The "Pact" from Eight Years Ago
Star Dou Great Forest, Lake of Life.
The surface of the Lake of Life was as calm as a dark mirror, with moonlight filtered through the tree canopy and scattered across its surface, shimmering gently with the slightest ripples.
Yun Ming stood by the lake, the Soul Bone in his left palm shimmering with a black luster, while in his right palm was a Soul Bone that was white with a hint of gold.
These two Soul Bone are the left and right leg bones, and their quality completely surpasses that of Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.
However, the expression on his face was completely disproportionate to the quality of these two Soul Bone.
He looked down at the Soul Bone in his palm, a very shallow crease between his brows, as if he had something to say but didn't know where to begin.
Across the lake, Di Tian stood with his hands behind his back on the roots of a giant tree. His dark golden vertical pupils shone like two silent lamps in the night, and the lake breeze gently lifted a corner of his dark robe.
"Di Tian, isn't your condition...?"
Yun Ming finally spoke, his voice carrying an unusual hesitation.
"Has this condition crossed your bottom line?"
Di Tian slightly raised his chin, his tone unhurried, "No. Or are you saying you don't intend to keep the agreement from eight years ago?"
Yun Ming shook his head with a wry smile, "That's not what I meant..."
"That's fine then."
Di Tian interrupted him, stepped down from the roots of the giant tree, and his footsteps landed silently on the grass by the lake.
"My conditions haven't crossed your bottom line. I only want the source of Yun Jingheng's Seventh Soul Ring to be the Hell Demon Dragon King, Zi JI."
Yun Ming tightened his grip on the Soul Bone.
He did not answer immediately.
Silence spread inch by inch across the surface of the Lake of Life, and moonlight fell between the two silent figures, pulling their shadows in different directions.
"But... why?"
The night insects chirped intermittently in the grass by the lake, making the silence seem even more profound.
Seeing the change in Yun Ming's expression, Di Tian added, "This wasn't just my decision. It was discussed throughout the Star Dou Great Forest."
Yun Ming looked up at him.
"Zi JI is Ferocious Beast that is over 200,000 years old. Its intelligence, cultivation, and combat experience are far superior to those of ordinary Soul Beast."
"Her willingness to form Soul Spirit Contract with Yun Jingheng is obviously beneficial to that kid."
As Di Tian spoke, his gaze shifted from Yun Ming's face to the shards of silver moonlight on the lake's surface. "You should know my sensitivity to Godhood. Do you think I wouldn't sense the Yue Shen's aura?"
"The Soul Spirit shares life, spiritual power, and growth with its host. By following him, Zi JI is essentially boarding a train heading towards the Divine Realm."
"Several Ferocious Beast from the Star Dou Great Forest voted in favor of this matter; it wasn't a decision made on a whim."
"He received an investment from my Soul Beast Clan eight years ago, so he has to pay back."
Yun Ming remained silent for a long time after hearing these words.
He looked down at the two Soul Bone in his palm. The light reflected on his fingers, making his knuckles look as if they were immersed in a thin layer of liquid light.
"Did Zi JI do it willingly?" he asked.
"Of course I'd like to."
"What about these two Soul Bone? What are the conditions?" Yun Ming raised his hands.
"These are clearly not ordinary Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone."
Di Tian replied calmly, "I haven't thought of the conditions yet, we'll talk about it later. I'm not afraid you'll go back on your word. The moment you accepted the Soul Bone, Blood Pact was formed on your body. You should have been able to feel it."
Yun Ming's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.
He looked down at his hands. The black leg bone in his left palm had a dark, dull sheen, while the white leg bone in his right palm shone with a warm glow in the moonlight.
He clearly remembered the heavy weight he felt when he received the two Soul Bone, but at the time, all his attention was focused on Di Tian's conditions, and he didn't think about whether the two Soul Bone themselves had been tampered with.
Now he closed his eyes and channeled his Divine Power along his meridians into his palm.
Sure enough, in the very fine spiritual energy line in the center of his palm, there was a dark red mark thinner than a hair, like a drop of dried blood merging into the path of his Soul Power flow. It was impossible to detect unless one looked for it deliberately.
(A plant)! What kind of yin energy is this?! Are you human?!
No, he's Soul Beast!
Yun Ming opened his eyes, and there was something unreadable in his gaze as he looked at Di Tian.
He was silent for a moment, then spoke, his tone neither warm nor cold. "... Blood Pact? Di Tian, are you afraid I'll renege on my promise?"
Di Tian stood by the lake, moonlight reflecting in his dark golden vertical pupils, his expression as calm as if he were remarking on the pleasant weather. "Whether you're going to renege on your debt or not, I know perfectly well. But the origin of this Soul Bone is special, so I need to keep some proof, lest someone ask later and say that you, Yun Ming, took something from me for free."
"Certificate?"
Yun Ming raised the white-golden leg bone in his right hand, turned it over in the moonlight, and said, "You inscribed the Blood Pact on the Soul Bone and let me take it. If I accept it, it means I've acknowledged this debt, is that what you mean?"
"Clever."
Yun Ming looked at Di Tian's unmoved face, remained silent for a few moments, and then suddenly smiled.
The smile was brief, but it genuinely lingered on his lips for a fleeting moment. "... You're still the same as eight years ago, always keeping things to yourself. You knew my son had Godhood because of that fox, right?"
Di Tian stood with his hands behind his back, a faint smile playing on his lips, "Likewise."
"Didn't you also hold back eight years ago? That day you could have left unscathed, but you deliberately injured yourself so no one would suspect we had a deal."
Yun Ming didn't reply.
He stored the two Soul Bone into his Storage Soul Tool, adjusted his sleeves, and then looked up at Di Tian, his expression returning to its calm, unreadable state. "Fine. I accept it. I won't interfere with Zi JI's matter."
"But—the final decision rests with Jing Heng himself."
"You need to let him talk to Zi JI himself. Don't let Zi JI go to him with the premise that 'this is what your father Di Tian agreed on.' Don't let adults' decisions interfere with the child's affairs."
Di Tian nodded slightly. "Of course. Although Zi JI is my subordinate, it's her own choice who she contracts with. I'm just offering her a way out; whether she takes it or not is up to her."
"That's all."
Yun Ming brushed the grass clippings off his sleeve, turned and took two steps toward the forest path, then stopped and said without turning back, "By the way, what year and what attribute are these two Soul Bone? You have to let me know what I brought back for my son."
Di Tian stood by the lake, his dark golden vertical pupils narrowing slightly in the night. "The Dark Dragon King Left Leg Bone, the Light Dragon King Right Leg Bone, Yin attribute, Light attribute, both are what the moon needs."
After listening, Yun Ming remained silent for a moment, then repeated in a low voice, "Dragon King... Di Tian, you really have the heart to do this."
"Willing to give up."
Di Tian said, "Anyway, it'll just gather dust here."
Yun Ming did not reply.
His figure walked into the depths of the shadows cast by the trees where the moonlight couldn't reach, and was quickly swallowed up by the night.
The wind blew again by the lake, rustling the treetops. Di Tian stood there watching him disappear into the forest, then turned and walked back to the roots of the giant tree in the center of the lake, sat down again, and closed his eyes to meditate.
The moonlight fell on his shoulders, like a thin layer of silver frost.
The Lake of Life has regained its ancient tranquility.