Otherworldly Affairs Office

Chapter 891 891: Liu Chengyin

After listening to the strange insect's tale, Pei Yan wasn't frightened by its rhetoric; instead, he recalled his experiences over the past four months. From entering the Ghost Realm to temper his soul to arriving here to seize the Divine Artifact, he increasingly felt that the Demon God had a deeper intent beyond forming a cooperative agreement to help him train.Unable to figure out anything at the moment, Pei Yan decided to take it one step at a time. With this thought, he nodded at the strange insect and chuckled lightly: "You don't need to worry about my life and death. I came here for this Divine Artifact, and I won't give up until I have it. Since you can't help me with that, tell me what you can help or offer me!"

"I can give you my discarded shell!" For the first time trading with a human, the strange insect hesitated for a long time before stating its condition.

"Shell? What would I want that for?"

Seeing Pei Yan's disdainful expression, the strange insect hurriedly explained: "My shell is very hard, resistant to high temperatures and corrosion, and extraordinarily light. Outside, it's used for forging...."

Without waiting for the insect to finish its pitch, Pei Yan waved his hand holding the fan, folded it up impatiently, and said, "I have plenty of materials; I don't need it. Tell me if you have anything else that might interest me; otherwise, I'm going in!"

"I... I can sign a contract to become your beast pet!" Seeing Pei Yan unmoved by its conditions, the strange insect was forced to state its bottom line.

"Beast pet?" Pei Yan's interest piqued at this, and he returned the fan to his ring, sizing up the strange insect with suspicion.

"Yes! A beast pet! Just like the Hellhound, I'm willing to give up my freedom to become your pet!" The strange insect's eyes were filled with hope.

"You're willing to pay such a high price for this? Didn't you all claim to be very proud? Wouldn't you feel aggrieved to be under my command?"

Facing Pei Yan's skepticism, the strange insect nodded and explained: "Lord, you have displayed your might along this journey. Bowing to a powerful being is natural here. Moreover, I am old, entering a period of decline, and if I can't evolve to rejuvenate, only death awaits me. Lord, the flower in your hand is my only chance at evolution!"

"This condition is not impossible, but your power is truly lacking...." Pei Yan, moved by its earnest words, prepared to make the deal. The flower was of little use to him, so trading it for a pet to experience being a Beast Tamer wasn't bad after all. However, the insect's power was too low, barely at the eighth tier's initial entry if converted to external combat strength, and its abilities were average; otherwise, it wouldn't have been knocked into magma by one of his strikes. More importantly, it was ugly—the thought of taking such a creature into battle stirred a bit of resistance within Pei Yan.

"Lord, my current lack of power is due to my ancestral bloodline always failing to break its limits, resulting in weaker successive generations reduced to lower-tier Hell Beasts. If I succeed in evolving, I believe I can restore my ancestors' glory. Lord, my ancestors' bloodline was top-tier even amongst Hell Monarchs!"

Upon hearing the term Hell Monarch, Pei Yan's eyes lit up. After two months in the Sealed Land, he had grasped the hierarchy here. Hell Monarchs corresponded to ninth-tier beings externally, and not just any ninth-tier; only those with powerful bloodlines occupying dominant positions within their race could be called Great Monarchs, with the Monarch level being a tier below but still top-tier within its level. For instance, the strange insect, despite having eighth-tier power, was unqualified to be a Monarch-level being due to its low bloodline and capabilities.

Pei Yan rubbed his chin, unsure whether the insect was exaggerating, but upon reconsidering, even boasting was inconsequential. Using an underutilized flower to trade for a ready-made fighter was a win-win bet—profitable and without loss. With this realization, he decisively responded, "Deal! Let's sign the contract you described!"

The insect eagerly shuffled its body closer once Pei Yan agreed, respectfully lowering its plump form and rested its head on the ground, waiting for Pei Yan to fulfill his promise. For the next five minutes, both man and insect remained in this posture, staring at each other without any response.

The insect, unable to wait for the contract to be signed, slowly raised itself and saw Pei Yan's awkward expression, with intense gazes gradually cooling down. After a long moment, it tentatively asked in disbelief, "You... you don't know the Contracting Art?"

"Ah! Ha ha ha!" Pei Yan laughed while scratching his head to hide his embarrassment. He had never heard of the Contracting Art. Since entering the Demon Race, he focused on combat-related skills, overlooking such arts common among demons.

"You're not part of the Demon Race? No, no, that's impossible! I've never seen a Demon Race with more pure bloodline aura than yours, yet even demon children know this technique—how could you not?" The insect looked at Pei Yan, astonished. Contracting Art was the first technique taught from birth within the Demon Race, where every demon formed lifelong bonds with beasts like Hellhounds for companionship in battle.

"Ha ha ha! Contracting Art? Of course, I know it—how could I not know it! I merely tested you just now! Hmm, yes, you have shown sincerity!" Pei Yan, stroking his nose, quickly crafted an excuse and said, "I see great potential in you. To contract with a powerful Hell Beast like you, the ordinary Contracting Art won't suffice—it requires something more profound and potent. Uh, which needs many precious materials to set up an Array. I'm short on materials, so for now, we'll postpone the Contracting Art. You'll join me after we leave the Sealed Land, and then we'll sign the contract!"

"Yes, Lord! I am willing to follow your arrangements!" The insect, aware of the trickery in Pei Yan's words, could only comply respectfully.

"Well, enter my parallel space first. After I retrieve the Divine Artifact, I'll bring you along!" Pei Yan, seeing the matter settled, sliced the air, pointing to the newly-formed gap and ordered.

"Lord, you're still going in?" The insect panicked upon hearing this, nearly spitting blood, realizing its prior effort was in vain—you're heading to perish, at least leave the flower with me!

"What, you think I won't return? Don't worry, I'll cherish my life more than you will. If things truly go awry, at the last moment, I'll throw the flower into the parallel space for you—consider it a goodwill gesture before I pass. Now your task is to obey my command, go in, and stay put! Oh, yes, there's a puppet inside the parallel space—don't provoke it, or you'll end up miserable!"