Chapter 345 - 304: Heart Demon Contract, Achieving the Dao Fruit

Chapter 345: Chapter 304: Heart Demon Contract, Achieving the Dao Fruit

The greatest benefit of a reverse Heart Demon Contract for human Cultivators was the ability to summon a Heart Demon to fight when their Sea of Consciousness was invaded.

Jiang Zuo contemplated the Heart Demon Contract that Jialan had modified.

"Alright, let’s sign the contract as you’ve written it."

Jiang Zuo nodded in agreement.

"Really?"

Jialan could hardly believe her ears.

According to the contract she had revised, while it was still a reverse contract, she wouldn’t actually suffer any losses.

The contract stipulated that if Jiang Zuo summoned her, she could refuse to go.

Even if she did go, Jiang Zuo couldn’t harm her.

And though she couldn’t harm Jiang Zuo either, signing a contract like this meant that aside from being bound by a Heart Demon Contract, neither she nor Jiang Zuo would suffer any loss or gain any benefit.

’What’s the point of signing a contract like this?’

"Oh? You’re not willing? Do you want me to add a few more conditions?"

Jiang Zuo shot Jialan a malicious look.

"No, no! This is fine!"

Jialan said hurriedly, afraid Jiang Zuo would go back on his word.

With that, a faint imprint materialized on both Jialan’s and Jiang Zuo’s foreheads.

Once they both confirmed it, the Heart Demon Contract was formed.

However, the moment the contract was sealed, Jialan had a vague feeling that something was a little different about the imprint on her forehead.

But she had modified the contract herself; there was no way it could be flawed. So, Jialan didn’t dwell on it.

"There. From now on, we’re Heart Demon partners."

"Tell me about the Heart Demon Realm."

Only then did Jiang Zuo release Jialan.

Jialan breathed a sigh of relief.

There was nothing about the Heart Demon Realm that couldn’t be said, so whatever Jiang Zuo asked next, Jialan answered to the best of her knowledge.

After hearing Jialan’s explanation, Jiang Zuo fell silent for a moment.

The Heart Demon Realm was a much simpler world than the Cultivation Realm.

Heart Demons originated from human Cultivators and were divided into male and female.

Heart Demons below the fourth tier could only kill and devour one another endlessly.

Only upon reaching the fourth tier could a Heart Demon be said to have a future.

Otherwise, they would sooner or later become nourishment for another Heart Demon.

But for a Heart Demon, the fourth tier was only the beginning.

Causing a Tribulation Cultivator to fail their Heart Demon Tribulation was a Heart Demon’s greatest opportunity.

A fourth-tier Heart Demon had one such chance. If successful, they would have a high probability of breaking through to the fifth tier in the future.

After the fifth tier, the Heart Demon would get another Heart Demon Tribulation opportunity.

This time, it would target a Cultivator breaking through to the Manifestation Realm.

Success meant the Heart Demon could break through to the sixth tier.

Only at the sixth tier could a Heart Demon break out of the Heart Demon Realm and attain true freedom.

The process was different, but as Jiang Zuo listened, he felt that Heart Demons and human Cultivators were taking different paths to the same destination.

Human Cultivators sought to ascend to the Upper Realm and achieve longevity, while Heart Demons sought to escape the Heart Demon Realm and gain freedom.

"Alright, that’s enough. Let me leave."

Jiang Zuo decided not to linger any longer.

Jialan had long been wanting this Plague God to leave. Hearing his words, she quickly dispelled her Heart Demon World.

Without the Heart Demon World, the rules Jialan had set instantly became void.

Jiang Zuo immediately felt a powerful attractive force coming from the sky, originating from his physical body.

With a thought, he transformed into a streak of light, shot across the firmament, and rushed back.

’What awful luck. But thankfully, I only failed the Heart Demon Tribulation. The loss isn’t too great.’

Jialan sighed.

She was powerful, and although she failed to pass the Heart Demon Tribulation and receive the Celestial Dao’s reward, if she was careful, she could still survive.

...

「Bitter Sea Desert.」

Jiang Zuo was sitting cross-legged on the ground when his brows twitched slightly.

In the sky, a seven-colored auspicious cloud suddenly appeared.

Jiang Zuo’s Crossing the Tribulation had been exceptionally perilous, but upon his success, the Celestial Dao did not skimp on its reward.

As the baptism of heaven and earth descended, an ethereal sound echoed in Jiang Zuo’s ears.

This was the Sound of the Great Dao!

Under the Sound of the Great Dao, the Divine Power from the Dao Fruits that Jiang Zuo had guided into his body merged into his Five-Colored Divine Tree at an astonishing rate.

The Five-Colored Divine Tree grew at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Within it, five Divine Flowers began to condense into Dao Fruits.

Moreover, it didn’t just accelerate the condensation of the Dao Fruits.

The Divine Power Jiang Zuo obtained under the Sound of the Great Dao far surpassed that of other Cultivators.

The baptism of heaven and earth after Crossing the Tribulation was itself a form of Dao Fruit Divine Power.

How much one could absorb depended entirely on the Cultivator’s own fortune.

But with the Sound of the Great Dao, Jiang Zuo absorbed almost all of it.

Jiang Zuo’s body, which had been weakened during the tribulation, had also fully recovered by the time the baptism of heaven and earth ended.

"It’s the Sound of the Great Dao!"

In the distance, the old man and the young Cultivator listened to the Sound of the Great Dao, and for a time, they too reaped considerable benefits.

Under this Sound of the Great Dao, both of their Dao Fruits achieved a sliver of a breakthrough.

"I never thought we would be so fortunate!"

"Come, let’s go pay our respects to this senior!"

The old man was overjoyed.

It was this sliver of a breakthrough that made him feel he once again had a chance to break through to the Manifestation Realm.

Although the probability was still extremely low, there was at least hope.

"Yes, Grandmaster!"

The young man was more talented than the elder, and his gains were even greater.

The two of them moved, flitting toward the valley.

His Crossing the Tribulation complete, Jiang Zuo was carefully assessing the changes in his body.

Jiang Zuo was already aware of the old man and young Cultivator approaching from the distance, but he paid them no mind.

Now, as long as it wasn’t a Manifestation Realm Cultivator, Jiang Zuo had no reason to be wary.

Before, he had to avoid being injured by a Dao Fruit’s self-destruction. Now, even if a Fruit Realm Cultivator self-destructed right in front of him, Jiang Zuo could shatter them with a single punch.

’In terms of Cultivation, there’s not much to say.’

’The biggest difference in the Fruit Realm is the ability to condense Dao Fruits and master Divine Techniques.’

’One Dao Fruit, one Divine Technique. I can master five Divine Techniques in the initial stage of the Fruit Realm.’

’And my Divine Power is exceptionally dense, so the Divine Techniques I master will be terrifyingly powerful.’

’But what kind of Divine Techniques I’ll master will depend on the Cultivation Technique I practice, as well as my own ideas.’

Jiang Zuo thought.

In the Cultivation Realm, the Divine Techniques mastered from the same Cultivation Technique were often quite similar.

The reason was simple: mastering a Divine Technique was no easy feat.

Most people simply followed the instructions in their technique, as that was the easiest way.

Powerful geniuses would modify the Divine Techniques based on the Cultivation Technique Secret Manual, making their own mastered versions even stronger.

This was Jiang Zuo’s current plan as well. After all, creating his own Divine Techniques was not only time-consuming and laborious, but it was also highly likely they would be inferior to the ones in the Secret Manual.

Of course, if he could create an exceptionally powerful Divine Technique of his own, that would be a different story.

’Besides my Cultivation, the biggest change is my physical body.’

’The Golden Thunder Tribulation Body has brought my physical form to an unprecedented level.’

’Perhaps only the self-destruction of a Fruit Realm expert could even slightly injure me.’

’And thanks to the final Divine Power Thunder Tribulation, my bones were also greatly tempered by the Tribulation Thunder.’

’My bones are now probably comparable to a fourth-tier Spiritual Artifact, and my strength has skyrocketed as a result!’

Jiang Zuo carefully sensed the changes in his physical body.

At this moment, he felt an infinite power.

If he threw a punch with all his might, Jiang Zuo felt his fist could destroy anything.

If he stacked the Flesh Burst state on top of his Golden Thunder Tribulation Body...

Jiang Zuo felt that the power of his punch would be roughly equivalent to the explosion of a small nuclear bomb.

’This... seems a little excessive.’

’It’s probably just a feeling. I might have the area of effect, but the power probably can’t compare.’

However, after a moment of silence, Jiang Zuo figured he probably wasn’t *that* monstrous.

A nuclear punch, no matter how you looked at it, was just too ridiculously overpowered.

’Also, my Divine Sense has grown a bit stronger.’

’And I signed a Heart Demon Contract with that Heart Demon named Jialan.’

Jiang Zuo’s consciousness stirred, and he looked at an imprint within his Sea of Consciousness.

Normally, he could use this imprint from the Heart Demon Contract to summon a Heart Demon.

However, Jiang Zuo had actually tampered with this imprint using the Mysterious Stele.

If he wished, he could use the imprint to descend into the Heart Demon Realm in reverse!

According to the Heart Demon Contract, if he summoned Jialan, he couldn’t do anything to her.

But if *he* went to the Heart Demon Realm, it would be a different matter entirely.

The contract never stipulated that he couldn’t make a move on Jialan in the Heart Demon Realm!