"How would I know that, senior? It's pointless to ask now, isn't it?"
Chen Qing answered the question helplessly. He didn't understand why so many people cared about this. What was the point of asking this at this juncture?
After a few moments of silence, the two asked again, "Do you really know the whereabouts of the Purple Fetus?"
"Actually, I don't know," Chen Qing honestly shook his head, "But I know all the most hidden locations of the West Sea Dragon Palace, so as long as you tell me the details, I have a high probability of finding them."
"Really?" one of them said. "But how can we believe that you've heard the details and won't abandon us to search for it alone? After all, Nine Heavens Mirror Valley is in your hands; you can leave easily, but we can't."
"If the seniors are worried, they can certainly establish a sorcerer-style system," Chen Qing said with a smile.
"A spell?" the other sneered. "Can an ordinary spell restrain you? You're so familiar with the outside environment; you could easily find a trap and we'd all be torn to pieces. Unless we die at your hands, what spell can restrain you?"
Chen Qing smiled. These two guys were both seasoned veterans, and they were obviously very familiar with the loopholes in the spells. Indeed, spells are often a way to ensure cooperation between two opposing forces, but they are not omnipotent. The more complex the situation, the more difficult it is to determine the spell.
For example, if the rule is to help each other and not attack each other, the spell will only judge your actions, not your thoughts. If you die from external factors, such as traps or attacks by other alien species, the spell will have difficulty judging.
Therefore, those skilled in magic will be very cautious when signing contracts with each other, and all the conditions will be clearly stated. In the current situation, Chen Qing clearly has more information, which is very disadvantageous for the two of them.
"How about this?" Chen Qing said with a smile, "We'll set up this spell, the three of us watching over and helping each other, sharing our lives. If one of us is injured, the other two can use their life energy to heal it. And if one of us dies, all three of us will die. What do you think?"
The two sorcerers were stunned, not expecting their opponent to be so ruthless, daring to set up such a spell?
"What about time?" one of them asked calmly.
"Continue this spell until we safely leave the Dragon Palace, okay?"
The two fell silent. This condition, from every angle, was indeed flawless. Chen Qing was clearly not a nobody; the other party had no reason to risk his life to drag them down with him. It was obvious that he was sincere in his cooperation.
"No objections, then the procedure is confirmed?"
"Use ours!" the two warlocks exclaimed in unison, their expressions hardening.
Clearly, the Laoda's tragic death made them extremely wary of the young man before them!
"Alright," Chen Qing smiled, "Please, seniors."
One of them took a deep breath, made an incision in his chest, and took out his heart, which floated in mid-air, forming a huge runic array.
"A vow." Chen Qing narrowed his eyes. "So you're the elders of the Baili Family."
"You've heard of the Baili Family?" The two sorcerers looked at Chen Qing with a sinister gaze. "We learned about it from that woman. The Baili Family disappeared tens of thousands of years ago."
"Oh, right."
Chen Qing was slightly surprised. He wasn't the one who planned the history of this world, but he personally reviewed each plot and participated in various developments. He could say that he knew a lot of the history of this world better than he did in high school textbooks.
He clearly remembered that the Baili Family Clan, possessing top-tier Gu techniques, had survived until the end of the previous dynasty. They were a hidden powerful family, backed by the Ancient Demon God Temple. If players encountered the Baili Family Clan's side quests, they could unlock the Ancient Demon Temple's inheritance ahead of time.
How come the Baili Family disappeared tens of thousands of years ago when we arrived here?
If it had been destroyed a thousand years ago, it would be easier to explain. After all, the storyline for the next thousand years was completely out of my control because there were no players. Especially that time traveler called the King of Qin, who wreaked havoc for hundreds of years, leaving me with a complete fog of history.
But tens of thousands of years ago... shouldn't that have been wrong?
Could it be...?
A strange thought popped into Chen Qing's mind, filling him with an unprecedented sense of panic.
"Junior? What are you hesitating for? Are you worried about my spell contract?" the sorcerer said sinisterly.
"Of course not!" Chen Qing smiled, regaining his composure. "Senior's use of Spirit Arts shows utmost sincerity; this junior has nothing to say in return."
Spirit Arts, which involve swearing an oath with one's heart, are among the most cautious forms of contract spells. They are highly damaging to oneself but also have strong external binding force, making them indeed suitable for the current situation.
After carefully reading the instructions, Chen Qing didn't hesitate. He bit his fingertip and offered his own blood essence.
Blood appeared in mid-air and was quickly absorbed into the runes. Chen Qing looked at another sorcerer, who was quite honest and bit his fingertip as well.
The next instant, the three of them were bound together by a blood-red chain.
"The spell is complete. Those bound by the contract shall live and die together, watch over and help each other, and shall not disobey!!" The old sorcerer's voice was hoarse, but his words were clear. Before the spell was completed, he stared intently at Chen Qing, fearing that he might cause some trouble at this moment.
Because once the spell is complete, he will not be able to actively harm them, at least for a short period of time.
But Chen Qing seemed genuinely cooperative, and didn't make any moves until the spell contract was completed. Only when the blood chain disappeared did the two finally relax a little.
"Can the seniors speak now?"
The two eventually managed to lower their guard and began to recount the whole story.
"This Purple Fetus was created through a scheme against a dragon maiden from the West Sea."
"Dragon Girl? Which princess?" Chen Qing asked, his eyes lighting up.
Before Kaifeng in the West Sea, there were only two dragon princesses. The eldest princess, Ao Zhen, was a war god-level figure among the younger generation of the West Sea. She was also very famous in the four seas, with outstanding military achievements. She could be compared with the eldest dragon prince of the South Sea. She had a high reputation in the West Sea. The old Dragon King handed over almost half of the military power to this eldest daughter, and she had a noble status!
Princess Ao Ling, a renowned strategist in the West Sea, assists Sister Zhang and is also the descendant with the strongest talent in formations in the West Sea. She can independently control the Asura Yaksha Grand Formation and is the designated candidate for the future elder of the West Sea. Her position is irreplaceable.
It would have been hard to imagine either of them being schemed against by mortals, having their eyes gouged out, and still cooperating to give birth to Purple Fetus?
You should know that no one could stop the Dragon Girl from committing suicide, and theoretically, forcing the Purple Fetus could not have been accomplished without the Dragon Girl's cooperation.
"It's not those two princes you're familiar with. Actually, you can probably guess why. Those two have such high status in the Dragon Palace, how could they possibly be used as Purple Fetus?"
"Oh?"
"Back then, before that esteemed woman gave birth to the Purple Fetus, she had given birth to a dragon princess for the Dragon Palace."
"An illegitimate daughter?" Chen Qing immediately understood!
The illegitimate dragon princess, whose identity was probably not publicly announced or taken seriously because she had cheated on the Dragon King, thus giving her the opportunity!
"No matter what, she's still the biological daughter of the Heavenly Python Palace Lady, right? How could she be so cruel?"
"Can one accomplish great things without being ruthless?" The sorcerer glanced at Chen Qing with amusement. "Besides, the Heavenly Python Palace and the Dragon Palace are not the same. They have never valued offspring as much. Since Your Highness was born in the Heavenly Python Palace, your temperament and methods are naturally different."
"That's true."
Chen Qing roughly understood the situation. A dragon maiden only has one chance to give birth to Purple Fetus. The lady born in the Heavenly Python Palace had already given birth to one and nurtured the Ghost King Xiang. Originally predicted to erupt a thousand years ago when the Ghost King Hall of the Yin-Yang Road descended, he became one of the famous Four Ghost Emperors, with a fearsome reputation.
The last time they went to the Yin-Yang Road, it was obvious that King Xiang of Ghosts's physical body was no longer there for some reason. The other party clearly wanted to create a second King Xiang of Ghosts, which is why they plotted against their own daughter.
"And then what?" Chen Qing continued to ask.
" The Dragon King was quite cold towards that daughter. Having been neglected since childhood, she was naturally easily tempted. With just a little kindness and some tricks, the Empress could easily change that foolish woman's mind. I won't go into the specific reasons, but anyway, under the Empress's various persuasions, she agreed to marry the young emperor who had just ascended the throne. But as you know, the Dragon Palace has zero tolerance for the Purple Fetus. When the intelligence was leaked, the Princess of the West Sea personally led the team to capture her. Although the Empress tried every means to protect her, the Dragon Palace was too powerful at the time, and they still managed to snatch the Purple Fetus back to the Dragon Palace."
"I see." Chen Qiang nodded. " The Purple Fetus is in the Dragon Palace, and the Dragon Girl is with you, so you gouged out the Dragon Girl's eyes and came here to search for treasure, right?"
The two didn't refute it; there was no point in refuting it anyway. After all, even their biological mother, who was in charge of the proceedings, hadn't said anything, so they couldn't exactly be accused of being cruel, could they?
"Is the eldest princess leading the team? Is there any other information?"
"I know nothing else." The two shook their heads.
"The Third Prince Ao Xin probably didn't know about this thing, so the Eldest Princess likely kept it a secret."
"Oh?" The two sorcerers' eyes lit up. "How so?"
"We'll talk about that later. Time is of the essence, let's get going."
"Good!"
The two hurriedly followed behind Chen Qing, but after only a few steps, the two ancient sorcerers split into countless pieces!