Chapter 32: Oath of Exchange

It was indeed a deal involving the Soul Stone and the Heaven-Transmitting Stone.
Upon hearing Chang Xin’s words, Qu Yi sneered inwardly, but his face showed confusion as he stared at the nine alliance leaders in silence for a long time.
The nine alliance leaders watched Qu Yi calmly, yet they were uneasy inside. Since Qu Yi refused to trade, they had no way to force him and could not restrain him at all.
However, Qu Yi said something that pleased them greatly.
“Fine, I can offer the Soul Stone and the Heaven-Transmitting Stone in exchange, but my price will be hard for you to meet, right?” Qu Yi said with a smile.
The nine alliance leaders’ faces lit up with joy, but seeing the cunning glint in Qu Yi’s eyes, they felt uneasy. Yet, having managed to get Qu Yi to agree to trade, how could they back out? They decided to put aside their concerns for now and prioritize completing the deal.
“Bold of you. Go ahead, tell us what treasures you want us to provide,” Chang Xin asked, staring intently at Qu Yi with a smile.
The other eight alliance leaders also fixed their eyes on Qu Yi eagerly.
Suddenly, a square stone emitting five colors appeared in Qu Yi’s right hand—it was the Soul Stone. Golden, green, blue, red, and yellow lights shone in the air, drawing the nine alliance leaders’ attention intensely, while Qu Yi continued to observe them carefully.
After a while, Qu Yi put the Soul Stone back into his dimension sphere. Smiling at the nine leaders whose eyes gleamed with greed, he said, “Nine of you, for this Soul Stone, I want you to provide five Soul Beads—one each of the Soul Gold Bead, Soul Green Bead, Soul Blue Bead, Soul Red Bead, and Soul Yellow Bead. Just so you know, there’s no room for negotiation. This is the final price.”
Qu Yi had no interest in bargaining and directly stated his final demand.
Hearing Qu Yi’s high demand, all nine alliance leaders showed troubled expressions. These Soul Beads represented the complete laws of the five elements. Whoever obtained one could steadily cultivate and master that element’s laws, advancing their cultivation rapidly.
Now, Qu Yi wanted five of them at once, one from each element, which pushed the nine alliance leaders to their limits.
“No!” they shouted in unison almost instantly.
Unperturbed, Qu Yi spread his hands and smiled at them. “If that’s the case, there’s no need to talk. I’ll be leaving now.”
With that, Qu Yi truly flew away into the distant starry sky.
“Wait… hold on!” Chang Xin called out immediately.

The other eight alliance leaders felt it was a pity to lose five Soul Beads, but Chang Xin was a man with great plans—he was determined to complete the Heaven-Connecting Transition Array, which required him to collect these Soul Stones and Heaven-Transmitting Stones. Therefore, failing to make a deal with Qu Yi now would be useless if they tried again later, as the Fallen Realm Divine Realm would have already closed by then. With the Heaven-Connecting Transition Array, Chang Xin could freely enter the Fallen Realm Divine Realm, where countless soul beings and divine artifacts awaited him to seize. Of course, it would be foolish to lose all the resources of the Fallen Realm Divine Realm just for five Soul Beads.

Chang Xin shouted, and Qu Yi understood immediately. He turned around with a puzzled expression, looking at Chang Xin as if waiting for an explanation. His acting skills were quite impressive. The other eight alliance leaders also looked at Chang Xin in confusion, not understanding why he insisted on keeping Qu Yi. Chang Xin calmly looked at the eight leaders and immediately sent out his immortal consciousness to communicate with them secretly.

“Gentlemen, I still have two Soul Beads with me— the Soul Gold Pearl and the Soul Blue Pearl. I’m willing to offer these two. Can you gather the other three Soul Beads?”

Upon hearing Chang Xin’s words, the faces of the eight leaders changed. They were not only surprised by his insistence on completing this deal but also shocked by the hidden strength he possessed. Chang Xin had already grasped the complete laws of the metal element, so the Soul Gold Pearl wasn’t necessary for him. Yet, the Soul Blue Pearl was still very useful to him, and he still dared to offer it in exchange—this left the eight leaders astonished. Of course, they didn’t know that Chang Xin’s clone, Emperor Ze of the Demon Realm, had already mastered the laws of water. Naturally, the Soul Blue Pearl was of no use to Chang Xin either.

The eight leaders hesitated and did not respond immediately. Clearly, it required great courage for them to generously give up the Soul Beads they had worked so hard to obtain. Seeing this, Chang Xin continued to convey his message through his immortal consciousness: “Gentlemen, you know Qu Yi’s potential for cultivation. It’s certain that he will ascend to the divine realm. If we don’t eliminate him now, it will be even harder to deal with him once he ascends. Rather than being killed by Qu Yi in the divine realm later, we must endure this pain now and find a way to get rid of him.”

Hearing this, the eight leaders trembled—clearly frightened by the terrifying prospects ahead. After another intense internal struggle, one of the leaders finally made up his mind.

“I have one Soul Green Pearl with me,” transmitted Ji Qiong, the leader of the Wood Maple Alliance in the Immortal Realm.

“I possess a Soul Red Pearl,” transmitted Zhong Lei, the leader of the Demon Realm’s Fire Slaughter Alliance, through his demonic consciousness.
“I have a Soul Yellow Pearl,” sent Liu Ying, the leader of the Fiend Realm’s Earth Tread Alliance, via his demonic consciousness.
The nine alliance leaders finally gathered all five round pearls.
Chang Xin cast grateful looks at Ji Qiong, Zhong Lei, and Liu Ying, then turned to Qu Yi with a serious expression.
“Qu Yi, we agree to your price—five Soul Round Pearls in exchange for one Luo Soul Stone,” Chang Xin said calmly.
The other eight alliance leaders nodded at Qu Yi, indicating they also agreed to Chang Xin’s terms.
Qu Yi smiled, looking pleased at the nine leaders, and declared, “Why wait? You could have agreed earlier. No need to waste everyone’s time and feelings. Xing Zi, since you’ve agreed to the price for the Luo Soul Stone, I’ll now announce the price for the Heaven-Transmitting Stone.”
What!
Although the nine leaders were prepared, seeing Qu Yi’s cunning smile filled them with bitterness—they knew they would once again be exploited.
“Speak,” Chang Xin said calmly, though his heart burned with anger; he could only endure it.
The other eight leaders, lacking Chang Xin’s composure, showed signs of anger and reluctance. Yet, as those who had long held high positions, they managed to keep their composure and avoid losing their temper.
Qu Yi, pleased by the varied reactions of the nine leaders, felt a sense of achievement—having them so at a loss before him, vulnerable and easy to manipulate.
“Then I’ll be direct. Each of you must give up a divine artifact to obtain the Heaven-Transmitting Stone from me,” Qu Yi said brightly with a smile.
Immediately afterward, he took out a stone—ring-shaped and pale green—emitting a charming green glow in the starry sky. It was indeed the Heaven-Transmitting Stone.
What!
The nine leaders were stunned, too angry to speak. They could only convey their outrage through furious glances, showing how unreasonable this demand was.
But they knew there was no room for negotiation on this condition. Requiring each of them to give up a divine artifact was just as difficult for them as giving up their Soul Round Pearls. The reason these nine leaders came to this Ruin Realm Divine World was for both the Soul Round Pearls and the divine artifacts—treasures that would serve as their foundation in the divine world once they ascended.

“Qu Yi, isn’t this request a bit excessive? We nine of us only have one divine artifact each. If we give it to you, how will we survive the divine tribulation in the future?” Chang Xin said calmly, his face showing distress.
At this moment, Chang Xin also needed to show a willingness to fight for the interests of the other eight, so that when he discussed things with them later, they wouldn’t become rebellious.
No matter how many divine artifacts Chang Xin had, he would agree to Qu Yi’s demands. As long as he could obtain the Soul Stone and the Heaven-Transmitting Stone, he could give all his treasures to Qu Yi.
Qu Yi smiled faintly and replied directly, “There’s no room for negotiation. Nine divine artifacts are necessary.”
All nine alliance leaders looked angry. Of course, Chang Xin was just pretending; he still needed to stay in line with the other eight.
After showing his anger, Chang Xin turned to the other eight and sent a message through his spiritual sense. “Gentlemen, now is not the time for anger. Let’s agree to Qu Yi’s terms. He’s been arrogant all along, thinking that with just one interdimensional artifact, he can toy with us at will. Although he’s seen our eagerness to get the Soul Stone and the Heaven-Transmitting Stone, he surely can’t imagine we have a way to deal with him. So let’s agree to his demands now, feeding his arrogance and making him less vigilant toward us. Once we obtain those two divine stones, I’m confident I can trap him, and then the treasures you’ve lost will return to your hands,” Chang Xin explained earnestly.
The eight alliance leaders remained silent for a long time before finally making a difficult decision.
“Alright, I’m willing to hand over my divine artifact.”
…
The eight alliance leaders expressed similar sentiments, each saying it reluctantly.
Chang Xin gave them grateful looks before turning to Qu Yi. “Qu Yi, we agree to your terms. Each of us will hand over a divine artifact. Now we can proceed with the exchange,” Chang Xin said calmly.
Inside, however, Chang Xin was extremely excited. His long-held desire and grand plan were about to come true. Even the most composed Chang Xin couldn’t hide his emotions.
Hearing Chang Xin’s words, Qu Yi nodded in satisfaction and smiled. “Gentlemen, as you know, my cultivation level is not as high as yours. The terms of this exchange have been agreed upon, but can you tell me how it will be carried out? I certainly don’t want to give you the Soul Stone and the Heaven-Transmitting Stone only to get nothing in return—that would drive me crazy in the future.”
Since the two sides were already mortal enemies, trust was non-existent, so the method of exchange had to be extremely secure.

Chang Xin seemed to have anticipated this issue. Upon hearing Qu Yi’s words, he simply smiled and said, “Don’t worry. Since the nine alliance leaders have decided to trade with you, we certainly won’t deceive you. Alright, before we proceed with the trade, we can take an oath of vengeance, which should put your mind at ease.”

An oath of vengeance was a mysterious rule in the cosmos. If one took such an oath and violated it, they would surely fail during the divine trial and be utterly destroyed.

The other eight alliance leaders also nodded in agreement. Since both the Soul Beads and divine artifacts were willing to be handed over, there was no reason to hesitate at the last moment—they must agree as well; after all, they couldn’t let everything fall through.

“Very well, then let’s all take the oath of vengeance together before proceeding with the trade,” Qu Yi agreed as well.

The nine alliance leaders discussed for a while, then calmly took turns making their oaths of vengeance in front of Qu Yi.

“I, Chang Xin, voluntarily take this oath of vengeance. In this trade with Qu Yi, I will exchange five Soul Beads for the Luo Soul Stones and nine divine artifacts for the Tian Transmission Stones. If I obtain those stones but fail to give Qu Yi the corresponding Soul Beads and divine artifacts, I shall be utterly destroyed during my divine trial.”

“I, Ji Qiong, voluntarily take this oath of vengeance…”

“I, An Yu…”

……

The nine alliance leaders loudly proclaimed their oaths of vengeance under Qu Yi’s gaze in the starry sky.

Qu Yi nodded in satisfaction and immediately declared, “I, Qu Yi, voluntarily take this oath of vengeance. In this trade with the nine alliance leaders, if I receive five Soul Beads of different attributes and nine divine artifacts, I will definitely hand over the Luo Soul Stones and Tian Transmission Stones. If I break this oath, I shall be utterly destroyed.”

Both sides had taken their oaths.

Soon, the scene fell silent. Everyone felt as if they were bound by some mysterious rule, with complex emotions toward one another.

However, the silence was quickly broken. Qu Yi took out the Luo Soul Stones and Tian Transmission Stones, one in each hand. The nine alliance leaders quickly handed over their Soul Beads and freed their divine artifacts, gathering them together.

In perfect coordination, Qu Yi threw the Luo Soul Stones and Tian Transmission Stones, while Chang Xin gathered his Soul Beads and divine artifacts and sent them flying toward Qu Yi at the same time.

Quickly, Qu Yi obtained the Soul Beads and divine artifacts and stored them in his Dimension Ball. Chang Xin, too, got the Luo Soul Stones and Tian Transmission Stones, his face filled with excitement.

At that moment, Qu Yi pointed at Chang Xin with his right hand and shouted loudly, “You eight fools! You’ve all been deceived by Chang Xin! He’s gotten the Luo Soul Stones and Tian Transmission Stones for himself—there must be other purposes for them, and he certainly won’t share them with you!”

Chang Xin no longer needed to disguise himself. Facing the eight alliance leaders with suspicious expressions, he smiled freely and said, “Yes, the Soul Stone of Luo and the Heaven-Transmitting Stone are mine alone. Goodbye, everyone.” With that, Chang Xin simply vanished in a flash and flew deep into the Divine Realm of Meteorfall.