All Things Are Contracts

Chapter 227: Dream Forest

The passage of time outside the Heavenly Book world was much slower than inside. After the Night Fiend Clan’s uprising, humans once again lived in peace, all thanks to the Illumination Goddess.

The night was deep, with a red moon hanging in the sky. Beside it, a solitary star shone just as brightly – the star that the Goddess had become, protecting the beings below.

A monk, a Taoist, and a scholar gathered again.

“Any findings these days?” Dan Daoren asked the other two. He was in charge of guarding the Academy Town, while the Ascetic Monk and the Storyteller had been out investigating.

“Killed some Night Fiend Lords, but couldn’t solve the root problem. After all this time, we still don’t know why some Night Fiends aren’t afraid of sunlight and Illumination Towers. But I found this in their bodies…” The Ascetic Monk took out a red-black stone, possibly the reason why they weren’t afraid of sunlight.

However, as the three were analyzing this strange stone, it suddenly cracked open. From within, a majestic aura emanated, shocking the three to their core. Their bodies went limp, firmly pressed into their seats. It was the majesty of a superior being, a power they had never felt before, as deep as the sea and as vast as the starry sky.

This aura was ancient and heavy, as if it had traversed countless times and spaces to reach them. Under such a terrifying aura, the three top experts of the human race were like ants, unable to muster any thought of resistance.

“Amitabha!” The Ascetic Monk reacted first, chanting Buddha’s name, then reciting scriptures. Golden light burst from his body, growing from weak to strong, finally purifying the lingering majesty. By now, the Ascetic Monk was drenched in sweat, his face pale. Just a bit of this aura had left him in such a state.

Among the three, his strength was the greatest, so he reacted earliest. Dan Daoren followed, his Dao energy rising, a pill cloud condensing above his head, finally dispelling the aura’s suppression. The Storyteller wasn’t to be outdone, reciting ancient sage texts. With each sentence, the pressure weakened, until it was completely removed.

“What terrifying thing is this? Merely a trace of its aura could leave the three of us breathless,” the Storyteller said with a bitter smile. He had long understood that the more one knows, the more one realizes how ignorant they are, and the higher one’s cultivation realm, the more one realizes their insignificance. To outsiders, the three were pillars of humanity, experts among experts. But the three deeply knew their own insignificance. Now, just a mysterious aura of unknown origin had left them in such a predicament. They dared not even imagine the existence behind this aura.

Where the three couldn’t understand, a figure had been hiding and observing. Even with the three great experts’ abilities, they hadn’t noticed.

“In medicine, there’s a method to prevent diseases by injecting small doses of poison into the body, allowing it to develop resistance. Later, when faced with the same poison, the body is no longer defenseless. I hope this dose of poison wasn’t wasted. Next time you encounter an aura hundreds or thousands of times stronger than this, I hope you can withstand it.” The mysterious person muttered to themselves before disappearing without a trace.

The three looked up at the sky, feeling uncertain about humanity’s future.

“Have you noticed the red moon getting bigger?” the Storyteller asked.

“You feel it too?” Dan Daoren replied. Ordinary people wouldn’t dare to look directly at the blood moon, but these three weren’t afraid. However, now the familiar blood moon seemed to be getting bigger, or perhaps closer.

At this moment, a lightning bolt streaked over from nearby. It was the Thunder Lord, with a dejected little figure beside him. It was Liu Zhaoran, who had just come out of the Heavenly Book world. After failing the trial and coming out, he learned he was the first to be eliminated, which naturally made him dejected.

“Little one, you seem very unhappy? But I see you’ve gained quite a lot from this trip,” Dan Daoren smiled at Liu Zhaoran. He remembered this youngster skilled in spear techniques, mastering two martial realms. But Dan Daoren hadn’t expected him to be the first eliminated; the trial’s difficulty must have been extraordinary.

“Respected elder, I indeed gained something. The Heavenly Book world is truly a wonderful place, but it’s precisely because it’s so good that I feel lost. If I had been more careful, more clever in the previous trial, perhaps I could have succeeded and gained even more benefits,” Liu Zhaoran said regretfully. The Heavenly Book trial was a rare opportunity in life to greatly increase his strength, but he hadn’t grasped it fully, not gaining enough benefits.

“Compared to those who’ve never entered the Heavenly Book world, you’re already excellent enough. Don’t dwell on regret and self-blame. Tell us what the Heavenly Book trial is really like; we’re very curious,” the Storyteller said inquisitively.

“Yes, elder.” Liu Zhaoran perked up and recounted everything that had happened. “The Heavenly Book trial is conducted in the form of tasks. I…” Liu Zhaoran told everything about his experiences in the trial, especially expressing regret when describing how he failed and died. But the trial’s difficulty was what it was.

Inside the Heavenly Book world.

Zhanyue and Yunyao descended from the sky, walking side by side into a primeval forest. This forest was deep and somewhat terrifying, with sunlight completely blocked by leaves, only occasionally letting through sparse spots of light through gaps.

“We’re here. This is the Dream Forest the elder mentioned,” Zhanyue said. Following the Mountain Goblin ancestor’s guidance, they had arrived at their next location, the Dream Forest where the Spirit Eye Clan lived.

“This Dream Forest seems to be a naturally formed maze-like array. We need to constantly mark our path,” Yunyao said cautiously.

“You understand arrays too?” Zhanyue asked, surprised.

“A little,” Yunyao said calmly.

Even though they were quite familiar now, Zhanyue still felt that this incredibly beautiful woman before him was like an iceberg, unapproachable. She couldn’t take even the slightest joke. But having witnessed her terrifying strength and that Sword Energy Corridor technique, Zhanyue didn’t dare offend this “young lady”. He’d need to rely on her for future monster fights. Thinking of this, Zhanyue’s eyes fell on Yunyao’s legs. This woman’s face and figure were flawless, and those long, beautiful legs were quite a sight.

“What are you staring at? Focus,” Yunyao’s expression cooled again, noticing Zhanyue’s gaze. This Divine Son was good in every way except for sometimes being a bit shameless and lecherous.

“Ahem,” Zhanyue coughed awkwardly, caught in the act. He quickly changed the subject, “How’s your eye technique cultivation going?”

“It’s alright. With the Fear Eye as material, my eye technique has progressed further. What about you? And what exactly did you experience earlier? Why could you resist that Fear Beast’s ability after waking up from your coma? And what’s the Sword of Courage?” Yunyao had quite a few questions.