210: Daqian Contract

The six of them were all top Prodigies from various realms, and they had long heard of the infamous reputation of the enlightenment tea tree.

Even so, after a preliminary probe, three of them were still injured!

Their expressions instantly turned solemn.

The spiritual light swirling around the enlightenment tea tree was, in fact, an incredibly tough barrier.

What was more troublesome was that this tree was not an inanimate object; it had already developed a trace of sentience.

Although it had not yet condensed a spiritual consciousness or developed wisdom, it possessed the instinct to protect itself.

Historically, Prodigies who arrived here had to exert all their effort to shatter its leaf-blade Sword Qi before they could collect the enlightenment tea leaves contained within it.

After that initial probe, all six of them had realized—this enlightenment tea tree was stronger than what was recorded!

Seeing the thirty-six verdant leaf-blade Sword Qi buzzing again, about to break through the air and strike, Cao Yunqing spoke for the first time, his voice low: "This tree's sentience far surpasses what it was a thousand years ago; it is likely only a step away from condensing a spiritual consciousness! To gain anything, we must cooperate!"

These words were like a stone thrown into still water, instantly awakening the other five.

Ximen Feng quickly sealed the wound on his arm by pressing acupuncture points, the frivolity in his eyes completely gone, replaced by a surge of keen light: "This Fellow Daoist from the Blood Demon Realm must be the current Holy Son of the Blood Palace, correct? Your Excellency's words are absolutely right! This tree's sentience has surged, and the power of its leaf-blades far exceeds what is recorded. Fighting alone, no one will benefit, only making a wedding dress for latecomers!"

"Amitabha!" Monk Chaoyun's nine-ringed tin staff glowed with Buddhist light, protecting his body, his expression solemn, "This tree has absorbed the anomalous energy of this place for a long time, and its sentience has deepened. Its innate protective power is no longer something ordinary Tribulation Crossing Realm Cultivators can break. Cooperating to break its leaf-blades, and then each relying on their own Opportunity to collect, is the best strategy!"

Qiao Shan wiped away the bloodstain on his cheek, his gaze as sharp as a hawk locking onto its prey: "Good! First, let's break the leaf-blades! Although my Myriad Restrictions Art is skilled at breaking Restrictions, it requires close-range execution! Please, everyone, buy me some time while I search for the weak point in the Restriction's flow!"

"Ice Soul Profound Light can freeze space!" Leng Ning endured the severe pain in her arm, her mind connected with her sister Ning Shuang, and a biting cold Qi suddenly permeated the area, setting up a shimmering, retarding force field of ice crystals in front of the six of them.

"Roar—!!!"

Just as the six reached a consensus and were preparing to form a formation to directly confront the thirty-six verdant killing intentions that were ready to strike, a low, fierce roar, as if from the depths of the Nine Nether, suddenly exploded at the edge of the sinkhole!

An intensely thick, unresolvable Nether Qi surged into the sinkhole like an inky tide, instantly dispersing the clear, exotic fragrance of the enlightenment tea tree.

Two figures appeared silently on the cliff on the other side of the sinkhole, looking down from above at the chaotic battlefield below.

One wore a pale Soul robe, embroidered with countless twisted, wailing ghost faces. His face was ashen, with only a pair of emerald Soul fires burning faintly in his eye sockets.

He held a bone-white lamp, its wick flickering with a strange, pale flame, emitting a coldness that chilled the Soul.

Countless translucent phantom resentful Souls surrounded him, screaming silently.

The other was completely shrouded in a large, jet-black cloak, his face unseen. Only a pair of hands, dry as chicken claws with sharp, blackened fingernails, were exposed, holding a small bone mirror with a jagged edge and a surface as turbid as congealed blood.

The mirror surface flickered slightly, reflecting the figures of the people at the bottom of the pit, but they appeared distorted and sinister.

Nether Soul Realm Late Tribulation Crossing Stage Prodigies—Li Qitian of the Soul Palace! Nether Bone of the Netherworld Palace!

The six at the bottom of the pit instantly noticed the arrival of the uninvited guests, and the fragile alliance they had just formed instantly crumbled!

Everyone used their own methods, either dodging or parrying, narrowly avoiding the leaf-blade Sword Qi that the enlightenment tea tree once again shot out, and one after another, they leaped onto the abyss wall.

Cao Yunqing stood alone, his Aura as deep and unmoving as an abyss; Ximen Feng, Monk Chaoyun, and Qiao Shan slightly converged, forming a defensive triangle; Leng Ning and Ning Shuang, sisters connected by their icy breath, formed a unified front.

Meanwhile, Li Qitian and Ming Gu subtly joined forces, their cold Nether Qi forming a stark standoff with the other side.

No words were needed; the six had already discerned the newcomers' origins through their respective means.

The Nether Soul Realm primarily cultivated the Soul Dao, and the unique and dense Yin Soul Qi of Li Qitian and Ming Gu was even more evident in everyone's perception.

The reputation of the Nether Soul Realm was even worse than that of the Blood Demon Realm.

For a moment, above the sinkhole, eight top Prodigies were arrayed in four directions. The air seemed to solidify, leaving only silent vigilance and killing intent surging in the shadows.

Below, the thirty-six leaf-blades of the enlightenment tea tree, having lost their targets, had quietly returned to its Main Body, their verdant light swirling as they returned to silence.

"There are dozens of enlightenment tea leaves, and we are all top Cultivators in this realm." After more than ten suffocating breaths of silence, Qiao Shan finally could not hold back and was the first to propose, "Why not work together to retrieve the treasure? With the two Fellow Daoists from the Nether Soul Realm joining, our chances of breaking through the tea tree's defenses will surely greatly increase!"

"Amitabha!" Monk Chaoyun's gaze was like lightning, piercing directly at the two from the Nether Soul Realm, and he resolutely refused, "The Nether Soul Realm excels at treacherous Soul Dao, and Heart Demon vows are meaningless to them! If it means colluding with tigers, this poor monk refuses to participate!"

Ximen Feng gently fanned himself with his folding fan, the cracks on its surface glaring. Though he did not speak directly, his cold gaze already indicated his stance—he likewise refused to cooperate with the Nether Soul Realm, which was notorious and completely untrustworthy.

However, reality was before them.

The enlightenment tea tree's strength had surged; even with six people cooperating, they would need to go all out to have a chance of winning.

Now, with powerful enemies surrounding them, if they couldn't cast aside their reservations and unite, they would have no chance at all!

Cao Yunqing surveyed the crowd, sighed softly, and with a flip of his right hand, produced an old, yellowish-brown parchment scroll that clearly showed its age.

"This is a scroll containing the will of the Great Thousand World's Heavenly Dao that I accidentally acquired. Even outside the Major Thousand Worlds, no one below the Immortal Realm could possibly break through this contract containing the will of the Great Thousand World's Heavenly Dao!" He explained, then shifted his gaze to Li Qitian and Ming Gu, "I presume you two also don't want to waste time with us, do you?"

The ancient parchment scroll in Cao Yunqing's hand emitted a faint, heart-palpitating fluctuation, as if containing the will of a distant world.

The emerald Soul fire in Li Qitian's eye sockets flickered slightly, and the figure beneath Ming Gu's cloak also seemed to freeze for a moment.

The Aura of this Great Thousand World contract could not be faked, and its binding force far exceeded any Heart Demon vow in this realm, effective even for Nether Soul Realm Cultivators like them, who specialized in studying Souls and manipulating vows.

"Hmph, a Great Thousand World contract... Blood Demon Saint, you certainly have good Opportunity." Li Qitian's voice was like bones rubbing together, carrying an icy chill, "Very well, the enlightenment tea leaves are worth a gamble. Sign it!"

Ming Gu nodded silently, and with a flick of his dry finger, a wisp of cold Soul Power imprint was branded onto the suspended parchment scroll.

Li Qitian did the same.

Cao Yunqing branded it first, followed by Ximen Feng, Monk Chaoyun, Qiao Shan, and the sisters Leng Ning and Ning Shuang, who successively injected their own imprints.

The parchment scroll glowed brightly, ancient runes swirled, and an invisible, vast binding force instantly enveloped the eight people.

The contract was formed; before obtaining the tea leaves, any aggressive actions against allies would be met with a contractual backlash, with unimaginable consequences.

"No time to lose!" Ximen Feng closed his folding fan, pointing towards the enlightenment tea tree below, which was once again accumulating Sword Intent, "As previously discussed, Brother Qiao will find the opening, the two Fairies Leng Ning and Ning Shuang will slow down space, and the rest will fully bombard the leaf-blades to create an Opportunity for Brother Qiao!"

"Move!"

Eight figures, like meteors, once again plummeted to the bottom of the sinkhole. This time, their Aura was completely different.

Monk Chaoyun's nine-ringed tin staff emitted a brilliant Buddhist light, transforming into a wrathful Vajra phantom. Chants of Sanskrit resonated, directly clashing with several streaks of verdant Sword Qi that shot towards them;

Although Ximen Feng's folding fan was damaged, its sharp Qi condensed into a blade, slashing towards another leaf-blade with a sharp whistle that tore through space;

The pale flame in Li Qitian's bone lamp surged, and countless wailing resentful Souls formed a Soul shield, coldly corroding the spiritual essence of the Sword Qi;

The murky blood-bone mirror in Ming Gu's hand flashed with a faint light, actually deflecting a leaf-blade Sword Qi that was aimed at him, making its trajectory strange and elusive.

The sisters Leng Ning and Ning Shuang, with their minds connected, fully activated their Ice Soul Profound Light, setting up layers of almost solidified icy force fields in the core area of the tea tree, greatly retarding the firing speed and trajectory of the remaining leaf-blades.

Qiao Shan's movement technique was like lightning, weaving through the gaps in the chaotic battlefield. His eyes shone brightly, and his hands rapidly formed seals. One after another, profound Restriction runes were struck into the spiritual light barrier surrounding the tea tree.

Fine sweat beaded on his forehead, clearly indicating he was fully activating his Myriad Restrictions Art to analyze the weak points of this barrier, whose sentience had surged.

"Found it! Kun position, where fire and earth converge, a full-force strike!" Qiao Shan shouted.

Cao Yunqing, Ximen Feng, and Monk Chaoyun, who had been ready for a long time, along with Li Qitian and Ming Gu, almost simultaneously unleashed their long-prepared attacks towards the spot Qiao Shan indicated!