[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-contracted-all-ancient-divine-artifacts":3,"chapter-i-contracted-all-ancient-divine-artifacts-i-contracted-all-ancient-divine-artifacts-chapter-400":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","I Contracted All Ancient Divine Artifacts",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1865431,2473,"Chapter 400 - 299: His Choice","i-contracted-all-ancient-divine-artifacts-chapter-400",400,"\u003Cp>\"You’re not wrong.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As long as the forty-five sections of the painting are filled, the final section no longer requires a life to sacrifice; it will be completed automatically.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Moreover, as compensation, the Desire Oil Painting will either grant the wish or remove it from your body.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is the complete process for using the Desire Oil Painting.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Qiu’s theory was completed by Meng Xiaobei as he spoke voluntarily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rules of the Desire Oil Painting are more like a special form of sacrifice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The desires and lives of forty-five others pay the price to fulfill the final wish of the forty-sixth person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Qiu had never heard of such an eerie artifact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he set down his teacup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white chrysanthemum on the table began to shed its petals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Qiu’s inner fear was completely detonated at that moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother Ye Qiu, I don’t want to be a Qiulin Guard anymore; I want to live, I want to go home!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ye Qiu, why must we perish with the Twelve Apostles of the Old Covenant, why!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We’re all dead; why are you still alive, why are you still alive!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Voices echoed in Ye Qiu’s ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were all once his Combat Spirit Contract Masters, gone through countless battles together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They all died before the arrival of that winter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perished in the confrontation with the Apostles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We could have retreated.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Apostles said that if we stopped aiding the Great Xia, we could live!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It was eight Apostles from the Old Covenant, why did we have to fight, why?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The fate of the Great Xia was sealed, Li Shutong fell in battle, our persistence was meaningless, Ye Qiu, you were foolish! It was you who got us killed!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Figures appeared before him, preserving the horrific moment of their death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A commander must not act emotionally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if not for the emotional attachment, such a powerful Qiulin Guard could never have existed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Qiu’s fear stemmed from death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was never his death, only the deaths of the brothers who fought and lived alongside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would rather be an ordinary person than go through something like that again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because as long as there is war, it is inevitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the thoughts exploded in his mind, the suppressed guilt, regret, confusion all transformed into the primal fear under the explosion of the Desire Oil Painting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you were given another choice, what would you choose?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the noise in his mind finally subsided, only one voice remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was his own voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What would you choose?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How to choose?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Choose...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The question kept repeating, as if it would go on indefinitely unless Ye Qiu made a choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white chrysanthemum on the table had shed all its petals, leaving only the bare bud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scattered white petals on the table resembled small white coffins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ye Qiu’s eyebrows knitted tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was struggling against his inner fears and desires.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is it so hard to choose?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Xiaobei looked at Ye Qiu sitting across from him, then glanced at the painting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let me help you then.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as Meng Xiaobei finished speaking, a dagger appeared in his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cold gleam reflected in his icy eyes,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the next second, the dagger plunged into his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is my choice!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What’s your name?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Meng Xiaobei.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A bit ordinary, that name isn’t destined to be the main character.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then I’ll just be a minor character.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You have a good attitude.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The examiner looked at the young man stepping onto the Awakening Platform and shook his head regretfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Meng Xiaobei, D Level Talent. Does not meet the selection criteria for Combat Spirit Contract Master.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Eliminated!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scene shifts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Xiaobei is on the street loading and unloading goods, wearing a discolored white vest, a black-stained towel draped over his shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, hey!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Snap out of it, stop looking. No matter how long you look, you can’t become a Combat Spirit Contract Master, loser!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face was playfully slapped by the owner of the cargo, but Meng Xiaobei didn’t mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze remained on the giant electronic screen on the street corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the screen, Ye Qiu led the Third War Zone, smashing the retreating Alien Race.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Xiaobei looked on with longing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A coworker handed him an opened bottle of cold water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Xiaobei, what’s your dream?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To be a hero.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Xiaobei took a big gulp of cold water, soothing his lungs that felt like they were overheating from overwork.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Pft! Xiaobei, be realistic. You’re just a minor character. Maybe think about finding a place for our little brothers afterwards?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I want to be a hero.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as if Meng Xiaobei didn’t hear his coworker. He raised his hand, pointing at Ye Qiu on the screen, and repeated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His coworker, frustrated, snatched the cold water from his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Go be a damn hero then!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Heroes all die!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scene shifts again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A figure wearing a black hood appeared in Sanatorium No. 3.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tsk tsk tsk.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I never expected the famous Desire Oil Painting to be here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The worker, Meng Xiaobei, who was dusting the painting, was startled by the sudden appearance of the figure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No need to be nervous, I’m just an ordinary merchant.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let’s make a deal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black hood gestured to the blank painting hanging on the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The ’colors’ on this Desire Oil Painting have all been absorbed into the bodies of those living in the sanatorium.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Everyone infected by the painting’s colors will ultimately die as their desires amplify to the extreme; it’s inevitable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But I can tell you a way to survive, not just survive, but achieve your dream desire.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In exchange, help me complete this Desire Oil Painting, and I’ll provide you with some assistance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you think?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black hood and Meng Xiaobei stood on opposite sides of the sanatorium.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Desire Oil Painting between them, expanding infinitely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I agree.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Breaking free from fear, Ye Qiu looked ahead with a complex expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dagger was lodged in Meng Xiaobei’s heart, blood flowing down the blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother Ye Qiu.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Xiaobei grinned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One could tell he wanted to smile, but the pain in his heart distorted it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There’s one thing you got wrong.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My desire isn’t power, nor ambition.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Desire Oil Painting can fulfill anyone’s desire, but in the end, only one person tainted by it can survive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then why must the one who survives be me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brother Ye Qiu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rid yourself of fear and start anew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You belong on the battlefield, not here as an unremarkable ordinary person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m just a minor character.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My dream was to be a hero who saves the world.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And it’s been fulfilled.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1118,"2026-06-10T05:31:13.179Z",1,"novelbin.me","d7b4958b550ebdbc32397adbf2507d1552328edddfd17f4e71664f5ad894d4b2","i-contracted-all-ancient-divine-artifacts-chapter-201","i-contracted-all-ancient-divine-artifacts-chapter-399",617,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-contracted-all-ancient-divine-artifacts-cover.jpg"]