At last, Su Jiu's drop of blood merged completely into the formation.
The formation blazed with golden light before slowly concealing itself in the water once more.
The contract was sealed.
Su Jiu and the others had to kill Black Water Snake first. Only then could they make Jiao Zhen fulfill her promise.
Of course, that promise had a deadline: ten years. If Jiao Zhen failed to remove the curse script from Su Jiu's body within ten years, she would be held accountable for breaching the contract.
In stark contrast to the glittering splendor of the merfolk imperial palace, a palace not far from the Merfolk Tribe's territory was steeped in a sinister atmosphere.
There was not a drop of seawater inside, as though a barrier kept the sea outside its walls.
The palace's interior was simple, without elaborate ornamentation.
Only a few stone pillars stood within it.
The thickest pillar stood at the very center of the palace, and it alone bore any sign of life.
A black, soft-bodied creature coiled around the pillar. Her slick body gleamed darkly; clearly, she was a black water snake.
The snake's head hung downward and appeared to be the size of two grown men's heads.
Black Water Snake's body writhed rhythmically around the pillar, adding an eerie sound to the stillness.
Part of her belly bulged, suggesting she had just finished feeding.
Besides that, a heap of unidentified creatures' corpses lay beneath the pillar. A closer look revealed several human bodies among them, dressed in the clothing commonly worn by the men of the little fishing village.
The corpses filled the air with the stench of decay.
On some bodies, the blood had yet to dry. It flowed from their wounds and pooled everywhere.
Though the great hall's doors had never