In the center of the crimson sea of flowers.
Within the temple shaped like a heart.
The atmosphere grew somewhat delicate the moment Kong Tai asked for benefits and guarantees.
Upon a moment's thought, Bian Ahua understood Kong Tai's worries.
However, after the divine war, all his treasures had been consumed, and ordinary wealth held no appeal to the person before him.
He knew Kong Tai feared that after helping him, he might turn hostile.
After all, they had only met for a little over an hour, with no trust established between them.
After much deliberation, he had to humble himself and make a decision that would benefit both of them.
"You want benefits, you want guarantees? I can give you both. The greatest benefit here is myself. I can sign an equal contract with you and have you become my host."
"Host?"
"Mmm!"
Bian Ahua gazed deeply at Kong Tai, then said, "We, beings like myself, can actually attach ourselves to more powerful deities."
"Though it is an attachment, the contract signed is an equal one. Of course, there are many powerful deities who force lesser deities into servitude contracts. However, if the lesser deity is unwilling, the contract cannot be formed, as signing a contract is a matter between two parties, not something one side can achieve alone."
"As long as we sign an equal contract, I can attach myself to you and will no longer be able to act against you or those around you."
"A contract?" Kong Tai mused, stroking his chin.
This thing, while spoken of as equal, still had hierarchy. Bian Ahua saying he would attach himself to Kong Tai was essentially acknowledging him as a master. However, this equal contract, while allowing Bian Ahua to attach himself, likely wouldn't carry much restraint, merely serving to build mutual trust.
Once the contract was signed, he could help Bian Ahua purge the power left by the demons without further worry.
But still, the question remained, was it real? He had to experience it firsthand.
After all, this was the first time he had heard of such a thing as a contract. Who knew who made the rules?
After signing, what limitations would there be?
As if sensing Kong Tai's hesitation, Bian Ahua continued, "Contracts are the strongest laws in this world, this universe, rules ordained by the Creator God. Once signed, no one can break them, and only those whose strength surpasses reincarnation are unaffected by contracts."
"Mmm! Alright."
After considering it, Kong Tai agreed.
"What do I need to do?"
Looking up at Bian Ahua, Kong Tai asked.
"First, have your two friends leave," Bian Ahua glanced at Gu Yina and Yi Sheng. "Contracting requires communication with the Creator God; they cannot withstand it."
"You two wait for me outside," Kong Tai said to Yi Sheng, then looked at Gu Yina, released her hand, and patted her head with a smile. "Don't worry, it'll be fine. You know my abilities. Bian Ahua truly has no ill intentions towards us; at least, none have been revealed so far."
"Mmm!" Gu Yina hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "You be careful then."
"Mmm!"
Seeing Kong Tai nod, Gu Yina then walked out of the temple with Yi Sheng.
"There, that's better!"
Kong Tai looked up at Bian Ahua, his smile gone. "What do I need to do?"
"You don't actually need to do anything," the flower swayed, chanting ancient and mysterious words.
As the words were spoken, a magic circle suddenly appeared on the ground between them.
The circle was round, inscribed with characters Kong Tai didn't recognize. These characters resembled tadpoles, constantly swimming around the formation.
In the center of the formation was a pattern resembling a scale, with the two ends pointing precisely at Kong Tai and Bian Ahua.
"Bleed!"
At this moment, Bian Ahua suddenly shouted, and acted first. His roots split open, and a stream of emerald liquid, exuding a rich fragrance, drifted out from the split, landing precisely on the scale pointing towards him.
Seeing Bian Ahua's initiative, Kong Tai did not hesitate.
He extended his right hand, a thought passing through his mind, and a cut automatically opened on his right wrist. Crimson blood drifted out, suspended in the air, and under his control, fell onto the scale pointing towards him.
At that moment, Bian Ahua suddenly prayed loudly.
"We pray to the great Father God. Today, both of us willingly sign this contract. We request the manifestation of the witnessing law."
As his voice fell, the entire space suddenly stilled. Then, a rift tore open across the sky, spanning the entire world.
Following this, a peculiar fluctuation, transforming into light, emanated from within, falling directly into the temple in the sea of flowers, onto the magic circle, and onto Kong Tai and Bian Ahua.
At this moment, without needing words, Kong Tai could clearly sense this aura. It was identical to, yet subtly different from, the aura of the giant eye he had seen when he forcefully tore through space.
He looked up, his cerulean pupils swirling with nebulae. Even with the temple roof blocking his view, the entity beyond the rift seemed to appear in the minds of all sentient beings, no, it was as if it was already within their minds, allowing him to witness the scene behind the rift.
It was a pair of eyes, much smaller than the one he had seen with his own eyes.
These eyes held no emotion; their gaze was filled with coldness, like a god looking down upon all things in the world from a supreme height.
And the light that enveloped the formation, enveloping him and Bian Ahua, descended from these eyes.
It was as if this was His gaze; only under His watch could they sign the contract.
This moment felt eternal, yet it might have been an instant. The eyes disappeared, and the world seemed unchanged, regaining its vitality.
The air began to flow, the clouds drifted, and the sea of flowers outside the temple swayed once more.
Of course, Gu Yina and the others regained their thoughts.
They had no idea what had just happened, for the moment the eyes appeared, time in this world had stopped. Only Kong Tai and Bian Ahua within the temple could truly see those utterly indifferent eyes.
"This is divinity!"
Looking down, Kong Tai let out a sigh of relief. Even though the eyes in the rift were not the true form of the eye he had seen, the imprint of the law within this world alone was enough to freeze time and space, leaving no room for resistance.
He had to admit, that entity was truly powerful!
"Could it really be some sort of Creator God?"
This made Kong Tai somewhat doubtful.
Initially, he didn't believe in a Creator God. In his mind, creation seemed too mythical.
Especially when he saw the seven emotions and six desires that all living beings possessed in Bian Ahua, leading him to believe gods were merely a more powerful type of life.
But after those eyes appeared, he hesitated again.
Kong Tai knew that space could be compressed and infinitely layered and extended, much like himself.
When he became even stronger, could he put an entire planet into his space?
When he became even stronger, could he play with the entire world like a glass ball?
...