A Place of Transit
"The bad thing is that you signed a contract you can't keep; the good thing is that you'll live a very long life!"
How long?
Five hundred years!
"How many?"
The mallard is not a particularly special breed; it is an aggregate of the lingering resentments of many dead bird demons, parasitizing Zhang Xuezhou's Zhang Xuezhou and also subjecting him to the suppression and transformation of his spirit.
Most cultivators who borrow Demon Power have this problem. As these parasites grow and the cultivators age, conflicts arise in their consciousness, leading to various out-of-control behaviors.
This bears some resemblance to the reality of old age.
This Demon Thought, though seemingly mysterious, is actually like a parasite.
Parasites are not long-lived; their lower lifespan is similar to that of the host they parasitize, while their upper lifespan can be compared to that of demons. Under special circumstances, they can live for between one and two hundred years.
Upon hearing that a simple contract had extended his lifespan by five hundred years, the mallard couldn't help but squawk loudly, filled with surprise and delight.
"Is this true or false?" the mallard duck asked, still skeptical.
"We'll understand once we see Cai Ma," Zhang Xuezhou said. "But you shouldn't let your spirit remain undiminished for too long, while your physical body, which Donghua haphazardly modified, dies first. If you die, you'll be bound here for life. Five hundred years is enough to turn you into a resentful woman!"
No prison cell is more despairing than this void.
Zhang Xuezhou may still have ways to circumvent the impact of the contract, but it would be much more difficult for the mallard to do the same.
The mallard's strength is extremely weak, and it is almost impossible for it to break free from the bondage of the contract.
"The contract between your souls is a bond, but also a power that prolongs your souls' lifespan," the nearly withered ancient tree said, its leaves trembling. "If you can break through the darkness in the future, the contract will no longer bind you, and you will no longer need the lifespan it provides!"
"Even our old master failed. Our strength is far too inferior; how could we possibly cross dimensions..."
We will definitely break through the darkness!
The mallard was about to say something more, but Zhang Xuezhou went along with the old tree's wishes.
No amount of communication can change the fact that what's done is done.
In the face of absolute rules, eloquence is of no use.
Zhang Xuezhou didn't bother with pointless arguments, since the ancient tree acted according to the rules after awakening and had no ability to change them. In fact, the ancient tree itself, which was born from the giant tree, was imprisoned within these rules.
If they still wish to travel the world using the giant tree's spirit, but need to avoid being banished here, they too must abide by the rules.
The more than thirty years that Zhang Xuezhou and Donghua spent traveling back and forth may seem like an extremely long time, but it may just be a moment when the ancient tree's spirit was dormant and recovering.
The Nagoth's Doomsday Shard produced a very unique effect; the fiery sting of the explosion awakened the spirit of the ancient tree.
When an ancient tree is asleep, it can open one eye and close the other; once it awakens, it will obey the rules of the giant tree.
"The flames from the explosion of the apocalyptic fragments may have caused the contract that had entered Donghua's soul to shrink, or perhaps it completely left Donghua and returned to the tree!"
For Zhang Xuezhou, their opponent in that battle was only Donghua.
Donghua faces opponents such as Zhang Xuezhou, a powerful emperor who seeks to suppress him, and contractual ties that he needs to break free from.
What appeared to be a single confrontation was actually three battles for Donghua, until he finally gained his freedom by possessing the Emperor's body.
"Donghua didn't just escape the flame explosion by using 'fast and slow'; what exactly did he see? Meng Zhang said Nagus had a fragment of the apocalypse, which means there are many other fragments. This treasure might have originated from outer space, or it might have shattered after some dimensional leap and been obtained by Nagus..."
Zhang Xuezhou listened to the ancient tree's instructions, but his mind was filled with distracting thoughts.
Zhang Xuezhou's attention was only drawn to the ancient tree when it shook his divine soul body and a somewhat oval wooden object appeared.
"The crown that once proclaimed my true form and spread miracles has been completely burned away. This crown of mine can only be placed here. If you are tired, you can enter it to rest and sleep for a while," the ancient tree explained. "My strength is far inferior to that of my true form, but I still possess some healing abilities and can repair the wounds to your souls!"
"Quack, do you think you can just give away your crowns like that? Won't you die if you do? You've lost all your leaves, you can't even give us a little strength, let alone help us recover!" the mallard quacked.
"This is merely borrowing the remaining power of my original form, Non-Self possess myself," the ancient tree said, swaying its few remaining branches. "I suffered severe injuries earlier and need to recuperate. Unfortunately, my time as a fire seed is running out, so I suppose recuperation won't be of much use!"
The elliptical object was no bigger than a room, with a round opening that revealed its empty interior. The ancient tree's spirit transformed into a ball of green light and entered it.
"This area is very unfriendly to you. You must have been hurt by staying here. Go inside and rest!"
Zhang Xuezhou pointed to the opening, indicating that the mallard duck should be the first to explore and test the effect.
"I'm in great spirits right now, I'm not sick, and I don't want to rest," the mallard duck cried.
"If you seem to be in good spirits, go in and check on your condition," Zhang Xuezhou said. "If you cooperate well, I can ask Yi Shuo to reduce the amount of acupuncture you need!"
You said it!
The mallard quacked twice and wisely refrained from further haggling.
It's not just a matter of being tied to Zhang Xuezhou; their strengths are completely unequal. The mallard doesn't have a reliable ally like Zhang Xuezhou, and its development prospects are inferior to Zhang Xuezhou's.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will most likely remain Zhang Xuezhou's underling for life, only taking over after Zhang Xuezhou dies.
Now that both have a long lifespan, some trivial thoughts can no longer exist.
The mallard quacked a few times, calling out "unity," "friendship," and "peace," before finally raising its neck and stumbling into the oval shape.
"Wow, what a wonderful place this is! My head doesn't feel dizzy anymore, and I feel so comfortable!"
The interior of the ellipsoid is not large, only about ten square meters, and it can even feel a bit crowded when there are many people, but the space is filled with a vibrant atmosphere.
Zhang Xuezhou rarely uses methods that have an effect on the soul; methods such as the Nine Treasures Wine are extremely rare and difficult to obtain, not to mention the specific location required.
Some Spiritual Qi rich places offer benefits, but the Spiritual Qi is primarily for the physical body, with limited effect on healing the soul. In comparison, the canopy provided by an ancient tree is far more beneficial.
"This is probably the ideal place for the professor to recover his soul. Here, he doesn't need to fear the injuries caused by practicing the 'Entwined Dragon and Pillar True Fire Refining the Golden Body'!"
Zhang Xuezhou's soul was healthy and he could adapt to the distortion of his spirit by this void, but he could still feel its effects after entering it.
It was somewhat unnecessary for him to let the mallard go in first to test the waters; there was indeed no risk here, and it even made him, who was bound by the contract, feel very comfortable.
For the giant trees and their subspecies of ancient trees, their bodies and souls are of no value whatsoever; their only hope may be to break through the darkness and thus satisfy the giant trees' obsession with growing towards the sun.