I Don't Agree to the Terms
Chapter 344 - 198: Break it for me?

Chapter 344: Chapter 198: Break it for me?

"Before we proceed, we must agree to three terms," Shen Heng said with a strong aversion to swearing an oath using his fate as the wager. If it weren’t for being backed into a corner, he would have definitely backed out by now.

A foreboding warning from the unknown depths made him extremely wary of Gu Shanhai’s bet. By now, he was having some regrets; if only he had known, he would never have agreed to the demands of Feather Transformation Sect and Juxia Sect.

But had he not agreed, where else would he find the Taisu Spirit Stone and Taisu Spirit Water, among a series of heavenly treasures, that would enable him to cultivate divine skills in swordsmanship as recorded in "Primordial Spirit Treasure Supreme Sword Technique"? Now caught in a bind, he had no choice but to comply.

He hadn’t anticipated the situation would escalate to this point. It was supposed to end once he had drawn them out, but unexpectedly, this Taoist Wude would use such tactics to counter.

"Let’s hear them," Gu Shanhai was in no hurry and floated leisurely midair as he spoke. He wasn’t foolish enough to blindly agree without knowing the terms.

"First, you must not use any external force, such as magical artifacts from Chengyun Sect, powerful formations, or anything exceeding the might of Foundation Establishment Stage," Shen Heng was well aware of the gap between himself and Gu Shanhai. Although he looked down on Gu Shanhai, if Gu Shanhai were to act without principle and drop a sect-suppressing magical artifact, he would be finished.

"Agreed, but you may not use any external force either, including any power from Feather Transformation Sect, Juxia Sect, and even Luoyuan Sect, and you may not use any power exceeding the Foundation Establishment Stage," Gu Shanhai responded quickly with a countermeasure. Otherwise, his opponent would be able to use overpowered forces while he could not, which would be playing right into their hands.

Seeing this, Shen Heng understood that his counterpart was also restricting him, knowing he had strength far beyond the Foundation Establishment Stage up his sleeve.

"Second, if I win, Chengyun Sect must ensure my safety."

"That’s incorrect. If you win, I can only guarantee that Chengyun Sect won’t hold you accountable for spreading the 36 Transformations and 72 Transformations. Your safety is none of Chengyun Sect’s concern," Gu Shanhai sneered. This fellow was thinking too highly of himself; guaranteeing his safety was a different matter entirely.

At most, they would not pursue him. To truly guarantee his safety, they would have to oppose quite a few people.

"Fine, then, my dissemination of the 36 Transformations and the 72 Transformations won’t be pursued," Shen Heng said with a sullen expression.

Everyone present was shrewd; when he made this request, both Chi Yan and Tian Xun looked at him as if they wanted him dead.

"Third, the 36 Transformations and 72 Transformations you provide must be accurate and complete," at this point, Shen Heng was considering his own interests.

He knew those two techniques were his lifelines, disaster-avoiding methods that could offer him a slim chance of survival should he win.

"That goes without saying," Gu Shanhai nodded, indicating no problem. The 1.0 beta version was also error-free and complete, and even functional, but if one didn’t have the baseline of Chengyun Sect’s cultivation techniques, what the consequences would be, Gu Shanhai made no guarantees.

Shen Heng clearly hadn’t anticipated that Gu Shanhai’s cultivation techniques were categorized by versions rather than being comprehended through the original systems of this world.

The world’s cultivation methods depended on comprehension; basically, either one comprehended it successfully and learned it, or one only grasped the surface or failed to learn anything at all.

Perhaps this was also a kind of cognitive restriction in surviving through trials.

"Is that all? Then let’s swear the oath," Gu Shanhai thought it was time to move on to the main topic after the agreement had been settled.

"Agreed," Shen Heng was resolute, having no time left for hesitation.

The swearing process went smoothly, with no melodramatic interruptions or opposition; it wasn’t surprising considering where they were, with three cultivators at the Peeping Dao Stage and even more at the Divine Phase and Law Manifestation Stages. The powers represented spanned the entire world; anyone stepping out now would be simply courting death.

"Do you have anything else to say?" Gu Shanhai asked.

Shen Heng drew the Chaos Heaven Sword, its piercing Sword Intent radiating from him and falling upon the body of Gu Shanhai’s Azure Dragon form as if... oh, it was entirely unfelt.

The Azure Dragon’s body was incredibly sturdy, his Sword Intent couldn’t even scratch the dragon scales.

Although not a true dragon, the Azure Dragon, as an accompanying spirit being and a weapon, prioritized toughness above all.

"It seems there’s nothing more, so let’s begin," Gu Shanhai said, taking action instantly.

From the Azure Dragon’s mouth shot forth Dragon Breath, a beam of mana shining forth in an instant, blasting a pit where Shen Heng had been standing.

"Too slow, far too slow," Shen Heng’s voice came from behind the Azure Dragon.

The Chaos Heaven Sword pierced the dragon’s body without hesitation, creating sparks against the scales, but the attack failed to breach the defense.

"Oh?" Gu Shanhai turned around, spewing another Dragon Breath, with Shen Heng narrowly avoiding it. Had he been hit, it would have been the end of him.

"What of it being slow? I can afford countless errors, but you make one, and you lose," Gu Shanhai taunted.

The reason for being slow was simple; he wasn’t the Azure Dragon, and it was his first time embodying it. Naturally, he couldn’t instantly adapt to a dragon form with a structure entirely different from a human body. Usually, he wielded the Azure Dragon as a weapon or used it as an Alchemy Furnace; it was impossible for him to instantly adapt.

However, slow as he might be, his attacks and defense were without any compromise.

Shen Heng did not foolishly chastise Gu Shanhai for using power beyond the Foundation Establishment Stage; if that were true, the oath would have already backfired against him.