heavenly Demon Contract! It is a unique pact created by the Heavenly Demon Ancestor and is one of the three most inviolable contracts in the Immortal Realm. Unless one’s power surpasses the Heavenly Demon Ancestor, no immortal or demon can resist its effects. However, according to Immortal Realm rumors, many who have signed this contract with celestial demons have mysteriously vanished…” Crab Taoist replied emotionlessly, eyeing the dark-skinned youth.
Clearly, he had discerned the youth’s true nature.
“Tsk, that’s slander against our Heavenly Demon race. Those who dare to make contracts with us are bold by nature—most love venturing into dangerous places, so their chances of dying are naturally higher. But in all the rumors, there has never been a case of a Heavenly Demon breaking the contract. For us, the Heavenly Demon Contract is far stricter than any other binding force,” the dark-skinned youth sighed before explaining.
“Indeed, no instances of Heavenly Demons violating the contract have ever been discovered in the Immortal Realm,” Crab Taoist replied woodenly.
“If Brother Crab says so, then the contract must be reliable. Very well, I accept. Given your tone, you must have spent considerable time in the Immortal Realm. If I ever ascend, a Heavenly Demon would indeed be useful. However, besides the contract, I must place another restriction on you before I can truly trust you,” Han Li exhaled after a long silence.
“Another restriction? Heh, as long as it’s explicitly written into the contract, I have no objections. I might even let you place a few more,” the dark-skinned youth replied carefreely.
“Then it’s settled. First, call off that fire spirit,” Han Li said lightly.
The dark-skinned youth chuckled before turning to the flood dragon and whispering a few words.
A long howl echoed as the flood dragon’s crimson sphere retracted its tendrils, its body glowing red before shrinking back into the scarlet dwarf.
Seeing this, the Spirit Devouring Firebird soared into the sky with a surge of silver flames, shrinking into a palm-sized miniature before darting back to Han Li in a series of flashes.
Han Li flicked his sleeve, and a green mist enveloped the tiny firebird, absorbing it.
“Your fortune is remarkable—to have refined a wisp of Essence Flame in the lower realm, even nurturing it into a sentient Spirit Devouring Firebird. Even in the Immortal Realm, few can cultivate Essence Flame. No wonder Huo Xuzi, that sacred fire beast, couldn’t even unleash a tenth of his power earlier,” the dark-skinned youth remarked with a grin, eyeing Han Li’s sleeve.
“Essence Flame? This spirit fire was refined by accident—whether it’s what you call Essence Flame is uncertain. I’ve always referred to it as Spirit Devouring Trueflame,” Han Li replied thoughtfully.
“Haha, I’m never wrong. It’s undoubtedly Essence Flame. Its birth conditions are wildly unpredictable, with no discernible pattern. ‘Spirit Devouring Trueflame’ is fitting—this flame excels at consuming other spirit fires to strengthen itself,” the dark-skinned youth laughed.
Just then, space rippled as the scarlet dwarf reappeared, scanning the headless corpse with a frown.
“So he really died this easily. Recovering my lifebound crystal will take who knows how long. I never sensed its presence near him earlier.”
“Brother Huo, if you want your lifebound crystal back, you’ll have to rely on Fellow Daoist Han. With his power in the lower realm, retrieving it in the Immortal Realm would be trivial if he ascends,” Mo Guang said with a smirk.
“What? You want me to submit to a master?” Huo Xuzi’s expression darkened.
“Heh, if you don’t, how will you return to the Immortal Realm? Unlike me—I can just return to the Heavenly Demon Domain and live freely. Without immortal spiritual energy, not only will you fail to advance, but your cultivation will regress to mortality. And if you refuse to submit, with your power suppressed, you won’t leave here alive today. Don’t expect my help—I’ve already agreed to the Heavenly Demon Contract. In fact, submitting to Fellow Daoist Han might bring unexpected benefits…” Mo Guang’s voice shifted to a whisper toward the end.
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