All Things Are Contracts

Chapter 153: The Book World

In the northern border of the Eastern Kingdom, Snowdrift City.

As the first city annihilated by Nightmares, Snowdrift City was now eerily strange. The Illumination Tower was in ruins, no longer emitting any light. Various “corpses” crawled on the streets – this was a city completely occupied by Nightmares, no longer belonging to humanity.

“Amitabha,” an old monk with a bald head and bare feet walked through the night.

He entered the city, looked at the scene, and closed his eyes, unable to bear the sight. The surrounding Nightmares became excited at the intruding prey, attacking from all directions.

The ascetic monk opened his eyes, no longer compassionate but resolute. He put his palms together, and a golden light burst from his body, like a sun. All the attacking Nightmares instantly evaporated, leaving behind soul pearls.

The monk walked on air, lotus flowers blooming with each step. He reached the center of Snowdrift City and made a hand seal. A huge Buddhist swastika appeared on the ground, spinning and expanding to cover the entire city.

Under the Buddhist light, all Nightmares in the city evaporated without any resistance. Even two Lord-level Nightmares hiding underground were crushed without a fight.

The old monk waved his hand, and countless soul pearls flew towards him from everywhere. These were the remnants of human souls devoured by Nightmares.

“Amitabha!” With another sigh, the old monk instantly delivered all the souls.

After finishing all this, he walked towards the “dead” Illumination Tower. His main purpose for coming was to investigate why the Illumination Tower was destroyed.

“Hm? All the formations in the Illumination Tower are in disarray. Do Nightmares understand formations?” This discovery startled even the old monk, but it was a fact.

He understood formations and was familiar with the Illumination Tower’s structure. After a night of repairs, the Illumination Tower lit up again. But the ascetic monk’s heart grew heavier, “They didn’t destroy it randomly. They truly understand the Illumination Tower’s structure and know how to truly destroy it. How did they manage this?”

The ascetic monk single-handedly recaptured Snowdrift City and repaired the Illumination Tower. Civilians living precariously in scattered villages around could now return to live in the city. As long as the Goddess statue was there, this city would be safe for now.

Meanwhile, a similar scene was unfolding in Wheel of Fire City on the western border of the Rising Sun Kingdom. The one taking action was a scholar. With a single move, he unleashed endless righteous energy, easily killing Nightmares without any resistance. He also repaired the Illumination Tower, single-handedly recapturing Wheel of Fire City.

“I need to have my two disciples investigate thoroughly why Nightmares have become so intelligent,” the Storyteller had the same doubts as the ascetic monk.

In the Eastern Kingdom’s academy town.

In a secret room, only one person faced Zhanyue – Thunder Lord. The usually carefree Thunder Lord had become much more serious lately. His appearance, resembling Zhang Fei, always made Zhanyue feel a bit nervous.

Thunder Lord’s gaze towards Zhanyue was indeed unusual, filled with admiration, curiosity, and concern.

“The Goddess has told me everything. You’re even more important to the Nightmares than the Holy Maiden. After she left, your safety is crucial. What are your plans?” Thunder Lord asked.

Zhanyue smiled helplessly, “What can I do? Just stay in the academy town and not go out.” Zhanyue had no other choice. The Nightmare Strategist had already noticed him, and could probably guess that he no longer had the Goddess’s protection. They would likely try every means to eliminate him. The academy town now had Thunder Lord and Sword Lord guarding it, capable of resisting even Great Lord-level Nightmares.

However, Thunder Lord said, “If we’re always here to protect the academy town, naturally there’s no worry. But we can’t always stay here, and we can’t take you everywhere we go.”

“This…” Zhanyue, still not even a Profound Being, had little control over the situation.

“Do you know the original name of the academy town?” Thunder Lord suddenly asked.

Zhanyue nodded, not knowing why Thunder Lord suddenly asked this, but honestly answered, “The academy town was originally called Book of Heaven City.”

Thunder Lord smiled mysteriously, “Do you know about the Book of Heaven?”

“Book of Heaven?” Zhanyue shook his head again. Surely the academy town wasn’t called Book of Heaven City because there was really a Book of Heaven here?

“Our era may not be superior in other aspects, but our research into many ancient relics far surpasses the Goddess’s era,” Thunder Lord explained. “There really is a Book of Heaven in Book of Heaven City. Strictly speaking, it’s not a book, but a world. Called the Book World.”

Before Zhanyue could fully grasp this, Thunder Lord continued, “Now, to find an absolutely safe place for you to avoid Nightmare pursuit and allow your strength to grow, the most perfect place I can think of is the Book World.”

“The Book World?!” Zhanyue exclaimed, realizing this must be the academy town’s biggest secret.

“However, opening the Book World requires eight keys. By the way, your contract object isn’t that sword, but the Earth Mother Golden Cauldron, right?” Thunder Lord suddenly said.

Zhanyue was stunned, asking, “How do you know that?”

“Naturally, the Goddess told me. I told her about the Book World and the eight keys, and we had no clue about the ‘Earth Key’. The Goddess said your contract object, the Earth Mother Golden Cauldron, can communicate with earth vein power and could serve as the ‘Earth Key’. Unfortunately, your current cultivation is still too weak. You need at least the Profound Realm to handle it,” Thunder Lord explained.

“I see.” Zhanyue understood. The Illumination Goddess had prepared a backup plan for him before leaving.

“So the urgent task is to break through to the Profound Realm and open the Book World. Once you enter the Book World, your safety will be guaranteed,” Thunder Lord explained.

“But my cultivation technique is special, and my progress is slow. It might be difficult to break through in a short time,” Zhanyue said helplessly. His cultivation progress was indeed very slow. Although he was extremely strong and could kill across realms, his own cultivation speed wasn’t fast.

“Look, who’s this?” Thunder Lord smiled. Outside the secret room, a middle-aged man dressed as a Taoist entered.

“It’s you! Senior Alchemist!” Zhanyue’s face lit up with joy seeing the middle-aged man.

“Young friend, we meet again,” the Alchemist smiled.

“It’s been a long time, Senior. You still look as energetic as ever,” Zhanyue said politely.

The Alchemist didn’t waste words, “I’ve long seen that you’re extraordinary. I didn’t expect the Goddess to think so highly of you. I originally came to discuss some matters with Thunder Lord, but your situation seems more critical now. You’re cultivating a fire-based alchemy technique, so breaking through naturally isn’t easy. Fortunately, I have this.”

The Alchemist took out a green medicine bottle containing only one pill. It was a ninth-grade pill – the Karmic Fire Profound Refinement Pill, a dream pill for all fire-based cultivators to break through realms. It was usually used for Profound Beings breaking through to Spirit God Realm, so using it for Zhanyue to break through to Profound Realm was somewhat wasteful. But the Alchemist didn’t mind, as only this pill could guarantee 100% success in helping Zhanyue directly cross minor realms to break through to a major realm.

“Senior, this is too precious,” Zhanyue’s hand trembled as he held the pill. This was a ninth-grade pill after all.

“Just take it. However, taking it directly might be dangerous. It’s best to have someone protect you during the process. I sense that little Gong Xiaoyu is also in the academy. As a water contractor, she’s most suitable to protect you. If the medicinal power goes out of control, ordinary people might not be able to suppress it, but with her water spirit power, she can handle it easily. Take the pill and go find her quickly. Only after arranging your situation can we act freely,” the Alchemist explained.

“Thank you, Senior,” Zhanyue knew it wasn’t the time to be overly polite. He took the pill and left the secret room.

Watching Zhanyue leave, Thunder Lord sighed in relief, “It’s fortunate to have your help, Senior. Otherwise, I couldn’t have solved this kid’s problem so quickly. Since you seniors are willing to come out of seclusion, naturally the role of human race leader shouldn’t fall to me.” Thunder Lord then took out the Goddess’s Decree.

The Alchemist waved his hand, “We don’t want to be burdened by mundane affairs. Keep the Goddess’s Decree. Feel free to call on us old fellows. It’s been a long time since we’ve been active, it’s a good chance to stretch our legs.”

Thunder Lord didn’t decline further and kept the Goddess’s Decree. Now that the legendary seniors – the ascetic monk, the Storyteller, and the Alchemist – had all entered the world, it was a great reinforcement for the human camp.

“Mi Hongchen has gone to consult with Dragon Lord. I wonder if the Dragon Clan is willing to go all out in this final battle,” Thunder Lord said worriedly.

The Alchemist pointed at the sky, “The Goddess is watching from above. If the Dragon Clan has any face, they won’t slack off. Which of the myriad races doesn’t owe the Goddess? Now that the Goddess has appeared, sacrificing her freedom to buy us time to prepare for the final battle, whether it’s the Dragon Clan or the Bird Clan, they should understand the principle of shared glory and loss.”