Chapter 146: The Magical Beast Mountains

Before the Shadow, Azure Void invoked the Heavenly Dao as witness and swore his oath. The grave atmosphere instantly relaxed, and the Shadow abandoned any thought of continuing the fight. In truth, he understood the situation perfectly. With Black and White Impermanence coordinating with the Spatial Blades, continuing the battle would almost certainly mean his death.

“It is a pity I have yet to reach the Great Firmament Golden Immortal realm. Otherwise, with the divine arts of the Shadow Clan, killing these ants would be simplicity itself—hardly more difficult than brushing away dust!” the Shadow thought bitterly. The Shadow Clan possessed many profound secret arts and divine abilities, but to unleash their full power, one had to attain at least the Great Firmament Golden Immortal realm.

“Friend Shadow, I have already proven that my words were not empty promises. It is time for you to enter the contract.”

Azure Void’s urging brought the Shadow back to his senses.

The situation was stronger than the individual. If he refused to enter the contract, the Shadow had every reason to believe that he would survive only by the narrowest margin. Even if he somehow escaped, he could forget about ever reaching the Great Firmament Golden Immortal realm.

The Shadow was an intelligent being—indeed, an exceedingly ambitious one. He had spent endless ages refining the fragment of the Shadow Emperor’s essence, and it was nearly ready to merge with his own body. Once that happened, he would inherit part of the ancient Shadow Emperor’s memories and soar to greatness.

At this critical juncture, he could not give up under any circumstances. Becoming someone else’s servant was intolerable to him. But if that someone was a disciple of a Primordial Unity Sage, he had no grounds for complaint.

The Primordial Unity Sage—during the ancient era, this title represented an ethereal, supreme realm, the ultimate goal dreamed of by every cultivator. Sadly, no one in that age had ever attained sainthood.

In the Shadow’s mind, Rahu was merely a peak quasi-sage. In the eyes of a true sage, he was nothing more than a slightly stronger ant. The Shadow revered and feared Primordial Unity Sages, while deep within his heart, ambition burned: one day, he too would attain sainthood and stand at the true summit of the Primordial World.

Seeing Azure Void swear his oath, the Shadow believed his earlier words. After all, if Azure Void deceived him, the oath he had sworn would inevitably be fulfilled.

The thought of climbing onto a Sage’s lofty branch filled the Shadow with excitement.

“Master, I know thirty-nine methods for establishing a master-servant contract. Which kind would you prefer?”

Azure Void was momentarily speechless. He had never imagined that even a simple master-servant contract could come in so many forms. He knew only the common contract currently used throughout the Primordial World and had no understanding whatsoever of the others, much less their relative advantages and disadvantages.

“In your opinion, which method should we use? Give me a brief description of the contract’s benefits, drawbacks, and the restrictions it places upon both parties.”

It was one of Azure Void’s virtues that he was never ashamed to ask questions.

“The Primordial Contract. This was passed down by our former master, Rahu. It does not require the Heavenly Dao of the Primordial World as witness; instead, it is directly recorded in the Grand Dao of Chaos and Primordial Origin. Should either party violate it, the Grand Dao will sense the breach and impose punishment at once.

“The bond between master and servant is also extremely close. If the master dies, the servant dies as well. If the servant perishes, however, the master suffers no repercussions whatsoever. In addition, master and servant may borrow one another’s power for their own use.

“Most importantly, I belong to the Shadow Clan and can merge into my master’s shadow. Unless one’s cultivation has reached the quasi-sage realm and surpassed the level of a Primordial Scattered Immortal, no one can see through the mystery. Once I break through to the Great Firmament Golden Immortal realm, my master will also be able to cultivate the secret arts of the Shadow Clan through our master-servant contract.”

The Shadow spoke in one breath. Almost everything he had said benefited Azure Void, which should have been cause for delight. Instead, Azure Void felt vaguely uneasy.

Everyone had selfish motives. As the saying went, if a person did not act for himself, Heaven and Earth would destroy him. The Shadow had no reason to sacrifice his own interests for Azure Void’s sake. This Primordial Contract could not be so simple, and the Shadow must have concealed something.

Better to abandon it. Caution could carry a man safely for ten thousand years.

With an expressionless face, Azure Void said, “Shadow, this Primordial Contract is far too unfair to you. Given your cultivation, becoming my servant is already a great humiliation. Let us establish an ordinary Heavenly Dao master-servant contract instead.”

“This…”

The Shadow wanted to argue, but although Azure Void’s tone was mild, the refusal in it was unmistakable. This was not something the Shadow could change.

“Crafty little wretch,” he cursed inwardly.

His heart sank into despair. Azure Void’s concern was justified. There was indeed one matter the Shadow had not mentioned.

The Grand Dao of Chaos and Primordial Origin was utterly impartial. If both parties entered the contract willingly and sincerely, there would be no problem. But if one party was unwilling, the Grand Dao would automatically determine the master-servant relationship according to the two parties’ relative cultivation.

In other words, if Azure Void and the Shadow truly established the Primordial Contract while the Shadow secretly resisted it, that unwillingness would be conveyed to the Grand Dao of Chaos and Primordial Origin as coercion. The situation would immediately reverse: the Shadow would become the master, and Azure Void the servant.

The Shadow’s scheme was truly vicious and sinister.

Azure Void had been observing the Shadow’s reactions all along. Though the latter was nothing but a mass of darkness, Azure Void could still sense the faint unnaturalness in his subtle movements. He gave a cold laugh inwardly and decided to settle this account later.

At a time like this, the Shadow still dared to scheme against him. How could Azure Void not be furious?

“Swear your oath. First, let the Heavenly Dao bear witness. As for the Primordial Contract, we can consider it once your cultivation reaches the Great Firmament Golden Immortal realm.”

To be honest, the benefits the Shadow had described were extremely tempting. But Azure Void did not dare take the risk lightly. He knew little about the Primordial Contract, and the Shadow clearly had no true desire to submit. Under such circumstances, Azure Void could easily imagine who would suffer once the contract was established.

He would return to Mount Kunlun and ask the Primordial Heavenly Venerable about it. There was no harm in waiting until everything was certain. For now, it was enough to bring the Shadow under his control. There would be plenty of time in the future.

“Hm?”

Hearing that Azure Void would reconsider the Primordial Contract once he reached the Great Firmament Golden Immortal realm, the Shadow suddenly felt a glimmer of hope. Perhaps this was an opportunity to change his fate.

His eyes shifted as he thought, “This junior is deep and cautious, certainly no easy opponent. He has most likely grown wary of the Primordial Contract. I might as well pretend to accept the Heavenly Dao contract for now and put his mind at ease. Once I break through to the Great Firmament Golden Immortal realm, and after the passage of time has given us some semblance of master-servant sentiment, I can guide him into proposing the Primordial Contract himself. Would that not be the best of both worlds?”

“Since that is what Master wishes, Shadow Gale can only obey.”

Shadow Gale spoke with apparent dejection. He did not delay or make a show of reluctance. With the Heavenly Dao as witness, he swore the oath and severed a thread of his shadow-origin essence, offering it to Azure Void.

With that strand of Shadow Gale’s origin essence in his possession, Azure Void needed only to fuse it into his spirit. At a thought, he could make Shadow Gale suffer the agony of spirit-burning and soul-searing, unable to live and unable to die.

Azure Void effortlessly refined the strand of shadow-origin essence into his spirit, and a smile spread across his face.

“Big Brother Daoist, everything is settled now, isn’t it? You promised to treat Kunlun to delicious food. Don’t forget!”

Seeing that the matter had finally been resolved, Little Kunlun could no longer restrain her appetite. She hurried over, tugged at the hem of Azure Void’s robe, and gazed up at him pitifully.

Azure Void slapped his forehead in realization. He had genuinely forgotten this “minor matter.”

Judging by Little Kunlun’s expression, she would not let the matter rest unless he satisfied her.

“Very well, very well. It is only roasted meat, after all.”

With that thought, Azure Void turned to Shadow Gale and asked, “Shadow, do you know where the magical beasts in Scissors Hell are found?”

“Magical beasts? They are found almost exclusively in the Beast Mountains. Very few roam outside.”

Though he did not understand why Azure Void was asking, Shadow Gale answered truthfully at once. He lowered his head and acted every inch the respectful servant. He had already decided to perform his new “role” properly, biding his time while laying plans for the future.

“The Beast Mountains?”

“You may not know this, Master, but of the nineteen layers of the Netherworld’s hells, the lowest is shrouded in mystery. Beginning with the second layer, however, the other eighteen each contain regions where magical beasts gather. Some are mountain ranges, some plains, some swamps, and others of various kinds. The arrangements differ according to the environment of each hell.

“In Scissors Hell, the gathering place of the magical beasts is a mountain range, hence the name Beast Mountains. They stretch for several million miles at least. Countless peaks spear the heavens, each stranger and more spectacular than the last, and innumerable magical beasts breed there.

“It is a paradise belonging to magical beasts—and a forbidden zone for all other life. Any outsider who enters will be attacked by the entire horde. Master, you must never go there. It is extremely dangerous.”

As he described the place, Shadow Gale made no effort to conceal his fear of the Beast Mountains.

“The magical beasts there are very powerful?”

“Extremely powerful. Those beasts were bred in ancient times through the combined efforts of several great demon kings under the command of Rahu. They are savage, violent, and utterly irrational. Even beasts of the same kind often fight one another to the death over the most trivial matters.

“Furthermore, I suspect that one or more of the Nine Ancient Demon Kings under Rahu may have survived.”

His words were astonishing enough to leave no one unmoved. Shadow Gale had just revealed a truly shocking secret.

“What?”

Azure Void knew of the Nine Ancient Demon Kings. They had been Rahu’s most capable subordinates, second only to him in status. It was said that every one of them possessed at least quasi-sage cultivation, along with strange and unfathomable demonic secret arts. They were terrifying figures.

“How could that be possible?”

“Master, according to what I know, of the eighteen hells, the first requires no explanation. Of the remaining seventeen, the magical beasts in fifteen are chaotic and frequently slaughter one another. Only in the second layer, Scissors Hell, and the fourteenth layer are the magical beasts governed by an organized power.

“To command these beasts, one must possess the secret arts of the ancient demon kings. Therefore, I venture to guess that either at least two of the Nine Ancient Demon Kings survived, or that some demonic cultivator encountered a fortuitous opportunity and obtained the secret arts for commanding and controlling magical beasts.”

Shadow Gale explained his conclusion with complete confidence.

After hearing his reasoning, Azure Void essentially believed him.

“The Beast Mountains contain not only countless savage and powerful magical beasts, but perhaps an ancient demon king—or someone who inherited a demon king’s legacy. It would be wiser not to go there.”

After considering the matter, Azure Void decided to abandon the journey to the Beast Mountains. The place sounded too mysterious, and his cultivation was still weak. For the sake of safety, it was better not to go.

“Kunlun, well… the meat of the magical beasts in the Netherworld probably isn’t very tasty. I’ll treat you to a grand feast after we return to the Primordial World.”

Even Azure Void could not help blushing slightly at his excuse.

“No! Big Brother Daoist promised! Going back on your word is wrong. Kunlun refuses!”

The moment Little Kunlun heard Azure Void retract his promise, she threw herself onto the ground and began flailing her arms and legs in protest.