Five Hundred Years

Ancient trees have a different concept of time than humans, and therefore treat things in a completely different way.

For example, Zhang Xuezhou had seen too many cultivators busy on the trunks of ancient trees in his memory. These cultivators worked hard all their lives until they died, and thus harbored a lot of resentment.

But for the ancient tree, a cultivator's entire lifespan might be just a fleeting moment.

Once the agreement is established, cultivators are required to abide by it and may even be deeply bound to it, being summoned to the ancient tree even after death.

Do I also need to construct a contract?

"You are using the remaining power of your original body to travel, which inevitably requires the establishment of a contract. Otherwise, not only will you be unable to continue exchanging and traveling, but your souls will also be trapped and banished in this void!"

"Quack, I'm just a duck. Are ducks ostracized too? Why didn't this happen before?"

Zhang Xuezhou and the mallard duck swapped places as usual, but this time they failed. Instead, they both ended up on the trunk of the ancient tree, facing its spirit.

Zhang Xuezhou asked in doubt, while the mallard, unaware of the situation, squawked, mentioning that it was just an unlucky duck that had gotten mixed up with the others.

Even with the pull of the ancient trees, the mallard ducks still struggle to adapt to the environment, experiencing various pulling sensations and dizziness.

But upon hearing the inevitable rejection and exile that the ancient tree would experience once it regained its consciousness, and considering that Zhang Xuezhou still needed to maintain the shuttle, the mallard duck fell silent. It then kept approaching Zhang Xuezhou, clearly wanting to see if Zhang Xuezhou had signed any contract, what harm such a contract might cause, and whether it could be avoided.

"What are the contents of the contract?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"Break free from the darkness!"

The ancient tree's spirit shook its leaves, repeatedly expressing its viewpoint.

"What does it mean to break free from the darkness? Is that all you're asking?" the mallard exclaimed.

"Regarding this request," the ancient tree spirit replied, "This is an obsession left behind by the original body, which I am powerless to change. You only need to abide by this condition!"

"What are the consequences of violating the requirements?" the mallard asked.

"The soul has been banished to the void," the ancient tree said.

"Isn't that exactly the same situation we're in right now?"

The mallard let out a cry of surprise, its soul trembling as it swayed back and forth in terror.

If you leave this vast area, the surrounding darkness is nothing but emptiness.

Whether they make a choice or not, there is only one outcome.

Zhang Xuezhou seemed to understand Donghua's despair and his overwhelming joy at escaping.

He also did not reveal that Donghua is still alive. If such a contract is unavoidable, he will inevitably imitate Donghua's behavior in the future in order to gain the freedom of his soul.

Imitating Donghua's actions isn't difficult; all it takes is for the apocalyptic fragments to explode, for everyone to escape separately, or for them to choose new bodies—there's definitely an opportunity in all of this.

With successful examples readily available, the binding force of such contracts becomes less pronounced.

How do we sign a contract?

Zhang Xuezhou persuaded the ancient tree on a conceptual level, but he did not change the rules left behind by the giant tree.

Ultimately, nothing seemed to change; no matter how eloquent one's words, the inevitable blow was still unavoidable.

Zhang Xuezhou's only consolation was that he could simply copy Donghua's experience. As long as he followed Donghua's example, he had a high probability of obtaining what he needed and getting rid of everything.

Having considered the potential oversights, Zhang Xuezhou was not concerned about signing the contract.

He asked a question, and green light began to rise in the area, with countless wisps of green light beginning to entwine around his soul.

"I'll sign it too! I'll sign it too!"

After seeing Zhang Xuezhou's choice, the mallard, in its dazed state, couldn't help but make a noisy cacophony, which also caused a surge of green light to rise and swirl around it.

"At least Li Shaojun has the ability to be resurrected from the dead, but I seem to be completely useless. This green light is just used to pull at my soul!"

Zhang Xuezhou felt the green light, like the roots of a plant, constantly penetrating his soul.

If he breaks the contract, this green light will pull his soul here, causing him to become like a walking corpse, until the day he completely perishes.

"Grandpa Dongfang, what does it mean to break free from the darkness?"

Seeing that Zhang Xuezhou didn't struggle, the mallard looked at the ancient tree that had suddenly disappeared, felt its soul beginning to adapt to the environment, and then looked around several times in a daze before finally asking questions.

"It could be a leap in dimensions," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"This contract requires us to jump between dimensions?"

The mallard pointed to its chest with its wing, and when Zhang Xuezhou confirmed it, it couldn't help but let out a long string of curses.

"We're just poor folks earning three thousand yuan a month, and you're sending us on a mission to earn a small goal?" the mallard duck quacked. "Is this contract a joke? We're perfectly fine, why should we be asked to jump to a different dimension? If it's so capable, why doesn't it go and upgrade its dimension itself!"

"Not leaping through time isn't a big deal," Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand and said, "At most, our souls will be captured and imprisoned after death, but it won't affect us at all while we're alive!"

"That makes sense, but why do I feel a little uneasy?" the mallard said.

"He doesn't concern himself with what happens after he dies!"

Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand.

He said this, but he also felt a bit depressed.

This contract wasn't something that would suddenly erupt at a certain moment, or something that would bind his wandering soul after death. Zhang Xuezhou vaguely sensed that these green lights seemed to be changing him.

Zhang Xuezhou had come into contact with many fiery meteor beings, such as the Void Furnace, and he had also met many great cultivators from the Three Realms. Having seen and heard so much, Zhang Xuezhou had no interest in interdimensional travel.

At that moment, he felt as if a seed was sprouting within him, and a strange interest was being born.

This shouldn't be his thought, but it certainly exists in his mind, even chasing him like a whip.

This may be the reason why mallards feel unhappy.

No one likes this sense of pressure and urgency. It's like a teacher looking at students in class, an employee facing their boss, or parents urging their children to get married.

Even though nothing was said or done, this feeling arises spontaneously as soon as you enter that scene.

"Donghua isn't old enough to die, but his failed interdimensional crossing seems to have violated the contract. No wonder he's constantly anxious, depressed, and living like a walking corpse. In other words, not crossing dimensions would inevitably lead to capture, and failing to cross dimensions would also result in the same fate..."

Zhang Xuezhou remained calm, unlike the noisy mallard. He kept scrutinizing the relevant content and judging the solutions he would need to face in the future.

"It's truly a pity. I did wish to bestow some power upon you, but I simply cannot. Even granting you a fleeting moment of lifespan would be insufficient; it will dissipate once I perish!"

Zhang Xuezhou and the mallard each have their own thoughts.

The two only stopped what they were doing when the ancient tree reappeared.

Compared to the ancient tree's previous lush greenery, it now appears as if it has entered autumn, with only a few leaves remaining on its trunk, and the spiritual fluctuations it emitted have weakened.

"How much is a lifespan of a fleeting moment?" Zhang Xuezhou asked doubtfully.

"According to your counting method, the contract extends your spiritual lifespan by six thousand days," the ancient tree said. "Unfortunately, my abilities are limited, and I cannot treat other beings the way I did before, making it difficult to give you enough time to complete the contract."

Six thousand days!

Zhang Xuezhou's next time travel cycle officially entered one month, which he had previously calculated to be five hundred years.

He had previously felt a bit unlucky about contracts, but now he realized things didn't seem so bad after all.

Of course, the ancient tree's gift was to sustain the lifespan of the soul, but it didn't mention anything about sustaining the physical body.

Zhang Xuezhou asked a few more questions to confirm, and immediately understood the flaws of this life-extending method, why no one had succeeded year after year, and why there were so many resentful laborers in his memory.

Many losers may not live a very long life, but their souls are truly long-lived. After being bound, they have an extremely long period of imprisonment, and it is difficult for them to kill themselves, so it is no exception that they are full of resentment.

He even understood why Donghua possessed the withered wood throne, a treasure that maintained his physical body, and why he could continue to live in the form of a divine soul. He also clearly understood Donghua's inevitable pursuit of prolonging his physical body after occupying the Emperor's body.

Faced with a matter of life and death, Donghua is unlikely to have time to settle scores with Zhang Xuezhou right now, which also saves him from having to live in constant fear of being attacked.