Chapter 117

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Chapter 117: The Blood Oath of Heaven and Earth

Ming He lifted her gaze to the azure sky, where the clouds shimmered with the hues of dawn. A blazing red light streaked across the horizon, transforming into an extraordinary woman upon landing.

The woman wore a robe embroidered with scenes of majestic mountains and rivers in fiery red, the edges of which danced lightly with the breeze, while a cluster of crimson flames flickered gracefully between her brows.

At this moment, she stood amidst the dense greenery just outside Tianwu City, yet her powerful and noble aura created a majestic presence that felt like that of true royalty. She was the respected leader of the ancient demon phoenix clan, Feng Xin!

Dressed in fire-like red, she exuded a charm distinct from Qin Chu Yi. Lowering her gaze, she looked at Ming He with a playful smile and regal authority, revealing that she was a powerful Earth Emperor Realm expert!

Ming He’s mind momentarily paused, but her expression remained calm and steady, with a faint chill in her eyes. She raised her head to meet Feng Xin’s inscrutable gaze, pressing her lips together slightly. “It truly isn’t the right time.”

With one hand holding Qin Chu Yi’s and the other resting lightly on the hilt of her Jing Ying Sword, she addressed Feng Xin, “Does the esteemed leader not know that interrupting Dao partners is worthy of being struck by heaven’s wrath?”

Her voice carried a cool sharpness typical of a sword cultivator, revealing her displeasure without any respect for an Earth Emperor Realm expert.

However, Feng Xin was a powerful figure of the Phoenix Clan, not a member of the human race, and had never been to the battlefield of the heavens. To her, Ming He was merely a stranger, so the concept of respect did not apply.

Hearing the disrespectful tone, Feng Xin’s smile remained, and rather than becoming angry, she appeared somewhat amused. Young genius cultivators often attracted the favor of powerful beings, perhaps because of a kinship in arrogance.

Looking at Ming He’s slightly raised brow, she easily recalled her own youthful days filled with pride and defiance, and therefore did not take offense. “But haven’t you two yet established a contract?”

Feng Xin opened her lips and answered Ming He’s question earnestly, “Without having formed a contract, how can you be considered Dao partners?”

Noticing the expression on Ming He’s face shift, her smile deepened. “I have come this time to have you fulfill your promise.”

“Ming He, in the deep sea of the Donghua Realm, at Wutong Hall, you made a Blood Oath, agreeing to do something for me. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”

“I haven’t forgotten.” Ming He lowered her eyelashes to conceal the shifting emotions in her eyes. She tightened her grip on Qin Chu Yi’s hand to reassure her, then raised her gaze to Feng Xin once more. “What does the esteemed leader want me to do?”

“I want you to return with me to Wutong Heaven!” Feng Xin stated, each word heavy with undeniable command.

Ming He maintained a calm expression, and her level of steadiness did not waver in the slightest. “Why?”

Looking at Feng Xin, her eyes showcased no signs of rejection or surprise, only confusion and uncertainty.

Feng Xin felt a slight stir of emotions, sensing something off. “Because I need to drive out the residual coldness within me, and I require you to protect my vital areas with Star Power.”

She had mentioned this before in Wutong Hall beneath the deep sea, but at that time, she had asked Ming He if she was willing to be her Phoenix Lord and accompany her back to Wutong Heaven, and Ming He had refused.

But now, Ming He had no room to refuse.

This thought crossed Feng Xin’s mind as the Blood Oath restricted Ming He, and she believed there was no way Ming He could refuse again, hence the fiery determination in her gaze.

Ming He’s lips curled slightly as understanding washed over her. “Is it because I have reached the Wind Master realm?” Otherwise, Feng Xin could have used this as a condition when claiming the Phoenix Fire Seed in Wutong Hall.

Back then, she hadn’t said anything because her cultivation was only at the Dust Dispersal stage; now, her appearance was only because she had broken through to the Wind Master realm. Cultivators possessing the ability to harness the forces of nature could use Star Power far beyond what she could before.

Ming He recognized this when she broke through the Wind Master realm, which made her words gentle yet confident, believing her guess was correct upon seeing the shocked eyes of Feng Xin.

“Human race extraordinary geniuses should not be underestimated,” Feng Xin remarked, her expression filled with a mix of awe and reminiscence, as if she saw through Ming He to someone who dazzled throughout history, a presence strong enough to command even Ancient Fiends to bow down. “Since you understand, then let’s depart with me now.”

Feng Xin’s gaze fell upon the slightly pale face of Qin Chu Yi behind Ming He, and she smiled joyfully. “It seems this devoted pair of Dao partners will need to separate for a while.”

She remembered Ming He’s earlier remark about being struck by heaven’s wrath, so her words were laced with a touch of revenge. Who said that powerful beings couldn’t be narrow-minded?

She intended to play the part of a phoenix lord who would repay even the slightest grievance. Ming He could not move, and neither could Qin Chu Yi; surely she could voice a few words?

Upon hearing this, Qin Chu Yi’s eyes flickered. She wanted to counter Feng Xin, but when she opened her mouth, she found herself at a loss for words. The Blood Oath was bound by the heavens, and once spoken, the law followed; if it could not be fulfilled, they would face eternal annihilation.

She was powerless to help Ming He and felt utterly incapable.

She seemed to have no choice but to watch as Ming He left her side and followed Feng Xin to Wutong Heaven.

Ming He felt the coolness in Qin Chu Yi’s palm and turned back, offering a reassuring glance. When she turned around again, her expression was calm and gentle. In an instant, her Jing Ying Sword was unsheathed, slicing through Feng Xin’s outstretched hand that sought to take her away. She smiled brightly, her eyes gleaming. “Phoenix Lord, I never said I would go with you.”

“Are you going to defy the Blood Oath?” Feng Xin frowned, a chilling aura radiating from her. Had she not reacted swiftly, she might have been struck by Ming He’s blade.

Though she was a formidable Earth Emperor Realm expert, she knew better than to underestimate the sword of a Wind Master realm sword cultivator. She dared not gamble whether her flesh and blood body could withstand the sharpness of the sword, so she had no choice but to retreat.

“Of course not.” Ming He raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise. “The Blood Oath is bound by the laws of heaven and earth. I have no desire to be obliterated, so I wouldn’t dream of defying it.”

“Then you…” Feng Xin’s exquisite features twisted in confusion, her regal demeanor softened by a hint of bewilderment that made her unexpectedly endearing.

But to Ming He, beauty and ugliness held no significance.

“The Blood Oath only states that I must do one thing for you, endlessly and unceasingly, but it doesn’t specify when.” Ming He’s lips curled into a smile, mirroring the same pride and joy Feng Xin had displayed earlier. “I never said I wouldn’t do it—just not now.”

Having come from an era of information overload, she was well-versed in linguistic traps and wordplay. From the very beginning, she had no intention of staking her worth on a single Phoenix Fire Seed.

To cultivators, the Blood Oath was akin to a binding curse, but to her, it was merely a temporary measure.

It was her clever stratagem.

“You…” Feng Xin clenched her fists. “You’re being deceitful!” She frowned, wanting to chastise Ming He for her audacity, but as someone of noble birth, the most reckless act she had ever committed was battling the Ice Phoenix Clan’s leader to a standstill, only to end up trapped in an ice coffin for thousands of years. She was not skilled in the art of insults.

After some mental struggle, she could only muster words like “deceitful” and “shameless,” which lacked the bite she intended.

“Hmm.” Ming He nodded without denying it. “Rest assured, Phoenix Lord, a sword cultivator’s word is as good as gold. I will fulfill my oath—just not at this moment.”

She was merely returning the sharp retort Feng Xin had directed at Qin Chu Yi. When it came to verbal sparring, Ming He never backed down.

“Ming He!” Feng Xin’s fists tightened, her brows furrowed in anger at being mocked. A fierce aura surged toward Ming He and Qin Chu Yi, like towering waves crashing against the shore, an overwhelming force that filled the air.

The Young Master, standing at a distance, bent slightly under the pressure, struggling to maintain his composure.

Yet Ming He and Qin Chu Yi stood firm amidst the tempest, as unyielding as mountains, their calm and resolve unshaken even as the storm raged around them.

Though Feng Xin was a powerful Earth Emperor Realm expert, her body harbored lingering coldness. As a fire-elemental being of the Phoenix Clan, she was not at her peak and was even weaker than an average Earth Emperor Realm cultivator due to her old injuries.

Ming He and Qin Chu Yi, however, were no ordinary cultivators—one at the Wind Master realm and the other at the Heaven Origin realm.

As the Young Master of the Qin Clan, Qin Chu Yi’s talent was unparalleled. In some ways, the Ancient Emperor’s Tomb surpassed even the Star Lock.

As for Ming He… Song Tian Rou had claimed she was unworthy of Qin Chu Yi, but she was utterly mistaken—fundamentally and completely wrong.

Ming He was the most qualified person in the world to stand beside Qin Chu Yi.

The two standing before Feng Xin were the pinnacle of young cultivators on the Tianwu Continent. How could they possibly be intimidated by the pressure of an Earth Emperor Realm powerhouse?

“Hmph!” Feng Xin grunted in frustration when her royal authority failed to sway them. Leaving felt unsatisfying, but in the end, she could only clench her fists and coldly remark, “What a waste of my Phoenix Fire Seed.”

Still unskilled in insults, she could only resort to indirect remarks, likening her effort to a meat bun thrown to a dog—utterly wasted.

To her surprise, Qin Chu Yi’s eyes flashed with coldness upon hearing this. She stepped forward, positioning herself in front of Ming He, and raised her gaze to meet Feng Xin’s. Her dark eyes were filled with confusion and mockery. “Is it truly just a pity for the Phoenix Lord that the Phoenix Fire Seed has fallen into the hands of the human race?”

Taking a deep breath, she brushed the dust from her sleeves and stood tall, exuding confidence. In that moment, she was the Young Master of the Ancient Clan, speaking on behalf of the human race.

“The Tianwu Continent belongs to the human race, but this land is not solely inhabited by humans. There are also the Demon Race, the Mermaid Clan, the Phoenix Clan, the Ice Phoenix Clan, and other Ancient Fiends. Yet, from the invasion of foreign races until now, how many human lives have been lost on the battlefield of the heavens over these thousands of years?”

“On the battlefield of the heavens, within the five regions, human geniuses have been hunted, assassinated, and openly slaughtered, with rivers of blood flowing and seas of blood surging.”

“But where are the Ancient Fiends? Where are they?” Qin Chu Yi raised her head, her brows furrowed with rising emotions—anger, confusion, and sorrow all mingled together.

“Ancient Fiends were born under the blessings of heaven and earth, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon to cultivate. Your lives and all your cultivation come from heaven and earth, but when someone seeks to invade this land, to destroy this world, where are you?”

Qin Chu Yi’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “You are all busy fighting, gathering treasures, and seizing idyllic lands, treating the Tianwu Continent as if it were insignificant to you.”

“If foreign races were to take over Tianwu, perhaps they would fear you because of the Ancient Fiends born from heaven, or perhaps because Wutong Heaven drifts away from Tianwu and cannot be found.”

“But does that truly have nothing to do with you?”

A woman dressed in a fiery red robe stood tall in the light, reciting each word she had gleaned from ancient texts. “Without the deliberate protection and tolerance of the human race, without the strict prohibitions of the Imperial Palace against human cultivators harming Ancient Fiends, how could you possibly survive until today?”

The Ancient Fiend race was rich in treasures—a drop of blood, a feather, a piece of flesh—all invaluable to cultivators.

The human race was humble and insignificant, yet also fierce and great. In this vast world, there was almost nothing the human race could not achieve.

“If foreign races took control of Tianwu, and the formations collapsed and the spiritual energy dissipated, would you truly remain indifferent?”

Qin Chu Yi gazed at Feng Xin, whose pale face could not hide her discomfort, her eyes cold. “Since it matters, since you hope the human race can stand against foreign races, how can you expect to gain without giving?”

“Wanting to take without giving, being content with the status quo while believing in inaction—such benefits have never existed in this world!” Qin Chu Yi’s words rang with conviction.

The human race took the Phoenix Fire Seed through trickery and deceit. But so what? It was what they had deserved.

“Aren’t you afraid I will kill you?” Feng Xin spoke hoarsely. She stood tall as before, but there was an indescribable awkwardness creeping in, a result of Qin Chu Yi striking at her sore spot.

She knew what Qin Chu Yi said was true.

If foreign races took control of Tianwu, Ancient Fiends would also cease to exist. They were relying on the human race to protect the Tianwu Continent.

They did not want the Tianwu Continent to fall into the hands of foreign races, yet they did not want to join the battle on the battlefield of the heavens, so they could only turn a blind eye and hide away, safe from the foreign races.

They knew the human race was unmatched in strength; they would certainly protect Tianwu, so they felt at ease enjoying the peace that came from the sacrifices made by the human race.

But that peace was, in fact, stolen from them.

As Feng Xin realized this, her breath caught in her throat, and for the first time, she clearly recognized the Ancient Fiends’ shamelessness—a term that fit them far better.

The Ancient Fiends, born of heaven and earth, surpassed the human race in both bloodline and physicality. They even surpassed foreign races in certain aspects, yet they turned a blind eye to the suffering of this land.

It seemed they had indeed done something wrong!

“You can try!” Ming He placed her right hand on her sword hilt, her aura condensing into a single point, the sharpness of a sword cultivator manifesting in a dazzling display of brilliance.

“Ming He, if I were to say now that you would follow me back to Wutong Heaven with the condition that the Phoenix Clan joins the battlefield of the heavens, how would you choose?” Feng Xin suddenly broke the silence after a long pause.

“If you are willing, I can still grant you the title of Phoenix Lord. You humans have the ritual of establishing a contract for Dao partners, and I can provide that as well.”

At that moment, she genuinely felt that Ming He was worthy of the title of Phoenix Lord.

“Are you willing?”