"Where is this? The underworld?"
Wu Sheng felt as though he had opened his eyes wide, but all around him was still pure darkness—a pitch-black void.
If he remembered correctly, he'd just been carrying out an assassination. He'd completed the mission, but somehow his escape route had been blocked. In the end, those furious bodyguards had killed him.
"You're awake!" A grand, imposing voice rang out.
"Who's there?" Wu Sheng warily looked around, but couldn't see anyone speaking to him.
"I am the Primordial Universe Will. This is my Origin Land!"
The grand, imposing voice seemed to come straight from Wu Sheng's mind. Combined with the words themselves, it left him utterly stunned.
The Primordial Universe? The Primordial Will? The Origin Land?
Wasn't this the novel he'd been reading to kill time while waiting for his target to appear? Could such a strange world really exist?
"With the Supreme Rule's permission, I summoned you here to help me overcome an impending calamity. If you help me through it, I will fulfill one request of yours in accordance with the Supreme Rule's agreement."
Wu Sheng was dumbfounded. A calamity threatening the Primordial Universe? Could it be the ten billion World Beasts?
That was it!
World Beasts represented absolute destruction. To survive, the Primordial Universe would probably use every means at its disposal to resist them.
But this was a dirty trick. It had actually summoned him here. Was this its way of helping him transmigrate?
He had no idea whether this Primordial Universe was the same one he'd read about before.
"For the sake of fairness, the Supreme Rule will give you three reincarnation options. Once you decide which one to choose, you can be reborn here."
As soon as the grand, imposing voice finished speaking, three sheets of golden paper descended from above.
Wu Sheng saw the three golden sheets and focused his mind. The contents of all three agreements flowed straight into his thoughts.
"Agreement 1: You may choose one of the following extraordinary Special Lifeforms as your reincarnation host, such as the Nether Sea, World Tree, Divine Craftsman Mountain, Frost Whale, Tongling Mountain... Their normal divine bodies are at least a million kilometers in size, and their Life Genes are no lower than five thousand times. In addition, you may choose against-the-heavens treasures such as Supreme Treasures, and receive a fifty percent discount at the Time-Space Shop.
"However, you must obey the Primordial Universe's orders three times, since all these things are gifts from the Primordial Universe. You also may not kill any of the other candidates selected by the Primordial Universe."
After reading the first agreement, Wu Sheng was thrilled.
These Special Lifeforms were all top-tier existences. As long as he didn't do anything too reckless, he'd reach at least Universe Master level eventually. With a Supreme Treasure protecting him, he could survive with ease even in the Universe Ocean.
But when he saw that he would have to obey the Primordial Universe's orders three times, he hesitated.
Under the Supreme Rule's witness, signing this agreement meant he'd have to obey all three orders.
If the Primordial Universe ordered him to kill a powerful opponent while he was still weak, he might not survive long enough to see the ending.
Just like in his previous life: he'd been promised freedom after completing one last mission, but in the end...
And there were three orders like that!
As for the last clause, the one saying he couldn't kill "any of the other candidates selected by the Primordial Universe"... Did that mean the Primordial Universe was selecting many candidates to face the calamity, and he was just one of them?
He turned to the second agreement:
"Agreement 2: You may choose a relatively ordinary Special Lifeform as your reincarnation host, such as Chasing Worm, Snow Vine, Silver Eyes, Dou Kou... or a peak bloodline like Star Beasts or the Zerg Mother Empress. Their normal divine bodies are generally no larger than ninety thousand kilometers (Note: Snow Vine and similar beings are not included in this range). Their Life Genes reach a maximum of nearly five thousand times. You will receive no Supreme Treasures, and you may only buy things at full price from the Time-Space Shop.
"You need only obey the Primordial Universe's orders once. You also may not kill any elite candidates selected by the Primordial Universe."
After reading the second agreement, Wu Sheng began to understand. Clearly, the three agreements offered different degrees of freedom in exchange for different benefits.
Signing the second agreement would give him considerably more freedom than the first.
But that was too harsh! The second agreement didn't even offer an ordinary Supreme Treasure?
Wu Sheng then turned to the third agreement:
"Agreement 3: You will receive nothing at the start and can only be reincarnated as a weak lifeform, but you may kill any powerhouse at will. You need only step in to protect the Primordial Universe when it is in the greatest danger. You will likewise have no access to the Time-Space Shop."
After carefully reading all three agreements, Wu Sheng remained unsettled for a long time.
The first agreement clearly offered the greatest benefits, but also the most restrictions. The other two gave progressively less.
The third, in particular, had virtually no restrictions, but he wouldn't get any benefits either. If he chose it and was reincarnated, some unknown enemy might kill him before long.
"Which one do you choose?" the grand, imposing voice asked.
"What is the Time-Space Shop?"
This was Wu Sheng's biggest question. Clearly, the three agreements imposed different restrictions on this so-called Time-Space Shop.
"It is merely a platform that provides you with other benefits. It contains all kinds of secret arts, Innate Secret Arts, techniques, and treasures of various kinds, such as Supreme Treasures," the Primordial Will explained. "But you'll need contribution points to exchange for them. I should warn you that getting anything from the Time-Space Shop will be very difficult for you."
The Primordial Universe Will's answer stunned Wu Sheng once again.
The Time-Space Shop!
A cheat!
And the Primordial Universe was giving it to him willingly!
But it seemed as though the Primordial Universe Will was warning him that he'd be better off choosing the first agreement.
After all, the first agreement let him shop at half price!
"Which one do you choose?" the Primordial Will asked again.
"I choose... the second agreement!"
Wu Sheng pondered for a moment, then answered without hesitation.
A chance to be reincarnated was certainly a good thing, but he'd had enough of being coerced.
No matter how sweetly the Primordial Will put it, the more benefits he accepted, the more restrictions he'd face. The third agreement offered plenty of freedom, but the starting point was far too low.
Without a decent start, wouldn't he just be a nobody at the mercy of others?
He might accidentally get captured by some slave owner and become one of countless slaves.
That wasn't what he wanted. He'd finally arrived in this strange world. Was he really going to start out as a slave and risk his life fighting for someone else?
"All right. You may open the second agreement and choose one of the many hosts for your reincarnation."
There was a hint of disappointment in the Primordial Will's words, but it still handed Wu Sheng the choice, as required by the Supreme Rule.
"Snow Vine: a plant lifeform with a soul and Life Genes around one thousand times. Its normal Original Body divine body is over a million kilometers in size. Its Innate Secret Art is 'Transplant.'"
"Golden-Horned Giant Beast: one of the twelve peak bloodlines of the Star Beasts. It has a soul and Life Genes ten times over. Its normal Original Body divine body is over a thousand kilometers in size. Its Innate Secret Arts are 'Enhancement,' 'Devour,' and 'Clone.'"
"Chasing Worm: a flesh-and-blood lifeform with a soul and Life Genes around five thousand times. Its normal divine body is over sixty thousand kilometers in size. Its Innate Secret Arts are 'Soul Freeze' and 'Space Expulsion.'"
Wu Sheng carefully studied the many hosts listed in the agreement. Some were Special Lifeforms, while others had peak bloodlines nearly as impressive as those of Special Lifeforms.
"Plant lifeform? No way. I'd become a plant! Even if I ruled the Primordial Universe, people would laugh at me!"
"Golden-Horned Giant Beast? It has four divine bodies, which is nice, but someone else has already chosen it. If I picked it too, the Golden Horned Beast Clan would have it pretty rough. Cross it off!"
"Rock lifeform? They're so dumb. I was at least human in my previous life. If I became a rock lifeform, I'd look terrifying even when I smiled. Cross it off!"
Wu Sheng sifted through the options, growing more dissatisfied as he went. Was it really so hard to find one that was good-looking and powerful?
"Hmm, this one... looks pretty good! Humanoid, and it can evolve too. I'll pick it!"
Wu Sheng opened the introduction to the Special Lifeform and was quite pleased with what he saw. At last, he shouted into the endless darkness before him.
"All right. Your host has been selected. You will be reborn here in the Origin Land."
The grand, imposing voice rang out, sounding somewhat wistful.
"What exactly do you mean by the other candidates you selected?"
Wu Sheng saw the three golden sheets vanish in an instant. The surroundings turned pitch-black again, and he felt the darkness slowly pushing him out. He couldn't help asking one last question.
"They are the other hosts I selected to help me overcome the calamity. If you encounter them, you must not kill them.
"Also, once you leave, you must not reveal what happened here. Of course, under the Supreme Rule's influence, you wouldn't be able to reveal it even if you wanted to..."
As Wu Sheng listened to the Primordial Will, he felt his consciousness grow heavier and heavier. Finally, he lost consciousness.
He knew he was about to be reincarnated into that strange world.