The Pact and the Recasting

Yun Jingheng lowered his gaze as he looked up at the ceiling.

He stared at the blueprint that Di Tian had torn to the ground with his dark elemental powers, and at the... pleading look in Di Tian's golden eyes?

This was undoubtedly a difficult question, and Yun Jingheng remained silent for a long time.

The only sound in the room was the lapping of waves against the ship's hull outside the porthole, one beat after another, like some kind of ancient timer.

He could feel Gu Yuena's gaze on his profile. She didn't speak, nor did she exert any pressure; she simply stood there, her silver hair spread across the pillow, her purple eyes quietly watching him.

He stood up, slipped on his slippers, walked to the bedside, and watched the waves crashing against the boat.

If he agrees, Dad won't need to worry about his Soul Ring anymore.

But the question is, what happens after you agree?

A Ferocious Beast Soul Spirit, with four Soul Ring comparable to the power of the Moon Negative.

This means that her power will be deeply rooted in his soul, and that every breakthrough, every battle, and every use of his Martial Soul's power will be accompanied by the aura of Soul Beast boiling within his bones and blood.

No, I won't agree.

It's easy to refuse, but then he'll lose his Soul Ring.

It's not that there aren't other Soul Ring, but rather that there aren't any Soul Ring that can rival the power of the Moon Negative.

"You must be more aware of the relationship between the powers of the Moon's Positive and Reverse aspects. They are inseparable. You already have four spirit rings for the Power of the Moon's Positive aspect, but your fifth spirit ring is one positive and one negative. Therefore, your Power of the Moon's Reverse aspect must also occupy four spirit rings."

"Otherwise, you will become the next Zhao Yunhong."

Zi JI's voice came through, her tone resolute.

"In the entire Douluo Continent today, I am the most suitable person for you, followed by Di Tian. The Sea Soul Beast will taint your Yin attribute."

Yun Jingheng did not turn around.

Zi JI's voice flowed from behind like water, calm and unhurried, even carrying a strange patience.

It's like coaxing a stubborn child to take medicine; it's bitter, but the child has no choice but to take it.

Yun Jingheng: "..."

Xiao Jiu's voice followed closely behind, originating from the Sea of Spirit, but carrying a hint of... worry?

"Yes, the Hell Demon Dragon King is right."

"You know this too. Once your Martial Soul is corrupted, the moon... will fall ill."

Yes, that's true.

The moon on the Douluo Continent is something different from what he knew in his previous life.

It reflects more than just sunlight.

It reflects the very essence of the holder of the Moon's authority.

In other words, the moon in the sky is a mirror.

On this side of the mirror is him.

It is his Martial Soul.

If he is corrupted by other attributes before he fully matures, then the power on the moon will be corrupted.

It cannot distinguish between good and bad; it only faithfully magnifies and refracts.

As a result, the polluted moonlight will bathe the entire continent.

Creatures enjoying the moonlight— Soul Beast, plants, and even humans under the moon—will be unknowingly transformed.

Slow, irreversible mutation.

The frequency of the moonlight has changed.

The fundamental code of life will be rewritten.

He will not be affected by any mutations, but he is the first to mutate.

He will live on, until the moon in the sky gradually dims, turns red, and turns purple, until the animals on the continent grow scales and eyes that they shouldn't have.

They lived until children cried under the moonlight, pregnant women gave birth to deformed fetuses, and people turned into bloodthirsty monsters overnight.

Yun Jingheng didn't turn around. "How did you know?"

Gu Yuena, who had been silent all along, spoke up, "Because of the dragon race's heritage."

"In the memories I've received, the First Generation Moon God Heng'e, was the first Jade Rabbit in the world, and Heng'e was once a friend of the ancestor of the Hell Demon Dragon — the Li Huang Demon Dragon."

"Friends naturally know some things about each other."

Yun Jingheng finally turned around.

"Okay. I promise you."

Gu Yuena did not react, but simply lowered her head slightly.

Zi JI remained silent.

She stood two steps away, her deep purple eyes fixed on Yun Jingheng, as if trying to confirm that she hadn't misheard.

Her lips moved slightly, then closed again.

"Once we've finished what we needed to do in the Star Luo Empire, I'll become your Soul Spirit."

Yun Jingheng gently shook his head, "Let's talk about it when I reach level 60. My leveling up is getting slower and slower."

Zi JI didn't ask any further questions, but simply nodded slightly.

Di Tian breathed a sigh of relief and took out two boxes stacked together.

"My Lord, these are the things you requested."

Gu Yuena did not answer immediately.

She leaned against the headboard, her silver hair cascading over her shoulders, her purple eyes fixed on the two stacked boxes in Di Tian's hand, her gaze as calm as a still lake.

"Put it on the table," she said.

The sound was not loud, even somewhat soft, but rather a more essential, ethereal coolness that emanated from its very core.

Di Tian bowed slightly, holding the box as he walked to the table.

He gently placed the two boxes on the table.

The box on top is made of dark brown wood, with no patterns on the surface, only fine cracks left by time.

The box below was smaller, entirely black, and its material was not visible. However, Yun Jingheng noticed that when Di Tian it, his fingers did not touch the surface of the box directly, but rather through a layer of barely visible dark elements.

"My Lord." Di Tian took two steps back and stood up straight again.

Gu Yuena's gaze shifted from the two boxes to Di Tian's face, pausing for a moment.

"You should leave now," she said.

A very subtle hesitation flashed in his golden eyes as his gaze moved from Gu Yuena to Yun Jingheng Yun Jingheng, and then back again.

Like an old wolf protecting its cubs, it knows it shouldn't leave them behind, yet instinctively refuses to entrust its young to anyone it doesn't fully trust.

"Yes..."

Di Tian and Zi JI simply disappeared from the room.

The room suddenly became empty.

Yun Jingheng looked at Gu Yuena, but she turned her head away the moment their eyes met.

He didn't say anything, but walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed.

The mattress sank slightly, and Gu Yuena's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

Are you angry?

Gu Yuena did not answer.

The sound of the waves outside the window surged up and then receded.

Moonlight streamed through the porthole and fell on her loose silver hair, making the strands appear to glow on their own.

"You know I won't be happy about this."

She finally spoke, her voice very soft, as if afraid of disturbing something.

"I know," Yun Jingheng said.

He didn't move closer; he simply sat on the edge of the bed, his hands on his knees, looking at the real moon through the porthole.

"But do you know I have other options?"

Gu Yuena remained silent.

Her silence itself is the answer.

"I..."

"Let's not talk about that, let's talk about something else," Gu Yue interrupted him.

"Say what?"

Why do you say your leveling up is getting slower and slower?

Yun Jingheng turned his gaze from the porthole to his outstretched palm.

"My body was reshaped by the Plane Master using time after Zhao Yunhong's fall. Strictly speaking, I cannot be considered Innate Spirit."

"Before my Martial Soul was complete, the Moonlight absorbed at night was always used by my Martial Soul to try to repair its authority. The same goes for my Soul Power; it was consumed very quickly. After using a few Soul Skill, there wasn't much left."

"Now that my authority is complete, the Moonlight and Soul Power are nourishing my physical body, trying to remove the impurities that shouldn't belong to my Innate Spirit."

Gu Yuena frowned her beautiful brows. "Impurities? Didn't you eat the Extreme Path Nirvana Fruit before?"

Yun Jingheng raised an eyebrow and smiled, "So it really was you who arranged this."

"Don't interrupt."

"Oh, um... the Extreme Path Nirvana Fruit changes my physical constitution and meridians."

Yun Jingheng turned his hand over, the lines on his palm clearly visible in the moonlight like a map. "But it can't change my 'original imprint'."

"The original mark?" Gu Yuena's brows furrowed.

"When the Plane Master reshaped me, he used the 'traces of existence' that had dissipated after Zhao Yunhong's fall."

"It's like... a piece of porcelain that's broken. He picks up the pieces and glues them back together. The glaze looks intact, but the body will always have cracks."

Yun Jingheng's voice was calm, as if he were talking about something unrelated to himself, "Those cracks are impurities. They are not in the bones, not in the veins, but in the deepest part of who I am."

Gu Yuena's purple eyes trembled slightly.

She understood.

"So Moonlight isn't helping you cultivate right now," she said slowly.

"Is it helping you... rebuild?"

"Almost."

Yun Jingheng withdrew his hand, his thumb unconsciously rubbing against the base of his thumb. "Every ray of Moonlight seeping into my Soul Power is like an extremely fine embroidery needle, threaded through my body."

"Sew up those cracks one by one, and push out the impurities that shouldn't be there, little by little."

Does it hurt?

Yun Jingheng was taken aback.

He turned his head and found that Gu Yuena had turned to the side at some point and was looking at him.

The moonlight fell into her purple eyes, revealing a certain emotion hidden deep within, encased in a cold exterior.

"Actually, I don't feel anything. The only downside is that my Soul Power is thin, so my cultivation speed is slow."

"And it gets slower as it goes on, because while the Moonlight is repairing my body, it's also strengthening it. They need to ensure that my physical strength is sufficient when I exercise my powers..."

Gu Yuena chimed in, "Reached godhood?"

That's probably what it means.