Xiao Wu's lingering divine sense also noticed something was wrong.
Through Wang Dong's body, she slowly lowered her head, looking at the blood-red divine markings lighting up in her palm, then at the invisible yet very real soul link between Chen Jie and Wang Dong.
The link was no longer a simple restraint.
Their souls were entwined, bound in mutual coexistence, with a compatibility that felt like destiny.
Chen Jie looked at her, his voice calm but provocative:
"You can kill me."
"But think carefully. If you kill me, the contract's backlash will erupt inside her immediately."
"She'll die."
Wang Dong's body suddenly shuddered. At last, a flicker of emotion appeared in her eyes.
The Asura divine power within Wang Dong was growing stronger and stronger, almost bursting through her skin.
Yet in the end, the Asura power that was about to descend stopped.
Xiao Wu stared coldly at Chen Jie:
"Are you threatening me?"
A wicked smile curled Chen Jie's lips.
"No, I'm simply telling you a fact."
"She's taken on my likeness now."
"At least, her soul has."
Wang Dong's body shook violently again.
This time, the red light in her eyes alternated with pink halos, as though two consciousnesses were fiercely battling within her.
She tried to summon her soul power to break free of the contract.
But the instant she resisted, the bond connecting her to Chen Jie deep within her soul sent waves of tearing pain through her.
Xiao Wu raised her head to look at Chen Jie, speaking each word with icy precision:
"If you dare do anything to her, I'll pay any price to drag you down to the grave with me."
Chen Jie looked at her. The smile slowly vanished from his face as he said calmly:
"Senior, there's no need to be so guarded. I couldn't cherish her enough. Why would I hurt her?"
Xiao Wu's divine sense spoke again, her tone exceedingly stern:
"Stay away from Wang Dong from now on. Don't get any more entangled with her."
Chen Jie gently shook his head, his tone flat:
"No. Our souls are already linked. How could we possibly stop seeing each other?"
"Don't you dare!"
Xiao Wu shouted through Wang Dong's body, and an overpowering wave of divine pressure instantly swept outward.
She knew perfectly well that their souls were bound together. Killing Chen Jie would severely injure Wang Dong as well, so she could not strike to kill.
But the fury filling her chest would not subside. She said coldly:
"I may not be able to kill you, but I can still make you suffer!"
The moment her words fell, Wang Dong, whose body Xiao Wu temporarily controlled, abruptly raised her hand and slammed her palm into Chen Jie's chest.
A dull thud rang out.
Although the soul bond greatly suppressed her strength, the palm strike carried Asura divinity, and its power still could not be underestimated.
Chen Jie's body shook violently. Agonizing pain exploded in his chest, and a metallic sweetness rose in his throat. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, which slowly dripped from the corner of his mouth.
"I'll be watching you."
As her voice faded, Xiao Wu's divine sense relinquished the body and withdrew completely into the depths of Wang Dong's consciousness.
The next second, Wang Dong fully regained control of her consciousness.
She stared blankly at her palm, then saw Chen Jie enduring his pain with blood at the corner of his mouth. She was utterly stunned.
The helplessness of having just been controlled by Xiao Wu's divine sense to hurt someone, the guilt of injuring another person, the exhaustion of having her body forcibly commandeered, and the tangled bond deep within her soul crushed her all at once, leaving her unable to breathe.
That brief struggle over her consciousness and those extreme emotional reversals had already drained every ounce of her strength.
Her mind and spirit collapsed. Dizziness swept through her head, her vision went black, and she could no longer hold herself up. Her body went limp, and she fainted on the spot from exhaustion.
Seeing this, Chen Jie endured the pain in his chest and hurried forward, securely catching Wang Dong as she fell unconscious.
[Ding!] [Congratulations to the host on contracting the female lead, Wang Dong (incomplete · Tang Wutong).] [Shared martial souls: light goddess butterfly (level 23), Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul.] [Protagonist's soul power increased by seven levels.] [Contract opportunities acquired ×3.] [Xiao Wu's affection: 30%.] [Reward: 100 million gold soul coins.] [Acquired rule-type Super Divine Artifact: God-Binding Rope (function: seals all power, turning its target into an ordinary person).] [Acquired Super Divine Artifact: Sea God Trident.] [Acquired Sea God Inheritance (the divine trials can be activated directly upon reaching level 99; Poseidon version. After inheritance, Tang San's Sea God Godhood will vanish and transfer to the protagonist).]
Inside the Sea God Temple in the Divine Realm.
Tang San was speaking softly with Xiao Wu, his expression relaxed. Yet in the blink of an eye, the Sea God Trident in his hand silently vanished into thin air, leaving no trace.
Tang San's expression changed drastically. Turning toward Xiao Wu beside him with his brows tightly furrowed, he said, "My trident is gone. Xiao Wu, I'm going to search for it."
With that, divine power surged around Tang San. Without lingering any longer, he rushed out of the Sea God Temple to search everywhere for traces of the trident.
Xiao Wu was left alone in the great hall.
She had briefly possessed Xiao Qi's body just now, using her own divine sense to stabilize her daughter's fragmented soul and consciousness. But the instant the contract in the lower realm fully formed, the protagonist's twin martial souls carried the domineering power of the contract across the planar barrier and struck directly at her.
Because she had just borrowed Xiao Qi's body, their divine soul link had not yet been severed, and Xiao Wu was caught directly in this peculiar contract power.
An inexplicable flutter quietly spread throughout her body. Her chest grew slightly warm, and an alluring blush unconsciously colored her fair cheeks.
Stranger still, her affection for the unfamiliar young man in the lower realm who had just formed a contract with Xiao Qi quietly rose beyond her control, giving birth to a curiosity and interest she had never felt before.
Xiao Wu frowned slightly and raised a hand to press lightly against her chest. Bewilderment and confusion filled her face as she murmured:
"What's going on... could I have been affected by that strange contract because I just borrowed Xiao Qi's body?"
The more she thought about it, the more puzzled she became. The curiosity in her heart grew stronger as she whispered:
"How strange... why am I becoming more and more interested in that boy from the lower realm instead?"
Chen Jie's chest hurt terribly. Carrying the unconscious Wang Dong back to his residence, he gently laid her on the bed and tucked her in.
Once she was settled, he opened the Sumeru Micro-World with a thought and entered it in an instant.
The Sumeru Micro-World was an ideal place for cultivation, rich in spiritual energy and dotted with numerous courtyards.
A wooden cabin in the distance stood out. Inside was an offering table bearing the spirit tablet of Jiang Nannan's father. Beside the tablet stood a memorial photograph, and the man in it seemed to be gazing at Jiang's Mother.
Chen Jie stepped into the cabin and saw Jiang Nannan's mother paying her respects before the spirit tablet, her expression filled with sorrow. Her figure was full and well-proportioned, her mature woman's body voluptuous and shapely. Even her plain, elegant cloth blouse could not conceal her graceful curves. Her skin was fair, and she possessed a gentle, captivating charm born of maturity.
Seeming to notice the movement, she abruptly turned her head and immediately spotted Chen Jie, covered in injuries with blood at the corner of his mouth.
She hurried toward him, concern filling her face as she asked, "What happened to you? How did you get hurt so badly?"
Chen Jie lifted his eyes to her. His gaze inadvertently fell upon her slightly open neckline, catching a glimpse of snowy white skin at her chest, gently rising and falling with her breathing. Heat involuntarily flared in his eyes, and his body trembled slightly.
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