The voice was low, as if it came from deep underground:
"Why... help a human?"
Yinxing didn't answer.
The Void Shadow Beast looked at Bai Lan.
"Humans... weak... greedy..."
"Become my servant... and I'll spare your life..."
Bai Lan was taken aback.
Then he laughed.
"Your servant?"
He shook his head, a mocking smile on his face.
"What the fuck are you?"
The Void Shadow Beast's gaze changed.
For the first time, those dark purple eyes showed emotion.
Anger.
"You're asking for it—"
It opened its mouth, and a mass of pitch-black energy gathered inside.
Shadow Cannon!
The next moment, a massive black beam shot toward Bai Lan!
Bai Lan stood still.
Just as the beam was about to hit him—
A flash of golden light.
The massive trunk of the Tiangang Bamboo blocked its path.
Boom!
The black beam slammed into the golden trunk, exploding into a vast cloud of black mist!
The Tiangang Bamboo didn't budge.
Bai Lan stepped out from behind it and looked at the Void Shadow Beast.
"Done?"
he asked calmly.
The Void Shadow Beast was stunned.
It stared at the golden giant bamboo, a hint of wariness appearing in its eyes for the first time.
"What... is that...?"
Bai Lan didn't answer.
He simply raised his hand.
"Tiangang Arrow Formation."
Three hundred and sixty golden bamboo leaves detached from the branches at once, hovering in midair.
Each one radiated brilliant golden light.
Each one was aimed at the Void Shadow Beast.
The Void Shadow Beast's pupils contracted.
It tried to dodge—
But the next moment, Yinxing appeared behind it.
The Void Domain unfolded at full strength!
Space twisted once more!
The Void Shadow Beast's ability to teleport was completely sealed!
"You—" it roared.
Bai Lan smiled.
"Now it's my turn."
He gently lowered his hand.
Three hundred and sixty streaks of golden light shot out at once!
A rain of arrows descended!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—
Golden light exploded in the darkness, illuminating the entire gorge!
The Void Shadow Beast's massive body was engulfed by the golden arrows, and it let out one furious howl after another!
Shadow Power surged wildly, trying to block the golden arrows!
But the Tiangang Bamboo's arrows carried Tiangang Power.
It was a natural counter to shadows!
Hiss! Hiss! Hiss—
The arrows pierced through the shadow barrier and sank into the Void Shadow Beast's body!
One arrow, two arrows, ten arrows, a hundred arrows—
Blood sprayed everywhere!
Black and golden light intertwined!
Roars shook the heavens!
After an unknown amount of time—
The Arrow Rain stopped.
Bai Lan stood where he was, panting heavily.
Three hundred and sixty golden leaves hovered beside him, their light now much dimmer.
The Tiangang Bamboo's trunk trembled slightly, clearly drained.
Yinxing hovered in midair, clutching her shoulder, her face pale.
And across from them—
The Void Shadow Beast knelt on one knee, covered in blood.
At least a hundred golden arrows were embedded in its body.
They glimmered faintly, continuously eroding its Shadow Power.
It raised its head and looked at Bai Lan.
There was no longer any indifference in its dark purple eyes.
Only—
Fear.
"What... what are you...?"
it asked hoarsely.
Bai Lan looked at it but didn't answer.
He simply walked toward it, one step at a time.
He stopped in front of it.
He looked up at the massive Ferocious Beast.
Fifty thousand years old.
Merged with the power of the Shadow Space.
Powerful.
Truly powerful.
But—
"I'm your master," he said.
The Void Shadow Beast was stunned.
Bai Lan raised his hand.
The Contract Book appeared in his palm.
Its pages turned on their own, stopping at the third page.
It was still blank.
"Submit," Bai Lan said. "Or die."
"Follow me, and you'll have limitless potential to evolve!"
"Several hundred thousand years will only be the beginning. A million years will just be a transition. Even divine beasts won't be the end!"
"Yinxing—the Void Butterfly Empress you mentioned—was only a thousand-year Soul Beast before. After becoming my Contract Beast, she evolved into a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast in a short time."
"Is that true?!"
The Void Shadow Beast's pupils contracted at his words.
It had to admit, it was tempted.
After all, even with the help of the Shadow Space, Soul Beasts gained years of cultivation slowly. And fifty thousand years was already a bottleneck.
If it really could evolve and increase its years quickly,
then becoming a Contract Beast wasn't out of the question.
It stared hard at Bai Lan.
At the Contract Book.
At those calm eyes.
It had struggled in its Shadow Space for so many years.
It had seen countless powerful beings and killed countless enemies.
But it had never seen a human like this.
Six years old.
Rank thirty.
With two Soul Beasts, a thirty-thousand-year Tiangang Bamboo, and a hundred-thousand-year Void Butterfly Empress.
And—
This strange Martial Soul in the form of a book, which could help Soul Beasts evolve and increase their years of cultivation.
It could sense a power within that book that surpassed the rules.
"It's true," Bai Lan said. "I can promise you that you won't regret it. Become my Contract Beast, and when you break through to a hundred thousand years, you'll be spared the Heavenly Tribulation. Yinxing wasn't struck by the Heavenly Tribulation, and she can also transform into a human whenever she wants, then return to her Soul Beast form with her power preserved."
"Let's fight side by side in the future."
"Let's become gods together."
The Void Shadow Beast lowered its head.
The temptation was too great.
After a long silence,
it finally said—
"Fine..."
"I... submit..."
"You won't regret your choice today."
"Don't resist."
Bai Lan smiled.
He held out the Contract Book toward the Void Shadow Beast.
"Contract."
Golden light burst forth.
It enveloped the massive Ferocious Beast.
The Void Shadow Beast's body began to turn transparent, transforming into streams of black light that flowed into the Contract Book's third page.
The light persisted for a long time.
Finally—
The golden light faded.
The Contract Book drifted back into Bai Lan's hands.
On the third page, an imprint in the shape of a black panther slowly took form.
It glowed with a dark purple light.
Bai Lan lowered his head to look.
Words appeared on the page:
[Contract Beast: Void Shadow Beast] [Years: 50,000] [Status: Contracted (weakened; recovery required)] [Abilities: Shadow Fusion, Spatial Perception, Shadow Step, Shadow Claw, Shadow Cannon, Shadow Space Erosion, Aura Devour, Shadow Clone] [Shadow Fusion: Merges with shadows, completely concealing its presence; moves without making a sound] [Spatial Perception: Sensitive to disturbances in the surrounding space; can anticipate danger] [Shadow Step: Teleports short distances between shadows at minimal cost] [Shadow Claw: Attacks carry shadow corrosion, making wounds extremely difficult to heal] [Shadow Cannon: Condenses Shadow Power into a long-range attack of tremendous force] [Shadow Space Erosion: Attacks carry the power of the Shadow Space, allowing it to pull part of an enemy's body into the Shadow Space] [Aura Devour: Devour an enemy's aura to recover your own injuries] [Shadow Clone: Create up to three Shadow Clones, each with thirty percent of your strength] [Evolution count: 0/3 (maximum reached; must reach level forty to unlock the next evolution)] [Notice: The Contract Beast is in a weakened state. It would be better to let it recover before evolving]
Fifty thousand years.
Void Shadow Beast.
Bai Lan looked at the words and let out a long breath.
He closed the Contract Book and turned to look around.
Mu En's figure slowly appeared in the darkness.
He stood a short distance away, watching Bai Lan.
There was a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.
"Is it over?"
Bai Lan nodded. "It's over."
Mu En walked over and stood beside him.
He looked at the Contract Book in Bai Lan's hand, at the faint purple mark on the third page.
Then he suddenly smiled.
"Not bad. You did very well."
"A fifty-thousand-year Void Shadow Beast, fused with the power of Shadow Space."
He looked at Bai Lan.
"Boy, do you know what you just did?"
Bai Lan thought for a moment, then said,
"Contracted a really powerful Soul Beast?"
Before you continue