The Grand Alchemy Gathering and the Heavenly Demon Contract

The Alchemy Grand Assembly and the Heavenly Demon Contract—Zhao Hao's footsteps paused, and he slowly turned back.

At the stairway, a man in a blue-green robe stood leaning on the railing. He was raising his cup toward him in greeting, a gentle smile on his face.

A man in a long blue-green robe, looking around thirty or so, stood leaning on the railing, a gentle smile on his face as he raised his cup to him from afar.

"Alchemist Wu!" The steward beside him sprang up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, instantly leaping to his feet. In three steps made into two, he rushed to the stairway, bending his waist to a full ninety degrees.

He turned his head and squeezed out a fawning smile at Zhao Hao, lowering his voice as he quickly explained, "Senior, this is the guardian specially retained by our Hundred Treasures Pavilion, a second-tier alchemist, Alchemist Wu Tang!"

A second-tier alchemist?

No expression could be seen on Zhao Hao's masked face, but alarms instantly rang in his heart.

An alchemist's divine sense far surpassed others of the same level. That instant of pressure he had released just now had still been noticed!

"Senior, Alchemist Wu invites you." The steward carefully made a gesture of invitation.

Zhao Hao swept a glance over the man's seamlessly natural aura, then thought of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion's background with a Nascent Soul pavilion master. The thought flashed through his mind.

Commerce associations like this valued reputation the most. He would see what the man had to say!

Without a word, he strode forward and followed the steward up to the second floor.

The second floor was elegant and spacious, with only one simple, ancient tea table. A faint sandalwood fragrance permeated the air.

"This one is Wu Tang. Greetings, Fellow Daoist." Wu Tang smiled and cupped his hands. "Just now, I sensed that Fellow Daoist's aura was deep and steady, certainly no ordinary person's, so I took the liberty of inviting you. I hope you will forgive me."

The steward tactfully withdrew, leaving only the two of them on the entire second floor.

"Something?" Zhao Hao spat out two words in a hoarse voice and sat down directly on the prayer mat opposite Wu Tang, not standing on ceremony at all.

Wu Tang personally poured him a cup of hot tea, and its refreshing fragrance instantly spread.

"Fellow Daoist purchased so many cultivation methods in one go, and both orthodox and demonic ones at that. I imagine it was for the younger generation of your clan?" Wu Tang spoke as if casually, yet his gaze circled over him without leaving a trace.

Zhao Hao picked up the teacup. Instead of answering, he asked, "Alchemist Wu, if you have something to say, you may as well speak plainly."

That watertight attitude made a trace of appreciation flash through Wu Tang's eyes.

He no longer beat around the bush. Setting down his teacup, his expression grew a little more solemn.

"Wu is obsessed with the Dao of alchemy. As for magical combat, I am truly nothing more than loose and ordinary."

"One month from now, in Ten Thousand Immortal City at the junction of the Extreme Yin Sect, Heavenly Sword Sect, Thousand Buddha Temple, and Ten Thousand Soul Hall, there will be an alchemy grand assembly. Wu must go."

"It is just that the roads have not been peaceful lately. I wish to hire a Fellow Daoist of profound strength to escort me for the journey."

Here it came.

Zhao Hao sneered inwardly. The other party had asked around so much; this was his true goal.

He did not speak, waiting for the other man's price.

"Since Fellow Daoist has not gone to the front-line battlefield between the Extreme Yin Sect and the Heavenly Sword Sect at this time." Wu Tang's gaze turned sharp. "I imagine you are not a cultivator of those two sects."

"I need someone to travel with me as a guard."

"If Fellow Daoist is willing, Wu is willing to offer ten bottles of second-tier pills, 'Green Origin Pills,' plus one hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones as payment!"

"After the matter is done, I will also gift Fellow Daoist one Hundred Treasures Token of my Hundred Treasures Pavilion. With this token, you may enjoy a twenty-percent discount on purchases!"

Hiss—

One hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones!

That was a full ten thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones!

That old ghost Jia Ren had scraped and scoured for a lifetime, walking in and out of life-and-death situations, yet all his possessions added together had only been seven or eight thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones and twenty Mid-grade Spirit Stones!

He had just squandered that old ghost's inheritance completely, and in the blink of an eye, someone wanted to deliver more than half of it back to him?

This temptation could not be called small!

"In the Extreme Yin Sect's territory, there should be no shortage of Foundation Establishment cultivators. Why seek me out in particular?" Zhao Hao suppressed the waves in his heart and asked hoarsely.

"Because they are not strong enough, and they are not as... rich as Fellow Daoist." Wu Tang smiled meaningfully. "Someone who can throw out more than ten thousand spirit stones without batting an eye, I believe, would never stab me in the back for a mere bit of payment."

Zhao Hao fell silent.

This Wu Tang seemed gentle, but in truth, he was as shrewd as a fox.

However, what had truly moved him was another place Wu Tang had mentioned.

"Ten Thousand Immortal City?"

"Correct."

Seeing that he was interested in this, Wu Tang immediately began introducing it.

"Ten Thousand Immortal City belongs to no sect. It was built by a Nascent Soul senior. Private fighting is forbidden within the city, and both orthodox and demonic paths may trade there. It is the largest Rogue Cultivator immortal city at the junction of the four territories."

Absolutely neutral, belonging to no power!

Was this not the refuge he had dreamed of day and night?!

As long as he could escape the Northern Lands and enter Ten Thousand Immortal City, even if True Person Corpse Heart had hands and eyes that reached the heavens, he could forget about making a move against him inside the city!

"What restrictions does the Alchemy Assembly have?" Zhao Hao pressed.

"No restrictions at all. As long as you believe you've achieved something in the Dao of alchemy, you may participate."

Wu Tang shook his head. "The reward for first place is a genuine Golden Core Formation Pill!"

A Golden Core Formation Pill!

Zhao Hao's heartbeat skipped a beat beyond his control.

He had the system in hand. As long as he had enough materials, forget mere second-tier pills—even a Golden Core Formation Pill, he dared imagine refining one himself!

This Alchemy Grand Assembly was practically a stage tailor-made for him!

Perhaps it was time to start coming into contact with alchemy.

He would gamble!

In any case, he had nowhere else to go right now, so why not visit this Ten Thousand Immortal City?

"Fine." Zhao Hao rasped out a single word.

"Fellow Daoist is decisive!" A smile instantly bloomed across Wu Tang's face.

He immediately took out a beast-hide scroll as black as ink. "This is the Heavenly Demon Contract. Once you and I sign it together, we can both rest easy."

Zhao Hao accepted it and swept his divine sense over it again and again. After confirming it was only an equal contract restricting both sides from harming each other, he sliced his fingertip and forced out a drop of blood essence.

The bead of blood merged in, and the contract turned into two streaks of red light that shot into the space between their brows.

An invisible sense of restraint came over him.

"A pleasure cooperating." Wu Tang put away the contract, seeming much more sincere. "Oh, right, one good friend of mine will be traveling with us as well. He is also a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Three days from now, at noon, we'll meet here."

Zhao Hao nodded. Without saying a word, he rose and left.

After returning to the dark, temporary cave dwelling, he shut the stone door with a rumble.

Zhao Hao removed his mask, revealing a face that still carried a youth's immaturity, yet a hint of contemplation slipped across it.

He spread out his hand, and the Sound Transmission Jade Talisman Wu Tang had given him lay quietly in his palm.

Three days.

The time was too tight.

This Wu Tang was definitely not as he appeared on the surface, and that other companion's background was also unclear. He still had to strengthen his ability to protect himself first.

Zhao Hao's gaze hardened. He directly sat down cross-legged and summoned that familiar pale-golden screen.

[Name: Zhao Hao]

[Realm: Foundation Establishment Early Stage (1/100)]

[Spiritual Root: Fire (Supreme Grade)]

His gaze moved downward, and he was just about to throw the cultivation-technique jade slip he had just obtained into the material slot to strengthen his main cultivation method.

But at that moment, he discovered that in the [Status] column, at some point, an extra line of small text had appeared.

[Status: Heavenly Demon Contract]