Chapter 11: The Devil's Deal

In the hall of green stone, surrounded by nine towering fire pillars, Ye Qi, in his soul form, slightly bowed and placed a hand over his chest. His clear voice made the continuous roar of violence pause for a moment, then after a period of oppressive silence, the deep voice resumed its initial calm.

"Hunter? Hey, mortal, do you know what kind of existence I am?"

When the word "Hunter" was mentioned, Ye Qi clearly felt a wave of disdain.

"Although I have not seen it with my own eyes, countless books have recorded the existence of you and those of your level. Therefore, I am fully aware of what kind of existence you are!"

"Fully aware? Then how dare you speak to me like this!"

The aura erupted again, and this time it was several times more intense, pressing Ye Qi, in his soul form, to the ground, unable to lift his head.

"Your projection brought my soul to this realm and wants to sign a contract with me, which means there must be something you want me to accomplish! My current body is in the hands of the vampires, in grave danger! So, why don't we make a deal? You help me get through this crisis, and I will help you complete your task!" Ye Qi, pressed to the ground by the other's aura, mustered all his strength, raised his head halfway, and shouted loudly.

"Smart mortal, but do you think you have the upper hand?" Ye Qi's confident and proactive demeanor clearly annoyed the unknown demon, who increased the pressure on Ye Qi even more. Under this pressure, Ye Qi's semi-transparent soul began to ripple. If this continued, it wouldn't be long before Ye Qi's soul would be completely shattered.

"A deal is a process of mutual benefit and satisfaction. As long as both parties are satisfied, the deal is considered successful. There is no such thing as a sure win; we are just seeking mutual benefit."

Feeling the unknown demon increase the pressure again and his soul on the verge of collapse, Ye Qi quickly defended himself. After shouting, Ye Qi felt no sign of the other side easing the pressure, and his heart sank, feeling a sense of despair: "It's over! I was indeed too arrogant! To think I could use a demon to escape the crisis! Even if it's just a projection, it's not something I can resist! Without matching strength, how can there be a deal? I am so naive!"

"Very well! I agree to this deal!"

Just as Ye Qi was preparing to accept his fate of soul destruction, the deep voice sounded, and the pressure suddenly vanished.

The pressure came and went suddenly, leaving Ye Qi, who had been bracing for death, stunned. He then slowly stood up. On the surface, Ye Qi still maintained his humble and polite demeanor as if nothing had happened, but his inner turmoil was far from calm.

"Heh, this is the demon's art of conversation? A show of force to intimidate... " The hunter, full of sarcasm in his heart, still spoke with the humility due to a superior: "Sir, please state your demands and conditions!"

"Bang!"

The parchment in front of Ye Qi suddenly burst into sparks, and in the flames, the original abyssal script was replaced by new abyssal script. Clearly, this was the new demands and conditions of the unknown demon. However, when Ye Qi saw the parchment filled with abyssal script, he chuckled: "Sir, although there is no absolute fairness in the world, can our deal be relatively fair? You see, I can only recognize a few simple phrases in abyssal script. Also, can the patterns around the parchment be removed?"

When he said the last sentence, a trace of sarcasm flashed in Ye Qi's eyes—these patterns on the parchment were almost a standard trick used by demons when signing contracts with humans. If you overlooked these patterns, congratulations, after signing the contract, you would find countless non-existent clauses. After all, many words in abyssal script appear to humans in the material world as insignificant patterns.

Abyssal script is different from the various scripts of the material world, being very complex. Not only does it have a different pronunciation, but its writing style is also vastly different. Often, a group of a hundred words only expresses a simple matter. Therefore, except for those with special interests or extensive knowledge, most people are clueless about abyssal script. Ye Qi, who could recognize a few phrases, was already considered quite good.

"Mortal, you are testing my limits!" The deep voice became even deeper.

"Since you have agreed to the deal, you should show sincerity! Mortals also have their dignity!" The smile on Ye Qi's lips disappeared, leaving only determination.

At this critical moment, Ye Qi naturally could not back down. Otherwise, all his previous efforts would be in vain. If he signed a contract of servitude, what would be the point of the deal? Ye Qi would rather die than become a slave to anyone.

After the hunter's words, the entire green stone hall fell into silence, even the sound of the nine fire pillars burning became silent. In the oppressive atmosphere, the parchment "bang!" ignited again. When the flames disappeared, the abyssal script on the parchment had been replaced by the common script of the material world. The patterns that adorned the edges of the parchment had also vanished.

On the parchment, the common script clearly and concisely listed three points:

First, the other party would help Ye Qi escape his current predicament, and Ye Qi would help the other party find certain items over a period of time.

Second, for each item found, the other party would grant Ye Qi a certain amount of power as compensation.

Third, both parties would stake their souls as collateral, and from the moment the contract was signed, they could not reveal the other's existence or harm each other by any means.

Ye Qi's eyes widened as he looked at the contract, which was unexpectedly favorable to him. He blinked, almost disbelieving. The content of the contract was surprisingly beneficial to him, especially the second point about compensation and the last point about mutual non-harm, which made Ye Qi feel as if he had taken a dose of a calming agent—demons are very generous when they achieve their goals, and the power granted is absolutely not to be underestimated. Ye Qi even began to speculate on what kind of power it would be—control over fire? Or mental impact?

However, after the hunter's excitement subsided, he quickly calmed down again and began to doubt: "Is this contract too favorable to me? Is this the allure of a demon's contract? If so, no wonder throughout history, countless people, knowing what kind of existence demons are, still signed contracts with them!"

With trepidation, he carefully examined the parchment several times to ensure there were no issues. Then, the hunter, in his soul form, extended his hand and placed it on the parchment.

Instantly, a blinding white light burst from the parchment, illuminating the entire green stone hall.

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End of Chapter 11

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