Sensing Su Zhou's calm thoughts, the Snake Spirit seemed rather surprised. It flicked its tail, making a soft rustling sound like a rattlesnake. "You're quite a bold one, aren't you? You've seen how crazy those people from the Continuous Prayer Meeting are, and you know I'm a Great Being from beyond the Void. Yet you can think so calmly and talk to me right now?"
"I don't want to die, but I'm not afraid of dying. Why should I be afraid of you?"
'If I were the type to be scared, the Ghosts rampaging all over the world would have scared me to death a decade ago.'
Hearing Yara's words, Su Zhou furrowed his brow instinctively. He was silent for a moment, then said with determination, "Yara, I don't know what this whole business with the Seal is about, but I will kill the members of the Continuous Prayer Meeting. They dared to make a move on me and my friends, and they must pay the price."
"If you want to stop me, say so now as part of our contract. And it'd be best if you never let me run into them, never let me see them."
"It makes no difference to me!"
Yara's tone was completely indifferent. It coiled around Su Zhou's ear, nibbled gently on his earlobe, and then hung there like a translucent, ruby-red pendant, beginning to swing cheerfully. "That's an organization they founded themselves with my Holy Prayer Book. To be honest, it has nothing to do with me... In this world, the relationship between most Mysterious Organizations and 'Great Beings' is like this. Sluurp~"
As it spoke, it sucked a tiny bit of blood. A small bulge appeared on its belly, making it look even more like a Gemstone.
Blood. It was part of the contract. Su Zhou had to offer his blood to sustain Yara's existence, and since there was no other creature's blood available, he used his own. And as the possessor of a Perfect Body, repaired and modified by the Snake Spirit's power, Su Zhou's blood was the most appetizing to it.
As for the consequences... Su Zhou's free will was not affected. He could break the contract at any time and refuse to sustain Yara, though he would, of course, suffer the penalty of the contract. Although Su Zhou had no such intention at the moment, this unexpected freedom was the greatest source of his confusion.
'What exactly is the Holy Snake Spirit? If it were the Ancient Serpent Satan, how could the contract be so lenient? But if it's some other Snake God...'
At this very moment, Su Zhou's mind was filled with endless questions. 'Its... Its true form... could it be a convergence of all Snake Gods?'
"Stop wondering."
Yara was linked to Su Zhou's mind, and since Su Zhou had no intention of hiding his thoughts, it knew them all. The Snake Spirit chuckled. "It is not that 'the snakes are me,' but that 'I am the snake.' My existence came first, and only then did the concept of 'the many snakes' emerge in the Ten Thousand Realms. I am the all, but the all is not me."
"You seem to be the type of person who would have undergone a natural Awakening in the coming New Era. My power has also given your Talent an Enhancement, but right now, you're still too weak... Su Zhou, have you collected all those things?"
"Yes."
With an affirmation, Su Zhou put his phone into his pocket. In there were several jade-like pearls, a silver metal pocket watch, and some wood chips and fruit-tree wood powder stored in a small bag.
These were his spoils, powerful Spiritual Objects the likes of which he had never seen before.
Originally, they should have been releasing light, but earlier, under Yara's guidance, Su Zhou had used his own blood and some earth with Spiritual Energy to conduct a small Orbit, temporarily 'Sealing' their Spiritual Light.
The four cyan pearls were the eyeballs of Sukra, the Leader of the Continuous Prayer Meeting, and the old Bedouin man. Their bodies had turned to dust in the final Spiritual Qi Burst of the Holy Snake Spirit's descent, leaving behind only these extracted 'Extraordinary Traits'. They had now condensed into cyan, jade-like spheres that gave Su Zhou a faint sense of familiarity.
As for the metal pocket watch, Yara's attitude was one of undisguised 'disgust' and 'fear'. It even stated bluntly that this was the very thing that caused its 'divine descent to fail', preventing it from fully breaking free from the 'Seal'. It had only managed to export a part of its weakened Soul Body by relying on its contract with him. This was also why Su Zhou couldn't figure out what the Snake Spirit was thinking.
'Normally, shouldn't it do everything possible to hide something so secret, a matter of its very life and death? Or is it really as it claims, that it 'never deceives' and 'never lies'?'
For now, Su Zhou couldn't feel any power from the pocket watch, but Yara's reaction was extreme. Although it had told Su Zhou to take it, it refused to go anywhere near it.
As for the shattered wood chips and fruit-tree wood powder, according to Yara, although some of their power had dissipated, they still contained a formidable sacred power and Spiritual Energy. By holding them, ordinary Resentful Spirits wouldn't just be unable to cause harm—they would be 'forcefully Purified' just by getting close.
"Even the might of the Sovereign's Sanctuary would have to accumulate for several decades before it could compare." That was Yara's assessment.
In response to this, Su Zhou planned to make some jewelry pendants in the future, putting a little of the wood chips inside to give to his friends and family. Keeping a piece for himself would be enough.
After all, at a time when he could clearly feel the 'New Era' and a 'great wave' approaching, it was never wrong to be fully prepared. It was his responsibility to protect his family and friends.
Su Zhou could feel a cool sensation coming from the four Jade Pearls kept close to his body. To make a slightly inappropriate analogy, it felt a bit like applying a mentholated balm or cooling lotion.
The wood chips, on the other hand, brought a sense of purity and sanctity that was very reassuring.
The fruit-tree wood powder, being in a bag, didn't feel as strong, but when he had touched it before, it had induced a strange state of mind. It felt like sitting under the shade of a tree, a cool sensation spreading over his head.
The one exception was the metal pocket watch.
That silver pocket watch showed no miraculous properties whatsoever, but it always managed to draw his attention.
"The four Jade Pearls can serve as a catalyst for an Orbit. Once you've settled down, I will guide you to the threshold and have you begin practicing the Supreme Cultivation Method of my lineage."
"And as for the origin and true form of those wood chips and fruit-tree wood powder... Heh, you'd never guess. They're a supreme treasure from an ancient era, something that not even the Gods could necessarily obtain!"
This time, Yara's voice was gentle, but it lacked its previous cheerfulness. Instead, it held a trace of calm sanctity. "Of course, you can choose to accept all this, or you can choose to refuse it. But I will not deceive you, Su Zhou."
"I will not possess your body, I will not alter your consciousness, and I will not harm you by any means. I know you may have your doubts, or you may not believe me, but in truth, the stronger you become, the more Cause and Effect you can take on, the better. I am not afraid of you knowing this: the stronger you are, the more I can break free from the Seal and regain my freedom. And for Supreme beings like myself and 'Them,' freedom is the only thing that matters. Everything else is just passing smoke."
As it said this, Yara released a minuscule trace of its aura. But even this alone contained an endless solemnity, like the truth of the turning cycles of the Ten Thousand Realms.
"But there is a condition: 'you' cannot be 'me.' You must exist as a 'completely independent and powerful' individual to be able to bear my Cause and Effect and allow me to break free from the 'Void.' Su Zhou, you are the 'Covenant-Maker' I have chosen, one of my few hopes in this Era."
"Therefore, you must become strong. Strong enough to bear everything."
"Is that so."
The Snake Spirit's voice echoed in his mind. Su Zhou remained noncommittal, neither showing that he believed it nor that he didn't.
However, the young man who had once walked out from the Reincarnation of life and death unconsciously broke into a smile. "At least it sounds reasonable enough... In that case, Yara."
"This is your covenant with me."