Chapter 160 : The contract with the gods, the soul gem is obtained!
Arishem the Judge's grand will pierced the vacuum, directly flooding into Li Yu's sensory domain.
It wasn't language, nor divine sense; it was more like the fluctuation of the Universe's rules themselves, carrying an undeniable majesty.
"Mortal, your power and will have earned you the right to converse. I have foreseen that if we were to wage war, this entire star system would be annihilated. To ensure Tiamut's smooth birth, the Soul Stone can be yours, but..."
Li Yu's divine sense was tightly locked onto the Soul Stone at the center of the contract rune, his voice as calm as ice.
"Conditions?"
"Take Tiamut. As you said, find a new cradle for it and protect it until it is successfully born."
Arishem the Judge's will was as stable as the rotation of a star.
Before he finished speaking, a massive stream of information, laden with contract terms, instantly flooded into Li Yu's consciousness.
[We, the Celestials, are not the life-devouring Raiders you imagine. We are the most ancient creators of this Multiverse, the founders of order, the sowers of stars. All the galaxies, life forms, and even the nascent forms of the Universe's fundamental rules you see, originate from our power. We sow life, guide evolution, and maintain the balance of the Universe.]
Li Yu's consciousness was instantly overwhelmed by countless grand creation scenes.
In the primordial Nebula, the giant figures of the Celestials strode forward; with a light touch of their fingertips, stars were born, their light dispelling the darkness; on barren Planets, they sowed the seeds of life, igniting the sparks of wisdom with energy. Even the spiral structure of galaxies and the numerical definitions of physical laws were personally shaped by the Celestials with their supreme power... He also saw the origin of Earth. From the very beginning of this Planet's birth, the seed of Tiamut was deeply buried in its core, intimately bound to the Planet's geology and the evolution of life, coexisting like a fetus and its mother.
These images were far more ancient and shocking than Earth's historical records or the secret lore of Kamar-Taj, completely overturning his understanding of the Celestials.
[The birth of every new Celestial has an inevitable mission; it is by no means a simple individual continuation!]
Arishem the Judge's will carried a divine solemnity.
[We are the key nodes in the Universe's life force cycle, the core engine that maintains the stability of the existing Universe structure, stimulates the birth of new laws, and promotes higher-dimensional evolution. The birth of Tiamut is destiny, and also an inevitability!]
[If Tiamut is forcibly interrupted or destroyed, the chain reaction could affect the stable structure of the Multiverse. Its birth carries irreplaceable cosmic significance.]
[Now, tell me your choice!]
The information flow suddenly stopped, and Li Yu's consciousness returned to the void.
He remained silent. Arishem the Judge's explanation was by no means an empty threat.
From that torrent of information, he clearly perceived a cosmic resonance and inevitability. Destroying Tiamut might indeed trigger an unpredictable catastrophe.
The Celestials were not ordinary Gods; they were the creators and maintainers of the Universe, their very existence a part of its laws.
Li Yu recalled the Celestial members he had learned about previously.
Exitar the Exterminator was responsible for clearing worthless Planets, Eson the Searcher sought new Universes, Jemiah the Analyzer intervened in cosmic wars... Each God represented a law, possessing the power to destroy the World with a mere gesture.
After much deliberation, a flicker of resolve passed through Li Yu's eyes.
He was not persuaded by Arishem the Judge, but rather made a realistic assessment. Seizing the Soul Stone would come at too great a cost, and antagonizing the Celestials would lead to endless troubles.
Moreover, this Universe still had Fallen Reincarnators like Sentinel. If he were to go to war with the Celestials, Sentinel might seize the opportunity to summon stronger Reincarnators, and once the war began, the entire Universe could be destroyed.
Transferring Tiamut to the Main God Space to find a new incubator was undoubtedly the optimal solution at present, as it could resolve Earth's crisis, obtain the Soul Stone, and temporarily win over the Celestials.
"Yes."
Li Yu responded with his divine sense, his tone firm.
"I will safely transfer Tiamut to a new cradle, but how will it return to this Universe after its birth?"
Arishem the Judge's deep laughter echoed in the void, carrying a cosmic emptiness.
"You need not worry about that. Once it is born, the contract will terminate. Perhaps, we will cross Space to that Universe to find it."
"Deal!"
Li Yu raised his hand, his fingertip touching the golden contract rune.
With a hum, the rune flickered intensely, transforming into two streaks of light.
One merged into his glabella, becoming an invisible contract mark, while the other integrated into Arishem the Judge's massive body, and the light on his star ring became softer.
A cosmic-level contract was officially reached, and in the ethereal, it was as if threads of law connected both parties.
The Reincarnation Space notification popped up before Li Yu's eyes.
[You have signed an equal agreement with Arishem the Judge of the Celestials. Arishem the Judge will deliver the Soul Stone to you, forbidden for any evil use. You must assist the Celestial infant Tiamut in finding a new habitable cradle.]
[Mission Reward: If Tiamut is successfully born, you will gain the friendship of the Celestials; if the mission fails or Tiamut dies, you will be placed on the Celestials' kill list.]
Li Yu nodded slightly, a plan already forming in his mind.
Once this matter was resolved, he would head to a Star World and find an abandoned Planet occupied by Zerg as Tiamut's new cradle.
"When you leave this Universe, Tiamut will accompany you."
Arishem the Judge's voice faded, and the Soul Stone, suspended at the center of the contract rune, slowly drifted towards Li Yu.
The moment the gem touched his palm, a chilling energy instantly spread throughout his body, and the gem's attributes clearly appeared before him.
[Divine Artifact: Infinite Soul Stone]
[Core Effect: 100x amplification of Soul Power]
[Specific Functions: Absorb/Seize Soul, Soul Exchange, Soul Resurrection (cannot bring back the deceased from Eternity/Death God's domain)]
[Warning: Repeated use will corrode the Soul by the gem, turning you into a slave of the gem, never to be reborn!]
Immediately after, an indescribable tremor penetrated his physical body, reaching the very essence of his Soul.
Li Yu seemed to hear the shouts, whispers, laughter, and cries of countless beings within the gem, his consciousness forcibly pulled into an orange Soul Ocean.
Countless blurred faces floated in the sea—those were the lingering shadows of Souls absorbed by the gem.
His understanding of the Soul instantly reached an unprecedented height, and at the same time, a cold power surged within the gem, carrying a strong temptation.
It tempted him to use the gem to control more Souls, tempted him to slaughter living beings to gain energy, and even tempted him to sacrifice his loved ones in exchange for deeper power.
"Hmph!"
Li Yu snorted coldly, and a chill of Absolute Zero instantly permeated his body, completely suppressing the Soul tsunami triggered by the Soul Stone.
He knew that the Soul Stone, having absorbed too many Souls, had developed a faint evil consciousness, eager to control its user to gain self-awareness.
But this temptation was insignificant to a Gold Saint who had awakened the Eighth Sense.
Li Yu gripped the gem tightly, and an astonishing Cosmo surged into it, his will carrying an undeniable majesty.
"Submit, or be destroyed."