The monster from an unknown world, having been hungry for countless ages, no longer cared about much. It needed to eat, anything would do, even a blade of grass or a grain of sand.
The creature took a moment to comprehend the unfamiliar world it had encountered. Its terrifying single eye coldly gazed down at Ye Zi. Opening its cavernous mouth, it said in a deep voice, "Human, let's make a deal."
Ye Zi's expression shifted slightly. Looking up at the monster's cold eye, he felt an overwhelming chill.
The monster grinned, revealing its sharp teeth. Ignoring whether Ye Zi agreed or not, it continued, "Offer me your soul."
Before Ye Zi could react, the monster's hand moved, and a sharp claw pierced through Ye Zi's chest.
Splat!
Ye Zi's eyes widened in shock as his chest was penetrated by the monstrous claw. His mouth opened in silent agony, his consciousness fading.
The monster, expressionless, withdrew its claw, blood splattering into the air and onto the ground. Ye Zi collapsed in a pool of blood.
The monster showed no concern for Ye Zi's near-death state. It licked the blood off its claw, savoring the taste. With a cold laugh, it cut its own finger, squeezing out a large droplet of blood, which it then flicked onto Ye Zi's body.
Boom!
The droplet of blood exploded on contact, engulfing Ye Zi in a wave of crimson. The blood did not scatter but was controlled by an invisible force, slowly wrapping around Ye Zi's body.
"This will suffice. Once the soul contract is signed, I can enter that world whenever I wish," the monster said, coldly laughing again.
The blood wrapping around Ye Zi's body slowly decreased, and his chest wound rapidly healed. Soon, he was completely restored.
Leaf Zhi suddenly opened his eyes, and the blood that had enveloped him had almost completely dissipated.
Gasping heavily, Ye Zi felt once again on the brink of death, an experience he found unbearable. Despite feeling no physical change, he soon was flooded with a torrent of information.
"Soul contract… dominion… two-way door… What is this!?"
Covering his forehead, Ye Zi struggled to process the overwhelming information that came with the contract. He looked up at the monster with a mix of astonishment and realization.
Among the rapid influx of information, glimpses of a third world occasionally appeared.
He saw it and his heart raced.
The third world.
He couldn't quite describe everything, but with the appearance of the third world, he was certain that Earth was just one of many worlds.
Having traveled from Earth to the ninja world, and from there to this place, they were all interconnected. One day, he would return to Earth.
At this moment, his goal seemed a step closer to reality.
The monster coldly watched Ye Zi and said, "You can now return to your original world. Remember, once you're back, find a remote, uninhabited place and open the door!"
Ye Zi fell silent. According to the information he received, he had been forcibly bound into a soul contract, and it was the most balanced type, where the stronger party held dominion.
This soul contract had a predatory nature, inherently fair in a world where strength ruled. As the weaker party, the monster held dominion over him, meaning Ye Zi had no choice but to comply with its demands.
After a moment of contemplation, he furrowed his brow, used reverse summoning technique, and in a puff of white smoke, returned to his original world. Upon opening his eyes, he saw Orochimaru.
Orochimaru glanced at the bloodied Ye Zi, his expression changing slightly. Once he realized Ye Zi was unharmed, he regained his composure and remained silent, watching him.
"Success," Ye Zi said hesitantly after a moment of hesitation.
Orochimaru, somewhat surprised, nodded slightly and said, "Go back."
He then turned and left.
Watching Orochimaru's departing figure, Ye Zi's expression grew increasingly grim.
It seemed he had attracted a formidable entity.
He was in a dark mood but not entirely despondent. The information from the contract indicated that the mountain-like monster was named Shokui (A/N: means to devour) and could consume anything. It was a true monster. If Shokui were to come into the ninja world, it would be doomed.
Although Ye Zi had no intention of opening the door, he was in a weak position and had no choice. The only solace was that the soul contract prevented the parties from harming each other. Even if Shokui ravaged the ninja world, consuming everything, Ye Zi would be safe—though he would likely starve to death in that scenario.
In any case, Shokui's arrival in the ninja world was inevitable, and there was no changing that.
Returning to his home with Orochimaru, Ye Zi soon left again. He had to find a secluded place to open the door and let Devour through. If he didn't, his soul would be offered as food to him.
With a heavy heart, Ye Zi avoided the village's eyes and ears, even taking extra precautions to shake off any surveillance. He headed straight to a dense forest.
Once he was certain no one was around, he gritted his teeth, brought his fingers together, and drew a cross in the air. Two thin lines of light appeared along the path he traced, so fine they resembled strands of hair, barely visible in the dim forest light.
Looking at the lines of light, Ye Zi hesitated. The scene seemed different from the information provided by the contract.
"Ha! Finally, I can escape this cage!"
A faint, youthful voice emanated from the cross of light, filled with excitement and impatience. A tiny figure emerged from the light and landed on the ground.
Ye Zi looked at the tiny figure with a twitching corner of his mouth. The large-mouthed, long-armed creature was unmistakably Shokui, but its size...
Shokui, initially elated as it emerged from the contract door, realized something was wrong when it landed. Observing its surroundings, its expression turned grim. It looked up at the towering figure of Ye Zi, its face frozen in shock.
The two stood in silence, awkwardly facing each other. After a moment, Ye Zi, who had regained his composure first, let out a sigh of relief. The once-feared monster now seemed incredibly small and weak.
Shokui, staring blankly, did not speak. "Though I'm not sure what's happening, it seems I now hold the dominion," Ye Zi said, looking down at Shokui. Feeling the intangible connection from the soul contract, he found the current situation strangely amusing rather than terrifying.
Shokui's eyes moved slowly, and it sighed with resignation, "There must have been some misunderstanding. Yes, definitely."
It seemed to recall something, raising its arm to trace the cross of light once more. It then attempted to re-enter the light, which vanished, only to reappear moments later. Shokui emerged again, staring at its tiny form in disbelief.
Shokui looked at itself and, after a moment of stunned silence, shouted, "What kind of calamity have I brought upon myself!"
According to the previous plan, Ye Zi was to open the door, allowing Shokui to enter this world and gain control over the passages, leading to a grand feast.
But now, the script had been completely rewritten. In its original world, Shokui was a formidable presence, but upon arriving here, it had become a mere ant. It had hoped to slowly regain its power by consuming everything, but with its current strength, it was unlikely to even survive.
"I know how you can regain your power, but I'm not that foolish," Ye Zi said, his mood lightening slightly as he looked at Shokui.
"Big Brother! I… I was wrong! Don't make me starve!" Shokui immediately groveled on the ground, pleading with a pitiful expression, losing all its previous menace.
Seeing Shokui's sudden transformation, Ye Zi couldn't help but smile. It was hard to believe how fearful he had been of this creature. He looked at Shokui, his emotions growing complex. "Don't worry, I won't let you starve. In fact, I'll make sure you feast well."
As he spoke, his expression grew colder. The fear he once felt dissipated entirely.
All his worries had vanished, replaced by unexpected joy.
Shokui was terrifying indeed—a monster that consumed everything. But now, with the soul contract in place and dominion in his hands, how could he not take full advantage of this opportunity?
Shokui, looking up at Ye Zi, saw the cold, calculating glint in his eyes. It froze momentarily before a strange, silent smile crept across its face. This human's demeanor was oddly familiar and not entirely unwelcome.
"I'll reclaim my dominion over him soon, and then… I'll devour this world!" Shokui thought fiercely to itself, its anger and determination palpable.
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