"Haha, that's right."
Gu Yuan walked over with a smile.
"Now we're allies, we have the same goal, don't we?"
"Of course, as allies, perhaps we should agree on some rules."
Shanggong Ji had no intention of giving Gu Yuan any pleasantries.
"This is the contract. If there are no problems, bite your finger and sign it."
"uh-huh."
Gu Yuan accepted the contract.
This is a real treasure! Both are second-tier magic items that don't require spiritual power to activate, but the Contract is far more useful than the Fire Shield...
Gu Yuan stared at Shang Gongji, thinking that this kid must have quite a few treasures on him.
It seems that when Gu Yuan asked Lin Tian and the others to pay protection money, they looked so unwilling that he thought they had already revealed all their secrets.
But looking at it now...
These guys are quite wealthy.
The contract didn't contain any hidden clauses; it simply stipulated that neither party should harm the other.
Furthermore, there must be no deception or concealment.
The rules and regulations, while seemingly restricting Gu Yuan, were actually also shackles placed on Shang Gongji himself.
When will this contract end?
"Of course, after we leave. Do you really want to have anything to do with me again?"
"Of course I don't want to, but your 'after leaving' is too vague. How about we set it to 'after opening the collective passage'?"
"Alright, then so be it."
Gu Yuan bit his finger and signed his name on the contract with his blood. Seeing Gu Yuan sign obediently, Shang Gongji breathed a slight sigh of relief.
After both parties confirmed that they had signed the contract, the contract spontaneously combusted and transformed into two royal runes that merged into the chests of the two individuals.
Anyone who violates the terms of the contract will suffer the agony of being pierced by a thousand arrows, and the consequence of serious violations is death from a broken heart.
"Then... let's begin the first round of the competition. Let's see who can rescue more companions."
"Hehe, good luck then."
Gu Yuan ignored Shang Gongji, while Shang Gongji retracted his Fire Shield and ran towards the rift, apparently to search for survivors...
Gu Yuan, on the other hand, was enjoying his peace and quiet and had no intention of saving anyone in the first place. But suddenly, Gu Yuan heard a familiar voice.
Then, a wicked grin spread across his face.
"Well, it seems that sometimes you really do need to do some boring things to pass the time..."
...
"Cough cough cough..."
In a daze, Lin Tian woke up and tried to raise his hand to wipe the liquid off his face, but was horrified to find that he couldn't lift his hand.
My companions...
"Wu Ze? Li Shubo, where are you guys?!"
Lin Tian's faint shouts went unanswered. Only then did Lin Tian realize that he was on a cliff, and the surrounding space was only big enough for one person to stand in.
Lin Tian's arm was pinned to the rock wall by a falling rock, and he had multiple deep, bone-revealing injuries on his head and body. From an onlooker's perspective, he looked utterly miserable.
"Is anyone there? I am the eldest son of the Lin family... Please help me!"
Due to excessive blood loss, Lin Tian slid weakly to the ground, leaning against the stone wall, his eyes filled with despair.
The next moment, a huge rock fell from above!
But Lin Tian was already powerless to dodge and could only resign himself to fate.
As Lin Tian closed his eyes in despair, awaiting death, he didn't know how much time had passed, but the boulder did not fall as he expected, smashing him into a pulp.
Even the sound of falling rocks around us had decreased considerably...
"You're... not dead?"
Lin Tian opened his eyes in disbelief, and the scene that greeted him left him speechless.
The boulder above his head had been shattered, and the one who saved him was none other than Gu Yuan!
"Why...?"
Lin Tian forced himself to ask, while Gu Yuan chuckled and took out the last bottle of healing medicine, waving it in his hand. "Before asking who I am, shouldn't you thank your savior first?"
"...."
"You can't say it? That's alright, after all, the thing that can save your life is right here."
Gu Yuan said with a smile, but to Lin Tian, that smile was as terrifying as the grin of a devil.
Finally, facing death, Lin Tian lowered his head and, with his last breath, shouted to Gu Yuan,
"Gu...Gu Yuan, thank you! You are my benefactor, the benefactor of the Lin family! Give me the medicine, and I will repay you a thousandfold when I return to the Lin family!"
Lin Tian looked at the good medicine in Gu Yuan's hand with longing. As long as he had this medicine, he could heal his hand. He had other medicines in his storage ring!
Lin Tian's voice trembled. Perhaps with medicine, his injuries could be healed!
Once they regain their fighting strength and can join forces with Shanggong Ji, what will Gu Yuan be then!
"Hmm, but I still don't think your sincerity is enough."
"ah...."
Lin Tian endured the excruciating pain, "What else do you want? If... it's a contract, we can sign it anytime!"
"I've got it. Why don't you just hand over your lightning blade to me?"
"you...."
Lin Tian's eyes widened, filled with anger.
The pseudo-lightning blade was his most satisfying masterpiece and his biggest trump card. It was this hand that allowed Lin Tian to stand out among his direct disciples by drawing spiritual energy from his body.
"You, you're going too far! Only those with a single spiritual root can use the Pseudo-Lightning Blade! If you want anything else, whether it's silver notes or spirit stones, I can give it to you, provided you give me the medicine!"
"It seems you haven't grasped the current situation yet."
Gu Yuan kicked Lin Tian, who had finally managed to stand up, to the ground.
"I'm not negotiating with you. Whether you accept it or wait to die here is up to you."
With no one around, Lin Tian was terrified of what had happened.
A dead genius is worthless!
No matter how valuable the fake lightning blade is, it's not as valuable as one's own life.
"Take it, then give me the medicine!"
After hesitating for a moment, Lin Tian pulled out a blood-stained scroll from his pants. Gu Yuan took the scroll, glanced at it, and then a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
This is genuine.
"You deserve it."
Gu Yuan tossed the good medicine to Lin Tian and, in the process, freed Lin Tian's trapped arm with a single stroke.
Having escaped his predicament, Lin Tian clumsily pulled out his severed hand, touched his blood-soaked forearm, and smiled knowingly, "Hahaha... As expected, I, Lin Tian, am still..."
"Why is it empty!"
Lin Tian stared in disbelief at the empty bottle in his hand. As soon as he turned his head, he was met with a slash!
Farewell.
"No--"
Before Lin Tian could finish speaking, Gu Yuan severed the hand wearing the storage ring with a single sword strike, and then mercilessly kicked him into the abyss!
In his final moments, Lin Tian could only helplessly watch as Gu Yuan tossed the severed hand away in another direction...
In the end, Lin Tian fell into the abyss, while Gu Yuan whistled, glanced at the blood-stained scroll a few more times, and then threw it down as well.