Chapter 683: Holding the Upper Hand

"With whom?" This question was crucial.

The Grand Master of Qingyang privately refined and sold elixirs of immortality, so she would certainly be held accountable by the gods. It was no surprise that she was on trial in the Heavenly Palace.

The key was: who sent her up?

"The Emperor."

Just as expected. He Lingchuan exhaled deeply: "It seems they did reach an agreement. Did you hear her confess anything?"

Juju shook its head: "The barrier of the Stargazing Tower blocks my eavesdropping."

It was curious too, but unfortunately, it couldn't hear a single word.

"So, has she come down from the mountain?"

"Still inside the Heavenly Palace." That much couldn't be hidden from Juju.

He Lingchuan thought for a moment: "By the way, can you disable the teleportation arrays on Mount Tianshu?"

"No!" Juju snapped, "Under the suppression of the Spirit Gathering Array, I cannot destroy the buildings and formations on Mount Xu!"

"But once the formation is broken, you can?"

"Of course!" Juju declared confidently, thumping its chest so sparks flew. "You just need to break the Spirit Gathering Array, and leave the rest to me. Watch me unleash my might!"

It had personally confirmed that the array's core was not in the void, which greatly boosted its confidence.

He Lingchuan smiled: "Everyone plays their part, right?"

"Absolutely!"

Then He Lingchuan took a set of shackles from his pocket and said to Juju, "Come, let's make a pact."

Juju scrutinized the shackles, asking suspiciously, "What is this?"

"Oath Shackles," He Lingchuan introduced. "We each wear one shackle, then swear to help each other and not go back on our word. If we fail to comply, we will suffer backlash from inner demons."

He smiled, "This is from the Demon Heart Furnace; even ancient immortals couldn't escape it."

Juju's face was also ablaze, showing no expression, but the flames around its body seemed to solidify.

"What does this mean?" it roared, "You don't trust me?"

"The premise of cooperation is honesty and trustworthiness," He Lingchuan smiled. "Since we are both sincere, what's the big deal about wearing shackles?"

"My honesty doesn't need proof!" Juju fumed. "Who knows what this cursed thing really is?"

He Lingchuan raised a hand, and the chains clanged crisply: "Anyone who touches such a treasure will immediately know its purpose."

Juju stared at He Lingchuan and said, "Do you intend to go back on your word? With me, things aren't that easy!"

When it flared up, both felt the scorching flames on their faces, and the bat demon puppet simply hid behind Dong Rui.

Seeing its towering rage, He Lingchuan's smile faded. This sudden outburst from the rock-fire monster showed it had its own schemes and didn't intend to seriously uphold its promise. "If we don't seal this pact, our cooperation ends here."

After speaking, he took two steps back, paused, and turned to leave.

Dong Rui also silently turned with him, a cold sweat on his palms. He understood the logic, but this was Juju's territory, and the rock-fire monster could easily crush them both. Even riding a snail-toad, what were their chances of escaping successfully from this Mountain Spirit?

"Trying to leave?" Juju indeed slammed a fist onto the ground. A weathered boulder on the mountain instantly fell, smashing into eight pieces upon impact, perfectly blocking the path He Lingchuan and Dong Rui intended to take.

The smallest of these stones weighed several tons, and their impact was astonishing, not only kicking up clouds of dust but also startling the nocturnal birds nearby into chaotic flight, their terrified screeches filling the air.

Such a huge commotion was bound to alert the Heavenly Palace guards.

"Comply obediently, or I'll blow you both to ashes, or hand you over to the Heavenly Palace!" Juju extended a hand, flames rising from its palm, "Choose!"

When it raged, the flames around its body even turned incandescent white, and nearby trees silently disintegrated. Given its power, neither of these threats was an exaggeration. Dong Rui found it hard to withstand the scorching flames, retreating several steps while still feeling his face burning.

Anyone else facing such supreme power might have trembled in fear and immediately submitted.

He Lingchuan, however, stood unmoving. Protected by the divine bone necklace, he only felt a gentle breeze on his face: "Your escape plan will fall through along with ours, and you'll have to continue serving as a slave to the gods on Mount Xu. If you can't display your power and awe Lingxu City, the 'dog food' the Ke family feeds you will only diminish."

He said coldly, "After starving for ten years, will you still be this formidable? Even if you manage to wait for a second group of rescuers, who knows what terms they'll offer you then, or if you'll still be able to keep your word?"

Juju clenched its fist, its fiery hand larger than a door, and brought it down directly towards He Lingchuan's head!

The might of this blow was unparalleled. Dong Rui took two more steps back, blinking rapidly. Even if He Lingchuan was immune to fire damage, if that punch truly connected, he would be crippled, if not dead.

Yet he didn't even dodge, just looked up at Juju as if what was falling wasn't burning rock, but fluttering butterflies. Dong Rui also knew the punch wouldn't land, but he couldn't remain as calm as He Lingchuan. Isn't humanity's fear of the powerful deeply ingrained?

Sure enough, the fist stopped three feet above He Lingchuan's head. The powerful wind from the punch flattened the weeds on the ground. Crimson lava dripped down, less than an inch from He Lingchuan's nose, sizzling and burning several holes in the ground. Dong Rui felt the heat just by looking, but He Lingchuan paid it no mind.

"I dare to plot against the Heavenly Palace, so why would I fear a mere Mountain Spirit like you?" he spoke confidently, seeing through Juju's bluster. "Will you wear the Oath Shackles and seriously fulfill the pact, or will you tear up the agreement, resulting in mutual destruction? The Heavenly Palace guards are arriving soon; choose for yourself."

Juju was indeed in a difficult position.

It longed to escape its predicament, but it didn't want to thoroughly offend the Heavenly Palace. Therefore, it hadn't taken He Lingchuan's subsequent plans, such as punching the Stargazing Tower or kicking the Altar of Gods, seriously. It had just agreed for now, thinking that if it couldn't be done, it couldn't be done, and what could this small human do to it? But it hadn't expected this little thing to even bring out these Oath Shackles, which meant whatever was said would have to be honored. This didn't align with the rock-fire monster's beliefs.

Juju was very unhappy, feeling like it had been tricked.

He Lingchuan waited for a few breaths, seeing its indecision, then said to Dong Rui, "Let's go." Indeed, just as Xu Shichu and Fang Canran had said, this monster was very cunning. If you wanted to cooperate with it, it would scheme how to maximize its own benefit and might even betray you later. He had seen such people and nations before; it was nothing new.

Dong Rui turned on his heel, about to leave with him, when Juju finally spoke:

"Wait, I'll wear them!"

He Lingchuan stopped and looked at it: "Are you sure? Once worn, there's no going back. This task must be seen through to the end!" He had waited until he personally verified the array core's trajectory tonight before taking out the Oath Shackles. He needed Juju to understand that such an outlandish plan actually had a real chance of success before it would commit to the pact. Otherwise, this fickle fellow might just turn against them on the spot.

Juju glanced upwards. From the peak, overlooking the underground dark valley, the view was obstructed by large boulders; at best, only a faint flicker of fire could be seen. But the earlier commotion from the falling weathered rock had been too great, and now guards were already running down the path to see what had happened below.

Juju waved its hand, and a fire spirit clone went to meet them. Upon encountering the Heavenly Palace guards, it would explain the situation to them.

"Give them to me!" Juju reluctantly held out a hand to He Lingchuan and touched the shackles. As expected, it immediately perceived the properties of the Oath Shackles. This truly could be called the power of a contract; even it could not defy it.

Then, with a click, He Lingchuan fastened the shackles onto both their wrists. A human hand and the rock-fire monster's arm were obviously not of similar thickness, but luckily, immortal treasures could freely adjust in size, always finding a suitable fit. The runes on the shackles lit up one by one, a beautiful crimson-gold.

Both parties swore an oath over the shackles, listing the tasks to be completed. Juju tried to play a trick with some word games, but He Lingchuan ruthlessly called it out. He even set an expiration for the oath.

Once the oath was recited, Juju looked at the shackles. The chain between the two shackles seemed to melt slowly in a crimson glow, as if dropped into molten steel, until it completely vanished. From this moment, the oath would remain in effect until it was fully completed.

The shackle on He Lingchuan's wrist, meanwhile, transformed into an unremarkable silver bracelet, a plain, unadorned band with no magical fluctuations. Juju's shackle, on the other hand, became an intricately patterned arm guard, at least two feet wide.

These shackles were quite intelligent, knowing how to change their appearance to suit the wearer. But their existence would inevitably bind both parties to complete the contract; even if a hand were severed or a clone created, they would accurately reappear on the oath-taker, clinging like sticky candy that couldn't be shaken off.

Juju grumbled, "Satisfied? Now get out!"

According to the oath, after escaping, it had to immediately blast the Stargazing Tower and fully assist He Lingchuan in obtaining the divine artifact. A major battle was unavoidable. This point truly displeased it. After everything was done, He Lingchuan might just walk away, but it and the Heavenly Palace were unmovable neighbors. With relations so strained, it didn't know how they would get along in the future. Those people in the Heavenly Palace were insidious; they might not be able to deal with it openly, but they could cause a lot of trouble in secret.

He Lingchuan, however, had a look of concern: "Just to confirm one more thing: there are no opponents for you in the Heavenly Palace, right? I heard that more than ten years ago, there was a great earthquake in Lingxu City, and it was only quelled by the gods' intervention. The last time, you were defeated by the gods; will you be cleanly beaten down again this time?"