Chapter 970: Compromise

Before this, they had indeed considered making the Zhenhai Sect ruins their family's main base. After all, it boasted a fifth-tier spiritual meridian, and such meridians were incredibly rare in the entire human world.

Situ Yan's words shattered Wang Changsheng's and Wang Ruyan's illusions. On second thought, it made perfect sense; the Zhenhai Sect must have taken this into consideration when submerging its headquarters, likely as a precaution against the Sun Moon Palace.

Wang Changsheng had heard of the Myriad Beast Scripture. An oath made with one's essence blood meant that if the promise was broken, countless beasts would devour one's heart, leading to death.

"Senior, if we refuse, can we leave this place?" Wang Ruyan asked with a wry smile. She had already used her Dark Phoenix Eye to examine the area and confirmed that powerful restrictions had been set up.

"Certainly not. Who knows if you are cultivators from the Sun Moon Palace?" Situ Yan replied. "I am merely a wisp of a remnant soul; I cannot discern truth from falsehood, nor do I care to. If you make an oath upon the Myriad Beast Scripture, you may leave here alive. Apart from the fifth-tier spiritual meridian, everything else is yours to command. Our Zhenhai Sect has existed for tens of thousands of years; our foundation is profound, and the cultivation resources we have accumulated are far beyond your imagination. While cultivating Spirit Transformation cultivators is a tall order, training several Nascent Soul cultivators is certainly not a problem. Furthermore, we control several secret realms."

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan looked troubled. If they refused, they feared Situ Yan would not be lenient. Situ Yan had been a Nascent Soul cultivator in life, and even as a wisp of a remnant soul, who knew what divine abilities he could still employ? Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan dared not gamble; there would be no second chance if they lost.

Wang Changsheng's face showed hesitation. Leaving an oath on the Myriad Beast Scripture was different from a verbal promise. An oath on the Myriad Beast Scripture had to be fulfilled, whereas a mere verbal promise, if unfulfilled, would have no consequences.

Refuse? Could they refuse? The area was heavily restricted; if they refused, Situ Yan would likely manipulate the restrictions to kill them. Putting himself in Situ Yan's shoes, Wang Changsheng realized he would do the same.

"Well? Have you made up your minds?" Situ Yan's tone grew cold. "If you refuse, even if you manage to leave here alive, the ruins will be teleported to a far more dangerous location, and the entrance and exit will be permanently sealed. Unless a Spirit Transformation cultivator intervenes, you will be unable to leave this place. Of course, if you don't believe me, you are welcome to try."

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan exchanged glances. After a moment of hesitation, they nodded in unison, each spitting out a mouthful of essence blood to leave their oaths on the Myriad Beast Scripture.

A series of fierce roars erupted, and a large swarm of beast shadows flew out from the Myriad Beast Scripture, disappearing into Wang Changsheng's and Wang Ruyan's bodies.

On Wang Changsheng's and Wang Ruyan's chests, near their hearts, several hideous beast patterns appeared.

"You have done well," Situ Yan said, his voice catching slightly. "The Zhenhai Sect is now entrusted to you. I do not expect you to make the Zhenhai Sect flourish, only that you prevent its legacy from perishing. Otherwise, I would be ashamed before all the past patriarchs."

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan exchanged glances, then knelt down simultaneously, speaking in unison: "We will certainly rebuild the Zhenhai Sect and ensure its legacy never perishes."

"I hope you remember your words today. Here are the tokens to enter the ruins. With these tokens, you can freely enter and exit the ruins. Before you are strong enough, do not let the ruins surface from the sea. The island still has many powerful restrictions capable of killing even Nascent Soul cultivators. Go to Zhenhai Palace and disable these restrictions. The future of the Zhenhai Sect rests on your shoulders."

Two silver lights flew out from the statue's mouth, stopping before Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan. They were two square silver tokens, with the golden characters "Zhenhai" engraved on their surfaces, and runes flickering erratically.

The hall door opened automatically, and a wave of pure spiritual energy washed over them. Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan prostrated themselves three times before the statue, but received no response. They put away the tokens, walked out, and the hall door closed automatically.

They were now at the top of a towering peak thousands of feet high. They had just exited the Zhenhai Sect's Patriarch Hall.

Before them was a vast bluestone plaza, surrounded by over a dozen colossal statues, some human-shaped, some resembling sea demons, all lifelike. Not far away stood a blue palace over thirty feet tall, with the characters "Zhenhai Palace" carved onto its plaque. Looking further into the distance, a verdant mountain range stretched for thousands of miles, with numerous pavilions and palaces visible amidst the peaks and valleys.

The towering peak where they stood was exceptionally rich in spiritual energy, clearly indicating the location of the fifth-tier spiritual meridian.

Wang Changsheng was incredibly excited. The Zhenhai Sect's accumulated resources from tens of thousands of years were now entirely theirs. With these inherited cultivation resources, their cultivation speed would undoubtedly increase significantly, and their family's foundation would achieve a qualitative leap.

"Husband, let's quickly bring Junior Martial Sister Tian and Haitang inside," Wang Ruyan reminded him. "There are Nascent Soul-stage specters outside, and they might not be able to contend with them."

"Let's first remove some of the restrictions on the island!" Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan walked towards Zhenhai Palace. The hall door was closed, covered by a light-blue water curtain. Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan's bodies glowed with blue light as they pressed their hands against the water curtain. Ripples spread across its surface, and it vanished.

Wang Changsheng pushed open the hall door, and he and Wang Ruyan entered.

Outside the ruins, Fairy Ziyue and Ye Haitang frowned, a shared look of worry in their eyes. "Logically, Uncle and Aunt should have come out by now. Why are they taking so long? Nothing bad has happened, has it?" Ye Haitang asked anxiously. "It shouldn't be," Fairy Ziyue said, trying to reassure her, though her own eyes were filled with concern. "The Grand Elder wouldn't harm them. There shouldn't be any danger. Let's wait a little longer."

Not long after, a dazzling blue light illuminated the void ahead, and a blue glowing portal appeared. Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan flew out from it. Seeing Wang Changsheng emerge safely, Fairy Ziyue breathed a sigh of relief. "Uncle, Aunt, are you alright?" Ye Haitang walked over, asking with concern. "We're fine. Let's go inside first and talk," Wang Changsheng replied, shaking his head. He then led Fairy Ziyue and Ye Haitang into the blue glowing portal. No sooner had they flown through it than the portal vanished.

In the distance, a pair of green lights suddenly flickered a few times before disappearing.

"Is this the Zhenhai Sect? It's so beautiful," Ye Haitang exclaimed, admiring the scenic island.

Rumble! A low thud echoed as a massive yellow sphere rolled down from one of the towering peaks. Ye Haitang's heart skipped a beat, and her face filled with caution. Wang Changsheng waved his hand. "Don't be afraid. It's my spirit beast. It's been cooped up in the spirit beast pouch for too long, so I let it out to stretch." The yellow sphere rolled to the ground, then suddenly burst open, revealing a palm-sized yellow mouse. It was the Dual-Pupil Rat, capable of changing its size at will. It was already a third-tier high-grade beast, capable of earth-elemental spells, which allowed it to envelop itself into a giant sphere and attack enemies by using its size.

The Dual-Pupil Rat was greedily gnawing on a light-red fruit, clutching it in both paws. Just then, countless green thorns burst from the ground, and a wood demon emerged from beneath. The Dual-Pupil Rat tossed aside the fruit pit and burrowed into the earth, with the wood demon pursuing relentlessly. They began to play on the island, chasing each other.

Not long after, the four of them appeared in a stone pavilion. Wang Changsheng briefly recounted their experiences, though he naturally omitted the part about making an oath on the Myriad Beast Scripture.