All Things Are Contracts

Chapter 79: South Ming Leaving Fire

Baizhi didn’t know she had just avoided an attack from the Jade Calamity Beast, nor was she aware of the changes happening to her body. She just kept running westward frantically. Her meridians were expanded to the limit, being violently impacted by the drug power. To unleash all her strength, she had swallowed a large number of various enhancement pills, which allowed her to exert power far beyond her current realm. However, the consequences of such frenzied pill consumption were terrifying.

Baizhi felt her heart beating at ten times its normal rate, her limbs’ meridians shrinking crazily, blood seeping from her seven orifices. Another powerful aura from the west locked onto her, but Baizhi was completely unaware of it at this moment.

The Jade Calamity Beast’s speed was extremely fast. Even with Charm Shadow activated, Baizhi couldn’t gain any advantage. It seemed determined to obtain the armor on Zhanyue. Leaving the sixth-grade spirit beasts behind, it chased after them alone.

“I’m afraid we’ll both die here today,” Baizhi looked at the unconscious Zhanyue in her arms, feeling the terrifying aura behind her getting closer and closer.

“I never expected it to end like this,” Baizhi, her body soaked in blood, having exhausted all her strength, revealed a bitter smile. Then she thought that perhaps dying together with Zhanyue wasn’t so bad.

Several Jade Calamity scales shot towards Baizhi again. At this critical moment between life and death, that mysterious phantom appeared once more, terrifying flames burning the jade scales to ashes.

“Hm?” The newly appeared divine thought from the west expressed confusion.

Baizhi fell heavily to the ground with Zhanyue in her arms. She couldn’t run anymore.

Just as the Jade Calamity Beast was about to catch up, a figure suddenly blocked its path. It was a small spirit beast shaped like a lynx, its entire body burning with flames. It looked harmless, but seeing it, the Jade Calamity Beast stopped, looking vigilant.

The Jade Calamity Beast was a seventh-grade spirit beast with ancient qilin bloodline, extremely powerful and an absolute demon king. However, this fire lynx was no ordinary beast either. Also a seventh-grade spirit beast, it had the bloodline of the ancient divine beast Xiang. Two top-tier demon kings possessing the power of ancient divine beasts were now facing off over two humans.

“Roar!” The Jade Calamity Beast let out an angry roar.

The fire lynx responded with a disdainful look. The two beasts seemed to communicate something, after which the Jade Calamity Beast left with a reluctant gaze. It knew it was no match for this fire lynx. Despite the fire lynx’s current small and delicate appearance, they had fought more than once before, and it had lost every time.

After driving away the Jade Calamity Beast, the fire lynx landed beside Baizhi. However, Baizhi’s condition made it panic. Had it saved a dead person? Wouldn’t that mean it had intervened for nothing?

At this moment, Zhanyue finally woke up. He had only been knocked unconscious by the heavy blow. The first thing he saw was Baizhi’s veil had fallen off, her face covered in blood, looking terribly miserable.

“Brother Zhan, I’m dying,” Baizhi smiled sadly. She didn’t know who had saved them, but at least that terrifying aura had left.

Seeing her in this state, Zhanyue instantly guessed everything. She must have desperately broken through with him while he was unconscious. He felt a pang in his heart.

“Brother Zhan, don’t look at me like that… Am I very ugly now?” Baizhi could feel her body’s condition. Her meridians were shattered, blood flowing from her seven orifices. How could she still look beautiful?

Zhanyue shook his head and was about to activate State Reversal when he heard Baizhi say, “Can you… kiss me?”

If she weren’t about to die, Baizhi would never have had the courage to say this. It was her last wish, not quite a confession but more than that. Some words, if not said now, there would be no chance later.

Zhanyue was stunned for a moment, then smiled slightly and lowered his head, kissing her lips.

Baizhi felt that warmth and thought this life was enough. But suddenly she felt her body improving rapidly. Those meridians were somehow unharmed. Apart from exhaustion from overexerting her power, she didn’t have a single injury. Was everything just now an illusion? Why had all those severe injuries on her body suddenly disappeared?

After their lips parted, Zhanyue smiled at her, “Silly girl, you’re fine now.”

Baizhi’s face turned bright red with embarrassment. She had been so bold thinking she was about to die, but now she felt it would have been better if she had died. It was too embarrassing.

“Holy crap, just a kiss and it healed all her injuries?” The fire lynx beside them was dumbfounded and couldn’t help but speak.

Only now did the two notice the spirit beast beside them, not much bigger than a cat, its body burning with flames.

Zhanyue didn’t dare underestimate it and respectfully said, “It’s just a forbidden secret technique. Did you save us, senior? Thank you very much.” He couldn’t sense any other spirit beast auras around and guessed this fire beast had protected them.

The fire lynx’s ability to speak human language was also its talent. This fire lynx possessed the bloodline of the ancient divine beast Wangtian Xiang, able to convey heaven’s will above and reach people’s feelings below. It could understand and speak any language expertly upon hearing it, truly remarkable.

“Don’t thank me. I only intervened for the little girl’s sake. As for you, we’re not acquainted,” the fire lynx said, completely disregarding Zhanyue. Then it noticed the armor on Zhanyue and exclaimed in surprise, “You couldn’t have passed the Red Lotus Trial, could you? Strange, if you could pass the Red Lotus Trial, how could you be chased down by the Jade Calamity Beast?”

Hearing this, Zhanyue’s eyes lit up, realizing this fire lynx knew many things.

“Th-thank you, senior,” Baizhi now understood that the terrifying aura had stopped pursuing them because of this spirit beast not much bigger than a cat.

“No need for thanks. Little girl, why do you have the South 明 Leaving Fire?” The fire lynx turned to ask Baizhi.

Baizhi looked confused, “South 明 Leaving Fire? What’s that?”

The fire lynx saw her expression and then looked disappointed, “It seems you really don’t know anything. It was just your bloodline power automatically protecting you at the brink of death.”

“Old Xiang here isn’t some benevolent being, I don’t intervene casually. I only helped because I saw you could release the South 明 Leaving Fire, which means you must possess the bloodline of the South 明 Vermilion Bird Divine Lord. The Vermilion Bird Divine Lord has deep ties with my ancestors, having saved us many times, so naturally I couldn’t stand by and watch its descendant die,” the fire lynx said.

“Senior, you’re saying she has the Vermilion Bird bloodline? But the Vermilion Bird is a divine beast, and she’s human,” Zhanyue asked, puzzled.

The fire lynx looked at Zhanyue with disdain, “How ignorant. What humans or demons, we’re all creatures of the same origin, or rather, most beings across the myriad worlds are of the same origin. When cultivated to the extreme, all can unite with the human race, and there’s more than one way to completely transform into human bloodline. You wouldn’t understand if I said more. You just need to know that only those with Vermilion Bird bloodline can use the South 明 Leaving Fire.”

“When did you use the South 明 Leaving Fire?” Zhanyue looked at Baizhi curiously. He had been unconscious and knew nothing of what happened.

“I don’t know either. I only control ordinary fire, far inferior to the two extreme fires you control,” Baizhi also looked bewildered.

“The scales shot by the Jade Calamity Beast were burned by your South 明 Leaving Fire. Otherwise, you would have been killed by it long ago. Well, it seems you really don’t know anything. What a pity to possess the Vermilion Bird bloodline but be completely unable to awaken it,” the fire lynx said regretfully. It was a master of fire control but still needed help from higher-level flames.

“Wait, did this little girl just say you control two extreme fires?” The fire lynx suddenly remembered. Baizhi’s face changed color, realizing she had let it slip.

“It’s alright. Senior has saved our lives. There’s no need to hide such a small matter from you,” Zhanyue was quite generous. The spirit beast before them could kill them easily. It was better to show trust to gain its favor.

Zhanyue summoned the Solar Essence Fire and Earth Vein Ghost Fire, one hand holding golden flames, the other blue flames.

The fire lynx’s eyes widened, then it shook its head, “Not enough, still not enough. These are still a bit short of extreme fires. Your Solar Essence Fire needs to evolve once more into True Solar Fire, and this Earth Vein Ghost Fire needs to evolve into True Yin Fire to be considered two extreme fires. However, it’s truly remarkable that you can possess both Solar Essence Fire and Earth Vein Ghost Fire simultaneously. No wonder you could pass the Red Lotus Trial. You must be blessed with good fortune and passed by luck.”

“Since Old Xiang has saved you, it’s not too much to ask you to stay and help me with something, is it?” The fire lynx suddenly said to Zhanyue.