The Contract

Du Chen burst into a wretchedly sly, truly wretchedly sly laugh upon seeing Deboning's current state.

Back when the Four Saints fractured, Flaying remained fiercely loyal to Phil. Deboning and Corpse Dissolution, however, both harbored ambitions to seize the mantle of Grand Pontiff themselves, while Tendon-Severing was Philip's staunch ally. These individuals engaged in a brutal, life-and-death struggle. Ultimately, Flaying, the strongest among them, protected Phil and escaped. Corpse Dissolution pledged allegiance to Philip. Deboning, isolated and powerless, found himself unacceptable to Philip. Left with no recourse, he had to cooperate with Flaying, jointly supporting Phil, while the two of them allied to protect themselves. Otherwise, he might have been eliminated by Corpse Dissolution and Tendon-Severing long ago.

To be precise, Flaying and Deboning were collaborators, not friends. More accurately, they were enemies grudgingly allied under the oppressive shadow of Philip.

This was also why Flaying had delivered Deboning into Du Chen's hands, allowing him to "torment" him as he pleased—now that Philip was dead, their mutual apprehensions vanished. The naturally stronger party (Flaying's side) would then...

Du Chen mused that Flaying intended for him to wring every last bit of information and advantage from Deboning while he was gravely injured, and then for Flaying himself to personally finish the job, flaying him alive!

"Do you truly believe you are in any position to refuse me now?" Du Chen's expression turned sinister, his chilling smile more terrifying than Deboning's own when he took a life.

Deboning surreptitiously assessed his own body, his eyes widening in shock. He snorted, "Damn it, my injuries..."

"My dear Mr. Deboning, Flaying wouldn't dare send you to me unless he was absolutely confident you lack the ability to harm me. So, cease your hesitation and tell me everything!"

"Hmph, and what if I refuse to speak? Can you truly eliminate me? Eliminate the Guardian Battle God of your two elder brothers?" Deboning sneered.

"Philip is dead, and Corpse Dissolution and Tendon-Severing are both gravely wounded, essentially rendered harmless. And then there's Your Excellency, also severely injured. How do you suppose I'll 'repay' you for the fright you gave me that day? Hehe..."

"I still don't believe you can do anything to me," Deboning sneered again.

"Louis. Do you still remember Louis?"

Deboning's expression shifted dramatically. He roared, "The Mount Tianshan incident was so urgent the other day, I didn't get a chance to ask you: where have you hidden Louis? Why could I clearly sense his presence near you, yet couldn't find him? What devilish trick have you pulled!?"

Du Chen rubbed his nose and chuckled, "Without my guidance, you'll never find him, and thus never be able to complete your Dark Sacred Punishment. When that time comes, you can prepare to beg forgiveness from the Yessar God! My dear esteemed sir, don't you think your attitude, considering you're asking for a favor, is rather problematic?"

"You!" Deboning shot to his feet, pointing at Du Chen, about to unleash a torrent of curses.

Seeing Deboning's furious expression, Du Chen scornfully pursed his lips. Crossing his legs and resting his hands on his knees, he said indifferently, "You, right now, have no right to point at me. Withdraw your finger! If it's because Your Excellency's injuries are too severe and your movements sluggish, I can certainly assist you..."

As he spoke, Du Chen remained unmoving. Yet, he secretly manifested the Lotus Shield, which, with a whoosh, slammed towards Deboning.

Deboning remained utterly oblivious. His mouth was open, an angry roar just reaching his lips, but before he could utter it, he suddenly felt an intensely sacred aura smash directly into him. Before he could even react, with a heavy thud, the Lotus Shield slammed Deboning to the ground, pinning him completely immobile.

While Deboning, at his peak, could have utterly disregarded the shield's power, his battle qi was long since completely depleted. How then could he resist the shield's force!?

Yet, Deboning's keen eyesight remained, and precisely because it remained, he was utterly baffled.

*What kind of power is this?* Deboning wondered. Du Chen sat comfortably, without the slightest movement, yet it felt as if a wall had suddenly materialized in the air, pressing him down!

*Battle qi materialization? Impossible! If it were materialized battle qi, I couldn't possibly fail to sense the qi, could I?! Then it must be an advanced application of the plant element—a Qi Wall?*

*Condensing qi into a wall, suppressing enemies with an invisible force! As long as there's air, one remains invincible!*

*Yes, it must be! But this technique can only be wielded by an advanced plant-element Battle God. How could Francis possibly use this move!?*

Du Chen leaned over, snatched Deboning's Iron Hook from his grasp, all while maintaining the pressure of the invisible shield. As he idly picked his nails with the hook, he remarked indifferently, "Deboning, what are you doing prostrate on the ground? With your power, are you perhaps bowing in grand ceremony to a 'mere' Two-Star Battle Mage like myself?"

*Could it be he's more than just a Two-Star Battle Mage!?* Deboning's mind reeled. From Du Chen's previous performances, he seemed like an ordinary, utterly unremarkable Two-Star Fighter. Yet, the undeniable reality before his eyes screamed to Deboning...

*...that if you believed Francis was a 'little' Two-Star Fighter, you were an absolute idiot!!*

Deboning's current state prevented him from precisely judging the true power of the shield pinning him down—and there was no battle qi emanating from it. However, he could feel an immeasurably sacred aura pressing upon his back. It was as sacred as the divine oracles he had personally experienced from the Yessar God in his youth. No, Francis's aura was several times *more* sacred than any Yessar oracle!

*Such a sacred aura... could he be a god?* An absurd idea blossomed in Deboning's mind, only to be immediately dismissed. Yet, following that thought, he remembered: *Right, the Yessar God bestows divine power upon Grand Pontiffs of every generation. From the era of Francis's Maternal Grandfather, that divine power lineage was broken, which is why Philip, as his successor, caused so much chaos.*

*Then, could it be Francis, possessing the Saintess's bloodline, who inherited the Yessar God's ultimate divine power!? At least where bloodlines are concerned, this makes perfect sense!*

"Ramepatisu, you cannot possibly be just a Two-Star Fighter! A Two-Star Fighter absolutely would not possess your kind of power! Ramepatisu, could it be... has the Yessar God bestowed upon you the glory that vanished along with your Maternal Grandfather!?"

Du Chen was stunned for a moment. He hadn't realized Deboning's mind had conjured so many possibilities. However, since Deboning had misunderstood, there was no need for him to explain! Adopting a sacred tone, Du Chen looked towards the window, "Ramepatisu, what do *you* think?"

"Right, before I passed out, I saw a sacred golden lotus kill Philip once. Was that also..." Deboning couldn't finish his sentence. Because he saw Du Chen slowly extend a hand, and a lotus blossom gradually materialized in his palm, spinning leisurely, glowing with dazzling golden light.

"Is this the super divine power granted to you by the Yessar God?" Deboning gasped, greatly alarmed. Then, the lotus in Du Chen's hand vanished. Deboning felt his abdomen suddenly swell, and a profound sense of death enveloped his heart. It was an explosive, potent force, capable of snatching his life at any moment.

Du Chen lazily leaned back on the sofa, saying nonchalantly, "All I want to say is, right now, I can eliminate you without lifting a finger!"

Deboning felt the swelling sensation in his abdomen abruptly vanish again. His mouth slightly agape, he stared at Du Chen in astonishment. "Alright, what do you wish to know? And did Flaying not tell you anything else?" He then muttered to himself, "Then again, for years I've always felt Flaying was rather odd, seemingly unwilling to speak of past events."

A thought struck Du Chen. "Continuing our previous topic: Glynn is Flaying, but... what?"

"Glynn is Flaying, but Flaying is not Glynn!" Deboning declared. "You've seen Flaying's Art of Disguise. He never shows his true face to others. Even the three of us other Saints only saw his appearance in our youth. But after adulthood, everyone's looks change. Even if you made Flaying remove his mask and stand before me now, I wouldn't necessarily be able to confirm he is Flaying."

"You mean Glynn was also one of Flaying's disguises?" Du Chen nodded slightly. "Continue. Tell me everything that happened after my Maternal Grandfather's disappearance! That Flaying fellow is quite peculiar; his accounts weren't very clear!"

"Back then, when your Maternal Grandfather and the Left Elder disappeared, Corpse Dissolution and I both wanted to become Grand Pontiff. But Flaying and Tendon-Severing insisted on the regulations of the Sacred Code and supported Philip. With the Right Elder, plus two Saints, their combined strength surpassed mine, so Corpse Dissolution and I had no choice but to accept it. You should know what happened later: Philip used your mother as a test subject, leading to the schism of the Four Saints. At that time, Flaying, being the strongest, took Phil to Einz. Corpse Dissolution and I seized the opportunity, still hoping to contend for the position of Grand Pontiff, so we remained on Battle God Isle to fight Philip... It wasn't until a few years ago that Corpse Dissolution defected to Philip. Left with no other option, I went to find Flaying, hoping to ally with him!"

At this point, Deboning paused, then continued, "Phil had already passed away long before then. Flaying suddenly reappeared, even more powerful than before. He easily defeated me and struck a deal: we would collaborate to counter Philip's potential pursuit and assassination attempts, but I would be responsible for protecting your two elder brothers' safety."

Du Chen nodded inwardly. What Deboning said was largely consistent with Flaying's account; he likely wasn't lying. "Our Mr. Flaying is truly mysterious, isn't he? Oh, by the way, since you only started protecting my two elder brothers a few years ago, you must be very familiar with the Saint Sigurd Cain Estate. Do you think it's possible for Flaying to be disguised as someone else, staying by my side, just as he once disguised himself as Glynn?"

"The only people around you are Foye and that silly child Aliza. But their physiques are too drastically different from Flaying's. Even I, among the Four Saints, who is most proficient in Bone Manipulation Arts, couldn't transform a body into that shape!"

After speaking, Deboning looked at Du Chen suspiciously. "You... no, Your Excellency, you have inherited the Yessar God's divine power. Are you now intending to reorganize the Yessar Church? I can assist you. I am willing to swear allegiance to you—no, to *Your Excellency*!"

*Is he truly swearing allegiance to me?* Du Chen slightly closed his eyes, pondering for a moment, weighing how to handle Deboning.

Deboning was not a true friend; that much was certain. His allegiance was built upon the misconception that the Lotus Sacred Artifacts were Yessar divine power, and such loyalty was unreliable! With Flaying in seclusion healing, unable to watch over him, Du Chen knew he had to be wary of Deboning!

So, should he eliminate Deboning now? It would be a pity to waste his Nine-Star Battle God battle qi!

Just then, a "thump-thump" sounded from outside, followed by Belmonde's sweet, childish voice drifting in, "Daddy, Harry fainted! No one's playing with Beibei anymore!"

*Damn that Shieb, why did you have to faint at a time like this!*

Du Chen gestured for Deboning to wait inside. He opened the door and saw his adorable little daughter pounding on the door, leaning against it. "Daughter, why did Harry..."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Du Chen realized something was off. He hastily closed the door—he had called her "daughter" again.

*Poof*, the little one transformed into Alex. He concisely explained, "Shieb wasn't loyal enough. Elder Sister didn't like it! She wanted to establish a Spiritual Contract with him! As a result, Shieb couldn't withstand Elder Sister's Spiritual Power and fainted!"

"A Spiritual Contract? What's that?"

Alex rolled his eyes at Du Chen, pursing his lips. "It's something masters understand; it's perfectly normal that you wouldn't get it!" With that, he closed his eyes, offering no further explanation.

"Hey, you little rascal, still daring to tease Daddy! Son!"

Belmonde emerged, Alex having receded. The little girl said, as if presenting a treasure, "Spiritual contracts are Beibei's Innate Racial Power, specifically for raising pets! Daddy, you don't need to worry about Harry being disobedient. Beibei made a contract with him! Unless Harry's Spiritual Power is many, many times greater than Beibei's, he'll have to obey! Hehe, isn't Beibei cute?"

"My heavens, my dear daughter, Daddy adores you!" Du Chen was overjoyed. *The little one has this ability? That's too powerful.* "Daughter, tomorrow Daddy will buy you lots and lots of toys...咦, you're Alex again!"

In Du Chen's arms, the little one, who had transformed into Alex at the sound of "daughter," thought unhappily, *Hmph, a Spiritual Contract? Trash. Worthless in the eyes of a true master!*

*But Daddy seems to really like Elder Sister's Spiritual Contract... As a true master myself, shouldn't I bring out something even better than a Spiritual Contract to make Daddy happy?*

*Otherwise, it would be quite embarrassing!*

Du Chen, oblivious to Alex's thoughts, immediately coaxed the little one to transform back into his daughter, beaming with smiles: "Sweetheart, can you help Daddy with a small favor?"