396: Conquer Dillamon

"Do you have a choice?" Xiao Zhuo's Divine Thought, like an arctic gale, carried an undeniable will that instantly froze Dilamon's remaining sliver of hope.

Dilamon's Divine Thought fluctuations abruptly froze, as if an invisible giant hand had gripped his throat.

"My time is short, and we both know it!" Xiao Zhuo's Divine Thought cut down again, with a metallic coldness, "Ten breaths! This is your last chance!"

The destructive black Qi coiling around his fingertip suddenly surged, like a poisonous Dragon ready to devour, tightly wrapping around that azure Divine Kingdom crystal core!

"Remember, your only remaining value to me is to lead the way. If you remain stubborn..." Xiao Zhuo's voice was like the final judgment, "Then I can only personally detonate this Divine Kingdom and gamble on that slim chance! Let's see if this destructive fireworks can illuminate the path to the Origin for me!"

Silence descended once more.

But within this silence, a suffocating countdown to destruction permeated.

One breath. The crystal wall of the Divine Kingdom crystal core began to be infiltrated by the Taboo Power.

Three breaths. The crystal core vibrated violently, and the vast ocean within stirred up a world-ending tsunami. Several Divine Temples collapsed, and millions of believers vanished.

Six breaths. The taboo black Qi had almost completely engulfed the entire crystal core, leaving only a tiny blue glow on the crystal core's crystal wall, struggling in despair.

Dilamon's face was twisted to the extreme; the dignity of an ancient god and the fear of complete annihilation tore at him madly in his eyes.

He could clearly perceive the scenes from the Divine Kingdom's core that caused his Divine Soul excruciating pain!

Ten breaths arrived in a flash!

"It seems you have made your choice—annihilation!" Xiao Zhuo's fingertip, coiling with the purest Taboo Power, without the slightest hesitation, fiercely pointed towards the Divine Kingdom crystal core, which was on the verge of its limit!

Wherever the fingertip passed, space itself groaned under the unbearable strain!

"Stop! I agree! I agree to your terms!" Just as that destructive fingertip was about to touch the crystal core, Dilamon's Divine Thought let out a desperate shriek like a dying beast, filled with unprecedented panic and urgency, surging madly towards Xiao Zhuo!

The fingertip suddenly hovered!

It was less than a hair's breadth from the crystal core!

Xiao Zhuo's eyes, flickering with cold silver light, indifferently turned towards Dilamon. The invisible pressure was even more intense than before.

Dilamon's Divine Thought carried a desperate urgency, as if he had burned his bridges: "I'll tell you! I'll take you to find the source radiance! But... I have one condition!"

He stared intently at Xiao Zhuo, as if trying to grasp this sole chance of survival: "I can acknowledge you as my master! I will serve you for ten thousand years! But you must take me out of the Dark Realm!"

"Leave the Dark Realm?" A flicker of silver light in Xiao Zhuo's eyes revealed a genuine surprise, "You, as a Void Realm god, cannot leave on your own?" This contradicted his previous understanding.

"If the sacred crystal were under my control, I naturally could!" Since Dilamon had made his choice, he dropped his pretense, speaking with a bitter frankness, "The sacred crystal is a sacred object nurtured by the source radiance, inherently possessing the supreme power to wield Taboo Power. Even if one cultivates the forbidden divine codex recorded within it to Major Achievement, one can only control a portion of the Taboo Power. But to cross the taboo black mist that shrouds the Dark Realm and return to the will of the boundary sea... it's as difficult as ascending to heaven! Only with the sacred crystal in hand can a true path be opened!"

He paused, his voice sinking a few more shades: "However... we Five Gods long ago established a Chaos contract, jointly holding the sacred crystal. Now that the sacred crystal is in your hands, the other four gods... Heh, they will never allow me to use the sacred crystal's power alone to leave! Under the shackles of the contract, I am completely trapped here!"

Xiao Zhuo instantly understood.

So that's how it is!

This resolved a hidden worry of his!

Blood Heaven was not a kind person. If he turned hostile, Xiao Zhuo, holding the sacred crystal, would have a fallback, eliminating the need for this person's world sand!

He still had many questions about the Dark Realm, the source radiance, and even the ancient Immortal-Demon Realm, but at this moment, time was pressing!

How long Blood Heaven could stall was unknown. Heaven knew when those four gods, on par with quasi-Saints, would return.

Even he couldn't contend with four quasi-Saint-Grade existences simultaneously.

Acquiring the Origin was the most urgent task!

"Agreed!" Xiao Zhuo wasted no words, nodding his assent decisively.

Dilamon's taut Divine Soul suddenly relaxed, as if he had been pulled back from the edge of a bottomless abyss.

Acknowledging Xiao Zhuo as his master was a desperate gamble, a flash of inspiration during his ten-breath struggle on the brink of death!

This outsider before him was terrifyingly young in bone age, yet his strength was unfathomable, and his schemes and methods were ruthless and decisive.

To be able to infiltrate the Dark Realm, he must have an astonishing background and a way to escape!

Rather than lingering in other shelters within the Dark Realm, it was better to wager ten thousand years of freedom and follow this young man to break out of this cage!

With the other party's innate talent and Luck, if he followed closely and could share in some of his good fortune, perhaps... that legendary supreme realm might not be an extravagant hope?

As the thought arose, Dilamon even felt a long-lost, twisted excitement.

However, this trace of excitement had not yet spread before it was frozen by a cold, piercing gaze.

Xiao Zhuo was coldly staring at him, his eyes silently urging: The way!

Dilamon shivered, his old face slightly embarrassed, and he quickly reined in his thoughts.

Beneath the already healed skin of his brow, a grayish-brown scroll phantom, flowing with ancient Chaos aura, slowly emerged, finally solidifying and floating out.

The Chaos Oath Scroll!

Xiao Zhuo's gaze swept over it, not unfamiliar.

He raised his hand and made a grabbing motion in the air; the scroll instantly fell into his palm.

His Divine Thought, like a knife, directly carved the contract terms onto the blank scroll:

Dilamon shall guide Xiao Zhuo to the location of the source radiance and assist him in subduing the Origin, while also acknowledging Xiao Zhuo as his master, serving him for ten thousand years, and not disobeying any commands; Xiao Zhuo, in turn, shall, during the duration of the contract, take Dilamon out of the Dark Realm and return him to the will of the boundary sea, and promises not to issue any commands that directly lead to Dilamon's demise.

After carving, Xiao Zhuo touched it with his fingertip, branding a Divine Soul imprint upon it, then tossed the scroll back to Dilamon.

The taboo ring that had bound Dilamon silently dissipated. He had regained his freedom, but in his current state, escaping from Xiao Zhuo's hands was absolutely impossible.

Dilamon quickly scanned the terms, and after confirming their accuracy, he no longer hesitated, similarly pressing a Divine Soul imprint heavily onto the scroll!

Buzz—!

The scroll suddenly erupted with dazzling Chaos light!

After about ten breaths, a vast, ancient will, seemingly originating from the primordial Chaos, instantly pierced through the layers of spatial obstruction of the endless abyss and descended with a roar!

It was like a sleeping giant casting a glance, heavy, majestic, and not to be profaned!

Xiao Zhuo's heart trembled slightly: "will of the boundary sea!"

He already knew that the Chaos Will and the will of the boundary sea were merely different names from ancient times and the present.

As the will of the boundary sea descended,

He immediately realized that the Dark Realm was not completely beyond the control of the will of the boundary sea!

It was just that the projection of its will here, like penetrating layers of thick, viscous curtains, consumed an enormous amount of energy!

It was much slower than the previous time he signed a vow with the Tree God.

The Chaos light on the scroll only lasted for a few breaths, and then that vast will receded rapidly like a tide, disappearing into the depths of this abandoned darkness.

The contract was formed! Invisible shackles were branded upon the Divine Soul Origin of both parties.

"Master!" Dilamon's demeanor shifted incredibly naturally, with an almost fawning respect, "The power you previously injected into my body, I ask for your mercy, Master, to withdraw it!"

Xiao Zhuo's Divine Thought moved slightly, and the Taboo Power and thunderous Divine Thought, lurking within Dilamon like maggots, were instantly withdrawn, transforming into wisps of black Qi and electric light that merged into Xiao Zhuo's palm.

The massive wound on Dilamon's back healed at a visible speed, and his languid aura also recovered slightly, but he was still far from complete recovery.

"Take this." Xiao Zhuo flicked his finger, and a jade bottle flew towards Dilamon, "Heavenly Origin Saint Pill, a Saint Grade healing Medicinal Pill from the Immortal-Demon Realm. Perhaps it can help you recover a bit."

Dilamon didn't hesitate, uncorking the bottle and pouring all ten Medicinal Pills, the size of Dragon eyes, swirling with Medicinal Pill patterns and exuding immense energy, into his mouth, swallowing them whole.

"Hmm... It truly is a Medicinal Pill from the Immortal-Demon Realm!" As the medicinal power spread, nourishing his Shattered Realm Divine Soul, Dilamon's spirits lifted slightly. He smacked his lips, with a hint of lingering taste and emotion, "This Medicinal Pill has miraculous effects on God King-Grade Divine Soul injuries. Unfortunately... for a being of my rank, its efficacy is greatly reduced. Even taking all ten, it barely repairs twenty percent of my Divine Soul injuries, better than nothing."

"Noisy! Lead the way!" Xiao Zhuo's eyes turned cold, impatiently interrupting his appraisal.

Dilamon shrank his neck, not daring to speak further.

He focused his mind, and his withered finger pointed into the void ahead, a single tap in the air!

Buzz!

A six-pointed star formation instantly appeared, shimmering with brilliant silver light!

Immediately after, the six-pointed star rapidly rotated, split, and reassembled. The formation's structure became incredibly complex and profound, eventually transforming into a thirty-six-pointed, layered, nested silver star array!

At the core of the great array, space violently twisted and collapsed, forming a mysterious portal about ten zhang high, with liquid silver light flowing along its edges!

Within the portal, bizarre and colorful scenes rapidly shifted!

"Master, the path to the source radiance is open. Please follow me!" Dilamon respectfully stepped aside, guiding with his Divine Thought, while also receiving a Divine Thought transmitted by Xiao Zhuo—the common language information of the Immortal-Demon Realm.

Xiao Zhuo didn't hesitate in the slightest. With dark golden divine light protecting his body, he took a step, his figure instantly disappearing into the luminous portal, which flowed with endless spatial mysteries.