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, it’s not only just demons, but strange creatures from other realms, as the cultivator has lost control of what he’s 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. It’s 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 isn’t 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 doesn’t mean I’m without options here. It’s not just demons that came through, but creatures. Ones that would qualify under the taming measures. Not only that, but there’s 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.

This is my first time actually sending out a taming contract to an intelligent being.

I can feel a variety of responses from each of them, somehow being resolved based on personality and intent, rather than a specific negotiation of sorts. This is allowing me to form a contract simultaneously with each of them.

While at first, each of them was incredulous with the amount of bargaining power (mana) I had sent to them. This determines the initial terms of the contract.

I should note that the stages of these creatures and demons vary widely. The average generally comes to a minimum of Qi Condensation and maximum of core foundation. The demons seem to average on the higher side, while the creatures average on the lower side. It is balanced out by the sheer number of creatures that are here, numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

I had used my scan to determine the best tactic to use when approaching these creatures. All at once, seems to be the consensus. This seemed to be the correct choice as each of them began looking around at the others, wondering if another was taking the deal and will get over them.

Within a minute of the high-speed negotiations, each of them had lowered the amount that they would get, with all of them agreeing to promise my safety and safety of anyone that I want for a short period. All in exchange for devouring the surrounding ones who did not take the deal or had unsatisfactory ones.

I added a few additional terms into this, which was to devour all the other demons and the cultivator, besides the creatures which didn't take a deal. I made them promise to leave and not return to this space after quickly finishing the aforementioned beings. The last thing was to force all the spirits out of the cultivator, spare them, and then bring them to me.

As with my other contracts, I used my scan to stop any unintentional shenanigans that might occur through wordage, so the fine print is clear on what the result should look like.

Kill my enemies, bring every spirit to me safely, suck up the blood mist. Also, they are to keep any other entities from entering through the portals. Leave, and to not come back unless I call for them. The contract will end at that point, but leaves a point of contact. The benefits for them will remain. Albeit, at a reduced amount.

With the small amount of mana I had to spare on tames, somehow it was easier and smaller to do, since I could negotiate the amount, instead of having a base cost to work off of to generate sentience and sapience, like the case with my normal tamed creatures and hero team.

For evil creatures like this, even though they would miss out on some gains by not having a better deal and needing sparing their fellow creatures that took the deal and those spirits, this was simply another way to gain a higher cultivation base and get rid of any competitors while making the beginnings of an alliance. Not only that, but just by initiating a contract with me, they receive a small percentage boost to their cultivation speed. Permanently. The boost is higher when they are with me, though.

I made sure that they would be as efficient, yet as thoroughly as possible. Don’t want them hanging around just to get benefits.

With the more mana invested, the greater this amount becomes. The amount varies between different creatures and contracts, so there isn’t just one set number to go by. This turns into a deal that could only profit them, as even the smallest percentage increase to your cultivation speed and quality can be a game changer.

As they say, even a mosquito is still meat.

Within a breath, blood filled the air with screams from demons and the cultivator alike rise, as teeth and claw met with one another.

Perhaps sensing the battle that would occur, nearly all the creatures took the deal and started fighting the demons. The false air grows thick with exposed cultivation, as many retreat into the closing portals. Despite the variety and strength of demons, they could not handle the sheer number of creatures that flowed like the seas around them.

As for the cultivator form, he was besieged by tens of thousands of them and despite his array of martial arts and techniques which eviscerated 5/6 of their group; he was still swallowed without a thought. Without consciousness to optimize his advantages, sheer numbers overcame his superior strength, among an unending number of slightly lower creatures.

As the stragglers continued to be eaten by voracious ones, the remaining creatures sucked up the blood mist, which was creating new portals, a great source to increase their cultivation base from.

Some creatures immediately broke through to the next stage of their cultivation, having received a boost to their cultivation from the contract and devouring Qi.

I only gave such small benefits to these evil creatures, but they already caused qualitative improvements.

I REALLY didn’t want to help these creatures that much, as these are the type that would instantly suck the marrow from your bones or put a parasitic egg in you without question. Ones that would hesitate to betray you immediately.

If it wasn’t for the solid contract rules and desperate situation, I wouldn’t 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 haven’t 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 day’s 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 won’t actively try to hurt or endanger me after we’re 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.

Let’s get to this.