Shengui Changsheng: Start from Zhenwuwei and add some points to cultivate immortality

No wonder the directional teleportation array pointed here! No wonder the star core fragment resonated with it! This place is probably the core inheritance site of a powerful ancient contract sect, or even... part of its former mountain gate!

Fu Shaoping's heart began to pound uncontrollably. But he forced himself to suppress his excitement and did not immediately step forward. Such a precious treasure could not possibly be unprotected.

Sure enough, in his vision of the "Spell-Breaking Eyes," the space surrounding the altar was filled with countless, layered, and exquisitely crafted ancient contract restrictions! These restrictions not only possessed astonishing defensive power but also contained complex contract rules such as "tests," "recognition," and "inheritance." To touch them rashly would undoubtedly result in a miserable end.

Moreover, he noticed that several ancient beasts with ferocious appearances and elusive auras were lurking in the shadows around the square. They seemed to have an instinctive awe and protection for the altar and the source core, but more likely they were asleep or in a daze, unaware of Fu Shaoping, the "uninvited guest" who had sneaked in using the outer passage contract.

“One must first comprehend and understand the inherited restrictions of this place before it is possible to approach the Source Core,” Fu Shaoping concluded. He stopped looking at the tempting Source Core and instead turned his gaze to the relatively intact stone pillar runes around the altar.

These runes may be the key to unlocking the restrictions and gaining the recognition of the lineage.

He found a relatively secluded stone pillar a little distance from the altar, where the runes were well preserved. He sat cross-legged and immersed himself in comprehending these ancient contract runes.

The jade pendant, nestled in his arms, emitted a warm glow, aiding his understanding. The star core fragment also trembled slightly, offering enlightenment from its shared origin.

Time slips away quietly in deep contemplation. Within the valley, there is no sun or moon, only an eternally flowing pale golden mist.

Fu Shaoping was completely immersed in the ocean of wisdom of ancient contracts. These runes were far more complete than the fragmentary runes in "Miscellaneous Records of Ancient Contracts" and even more profound than the basic runes in the Foundation Building Chapter of "General Outline of Contracts". They told the story of the origin, evolution, and differentiation of contracts, how to use contracts to communicate with heaven and earth, restrain all spirits, construct rules, and even... touch upon the supreme concept of "achieving enlightenment through contracts" and "using contracts to replace laws".

He was so engrossed in his own world that he forgot everything else.

I don't know how much time passed, maybe a day, maybe ten days.

Just as he finally began to understand the main rune system on the stone pillar in front of him and integrated it with his own heritage, he suddenly felt a very discordant energy fluctuation coming from the direction of the valley entrance!

It was a cold, sharp, and aggressive aura, unlike anything found in ancient beasts! And there was more than one!
"Someone's come in! And they forced their way in!" Fu Shaoping suddenly opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing within them. He immediately concealed all his aura, merging himself into the shadow of the stone pillar, while his "contractual spiritual sense" quietly spread towards the valley entrance.

At the entrance of the valley, beside the two stone pillars, five figures appeared out of nowhere.

The leader was a middle-aged man dressed in black, with a cold face and sharp eyes like a hawk. His cultivation level was clearly at the late stage of Foundation Establishment! In his hand, he held a slender straight sword that was completely black and had no reflection. The blade faintly rippled with spatial energy.

Behind him were four cultivators, also dressed in black and exuding a powerful aura—two men and two women, all at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage! They moved swiftly and coordinated perfectly, instantly forming a small battle formation and vigilantly scanning the valley.

What alarmed Fu Shaoping even more was that these people exuded a cold and efficient "modern" aura that clashed with their surroundings, completely different from the ancient and weathered atmosphere of Guqi Valley. Their clothing bore no insignia, but the sense of discipline and clear purpose reminded Fu Shaoping of an ordinary army or... assassin organization.

“It’s not the Blood Shadow Cult…nor is it the style of Star Snow Palace or Thousand Machine Pavilion…is it the ‘other forces’ that Luo Lie mentioned, the ones that have been active in the basin recently?” Fu Shaoping guessed, becoming even more vigilant. These people were able to forcefully break through the remaining restrictions at the valley entrance (the disguised aura had dissipated after he entered), so their strength should not be underestimated.

The black-clad leader's gaze swept across the valley like lightning, especially when he saw the dark golden source core in the center of the altar, his eyes blazing with undisguised heat and greed!
"It really is a 'Contract Source Core'! The intelligence was accurate!" The leader's voice was deep and filled with excitement. "Immediately set up the 'Boundary-Breaking Array' and prepare to collect the Source Core! Be vigilant; there may be ancient beasts guarding this place, and we must also be wary of potential 'inheritance competitors'!"

Competitors for the inheritance? Fu Shaoping's heart skipped a beat. Did they know there might be other people here? Or were they referring to those ancient beasts?
The four black-clad henchmen immediately sprang into action, retrieving several peculiar array plates and flags from their storage bags, composed of silver metal and transparent crystals. They swiftly began setting up a complex, modern-style array formation several dozen feet around the altar. The array's energy emanated a strong sense of "breaking," "stripping," and "imprisonment," clearly indicating its preparation to forcibly break the ancient contract's restrictions!
At the same time, the leader's sharp gaze, like a searchlight, slowly swept across the shadowy areas surrounding the plaza. His senses were extremely keen; he seemed to have detected the presence of those slumbering ancient beasts. His brow furrowed slightly, but he didn't seem to care too much, clearly confident in his own strength and the formations set up by his subordinates.

Fu Shaoping hid in the shadow of the stone pillar, holding his breath and focusing his attention, even lowering his heart rate to a minimum. He could feel the leader's spiritual sense sweeping over the area where he was hiding several times, but perhaps because he had perfectly disguised himself using the aura of the stone pillar's runes, or perhaps because the other party's main attention was on the altar and the ancient beast, they did not discover his presence.

"We can't let them succeed!" Fu Shaoping thought anxiously. The Contract Source Core was crucial for his further advancement in the Great Dao of Contracts, and he absolutely couldn't allow it to fall into the hands of these people of unknown origin and suspicious motives. However, the other side was powerful; their leader was at the late Foundation Establishment stage, and their four subordinates were all at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and they were all well-trained and well-equipped. Although his own strength had greatly increased, his chances of winning in a direct confrontation were slim.

"We must find a way to interfere with their breaking of the formation, or... activate the protective power of this place." Fu Shaoping's gaze swept over the sleeping ancient beasts, and then looked at the layers of ancient restrictions surrounding the altar.

He suddenly noticed that the energy nodes and operational trajectories of the "boundary-breaking array" set up by the black-robed cultivators had extremely subtle points of intersection and overlap with certain ancient restrictions around the altar, points that had not yet caused conflict. If he could manipulate these points using the power of the contract…

A bold and adventurous plan quickly took shape in his mind.

Without further hesitation, he quietly condensed his "contractual spiritual consciousness" into several extremely thin, almost imperceptible "contractual threads," which, like the most skillful surgical needles, silently probed out and precisely pierced into those key points where the formations and restrictions intersected and overlapped!

He didn't attempt to forcibly destroy or detonate it, as that would immediately expose him. He simply and silently injected his own contract essence into those intersections in a peaceful and acknowledging way, simulating the "Ancient Qi Valley Outer Passage Contract." At the same time, he also mixed in an extremely faint trace of the "curse backlash" and "contract disorder" intent from the "Netherworld Contract Book," like planting invisible "seeds." This process was extremely taxing on his mind and soul power; cold sweat beaded on Fu Shaoping's forehead, but he gritted his teeth and persevered.

Meanwhile, the four black-clad cultivators' "Boundary-Breaking Array" was nearing completion. The silver array plate and transparent array flags emitted a low hum, and beams of silvery-white light, imbued with analytical and stripping power, began to shoot towards the ancient contractual restriction surrounding the altar!

The restriction was triggered, instantly erupting with intense light! Countless golden contract runes appeared, flowed, and resisted. The forces of both sides began to collide and dissipate fiercely.

The leader in black stared intently, his black straight sword already half an inch from its sheath, ready to strike. The four cultivators who had set up the formation were also activating it with all their might, sweat beading on their foreheads.

Just as the light of the "Boundary-Breaking Array" intertwined with the golden light of the ancient restriction, reaching a delicate balance—

A glint of light flashed in Fu Shaoping's eyes, and a thought struck him!
"Detonate!"

At those intersections where he had subtly manipulated things, the originally peacefully integrated contract essence instantly reversed its nature! The fluctuations simulating the "passage contract" turned into the sharpest "contract-breaking" thorns! That trace of "curse backlash" and "contract disorder" intent, like a spark falling into an oil depot, was instantly ignited by the violent energy collision between the two sides!

“Buzz——!!!”

A strange buzzing sound, completely different from the collision of the two energies, filled with a sharp tearing and chaotic feeling, suddenly erupted from several intersection points!
In an instant, the silver light of the "Boundary-Breaking Array" and the golden light of the ancient restriction, which were in a stalemate, simultaneously twisted and became chaotic! The silver light became dim and scattered, and the golden light flickered uncertainly, completely breaking the energy balance between the two sides!
Even more terrifying is that this sudden disruption originating from the contract level acted as a fuse, instantly triggering more and deeper ancient restrictions around the altar!
Rumble!
The entire Ancient Valley seemed to tremble! The nine towering stone pillars surrounding the altar simultaneously erupted with golden beams of light that shot into the sky! Within the beams of light, countless ancient, majestic contract runes, imbued with the meaning of judgment and punishment, seemed to come alive, swirling and combining wildly!
A terrifying pressure, as vast as the might of the heavens and as heavy as an ancient mountain, descended with a thunderous roar! It firmly locked onto the few black-clad cultivators who were setting up an array, their auras completely out of place with those of the Ancient Qi Valley! In particular, their aggressive "Boundary-Breaking Array" became the primary target!

"Not good! The restriction has backfired completely! The formation has been disrupted! Withdraw the formation!" The black-clad leader's expression changed drastically, and he roared sharply.

But it's too late!
Several thick chains of judgment, formed entirely from golden contract runes, lashed out like divine whips, ignoring spatial distance, and struck the four array-setting cultivators and the "Boundary-Breaking Array" beneath their feet!
"Pfft!" "Pfft!" "Ah!"

Screams rang out one after another! The four black-clad cultivators at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, along with their meticulously arranged array plates and flags, were instantly pulverized like paper before the "Chain of Judgment," which contained the rules of an ancient contract! Blood and flesh flew everywhere, and their souls were annihilated!

Only the black-clad leader reacted the fastest. The moment the "Chain of Judgment" appeared, he transformed into a blurry black shadow and retreated rapidly. At the same time, he slashed out with all his might with his black straight sword, splitting open a golden chain phantom that was attacking him. However, he was also shaken by the impact, causing his blood to surge, blood to spill from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes to be filled with horror and disbelief!
"Who?! Who is behind this?!" he roared angrily, his spiritual sense frantically scanning his surroundings, only to see the altar, which had become even more dazzling due to the full activation of the restrictions, and several ancient beasts in the surrounding shadows, which had been startled, slowly opened their crimson giant eyes and let out low, threatening roars!

Fu Shaoping remained hidden in the shadow of the stone pillar, his face pale; the operation he had just performed had taken a heavy toll. He coldly stared at the disheveled, shocked, and furious leader in black.

Just then, the "Contract Source Core" that had been quietly suspended in the center of the altar seemed to tremble suddenly due to the full activation of the restriction and the infusion of a large amount of contract power!
Within the dark golden bead, a fleeting image of swirling stars and the rise and fall of civilizations seemed to flash by. Immediately afterwards, a more refined and powerful summoning force, seemingly emanating from the very source of the Great Dao of Contracts, swept across the entire Ancient Qi Valley like a tidal wave!

This summoning power seemed to carry a certain will of "choosing a master" or "testing." It swept over the heavily injured black-clad leader, who felt excruciating pain in his soul, as if he had been struck hard by an invisible hammer of contract. He groaned, his injuries worsening, and his gaze towards the source core was filled with nothing but fear.

It swept its gaze over the few awakened ancient beasts, who let out a low growl of awe, lowered their bodies, and dared not look directly at it.

Finally, it swept towards... the stone pillar where Fu Shaoping was hiding.

Upon contact with the same star core fragment and the aura of the inheritance jade tablet on Fu Shaoping's body, as well as his profound understanding and skillful application of the ancient contract runes that he had just demonstrated, the summoning power suddenly became gentle and clear.

A gentle yet irresistible golden beam shot out from the source core, traversing space and enveloping Fu Shaoping!

Fu Shaoping felt an indescribable, vast power enveloping and pulling him. He did not resist, nor could he resist.

Under the watchful eyes of the black-clad leader, filled with shock and rage, and the ancient beast, bowing in awe, Fu Shaoping's figure vanished from the spot in an instant, carried by the golden beam of light.

The next moment, he appeared in the center of the altar, right in front of the dark golden "Contract Source Core," within reach.

The source core floated quietly, emanating a warm and welcoming aura, as if it had been waiting for endless years.

Fu Shaoping took a deep breath, slowly reached out, and grasped the Contract Source Core, which symbolized the core of the ancient contract tradition.

The instant the fingertips touched the source core, it wasn't a cold sensation, but rather a strange feeling, as if holding a warm nebula. Vast, profound, intimate, and yet carrying a touch of ancient majesty. (End of Chapter)