A Pledge of Loyalty

Shen Jingchuan walked up to him, raised his hand, and used Object Control Technique.

The yellow paper on the ground flew up and landed in his hand.

Zhao Jiufeng watched helplessly, not daring to move an inch.

He could have taken the talisman back, but even if he had, it would have been too late to activate it again.

Five brightly colored circles hung overhead, ready to fall at any moment.

He could only lower his stance and hope to escape with his life.

"Young Friend Shen, I'm just dropping by. I happened to be here. I'm definitely not from the Wang Household."

"My surname is Zhao, and I am the supreme elder of the Zhao Household, named Zhao Jiufeng. You can go and inquire about me."

Shen Jingchuan didn't reply, but stepped forward and pointed two fingers at his dantian.

The Spiritual Power penetrated in, and Zhao Jiufeng's body went limp. He was immediately unable to muster any more Spiritual Power, as it was completely sealed.

He didn't retract the five Heaven and Earth Rings; they remained suspended in mid-air.

Shen Jingchuan then spoke.

Visiting neighbors? Does visiting neighbors really require such a dangerous approach?

"You were using deadly attacks just now, did you really think I didn't see that?"

Zhao Jiufeng sighed, a bitter smile creeping across his face.

"Hey, I can't hide it from you after all."

"To be honest with you, I really don't know anything."

"It was the head of the Wang Household who invited me over for tea, saying he had offended someone and asked me to lend a hand."

"My family is related to his family by marriage; his daughter married my eldest son, which is why I'm here. I know nothing about the reason for your feud."

"With your wealth and status, young friend, you must come from a prominent Lineage. If I had known earlier, I would never have dared to oppose you."

"Fortunately, our two families have no enmity. If you are kind enough to let me go, I will repay you handsomely and will never seek revenge against you again for the sake of the Wang Household. What do you say?"

Shen Jingchuan pondered for a moment, then remained silent.

If we really kill Zhao Jiufeng, we'll inevitably have to wipe out the entire Zhao Household later.

What this person said makes sense. The two families haven't become mortal enemies yet, so letting him go back shouldn't lead to a fight to the death.

There are still many people in the Wang Household. If he doesn't kill them all, the entire Lineage will have to be wiped out.

Does that mean that after killing Zhao Jiufeng, the entire Zhao Household should also be slaughtered?

He hesitated.

Wiping out an entire family is no small matter.

On the way up, he had seen many children frozen in the ice formed by Treading Snow, small and clumped together.

When did he become such a murderous monster?

As he thought about it, he felt a tightness in his chest and began to blame himself.

Zhao Jiufeng kept glancing at him, and when he saw that Zhao Jiufeng's expression softened, he knew what was going on.

It seems she's a kind-hearted person.

He quickly added another sentence.

"If you're willing to let me go, I'll go back and send you the daughter from the Wang Household who married into the family."

"From this day forward, the Zhao Household and the Wang Household are completely severed, with no further connection whatsoever."

"Furthermore, I will compensate you with half of the Zhao Household's fortune. Young friend, what do you think? Is that acceptable?"

At this time, the Wang Household at the foot of the mountain also learned about the battle on the mountain. Their patriarch had died in battle, and the patriarch from the Zhao Household had also been defeated. The battle on the mountain was over.

Panic began to spread through the crowd; some turned and ran, while others were determined to fight to the death.

Shen Jingchuan glanced at Zhao Jiufeng and spoke slowly.

"In addition to the two you just mentioned, we need to add one more."

Upon hearing that there was a chance, Zhao Jiufeng nodded immediately.

"Tell me, tell me. As long as it's within my power, I'll do it without hesitation."

Shen Jingchuan stared at him.

"Go down and kill every last member of the Wang Household."

"Then search their Storage Rings Storage Bags. This is called a pledge of allegiance, you understand?"

Zhao Jiufeng felt a chill run down his spine, and then he understood.

This was to force him to personally pledge his allegiance, proving that he had completely severed ties with the Wang Household.

Many people have already escaped; he can't possibly catch them all. There will always be some who slip through the net.

If he were to kill all the Wang Household who escaped, they would surely know that he was the one who did it, and that would be the beginning of a feud.

But then he thought again, there are hardly any Qi Refining cultivators left in the Wang Household, so he's not afraid of this grudge.

My priority is to save my own life, and then there's the Zhao Household.

He agreed immediately.

"No problem, Young Friend Shen. The Wang Household dragged me down and brought me to this state. This is my revenge."

Shen Jingchuan listened and chuckled inwardly. This guy really knows how to make excuses for himself.

He looked at Zhao Jiufeng and threatened, "Fine, I'll be watching you from the mountain. I hope you keep your word."

"If you dare to run, I'll go straight to the Zhao Household. What the Wang Household suffers today will be the same fate your Zhao Household will face. I mean what I say."

"If you accomplish all three of these tasks, I'll let you go, and I'll let the Zhao Household go too. Go."

He raised his hand and released the seal on Zhao Jiufeng's Qi Sea.

After recovering, Zhao Jiufeng sat cross-legged on the ground, took out a pill, swallowed it, and circulated his internal energy to recover.

He was, after all, Foundation Establishment cultivator. Although the injury looked serious, it wasn't fatal, and his Spiritual Power recovered quickly.

A short while later, he stood up and bowed to Shen Jingchuan.

"Young Friend Shen, please wait a moment."

After saying that, he jumped down the mountain.

In the short time that was delayed, most of the Wang Household's cultivators had already fled, leaving behind mostly civilians.

Zhao Jiufeng really had the heart to do it.

The cultivators hadn't gone far when he gathered his strength and gave chase.

After Shen Jingchuan's rampage, almost all of the Wang Household's Qi Refining Late Stage experts were wiped out, leaving only those in the Early Stage of Qi Refining.

As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he chased after them like a tiger among sheep, catching up with and killing them one by one.

Someone turned around before dying and cursed him.

Zhao Jiufeng remained unfazed, pretending not to hear, and continued wielding his sword without pause.

Shen Jingchuan stood on the hilltop, watching the scene below.

He couldn't quite describe the feeling in his heart; he only felt that the world of cultivation was truly cruel and ruthless.

Zhao Jiufeng returned in less than an hour.

Shen Jingchuan secretly praised him, thinking that Foundation Establishment cultivators were indeed efficient in their work.

The cultivators and mortals at the foot of the mountain have all been killed by him.

Shen Jingchuan didn't bother to investigate whether anyone had escaped. Since Zhao Jiufeng had pledged his allegiance, he wouldn't need to urge him; he would eliminate them all and wouldn't want anyone to get away.

Zhao Jiufeng landed in front of him, put down a large bundle from his arms, and opened it.

Shen Jingchuan scanned the area with his Divine Sense and, to his surprise, there were nearly a hundred Storage Rings and Storage Bags.

As Zhao Jiufeng passed by Wang Xuanji's corpse, he casually removed the Storage Ring from his hand and put it inside along with the magic sword.

Shen Jingchuan looked at him and nodded. This old man was still very serious about his work.

"I keep my word. Since you've done it, I'll let you go."

"Tell me the Zhao Household's location first, and I'll come to pick it up in person in a few days."

Zhao Jiufeng quickly explained the exact location of the Zhao Household's residence in detail.

It's no use not saying anything; the Zhao Household lives in this area, and you can find out with just a few inquiries.

Shen Jingchuan reached out his hand to him again.

"Keep the Ring on your hand too."

Zhao Jiufeng was not surprised.

If you lose, you have to accept it. He readily took off the Ring and put it into the pile of things.

"I have erased the Divine Sense Mark on it; it is now an unclaimed Ring. Young friend, please use it with confidence."

He even thoughtfully wiped away his own mark.

Seeing how sensible he was, Shen Jingchuan almost laughed to himself and waved his hand.

"Alright, you can go now."

Zhao Jiufeng felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He bowed respectfully, turned around, and went down the mountain, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

No sooner had he left than Shen Jingchuan picked up the bundle and, with a single thought, threw it into his Heaven and Earth Ring space.

He also brought Little Black and Treading Snow inside so they could rest properly.

Finally, with a wave of his hand, the Five Elements Heaven and Earth Ring flew back from mid-air and was stored in his Qi Sea for nurturing.

Now that the mountaintop was quiet, he was faced with a dilemma. This Spirit Vein was buried beneath the mountain; how should he collect it?