The Thousand-Year Pact

Two months later. Inside the Heavenly Scar. A dozen-odd figures sped past. These individuals possessed exquisite escape techniques, paying no heed to the restrictions throughout the Heavenly Scar. Sensing the fearsome pressure radiating from them, the native beasts of the Heavenly Scar were seized with terror, cowering and shivering within their dens. Anyone who caught sight of these figures would surely have been astonished, for every single one was a renowned powerhouse of the Beichen Realm. Daoist Canghong of Sin Abyss. Daoist Zhenyi, leader of the Celestial Alliance. Demon Monarch Tongyou, Qin Sang, and others from the Xiaohan Realm. The Feather King, the foremost expert of the demon race. The cultivator surnamed Lu from the desert. ... The destination of their journey was the Abyss Ruins. Experts from the various regions traveled together, with none of the previous hostility or tension remaining. As news of Old Man Tianzheng's demise spread, the morale of Sin Abyss plummeted even further. After several rounds of negotiations, they yielded to the harsh conditions imposed by the Two Domains Alliance. A month ago, the Xiaohan Realm, the Celestial Alliance, and Sin Abyss took an oath before Yucheng and forged a thousand-year pact, marking the official end of the war that had raged for nearly two centuries. Factions from Tianyao Mound and the desert also came to observe the ceremony. The Beichen Realm had finally welcomed a hard-won peace! People yearned for stability. The two hundred years of war had engulfed almost the entire Beichen Realm. The moment the stone monument inscribed with the covenant was completed, everyone could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. Yet no one dared to slacken their vigilance. Old Demon Ye had slaughtered Nascent Soul cultivators and fled into the Sin God Palace, making him the common enemy of all factions. This was precisely why they were traveling together into Sin Abyss. The Sin God Palace and Ziwei Palace held far too many secrets, and Old Demon Ye harbored grand ambitions. After conferring, Daoist Zhenyi and the others felt that Old Demon Ye would surely be on guard against the three realms joining forces, so they might not be able to eliminate him alone. For the sake of prudence, they decided to invite the cultivators from Tianyao Mound and the desert to enter the Sin God Palace together next time and corner Old Demon Ye! Everyone knew full well that no single person was a match for Old Demon Ye, and no one could keep everything for themselves. Regardless of how monumental the secrets were, if they failed to kill him, none of it mattered. When the time came, all sides would share the secrets, and what each could achieve would depend on their own abilities. There was another reason why it was difficult to leave them out. An ancient covenant concerning Ziwei Palace existed between the Xiaohan Realm and Tianyao Mound. Entering through the immortal gate of the Sin God Palace this time went against custom, so Tianyao Mound naturally had to be given an explanation. Throughout the great war, Tianyao Mound had steadily dispatched demon soldiers to assist. They could hardly turn around and sever ties the moment the situation improved. Furthermore, when Sin Abyss had previously held peace talks with the desert forces, they had already promised to open the Abyss Ruins and the Sin God Palace to them, which made it easy for the desert factions to agree. Because of Old Demon Ye, the entire Beichen Realm had united as never before. Qin Sang naturally advocated for cooperation as well. He had no wish to see a Demon Monarch rise in the Beichen Realm. In the Canglang Ocean, Deity Transformation cultivators had made arrangements beforehand, yet only after countless top experts fell or suffered grave injuries was the Demon Monarch barely sealed. The Xiaohan Realm lacked the capability to seal a Demon Monarch. They had to stop Old Demon Ye before he took action. Just in case, Qin Sang had instructed Fat Chick and the others to continue searching the open sea for a suitable cave dwelling. He also postponed the date for founding Qingyang Temple once again. He would make further plans after coming out of Ziwei Palace next time. Even so, the share of spoils Qin Sang had received was more than enough to support the development of an entire sect. This time, with all their cards exposed, Sin Abyss had been forced to yield ground repeatedly before the aggressive Two Domains Alliance, paying an enormous price that amounted to an agonizing bloodletting. Sin Abyss surrendered the assets belonging to Old Demon Ye and the deceased Nascent Soul cultivators to compensate the Two Domains Alliance for their previous losses, but the appetites of Nascent Soul cultivators were not easily sated. Qu Huan, for instance, had long set his sights on the Xingheng Sect's treasure, the Yellow Luo Vine. Daoist Canghong and his peers had no choice but to part with their treasured rarities with heavy hearts. Even if they had avoided fatal wounds, they had been pushed near their breaking point, and they would have to tighten their belts for some time. They could only hope that the spoils gained from eliminating Old Demon Ye would offset their losses. Qin Sang's battle achievements stood out even among the top experts, earning him the right to select spoils. These treasures were all exceptionally rare and dazzling to behold, featuring magic treasures with extraordinary powers, ancient treasures handed down from antiquity, and all manner of precious spirit items and spirit medicines. Qin Sang found it hard to part with any of them. After weighing his options for a long time, he decided to stick to his original plan, moving his gaze away from the ancient treasures to focus on the raw spirit materials. In the end, he selected rare spirit materials such as the chuyan jade tablet and winged fire liquid. Without exception, they were all fire-attribute spirit items. For them to be treasured by Nascent Soul cultivators spoke volumes about their value. They were normally exceedingly hard to come by. Those old fellows would never have parted with them under normal circumstances. Qin Sang intended to refine a magic treasure capable of collecting the Nanming Primordial Fire, and he had been lacking precious materials. Obtaining so many this time was a pleasant surprise, leaving him feeling that his efforts had not been in vain. Later, he would pay a visit to the Xuling Sect to hone his skills in artifact refinement, after which he could begin the crafting process. "What is on Fellow Daoist Qin's mind?" Jolted from his thoughts, Qin Sang turned to see the cultivator surnamed Lu. He now knew this man was named Lu Boyuan. After the battle in the Abyss Ruins, Lu Boyuan had been gravely wounded, and the Cold Lizard had detonated its own physical body. Qin Sang had not seen him since. "Fellow Daoist Lu." Qin Sang shook his head slightly. "Nothing much. I was merely thinking about Old Demon Ye. When Ziwei Palace emerges next time, it would be best not to let low-level cultivators take part." If another ancient demon were unleashed, cultivators below the Nascent Soul realm would be of no help whatsoever—they would only be blood food delivered right to its doorstep. "Indeed!" "That makes sense. Fellow Daoist Qin is quite thoughtful." ... Hearing Qin Sang's suggestion, the others nodded in agreement, settling the matter in a few brief words. "I haven't had the chance to ask before, but how is Fellow Daoist Cold Lizard recovering?" Qin Sang slowed his pace to fly alongside Lu Boyuan. Lu Boyuan let out a soft sigh, a bitter smile gracing his lips. "Fellow Daoist Cold Lizard's injuries were severe, making recovery exceedingly difficult. I could only seek an alternative path..." Before he finished speaking, his sleeve stirred, and a palm-sized blue ice lizard crawled out. Tilting its head up at Qin Sang, it spoke in human words, "Fellow Daoist Qin, it has been years since we last met. When I finally heard news of you again, you had transformed into a human Nascent Soul cultivator, leaving Fellow Daoist Lu and me stunned for quite a while." Qin Sang was somewhat surprised. The ice lizard's aura was faint and concealed; he could not tell how much of its strength the Cold Lizard had recovered. It appeared to have seized the body of another ice lizard. Hearing the Cold Lizard's good-natured teasing, Qin Sang cast a glance at two figures flying along the outer perimeter—the Feather King and the Snake King. The war between the three realms had subsided so quickly, and because of Old Demon Ye, the humans of the Beichen Realm had formed an unprecedented alliance. This was something the Feather King had never anticipated. To Tianyao Mound, internal unity among humans was hardly good news, yet they had no way to stop it. Back then, Qin Sang had disguised himself as a demon king and swaggered into Myriad Demon City to attend the Demon King Council. When the demon kings learned Qin Sang's true identity, they had been utterly shocked and infuriated. Every time the Feather King saw Qin Sang, his expression was sour. Even the Snake King, who shared life-and-death bonds with Qin Sang, was currently very distant. Fortunately, Jingyu acted as a mediator to smooth things over, or the lineage of the Thousand Mountains Bamboo Sea might not have been able to maintain a foothold in Tianyao Mound. As long as Jingyu successfully transcended the heavenly tribulation, Qin Sang believed the rift would slowly heal with time.