“What will you trade me this time?”
“Half an hour, don’t rush me,” Jiang Zhi replied calmly.
“Half an hour from now, I might be dead, older sister.”
“Are you sure?”
“Does that mean you can rush over now?”
“I’m breaking through to the eighth level of the Ninth Realm, just one step away. However, I am not far from the Imperial City of the Central Province. If your life is in danger, I can be there in thirty breaths.”
“Then you should focus on your breakthrough first… I’ll hang on for a bit longer and not die.” Jiang Huai turned to look at Ji Qingxuan, who extended her hand towards him.
Jiang Huai had certainly heard of the Samgevity Blood Pact. It was a Daoist magic, somewhat similar to a Daoist oath or a slave seal, a combination of the two. The Samgevity Blood Pact had one main party and one dominating party. After signing the Samgevity Blood Pact, if the main party died, the other party would also perish.
The Samgevity Blood Pact was a peculiar thing, as the Daoist magic was originally developed by a pair of Dao Companions. The two sought not to be born on the same year, month, and day, but to die on the same year, month, and day. Once signed, it could not be easily changed or broken. Therefore, it was a particularly ruthless pact. After all, if one party’s feelings changed over thousands of years of cultivation, they would still be tightly bound by the Samgevity Blood Pact. Thus, this secret technique was rarely used.
Based on what Jiang Huai had seen in old scrolls, classic sayings among Dao Companions from hundreds of years ago were, “If you love me, sign the Samgevity Blood Pact with me. Then, if you change your mind someday, I will kill myself and take you with me.”
“How barbaric.”
Jiang Huai looked at Ji Qingxuan in astonishment. “You prepared this backup plan long ago?”
“I don’t know how much the Demon Empress of the Northern Region knows about the deaths of those two princes. If she didn’t receive much information from them, then we might be able to get away with it. With Father by my side, I could reason with the Demon Empress of the Northern Region. But from what she just said, it seems she already knows a lot. Therefore… I can only coerce Father into protecting you.”
“If it’s not necessary, I wouldn’t want to use this Samgevity Blood Pact either.”
As Ji Qingxuan spoke, she cut her palm and used her Spiritual Qi to activate the Daoist magic seal, which circled around her. She waited for Jiang Huai to extend his hand so their bloodlines could merge.
Jiang Huai, however, did not immediately extend his hand. Instead, he asked softly, “What if we want to dissolve it later?”
“We don’t have enough time to delay. It can be dissolved. Hurry up!”
With that said, Ji Qingxuan had already cut his palm. The two clasped hands as Ji Qingxuan began to silently recite the incantation for the Samgevity Blood Pact. To save Jiang Huai, she was the dominated party. If Jiang Huai died, she would also die. Even if she survived, it would be a near-death experience, her Qi sea shattered and cultivation completely废. A moment later, Jiang Huai sensed that their bloodlines were connected and their Spiritual Qi began to merge, as if an indescribable thread connected them.
When their Spiritual Qi was activated, a red line connected their wrists.
This indicated that the Samgevity Blood Pact had been successfully established. Jiang Huai asked curiously, “How do we dissolve it?”
“The two cultivators who originally invented this Daoist magic set up a method of dissolution during their research. To dissolve this Samgevity Blood Pact, both parties must engage in Dual Cultivation fifty times.”
“Huh?” Jiang Huai’s eyes widened as he looked at Ji Qingxuan, but her expression was calm and innocent.
A moment later, Jiang Huai suddenly understood.
The person who invented this Daoist magic was truly a genius. Once bound, to dissolve it, one had to engage in Dual Cultivation fifty times. But since they wanted to dissolve it, they must have already grown to loathe each other, to detest each other immensely. Yet, they still had to engage in Dual Cultivation fifty times to dissolve it… Perhaps after so many times of Dual Cultivation, their feelings would be repaired, or they would throw caution to the wind and, after a bout of marital bliss, part ways amicably.
“Good heavens, a divorce cooling-off period.”
Jiang Huai rubbed his chin and murmured, “This Daoist magic is too cruel.”
“Oh?” Ji Qingxuan asked, puzzled.
“Think about it… if a man’s heart turns, and he falls in love with another woman, but to dissolve this Samgevity Blood Pact, he still has to engage in Dual Cultivation fifty more times with his original Dao Companion. How angry must the woman he cheated with feel? And what if the original Dao Companion refuses to engage in Dual Cultivation with him, and he has to beg and coax her. The same applies if the woman’s heart turns. If she wants to dissolve this Samgevity Blood Pact, she must engage in Dual Cultivation fifty times with her original Dao Companion. Then, the person she cheated with must be green with envy. The more they think about it, the angrier they become, and there will always be a rift in their hearts afterward.”
Ji Qingxuan finally understood and couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.
“I found this in the Central Province treasure vault. Now that you mention it… it is quite interesting.” A smile played on Ji Qingxuan’s lips, but alas, after a fleeting moment, they had no time for laughter. A streak of black energy shot down from the sky, and in an instant, Ji Nianchen and the Demon Empress of the Northern Region appeared on the ground together.
This was Jiang Huai’s first time seeing the Demon Empress of the Northern Region. She did not look old, but her fierce expression made Jiang Huai feel slightly uncomfortable. Her eyes, in an instant, turned cold and landed on Jiang Huai. Just as she was about to attack, Ji Qingxuan spoke calmly, “Father, I just signed the Samgevity Blood Pact with him. If he dies, I will die too.”
Ji Nianchen’s eyes widened. In an instant, he stood in front of Jiang Huai, then looked back at Ji Qingxuan, his face etched with bitterness. “What is this stunt you’re pulling now? Qingxuan?”
“He has been kind to me. If he hadn’t saved me, I would have died in the Ancestral Secret Realm. If he were to die saving me, and I were to live alone, my cultivation path would surely be fraught with difficulties and my heart unsettled. I beg Father for forgiveness.”
Ji Qingxuan was clearly coercing her own father, with no pretense or hesitation. Ji Nianchen had already sensed the blood pact Daoist magic thread connecting them with his spiritual sense. The formidable aspect of this Samgevity Blood Pact was that even though he was at the fourth level of the Ninth Realm, he could not sever the connecting thread between them.
Thus, the situation reached a delicate balance in that instant.
The Demon Empress of the Northern Region, clad in a black robe, also heard Ji Qingxuan’s words. Her gaze never left Jiang Huai, and Jiang Huai was also looking at her.
She wore a black robe, her skin was slightly pale, her cultivation unfathomable, and her aura terrifying. The mere oppressive pressure she exuded made Jiang Huai slightly breathless. He had to use all his cultivation to straighten his back, gaze at her face, and remain silent.
“Samgevity Blood Pact, is it?” The Demon Empress of the Northern Region stared intently into Jiang Huai’s eyes, then sneered. “Child, do you know… there are countless punishments in this world far worse than death.”
Jiang Huai shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“You will soon find out.”
“I advise you not to think like that,” Jiang Huai shook his head. “Your two children sought death themselves. I couldn’t do anything. I warned them.”
This statement enraged the Demon Empress of the Northern Region. As she raised her hand, inky black spiritual energy surged towards Jiang Huai. Ji Nianchen had no choice but to stand in front of Jiang Huai. “You cannot kill him. You heard what my daughter said… he absolutely cannot die.”
The Demon Empress of the Northern Region gave a sinister smile. “Move aside! Apart from death, I have countless ways to make him regret coming into this world! Don’t worry, I will make it so that he cannot even beg for death!”
But as soon as she finished speaking, Ji Qingxuan tugged at Ji Nianchen’s sleeve. Her cold demeanor disappeared, replaced by a fragile pretense. She said softly, “Father Emperor, if he endures any punishment, I will feel it too. Qingxuan is scared.”
Ji Nianchen knew his daughter well. Even though he knew she was deliberately acting spoiled, his heart softened. He sighed and did not take a single step back, still standing in front of Jiang Huai. “He is acting to save my daughter. If he hadn’t helped, my daughter would have been buried in that Ancestral Secret Realm. Therefore… I cannot let you take him away.”
Ultimately, he sided with Jiang Huai, refusing to hand him over to appease the Demon Empress of the Northern Region’s wrath. It was simply a matter of protecting his own.
Years ago, the moment he met Ji Qingxuan’s mother, he had not favored any other concubine in his harem. However, her mother was eventually summoned by the Dragon Clan and had to leave. The tears in her eyes before she left were still vivid in his memory. Ji Qingxuan was the only proof of her existence, and thus, he doted on her immensely from childhood, wishing to give her everything he had.
In fact, he had never promised the throne to Ji Qinghai because he truly envisioned a future where Ji Qingxuan could stand on her own. He would then defiantly grant her the throne and personally journey to the Dragon Clan to see her mother.
He had many children in this life, but all of them combined were not as important as Ji Qingxuan alone. He was that biased and selfish.
“He is not someone you should protect! Do you want to incite a war between two regions?!” The Demon Empress of the Northern Region was becoming frantic, her voice sharpening. “Your daughter is your daughter, but are my children not my children?! How can you face my children in the netherworld?!”
“They were greedy and lacked skill. They should have been prepared for death. It was not my daughter who killed them, but their own greed. Your seventh son died the same way, yet you still haven’t learned your lesson. This is nothing but self-inflicted!” Ji Nianchen did not back down at all, coldly snorting, “So what if it leads to war? The Central Province is in the right, both ethically and legally. None of the cultivators of the Central Province are cowards who fear death!”
Even though Jiang Huai knew that Ji Nianchen’s willingness to protect him was most likely due to Ji Qingxuan’s Samgevity Blood Pact, he still felt a pang of emotion.
Generally speaking, the higher one’s position, the more detached their morals and emotions become. Yet, Ji Qingxuan was willing to put herself in grave danger to save someone, and Ji Nianchen was willing to declare that he would protect Jiang Huai even if it meant war between their races. This gave Jiang Huai an indescribable feeling.
He quietly transmitted a message to Ji Nianchen. “Senior Ji, please just stall for me for another half an incense stick’s worth of time. I will handle everything else from here on; there’s no need to trouble you further.”
Ji Nianchen paused for a moment and glanced back at the calm Jiang Huai behind him. Although he did not understand, he said coldly, “I said I would protect you, and I will. Hmph… if you die, won’t my daughter become a widow?”
Jiang Huai froze.
“What the heck! How did he know?!” In that instant, he suddenly remembered. Only Dao Companions who had engaged in Dual Cultivation could sign the Samgevity Blood Pact, because their spiritual qi had intertwined within their bodies, passing through each other’s acupoints and Qi seas.
The Demon Empress of the Northern Region’s eyes grew increasingly sinister. She stared fixedly at Jiang Huai’s face. “If Ji Nianchen intervenes, I truly cannot kill you, you little beast.”
“But I will capture your Master, your Dao Companion, your friends, and your family, and torment them to death before your very eyes. I wonder if your expression will still be so nonchalant then?”
The moment these words were spoken, all the serenity on Jiang Huai’s face vanished, replaced by a surge of rage. But his rage was exactly what the Demon Empress of the Northern Region wanted. She began to cackle, her sharp laughter piercingly unpleasant.
However, in the next moment, mere instants after Jiang Huai spoke.
A slap landed on her face, and with a single blow, a powerful cultivator at the fourth level of the Ninth Realm was sent flying, with irresistible, unstoppable force, crashing against the courtyard wall.
Jiang Zhi, clad in a purple dress, flicked her hand, gazed back at Jiang Huai indifferently, tilted her head, and suddenly smiled. “What will you trade me this time?”
