“Is this true?” The crimson figure’s expression had been fluctuating between gloom and uncertainty, but upon hearing something from the dark-skinned youth, it suddenly blurted out in surprise, immediately scrutinizing Han Li with a strange gaze.
Han Li narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling a hint of surprise but refraining from speaking.
“I’ve said all I can. Whether you believe it or not is naturally up to you,” the dark-skinned youth said with a shrug, appearing indifferent.
“Fine, I’ll trust you one more time. Fellow Daoist Han, I can serve as your spirit servant for a time, but you must take me with you when you ascend to the Immortal Realm. Once we return to the Immortal Realm, if you can help me recover my Lifebound Crystal Pearl, I can continue serving you for tens of thousands of years. As for the spirit servant contract, we’ll use the Heavenly Demon Contract to formalize it,” the crimson figure said, its eyes flashing red.
“As long as Fellow Daoist Huo is willing to submit to a restriction, this is naturally an opportunity I wouldn’t refuse,” Han Li replied with a faint smile.
Seeing the matter settled, Mo Guang wasted no time. With a flick of his mouth, he spat out a pitch-black cloud of demonic energy into the air. The black energy condensed into a dark, eerie parchment, which slowly descended.
“I’ve inscribed all the contract terms here. If the two of you find no issues, use your essence blood to sign your names or marks and attach a wisp of your divine sense to it.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the dark-skinned youth spat a globule of essence blood at the black parchment. The blood dispersed in the wind, forming a peculiar symbol imprinted on its surface. Then, with a hand seal, a streak of blood light shot from his brow and vanished into the parchment.
Han Li, meanwhile, beckoned with one hand, and the black parchment blurred as it flew toward him. He lowered his head to examine it carefully several times before nodding imperceptibly.
The contents of the contract matched their agreement closely, even being more lenient in some aspects than he had anticipated. Rather than a mere contract, it resembled a mutual pact of restraint. Yet, this very nature put Han Li more at ease.
He raised a finger, squeezing out a drop of essence blood that landed on the parchment. The drop faintly shimmered with a green light, instantly transforming into two golden ancient characters: “Han Li.”
With a flick of his wrist, Han Li tossed the parchment back to Huo Xuzi. The fiery spirit beast merely glanced at it before carelessly performing the same ritual.
With a *poof*, the black parchment blurred and dissipated into a wisp of green smoke, vanishing into the void. Thus, the Heavenly Demon Contract was seemingly completed with ease.
“With matters here nearly settled, the two of you shall accompany me back to the human race. With your assistance, I’m certain to benefit greatly in the future,” Han Li said, his expression softening slightly.
“Heh, since we’ve signed the contract, we’ll naturally abide by its terms. Wherever you go, we’ll follow,” the dark-skinned youth chuckled.
“Good. After handling one last matter, we’ll depart immediately,” Han Li nodded.
“One last matter? You mean that fellow who’s been eavesdropping on us from below all this time?” Huo Xuzi exclaimed, his eyes widening.
As soon as he spoke, a five-colored light array suddenly erupted from the ground below. Almost simultaneously, a white streak shot out from the low sky beneath Han Li and the others, streaking toward the light array.
Mo Guang, the Heavenly Demon, seemed to have anticipated this. Calmly, he struck out with a backhanded slap.
With a deafening *boom*, the light array on the ground shattered into pieces under a surge of eerie power. The white streak swirled midair before revealing its form—another “Ming Zun,” though his aura was several times weaker than before, and his gaze toward Han Li and the others was filled with resentment.
“So it’s Fellow Daoist Ming Zun. It seems the one who died earlier was merely an avatar of yours,” Han Li remarked coolly, unsurprised by Ming Zun’s appearance.
“An avatar? What kind of avatar could deceive you Great Ascension cultivators? The previous Ming Zun was merely a part of me. I never imagined that after all my meticulous planning, you’d be the one to reap the rewards,” Ming Zun replied slowly, his expression shifting several times.
Ming Zun was seething with frustration. Earlier, in the Celestial Expanse, he had detonated the formation but was severely injured by its backlash. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have arrived so late, barely catching the final moments of Han Li slaying Ma Liang, the true immortal. This had shocked him immensely.
Yet, ever the schemer, he maintained his composure despite knowing his precarious situation.
“So you used a soul-splitting technique. No wonder I detected nothing amiss. However, your self-detonation of the formation not only failed to kill that true immortal but also nearly claimed my life. Given that, shouldn’t you offer me an explanation?” Han Li said coldly, his gaze piercing.
“What explanation do you seek? Speak freely. If it’s within my power, I won’t refuse. My actions were for the sake of the Spirit Realm. Besides, without the formation’s explosion, even with your unfathomable abilities, you likely couldn’t have slain that true immortal,” Ming Zun replied with a bitter smile, secretly gathering most of his magic power and gripping several treasures hidden in his sleeves.
“Rest assured, Brother Ming, I won’t ask the impossible. I merely want your head. No matter how eloquently you plead, the fact remains that you nearly sacrificed me to the formation. After I kill you, I’ll ensure your ‘heroic deeds’ are celebrated throughout the Spirit Realm,” Han Li sneered.
Ming Zun’s face paled. Without another word, he flung out over a dozen crimson orbs, formed a hand seal, and summoned a pair of wind-and-thunder wheels beneath his feet. With a *whoosh*, a pair of snow-white wings spanning over ten zhang unfurled from his back.
Lightning flashed beneath his feet as his wings beat fiercely, and he vanished in a blur, reappearing a hundred zhang away in the sky, fleeing without looking back.
Han Li snorted and raised his arm, but before he could act, Mo Guang stepped forward and struck out with a palm. A black gale erupted, engulfing the crimson orbs. A series of *bangs* followed as the orbs detonated into bloody flames, their power utterly contained.
“Brother Han, leave this man to Fellow Daoist Huo and me. Having just signed the Heavenly Demon Contract, we ought to prove our worth to you,” Mo Guang said with a grin, retracting his arm.
“Very well. Since you two are eager, I’ll leave it to you. But be cautious—this man is no ordinary foe,” Han Li said after a brief pause, glancing at the crimson figure, who seemed eager for action.
“Haha, don’t worry, Fellow Daoist Han. I alone am enough to kill him!” Huo Xuzi laughed, transforming into a crimson flood dragon over ten zhang long and chasing after Ming Zun in a cloud of mist.
The dark-skinned youth chuckled softly, then shot off as a black streak. In moments, all three vanished into the horizon.
Han Li narrowed his eyes and flicked his sleeve, releasing a golden beetle about a foot long.
“Jin’er, follow them. Don’t let them detect you,” Han Li instructed.
The beetle nodded slightly, shrank to a fraction of its size, and blurred into a faint shadow as it pursued them.
Satisfied, Han Li withdrew his gaze. After a brief pause, he flipped his hand, producing a golden storage bracelet. A sweep of his divine sense revealed its contents, and his face lit up with joy.
With a flash of light, a dark-green vial, a silver-white gourd, and a slightly damaged jade tablet appeared before him.
Han Li scanned them with his divine sense before grabbing the silver gourd. He uncorked it and tipped out two golden pills.
“True Soul Pills! To think this true immortal had more besides the one he consumed earlier. The one recovered from Yang Lu must have come from him as well,” Han Li murmured, unable to hide his excitement.
He swiftly stored the pills and gourd, then picked up the dark-green vial. After examining it briefly, he put it away and turned his attention to the blood-stained jade tablet.
“A Lifebound Tablet?”
“It can’t belong to the true immortal I killed—it would’ve shattered completely. But if it’s someone else’s, why would a true immortal carry such a damaged tablet to the lower realm? Unless its owner is in the Spirit Realm?” Han Li mused, frowning as he sensed the tablet’s aura.
“If you wish to know the truth, it’s not difficult. A simple secret art can reveal whether the tablet’s owner is in this realm,” Crab Daoist, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage