The Pact of Ten Thousand Swords

Immortal Estate World.

The Wu Jiang clan, led by Immortal Wu Sui, along with the large army of Sea Wave Dao-soldiers and other demons under Immortal Duo He, remained gathered outside the fifth sub-palace. Though filled with despair and rage, they were still hoping… hoping for a miracle to occur.

“Demons.” Suddenly, a voice rang out, and a surging wave of divine sense swept out, instantly engulfing all of the Sea Wave Dao-soldiers.

“Hm?” All the demons looked over, and even Immortal Wu Sui and Immortal Duo He were startled.

Several hundred li away, a youth dressed in animal hides stood, a small green serpent coiled around his arm. By his side was a massive, snow-white hound. Floating in the air around him were a number of ancient, rugged wooden staves—the Fuxi Staves. The space within a hundred li of this youth was completely sealed, impossible to teleport into.

“You?” Immortal Wu Sui and Immortal Duo He immediately recognized him.

He was indeed one of the humans from the group earlier, the youth in beast hides accompanied by the great white dog.

“The Immortal Estate Key is in my hands now,” Ji Ning’s voice sounded directly in the ears of every single demon. His divine sense, capable of covering a thousand li, easily allowed him to transmit his voice to all of them.

“Open.”

Holding the Immortal Estate Key, Ji Ning sent a thought to it. A passageway instantly appeared beside him, leading to the outside world—to the Tianyou Mountains. In truth, he had used the Key just moments ago to first go to the Tianyou Mountains, then re-enter the estate. After that, Little Qing had directly teleported him and the Whitewater Hound here. Little Qing’s strength had increased greatly since their time in the Mount Yujue Wasteland, allowing her to teleport others over short distances. The main reason Ji Ning hadn’t simply exited through the ‘Wu Jiang Hall’ was that, without having refined control over it, he would have emerged directly into the middle of the demon encirclement.

“It’s the Immortal Estate Key!”

“He’s holding the Immortal Estate Key!”

“That’s the outside world. I can sense the aura of the outside world!” Immortals Wu Sui and Duo He extended their own divine senses, reaching through the passageway and into the outside. “It’s a different world!”

Instantly, the gazes of Immortal Wu Sui, Immortal Duo He, and all the other demons turned even more fervently towards Ji Ning. Though they were puzzled as to why the Key had first been with a different human and was now with this one, they didn’t bother to think too much about it. They knew this youth had appeared because he wanted to negotiate.

Immortals Wu Sui and Duo He even considered attacking to seize the Key.

But their previous string of failures made them hesitate to act rashly.

“Don’t get any other ideas. I have already set up a formation around me, and the passageway is open. I can leave at any moment. And even if we were to fight, you wouldn’t be able to kill me,” Ji Ning said. With his protective treasures and the additional ones he had obtained from Shaoyan Nong, he spoke with genuine confidence.

Immortal Wu Sui, Immortal Duo He, and the other demons calmed down.

They didn’t dare to gamble anymore.

“What do you want?” Immortal Wu Sui asked.

“I have offended a powerful clan, the Shaoyan Clan. They will come for me, and they will come for my tribe,” Ji Ning transmitted his voice to every demon present. “My tribe is located in a Grand Xia city, the Ten Thousand Swords City. I want all of you demons from the Immortal Estate World to go to Ten Thousand Swords City and protect my tribe. Protect them for a thousand years. After a thousand years, I will grant you your freedom. I will even give you this Immortal Estate Key.”

The Immortal Estate Key was of little real use to Ji Ning.

Immortal Wu Jiang’s estate couldn’t be taken with him, so what use was it to him? He already had the much superior aquatic palace left behind by Daoist Threelives.

Besides, the treasures and scriptures of this Immortal Wu Jiang estate had already been completely cleaned out.

“Protect them for a thousand years?” The tens of thousands of demons, including Immortal Wu Sui and Immortal Duo He, were stunned, then overjoyed.

A thousand years was a long time, but demons had long lifespans. To merely protect a single tribe for a thousand years… in exchange, they would be able to go to a vast, boundless world, and even be given the Immortal Estate Key! This was something they wouldn’t have dared to dream of just moments ago. They had been prepared to be ‘fleeced,’ even willing to offer up some of their Dao-soldier armor.

But Ji Ning was not going to ask for their armor. With the armor, these demons were ten or even dozens of times more powerful. Their strength was exactly what he needed!

“Your tribe is in the Grand Xia city of Ten Thousand Swords City? As far as I know, the Grand Xia Dynasty has strict laws. Fighting and killing within a Grand Xia city is strictly forbidden. Anyone who dares to do so will be declared an outlaw, hunted by the entire dynasty. That Shaoyan Clan you offended… they wouldn’t dare to attack Ten Thousand Swords City directly, would they?” Immortal Duo He asked.

Although they had been trapped here, records of the Grand Xia Dynasty’s world had been passed down through the generations. They knew the basic common sense.

“That’s right. They wouldn’t dare to launch a direct assault,” Ji Ning transmitted back. “But they will send wanted criminals or suicidal assassins to attack my tribe. These assassins could be Wanxiang Adepts or even Primal Daoists. The chance of them sending a Loose Immortal is very low. A Celestial Immortal? Even more impossible.”

To enter a Grand Xia city and kill was to challenge the entire Grand Xia Dynasty. The punishment was death without exception.

To sacrifice a Loose Immortal just to vent their anger by destroying a minor, native tribe over a dead young master? Extremely unlikely. To sacrifice a Celestial Immortal? Completely impossible.

One had to understand that every Celestial Immortal was the true foundation of a clan. A single word from a Celestial Immortal could even replace the clan leader. If Ji Ning became a Celestial Immortal, he would be a major figure throughout the entire Grand Xia Dynasty, and even the Shaoyan Clan would have to treat him with courtesy. If a Celestial Immortal had killed Shaoyan Nong, the Shaoyan Clan would likely have sought a settlement rather than direct revenge. There was no way the Shaoyan Clan would be foolish enough to send a Celestial Immortal to attack a Grand Xia city.

“We also know a bit about the Grand Xia Dynasty’s world. The top-tier clans might have one or two Celestial Immortals at most. There’s no way they would let a Celestial Immortal become a wanted criminal.” Immortals Duo He and Wu Sui exchanged a single glance and made their decision. “We have decided to accept your terms. Within the thousand-year period, we will station ourselves in Ten Thousand Swords City to protect your tribe. With our strength, even if a top-tier Loose Immortal comes, we can easily drive them back. But if a Celestial Immortal attacks, we will be helpless.”

“If a Celestial Immortal comes, I will accept that fate,” Ji Ning transmitted. “Demons, all of you must now swear a Heavenly Oath. I will do the same.”

“Good.”

“That is only right.”

The demons had been afraid that Ji Ning would go back on his word. A Heavenly Oath was the most reliable guarantee.

Soon, Ji Ning personally drafted the oath. Both sides agreed, and then began to swear it.

Tens of thousands of demons swore the Heavenly Oath simultaneously. The ripples of the Heavenly Dao descended, and Ji Ning’s divine sense spread out, clearly identifying each demon’s oath. These thirty-odd thousand demons were the elite of the Immortal Estate World’s demon population, containing nearly ninety percent of the demon cultivators.

A Heavenly Oath was useless against mortals, and useless against ordinary beasts. It only bound those who had embarked on the path of cultivation. These demon soldiers were at least at the Zifu Disciple level. With these thirty-odd thousand demon soldiers, including two Loose Immortals, all having sworn the oath, Ji Ning wasn’t worried about them breaking it.

Ji Ning swore the oath as well.

“There’s no time to lose,” Ji Ning transmitted. “The Shaoyan Clan’s experts, possibly even a Celestial Immortal, will soon arrive at the Immortal Wu Jiang Estate. Once they do, they might even wipe out all of you demons. We must leave immediately.”

“What?!” Immortal Wu Sui, Immortal Duo He, and all the other demons were greatly alarmed.

Immortal Wu Sui and Immortal Duo He were decisive figures. Facing a turning point in the fate of their entire demon race, they quickly finalized their plan: “True Treasure Daoist, Wu Ke Daoist. You two will each take a thousand soldiers. Quickly gather all the demons from the entire Immortal Estate World as fast as possible. After that, you will lead them to Ten Thousand Swords City in batches.”

“This is a map of the Anchan Commandery of the Grand Xia Dynasty. Ten Thousand Swords City is marked on it.” Ji Ning flew over as well. Now that the Heavenly Oaths had been sworn, they were on the same side.

“We will take the main force and leave immediately.” Immortals Wu Sui and Duo He spoke.

“Come inside.”

Immortal Wu Sui and Immortal Duo He each produced a sack.

Whoooosh.

The dense ranks of demon soldiers offered no resistance, all flying into the sacks. The remaining troops were the two thousand under True Treasure Daoist and Wu Ke Daoist.

“Let’s go.”

Hua.

The passageway opened, leading to the Tianyou Mountains.

Ji Ning, Immortal Wu Sui, Immortal Duo He, and Wu Ke Daoist flew out.

The air in the canyon of the Tianyou Mountains was different from that of the Immortal Estate World. It held a vast, boundless, ancient aura. It was the aura of a Grand World.

“It’s different.”

“It really is different.”

“This is the Grand Xia Dynasty’s world.” Immortals Wu Sui and Duo He were in a state of shock and excitement.

“This is the Immortal Estate Key.” Ji Ning handed the key to True Treasure Daoist. “I give it to you now. Take the remaining demons and leave the Immortal Estate World immediately. Delay will lead to变故.”

“Understood.” True Treasure Daoist took the key, immediately turned and flew back through the passageway, which then closed.

“Let’s go.”

Ji Ning pointed, “Ten Thousand Swords City is roughly six hundred thousand li north of here.”

“Let’s move.”

Old Duo He personally cast a teleportation spell, taking Immortal Wu Sui, Ji Ning, Little Qing, and Uncle White with him.

Hua.

When Ji Ning perceived his surroundings had changed, he carefully examined them and said, “A bit off. Ten Thousand Swords City is about twenty-six thousand li to the southeast.”

“One more teleportation will fix it.” The shorter the distance, the easier it was. Duo He casually cast another long-distance teleportation.

In a stretch of misty sky just a few hundred li from Ten Thousand Swords City, ripples in space appeared. Then, Immortal Duo He, Immortal Wu Sui, a youth, a small green serpent, and a great white hound emerged.

“We’re here.” Ji Ning gazed into the distance. With his Fiendgod vision, he could easily make out the distant city from several hundred li away. He let out a sigh of relief. All of his earlier exchanges with the demons of the Immortal Estate World had been through voice transmission. He had tried to be as fast as possible, afraid that delay would bring trouble.

Ji Ning pointed at the distant city. “That city is Ten Thousand Swords City. It is the place you estate demons must protect for a thousand years.”