Equal Contract, Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff's Sacrifice!

Snuffling sounds came from its twitching nose as it seemed to be exerting all its strength.

But it did not even open its eyes. It was clearly only recently born, and even its teeth had not fully developed.

Aside from covering Yang Jian's hand in glistening saliva, it did not even break the skin.

"It wants its cub to form a Master-Servant Contract with you."

Yang Wudi's aged yet steady voice sounded beside Yang Jian's ear.

"From then on, your lives will be bound together. When you suffer a fatal injury, you may choose to transfer the wounds to the spirit pet bound to you by a Soul Contract. In other words, it is equivalent to gaining an extra life."

Yang Jian fell silent for a moment, then looked up at Yang Wudi.

"Can humans and Soul Beasts only form Master-Servant Contracts?"

Yang Wudi was slightly taken aback. From the look on his face, he clearly had not expected Yang Jian to ask such a question.

After a brief silence, he slowly spoke.

"Not necessarily. There is also an Equal Contract, but I do not know what effect it has once formed."

"Why?"

Yang Jian asked again. His voice was calm, but a certain light clearly flickered within those dark eyes.

Yang Wudi looked at him, a trace of complexity flashing through his eyes.

"Because there are too few records."

He spoke in a deep voice.

"Among the records once stored in the Clear Sky Sect, there have only been five cases over ten thousand years concerning contracts formed between humans and Soul Beasts. Without exception, every one of them was a Master-Servant Contract."

He paused before adding,

"Apart from its name and the method of forming it, there are no records whatsoever concerning an Equal Contract. Even I do not know whether such a contract truly exists."

Yang Jian fell silent.

He lowered his head and looked at the little thing before him, which was still snuffling away.

It seemed tired from biting. Its open mouth released heavy pants as its tiny body rose and fell.

The Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff watched it from not far away. Beyond the attachment in its somewhat dim eyes was a measure of helplessness.

Yang Jian raised his head and looked at the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff.

Meeting Yang Jian's gaze, the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff's eyes revealed not only a humanlike plea, but also a faint unease.

It was begging Yang Jian to form a contract with its cub.

But as a Soul Beast, it also understood what it meant to entrust its child to a human.

Yet it had no choice.

Because it was about to die.

And its child had only been born a few days ago. It had not even opened its eyes. Without its parents' protection, it would not survive three days in the perilous Star Dou Great Forest.

So it could only gamble—gamble that this human who had been willing to use Soul Power to prolong its life possessed a kind heart.

Man and beast stared at one another. After a long while, Yang Jian spoke.

"Grandfather, do you know how to form an Equal Contract?"

Yang Wudi's brows rose slightly.

"You want to form an Equal Contract?"

"Yes."

Yang Jian did not explain why. He merely looked at his grandfather and silently waited for an answer.

Yang Wudi stared into his grandson's pitch-black yet exceptionally resolute eyes.

That scene from earlier surfaced in his mind once more.

This child, only six years old, had known there was no hope, yet he had still spared no effort in prolonging the life of this dying Soul Beast, simply so that mother and child could properly say farewell.

A heart fierce as a tiger, yet gentle enough to smell roses.

With such a temperament, his future would surely be smooth and boundless!

He suddenly smiled, with both gratification and pride in his expression.

"A Master-Servant Contract requires a Soul Beast to swallow a drop of a Soul Master's blood, using the soul as the covenant to form the contract."

Yang Wudi spoke slowly.

"An Equal Contract requires both parties to merge a drop of the other's blood, using their souls as the link to build a bridge between souls."

Yang Jian nodded.

Then he pulled out the finger that Little Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff had bitten for so long without leaving a mark, circulating Soul Power toward his fingertip.

Within a breath, a drop of crimson blood seeped from his fingertip, gleaming crystal-clear beneath the moonlight.

He crouched down, gently pressing Little Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff's head with his other hand.

The little thing let out a dissatisfied snuffle when its head was held down, but it did not struggle.

Yang Jian lightly drew his finger across its brow.

A tiny wound appeared, about a centimeter long, and bright red blood seeped from it.

Stung by the slight pain, Little Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff let out a weak whimper.

But it did not break free. It merely shrank its neck and nudged its head deeper into Yang Jian's palm.

Without the slightest hesitation, Yang Jian pressed the fingertip stained with his blood against the wound on Little Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff's brow.

At that instant, Yang Jian felt the entire world fall silent.

He could not hear anything. He could only sense an invisible thread connecting him to the tiny life before him.

It was a wonderful feeling.

Even with his eyes closed, he could clearly sense its existence.

"Yip!"

Little Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff let out a clear cry.

Its eyes, which had remained tightly shut all this time, slowly opened at that very moment.

They were a pair of golden eyes.

Pure and clear, like two pools of melted sunlight.

Deep within those eyes was the reflection of Yang Jian's face.

It looked at Yang Jian for a very, very long time.

Then—

"Yip, yip!"

Its tail began wagging wildly. The fluffy tuft almost spun into a propeller.

All four short little legs kicked at once as it desperately burrowed toward Yang Jian, crying out joyfully.

That sound was full of closeness and delight.

Yang Jian reached out and picked it up. The little thing immediately buried its head in his arms, rubbed against him hard, then let out a contented snuffle.

"Roar~"

A low roar came from behind Yang Jian.

It was the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff's voice, weaker than before but carrying a trace of gentleness.

Hearing its mother's voice, Little Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff poked its head out from Yang Jian's arms.

It looked in its mother's direction and gave a childish response.

But in the next instant, its eyes changed.

Those golden eyes, originally as pure as sunlight, were instantly covered by a layer of blood-red.

The soft fur around its neck showed faint signs of standing on end.

It saw the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff's wounds and smelled the nearly tangible stench of blood.

Only its mother's aura was now so weak that it was almost impossible to sense.

Overwhelming fury surged from its tiny body, and faint golden light seemed to emerge from its fur.

"Roar~"

The Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff let out another low roar.

The sound was soft and gentle, yet it carried an unquestionable majesty.

As Little Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff listened, the blood-red color in its eyes gradually faded.

It whimpered in response to its mother, sounding like a child's crying.

"It is almost done for."

Yang Wudi's voice rang out, low and complicated.

He could sense that less than one-tenth of the Soul Power he had poured into the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff remained.

That Soul Power was like water flowing into a desert, dissipating at an astonishing rate.

The Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff's body could no longer hold on...