136 Contrac (2/2)
”In fact, this means that there is now no one, not even a child, with a complete soul in this village.”
”I usually consume a bit of someone's soul once every two days, and they are rotating to let me consume their souls. They have no one else to send to slaughter, so they sacrifice themselves to keep me pacified.”
”Although I am chained here, and even though my strength has dropped to the Sky Warrior levels, I can annihilate the entire village if I pull out all stops, because my foundations are inherently on a higher level, and we would meet mutual destruction.”
”That's why they do not mind undergoing immense pain to sacrifice some of their soul every second day.”
”So it is simple. You just have to look listless, have your face grimace with pain when you leave the room, and they will think that I have shaved off a part of your soul. Then in two days, they will most likely send your friend in to have me shave some of his soul off. It will continue like this until I have consumed your entire soul and you die.”
Xue Wei considered what the sword soul said and nodded his head. ”I can accept it, but what do you want in return? There is no such thing as a free lunch in the world. You want to leave here, but you must want something else to pledge yourself to me. It is no simple thing.”
”Sharp boy,” the sword said. As to whether or not it was praise, Xue Wei could not understand from its tone of voice.
”I require sacrifices once we're out of here, be it a human or a beast. I want you to kill the vilest creatures around, the more wicked their deeds, the better it is for me. I am an evil spirit, and I benefit from other evil spirits. Although I can benefit from honorable souls and straightforward souls as well, I will not gain as much as I do from vile scum. Evil breeds more evil, and that helps my cultivation.”
Xue Wei mused for some time. He had already accepted that he needed to kill people to stay alive as he was chased, but it seemed that this sword wanted him to go out of his way to slaughter injustice in the world.
”I am no righteous person,” Xue Wei said with hesitation, ”so I will not go out of my way to find people who have committed evil deeds due to some vigilante sentiment. However, if we happen to cross paths with a tyrant or an evildoer, I don't mind obliging. In a way, it might help me get some karmic luck in return.”
The sinister laughter erupted once more in the small dark room, and soon symbols that Xue Wei had never seen before started floating in the air.
”Give me a drop of your blood!” the sword said with a rush, its voice filled with equal amounts excitement and exhaustion.
Xue Wei hesitated for the briefest of moments, but then he gritted his teeth and slashed his finger.
”Hey kid, what's your name?” the sword suddenly asked. ”Xue Wei,” he answered straightforwardly.
”I swear to the Nine Heavenly Tribulations that I will never turn against my master Xue Wei. May the heavenly tribulations strike me down should I go against my words!” the sword said weakly. The sound of rumbling thunder could be heard from above, briefly shaking the world.
Outside the room, the villagers heard the sound of the rumbling thunder. They saw how the clear sky suddenly turned dark.
No one knew what could be the reason for this sudden change in the weather, but they knew it was an ominous sign.
Inside the room, Xue Wei's cut on his finger produced a single drop of blood. A suction force seemed to draw it out, making it float towards the sword.
The moment the sword came into contact with the blood, a thundering boom resounded and the entire temple started shaking from the subsequent shockwaves.
Xue Wei felt dizzy. Although it was just a single drop of blood, the connection with the sword was as strong as it could be - and the obstruction of the talismans started to affect him as well.
Every talisman present was bearing down on the sword, making it impossible for it to move an inch, and it was almost as if this feeling was transferred to Xue Wei himself.
”You didn't warn me about the talismans,” Xue Wei heaved a heavy sigh while adjusting himself. The talismans were bearing down upon him, making it incredibly hard to breathe, but he couldn't just tear them off lest their plan backfire.
Right now, Xue Wei was not strong enough. He was not strong enough to safely take the sword out of the village through a wall of vengeful villagers, so he had to act covertly to succeed.
”I used too much of my energy,” the sword said after a bit of time. ”I will need you to wait in the village for at least a month before I am at the peak of what little strength I have left, and only then can we plan our escape. At least you will come in every fourth day to 'have a bit of your soul shaven off', so we can plan later,” the sword said with a weak voice.
”By the way, I have a name. A name that once resounded throughout the eleven continents. My name is Tianyi. As for my last name, I have not used it in eons, and I fear that I will never use it again.”
Having said this, Xue Wei felt how the sword grew weaker in his consciousness until finally it entered into deep slumber. Their minds were somewhat connected, though it did not share their feelings or thoughts. However, it was still possible for them to sense the rough location of the other and their current status. They had signed a contract.