696 Soul Contract
At the same time Bai Ning and Hui Ying were trying to figure out what to do to safely find their way out of the massive jungle filled with all sorts of dangerous demon beasts that they now found themselves inside of, Elder song and Sheng Mei sat together inside a small, isolated pavilion.
Looking at them from a distance, it was obvious that a frown had appeared on Elder Song's face as he stared towards Sheng Mei sitting across from him.
"Are you sure what you said is correct!?"
"Yes, without me, I'm sure that the Flame Sky Kingdom will end up taking a stance against your Star Shattering Sect when you start expanding inside their territory!"
Hearing Sheng Mei say this, Elder Song frowned even more than before.
From their conversation so far, he had managed to understand that Sheng Mei sitting across from him should be the leader of one of the two factions of elders that existed inside the Flame Sky Kingdom.
One of the groups wanted to wait for one of their ancestors to reach the Domain Lord Realm so they could stay independent from the Star Shattering Sect.
If one of the ancestors could not reach the Domain Lord Realm before the Star Shattering Sect started expanding into their territory, they wanted to retreat into the capital city that was protected by an ancient formation that had been created by a long dead ancestor of the Flame Sky Kingdom that had reached the Domain Lord Realm.
The faction of elders Sheng Mei belonged to wanted to join under the Star Shattering Sect and strive for the benefits that could be obtained by working under a powerful sect with more than one Domain Lord Realm Expert in it.
Other than this, Sheng Mei's faction also wanted to gain the protection of the Star Shattering Sect by being under them.
In the end, both of the factions had their own polar opposite goals.
One wanting to join the Star Shattering Sect, the other wanting to stay independent and rely on their ancestors.
The king and the ancestors had not yet taken a stance to fully support one of the two factions, but they were currently leaning towards the side that wanted to remain independent from the Star Shattering Sect.
The reason why Sheng Mei had made the journey all the way to the Star Shattering Sect, was because she understood that her faction would end up losing if things continued like they were...
"So... You want my sect to help you out in growing your faction's power inside the Flame Sky Kingdom?"
"Yes! This way, it will be far easier for the Star Shattering Sect to take control of the Flame Sky Kingdom when the time comes... Not to mention, you will be able to avoid having to start war to take over the Flame Sky Kingdom this way!"
Nodding her head with a serious expression on her face, Sheng Mei didn't hide her reason for coming to the Star Shattering Sect.
"Indeed..."
Not denying what Sheng Mei said as it would indeed to a great thing if the Flame Sky Kingdom willingly joined them without any resistance, Elder Song silently thought about.
Soon, an eerie silence descended upon the small, isolated pavilion.
"..."
Looking at Elder Song with a nervous expression on her face, Sheng Mei could not help feeling like every second passing lasted for hours.
Given that Elder Song's decision on whether or not to support her and her faction of elders inside the Flame Sky Kingdom would decide her future actions and the fate of the entire Flame Sky Kingdom in the long run, it was not odd for Sheng Mei to feel nervous as she waited for Elder Song to come to a decision on whether or not he would let the Star Shattering Sect support her and her faction in growing their influence inside the Flame Sky Kingdom.
"Hm... Supporting you and your faction gain more power in the Flame Sky Kingdom is something that will help my sect... But that is only considering the fact that you don't just end up running away after being-"
"I can sign a soul contract! With a Domain Lord Realm Expert in your sect writing the soul contract. Even if I reach the Domain Lord Realm in the Future, I would not be able to break it easily!"
Interrupting Elder Song as she felt like he was going to refuse helping her, Sheng Mei quickly brought up using a soul contract.
"A soul contract..."
Showing a surprised expression after hearing what Sheng Mei said, Elder Song could not help looking a bit more closely at Sheng Mei.
A soul contract was not something that could be done casually, as it was to some extend a demonic technique and the price for breaking a soul contract was in most circumstances the destruction of one's soul!
The strength required to break a soul contract without dying depended on the cultivator who set up the contract in the first place... If like Sheng Mei had suggested, a Domain Lord Realm Expert of the Star Shattering Sect set up the soul contract. Even if she reached the Domain Lord Realm in the future, she would not be able to escape the soul contract without heavily injuring her soul.
Not to mention... That was only if she reached the Domain Lord Realm!
Given that she was still in the Nascent Soul Realm, there was no way for her to break the soul contract unless she happened to get the help of a powerful expert that was proficient in the art of soul manipulation.
"Hah... I understand that you indeed are willing to help us out with absorbing the Flame Sky Kingdom, I just wonder why you are willing to go so far for this...!"
Narrowing his eyes towards the end, Elder Song scrutinized Sheng Mei even more deeply than before.
Elder Song was not born yesterday, he understood very well that there had to be some kind of reason for Sheng Mei to go so far when it came to getting the Star Shattering Sect's support in absorbing the kingdom she was from.
"..."
Realizing that she might have been a bit too overzealous in gaining the assistance of the Star Shattering Sect, Sheng Mei froze as she smiled wryly. Not knowing what to say when meeting the suspicious gaze of Elder Song examining her from top to bottom.
"Actually I-"
"No need, I understand that you should have your own reasons for going this far, as long as you sign a soul contract and don't do anything that harms the Star Shattering Sect, I'm more than willing to secretly support you and your faction in gaining more power inside the Flame Sky Kingdom!"
Interrupting Sheng Mei before she had a chance to speak, Elder Song agreed to help her in the Flame Sky Kingdom.
"I... Thank you!"
"No need to say this, you can stay here for now, I will be back with the soul contract shortly."
Whoosh~
Standing up, Elder Song directly left the small, isolated pavilion.
Given his many years of experience, he very well understood that trying to get Sheng Mei to tell him the reason why she was so adamant about getting the Star Shattering Sect's support and helping her kingdom join under the Star Shattering Sect was impossible.
Rather than wasting a few hours, it would be far more useful to just draft a good soul contract that would make it impossible for her to hurt the Star Shattering Sect.
As long as that could be done, supporting her in faction inside the Flame Sky Kingdom would not be a bad idea!
"Ah..."
Suddenly realizing something as he was about to reach the sect master's cultivation room, Elder Song momentarily came to a stop as an awkward smile appeared on his face.
"I forgot how expensive it is to make such a high-level soul contract..."
Indeed... Crafting a soul contract was not cheap and the higher level it was, the more high-quality materials would be needed...
A soul contract made by a Domain Lord Realm Expert... The price of such a soul contract was something that even the current Star Shattering Sect would feel...
"I hope that Sheng Mei will be useful... Oh well, I will just lower the budget for the beast tamers, they still have to pay back for all the spirit stones they wasted over the years! Hehe~"
Chuckling to himself as he found out where he would get the resources required for the Domain Lord Realm level soul contract, Elder Song relaxed as he made his way inside the sect master's cultivation room where Feng Chen was already waiting for him.
...
Roar?!
Having moved to the base of the Seventh Star Peak to laze around on a large rock located in the perfect spot for the sun to shine down on it, the winged lion demon beast suddenly felt a shiver run down its spine.
For some reason, it had a feeling that someone was threatening its food supply...