Ji Xue gazed at the sky for a long time, finally clenching her fist, her eyes hardening with resolve.
She stood up from the shattered stone slab, cut her palm with her remaining spiritual energy, and from the scarlet blood, forced out a drop of golden blood.
"This is my origin blood. You may use it to sign a contract with me, my lord."
"Currently, Xiao Lan is only a soul body and is too weak. I hope you will sign the contract with her after she has fully recovered."
Seeing the golden blood suspended in Ji Xue's palm, a smile flickered in Ye Ling's eyes. He said, "This blood contains half of your demonic power. It's a shame to lose it. Take it back."
"My lord?"
Ji Xue stared blankly at Ye Ling, unable to comprehend his words.
Had he changed his mind?
Thinking this, Ji Xue panicked and quickly asked Ye Ling, "Did I do something wrong to make you..."
"I have my own methods for signing contracts. I don't need your origin blood."
Ye Ling smiled slightly and gently tapped Ji Xue's forehead with his index finger, causing ripples to appear on her skin.
Ji Xue felt a peculiar spiritual energy enter her mind, then condense into a lotus-like black mark that merged with her soul.
Suddenly, she felt a special connection form between herself and Ye Ling, inexplicably drawing her closer to him.
"What is this?"
Ji Xue was astonished. She had never encountered a method of signing a contract like Ye Ling's!
Ye Ling said, "That mark is the master-servant imprint between us. We can communicate through it, and you can borrow my power to cultivate from it."
"Borrow your power to cultivate?"
Ji Xue was a little bewildered. She tentatively tried to establish a connection with the imprint in her soul and borrow power from it.
Almost the instant she connected with the imprint, she felt an overwhelming surge of spiritual energy flood her body from the mark, rapidly restoring her depleted cultivation and healing all her internal injuries!
"This!!!"
Feeling the boundless power surging within her, Ji Xue's heart was thrown into turmoil. She looked at Ye Ling in disbelief, utterly unable to describe her shock!
This imprint was far more valuable to her than any heavenly treasure!
She had a feeling that by relying solely on the imprint Ye Ling had etched into her soul, she could continuously break through to realms she had never dared to imagine!
At that moment, she felt an immense favor from Ye Ling!
"Master's grace is boundless. Ji Xue is eternally grateful!"
Ji Xue knelt before Ye Ling, completely acknowledging his status as her master.
In her eyes, Ye Ling, possessing such power, now surpassed all the gods and Buddhas in the heavens!
"How, how is this possible?"
Wu Shuyi, standing not far away, was completely dumbfounded. He hadn't expected Ye Ling to simply tap Ji Xue's forehead and restore her to peak condition, with even signs of a breakthrough.
Seeing this, Wu Shuyi even felt an urge to pledge his allegiance to Ye Ling!
Ye Ling helped Ji Xue up. "Before I save your daughter, I want to hear how you were sealed on Fulong Mountain and what grievances you have with the Queen Mother of the West."
"Yes..."
Ji Xue now held Ye Ling in the highest regard. She quickly responded, "Although I am a demon, I am actually the mountain god of Wolong Mountain... which is now Fulong Mountain. I was once a member of the Kunlun Divine Palace."
"Later, the Kas tribe, the ancestors of the current townspeople of Fulong Town, migrated from the west. After arriving near Wolong Mountain, their entire tribe contracted a strange illness, and their numbers dwindled due to constant deaths."
"So, the Kas tribe's shaman performed a ritual on Wolong Mountain, worshiping the mountain god and seeking my protection."
"At that time, I was moved by compassion and went to the Kunlun Divine Palace to ask the Queen Mother of the West for help. Later, the Queen Mother of the West descended upon Wolong Mountain and bestowed upon the Kas tribe a divine stone that could cure all diseases, eradicating their strange illness."
"After that, they settled at the foot of Wolong Mountain, guarding the divine stone for generations and worshiping the Queen Mother of the West. They also paid homage to me, their mountain god."
"However, as time passed, the Kas tribe gradually forgot about me, their mountain god. They even stopped offering sacrifices to the Queen Mother of the West."
"Naturally, the Queen Mother of the West also forgot about the Kas tribe and ascended to the immortal realm."
"At that time, I was pregnant with Xiao Lan and had contracted the same strange illness as the original ancestor of the Kas tribe. I then wished to use the Queen Mother of the West's divine stone, but was strongly opposed by the Kas tribe."
"They believed I was a demon, a harbinger of misfortune, and forbade me from approaching the divine stone. Furthermore, they feared my illness would spread to them. They even gathered an army and prepared to expel me from Wolong Mountain!"
As she spoke, hatred surfaced in Ji Xue's eyes. "Wolong Mountain was my dwelling place. Not only did the Kas tribe forget the favor I had shown them, but they also turned against me, wanting to drive me out of Wolong Mountain."
"Naturally, I refused, and attacked their army. At that time, my illness worsened. Fearing that the illness would affect Xiao Lan, I decided to go all out. I stole their divine stone from the mountain and cured myself of the disease."
"At that time, I originally intended to teach them a lesson and leave it at that. After repelling their army, I didn't pursue them relentlessly. However, they were ungrateful, continuously gathering armies to attack me, even attempting to kill me and take my dragon gall."
"And so... a war ensued between myself and the Kas tribe. Although I was alone on my side, they were ultimately mortals. The Kas tribe was no match for me, and suffered heavy casualties."
"Later, the Kas tribe once again worshipped the Queen Mother of the West and invited an immortal lord from the heavens. Without a word, that immortal lord severely wounded me and sealed me within Wolong Mountain, until today..."
Hearing this, Ye Ling pondered for a moment, then asked, "How did you break through this seal?"
"I saw that the sealing method was very complete. Within that seal, you should not have been able to recover from your injuries or cultivate. Two thousand years should not have been enough for you to break through that sealing formation."
Ji Xue sneered, "The reason I could break through that sealing formation was all their own doing!"
"What do you mean?" Ye Ling asked.
"If they hadn't practiced evil scriptures themselves, weakening the formation, how could I have broken through this array?"
"However... I did receive help from a mysterious person... Without him, I wouldn't have been able to break free."
"A mysterious person?" Hearing Ji Xue's words, Ye Ling's eyes suddenly narrowed. "Who?"
Ji Xue hadn't expected Ye Ling's reaction to be so strong and was slightly taken aback. However, she didn't think too much of it and replied, "I only know his name is Ye Feng... He said he was from Hongchen Pavilion and had the assistance of the immortal realm. He could help me escape."
"Those evil scriptures that the Kas tribe practiced were also given to them by that person..."
"Ye Feng..."
Ye Ling murmured the name, surprised that his hand was behind the events on Wolong Mountain!