Chapter 0: 107. The Ancient Covenant
The ability to transform one’s bloodline at will seemed to be something Luo Wei Ban had newly mastered since her revival.
Thus, with the mutual support of the Nine Saint Monarch, everyone’s confidence surged.
Not long after, through the enlightenment ceremony, Qin Gou’s consciousness reappeared beneath the resplendent sea of stars.
This time, however, there was no interference from the Ninh Gu Demon Lord; it was exceptionally peaceful.
“Descend, all!”
Mimicking what he had seen in the memory fragments, Qin Gou uttered a low shout.
The next second, as expected, the stars of the heavens rapidly rotated, transforming into a colossal vortex. The center of the vortex was precisely that hidden passage.
Without hesitation, Qin Gou leaped, directly entering the vortex.
In an instant, his vision blurred, and by the time he regained his senses, Qin Gou had already appeared on a deserted island.
“This is…”
Qin Gou warily observed his surroundings, while also pondering if Luo Wei Ban could successfully enter with him.
She should currently be within her own enlightenment ceremony, attempting to enter that vortex.
Just then, a ball of radiance coalesced not far from Qin Gou, rapidly transforming into Luo Wei Ban’s alluring and captivating figure.
Upon seeing this, Qin Gou stepped forward without hesitation, deliberately cupped his fists, and said, “Greetings, Master!”
Luo Wei Ban’s beautiful eyes widened. “Did I cross space and time? Or… who is this imposter?”
“Okay, it seems you are indeed real,” Qin Gou said, satisfied with his verification.
“You brat! Disrespecting your own master has become your peculiar verification method, hasn’t it?” Luo Wei Ban retorted impatiently.
“Two people?”
Suddenly, a deep voice echoed.
In the seawater before them, another figure coalesced. It was a spirit puppet-like being, stepping onto the water’s surface.
“Challenging the Ancient Covenant with two people will increase the difficulty. Do you two know this beforehand?”
The spirit puppet gazed blankly at Qin Gou and Luo Wei Ban and asked.
“Ancient Covenant? What does that mean?” Qin Gou asked, puzzled.
“An ancient agreement. The only race still willing to abide by the Ancient Covenant is your Eternal Night Marquis clan,” the spirit puppet replied expressionlessly, its voice devoid of any emotion.
“Can you elaborate further?” Qin Gou and Luo Wei Ban exchanged glances and continued to ask.
The spirit puppet stated without hesitation, “If you two decide to challenge, you must also establish the Ancient Covenant. If one dies in battle within a day, their most skilled technique will transform into a star within the Ancient Covenant, supporting those who come later.”
“So this is the origin of the Eternal Night Marquis’s brilliant talent star sea?”
The spirit puppet immediately responded, “Not just your Eternal Night Marquis clan, but countless beings from ancient times… However, the only ones who still practice the Ancient Covenant are your clan. At the very least, besides the two of you, I cannot recall how many years it has been since I last saw any other challengers.”
“Why is that? Where are the other races that once established the Ancient Covenant? They can’t have all disappeared, can they?” Qin Gou pressed further.
The spirit puppet’s eyes held no emotion as it answered every question, “As the Ancient Covenant is blessed more and more by mighty figures, the challenges become increasingly difficult. Many believe that since it is now difficult to truly control the power of the Ancient Covenant, there is no point in establishing new covenants and joining them. Furthermore, many are unwilling to see the next generation to master the power of the Ancient Covenant not emerge from their own clan.”
Qin Gou nodded. “But if the Ancient Covenant was initially meant for everyone to unite and help the younger generation, why would the challenge become increasingly difficult?”
“The increasing difficulty of the challenges is not due to the will of those who came before, but rather the balance laws of this world, just like the heavenly tribulation for ascension.”
“I see.”
“Do you two decide to establish the Ancient Covenant?” the spirit puppet asked. “If you leave now, you will lose this memory, and I can do nothing about it.”
Qin Gou and Luo Wei Ban conversed briefly before Qin Gou said, “We will investigate carefully to see if there are any traps.”
“Of course.”
As soon as the words fell, two ancient scrolls materialized before Qin Gou and Luo Wei Ban. All they needed to do was sincerely write their names.
Not long after, Qin Gou and Luo Wei Ban earnestly sensed and investigated. Furthermore, Qin Gou specifically asked A Xi, confirming that this was indeed not a trap, before they officially established the Ancient Covenant.
“Thus, the challenge begins.”
With that, the spirit puppet cupped its fists in salute, turned, and disappeared before them. Shortly after it vanished, a shadowy figure wielding a saber, whose appearance was unclear, emerged from the sea.
*Whoosh*
Qin Gou, without hesitation, shot a ray of spiritual energy from his fingertip, blasting it away.
However, what was unexpected was that the phantom figure actually got back up and attacked again.
*Boom*
Qin Gou struck out with another palm, and only then did the saber-wielding phantom completely explode.
“This challenge is indeed not ordinary.”
Judging from the phantom’s attire and attack style, its cultivation in life must have been far inferior to Qin Gou’s. Yet, the power of this phantom was largely derived from what was called the Heavenly Dao and balance laws, greatly amplified.
And this single phantom was clearly just a probe. Next, there would be increasingly more, a continuous stream attacking from the sea.
At this moment, Qin Gou suddenly felt that although the existence of the Ninh Gu Demon Lord had indeed misled many generations of the Eternal Night Marquis clan, deliberately causing them to choose inferior talents, leading to a drastic decline in the clan’s strength.
It had also inadvertently saved Gong Wumeng’s life. After all, the ones accepting the challenge now were Qin Gou and Luo Wei Ban, these two old timers. Gong Wumeng, who underwent the enlightenment ceremony back then, was only a few years old. At such a young age and with such low cultivation, she probably wouldn’t even be a match for that first phantom.
Did the Abyss Demon God not know that mastering the Ancient Covenant was already extremely difficult? Or was it that even so, he refused to allow even that minuscule probability, deeming it worthwhile to pay the price of a Demon Lord to completely eradicate something that terrified him?
As the numbers increased, the strength of the subsequent phantoms also advanced, even displaying a certain level of intelligence, cooperating with each other.
Suddenly, Qin Gou seemed to sense something and immediately warned, “Clan sister, be careful of the three phantoms to your front left. They seem very unusual!”
“Ding?”
Hearing this, Luo Wei Ban smiled and immediately replied, “Mm, I understand. But, little brother, don’t just focus on me; you need to be careful too.”
“Ding!”
“A Xi? What’s wrong with you since just now?” Qin Gou asked, confused.
“Host, what did you just call Luo Wei Ban? System, did I mishear?”
“Clan sister, why? She is my clan sister, of the same lineage. Our elders also have intricate relationships. Is there anything wrong with this address?” Qin Gou asked as if it were all natural. “And then, I was reminding her that those three phantoms just now were very unusual and seemed to be planning a sneak attack.”
“Ding?! The most unusual ones right now should be the two of you!”
