Chapter 161: Intelligent Response

Chapter 161: Intelligent Response

Considering the escalating situation within my soul space, my automatic reaction is to drop all my tames, healing, and scans to send out a tame contract within my soul space.

Before I do so, a feeling of dread stops me from my scan. As if this is the worst possible thing to do.

So, instead I sprint deeper away into my soul space, all while I continue to feel tears open up within the space with other creatures flooding in. Now, its not only just demons, but strange creatures from other realms, as the cultivator has lost control of what hes brought in. The expanding swamp makes it easier for such things to happen and a mysterious energy forms throughout my soul space. If not for my constantly healing ability, I would have died within a breath of the attack.

From what I can tell, these creatures are vastly enjoying this space, as it is very rich in health, Qi, and other metaphysical things they could use to enrich themselves.

As for the mindless cultivator? Just like the other creatures, his form is indulging in the environment, and is completely lost sight of the original goal of fighting me.

I had deeper and deeper into my soul space. With the farther out that I go, the heavier the weight on my non-existent body. Even the swamp slows as it goes farther out.

Eventually, I reached the point where I can no longer see the forms of the creatures or swamp. Its just me. No one and nothing chasing me.

Just a constant pain of holes opening in my soul space and having essential parts of my soul space being devoured and regenerated.

This isnt sustainable.

Even if I can heal the damage from the scars, having these creatures in here will eventually get my soul killed.

Why did my scan stop me from reaching out to tame a creature once those demons came out?

I use my scan to determine the reason. Which ends up being surprisingly simple.

There are things in the edges of soul space in adjacent realms that should not be contacted. Not at this level. To do so would literally shatter this world, let alone my soul.

The mere existence of these beings was enough to send that feeling through my scan preemptively.

As for the potential danger of me sensing it? Is comparable to a human being asleep with an air molecule touching their skin. No effect.

With that said, that doesnt mean Im without options here. Its not just demons that came through, but creatures. Ones that would qualify under the taming measures. Not only that, but theres a large number of these creatures around this area now in my soul space. Far more than the demons and other things that are located here.

Now that I think about it, usually creatures like this would be competitors. With how abundant the Qi environment is in here; they have no need to fight.

But maybe with the contract?

I send out the taming contract request to each in this realm.

Almost immediately, each of them stops.

If it wasnt for the solid contract rules and desperate situation, I wouldnt even want them to know of my existence.

With that said, they held to the contract and an army of millions of weakened spirits have been placed around me, barely staying alive, as if in life support by the nourishing soul space.

I havent healed any of them, because it would be an IMMENSELY bad idea to show creatures like this that I could heal all manner of wounds. Even in more equal contracts, they would use that to their advantage in the most depraved of ways.

The procession of events actually took over a days worth of time in this space, although not even the time of a breath would have passed in the real world.

Things move extremely slowly in this space, which can be a great place to comprehend cultivation techniques, if not for the fact you are totally blind while doing so.

Ultimately, all the creatures finish their jobs and head out.

While they were doing so, I used my scan to fish out the most trustworthy of the lot. This turned out to be extremely difficult to do, because there were none in this group.

The best I could get was close to was ten of the same type of neutral creature. They resemble the Bie You Ling from Chinese mythology. A creature with the upper body of an attractive nude woman and lower body of a turtle. They would say nothing, to keep the benefits to themselves, and wont actively try to hurt or endanger me after were done.

The best I could hope for.

I sent another contract their way and directed them to stay, using a higher amount of mana, since they would be the only creatures I need for the final steps. They excitedly accepted.

They appear to be low foundation establishment cultivators, which is already a vastly superior existence to myself normally, but one I could handle in this space with this solid form.

Admittedly, I had some trouble not looking upon the creatures, which they noticed and attempted to extract further benefits from me.

I had to quickly stop that and focus on the issue at hand.

All the portals have closed saved one, which is the one these creatures came from. They expended some energy, making sure nothing would come through and that it would close afterward. They adjusted it to have the ability to be opened later, clearly wanting a long-term relationship.

From this point, I took a deep and long look at the millions of souls here.

While there's a number of ways I could use them, that clearly wouldn't be the right thing to do. Not only that, but not all of these are good people. I'll need to determine who to save and who would be best to eliminate.

Other than the evil people, they deserve a choice in what comes next.

Taking a glance at my newly contracted, but not tamed creatures, I feel comforted that I at least have some ways to deal with this.

Sigh.

Lets get to this.