Many children, many blessings: Stealing the offspring of powerful figures to cultivate immortality.

Outside the purple-gold protective array shield of the island, the sea breeze, carrying a strong smell of blood, howled past.

"Bang! Bang!"

The dull thuds of impact echoed continuously. Ao Lin knelt firmly in the void, his fingers gripping the impenetrable light barrier. His once noble dragon scales were torn and mangled by the backlash from the formation, his knuckles were already a bloody mess, and golden dragon blood dripped down the arc of the light barrier, splashing into shocking blood flowers on the dark sea.

On the edge of the island, several outlaw guards on patrol gasped in shock.

"My God, that...that really is the ruler of the demon realm? The legendary Dragon Emperor of the Heavenly Monarch Realm?!" A swordsman with a scar on his face trembled, his weapon almost falling to the ground.

"Shut up! Are you out of your mind?!" Another veteran swallowed hard, a chill running down his spine. "Even if his cultivation has fallen to the True Monarch Realm, he could crush us like an ant! But... why is he kneeling like a dog outside the formation of our Abandoned Star Island?"

Whispers spread rapidly among the guards as everyone stared wide-eyed at the imposing yet humble figure. The mighty Dragon Emperor, who commanded billions of aquatic creatures in the demon realm, was shamelessly refusing to leave outside their mistress's array!

Just then, the array patterns of the island-protecting formation suddenly twisted violently, and a gap just big enough for one person to pass through slowly opened up.

Amidst the fervent kneeling of her guards, Jiang Yining walked out with composure. Her purple-gold robe fluttered in the wind, and the terrifying pressure of her late-stage Profound Light Realm cultivation suppressed the entire area like an ancient divine mountain.

Her clear, bright eyes held no superfluous emotion as she coldly looked down at Ao Lin, who was still clinging to the formation.

"Ning'er!" Ao Lin's dark golden vertical pupils suddenly lit up, as if he had grasped the last straw. His voice was so hoarse it was almost shattering. "You've finally agreed to see me! I swear, as long as you let me stay, I..."

"Snapped!"

A cold jade slip was slammed into his face without mercy, abruptly interrupting his confession.

Jiang Yining looked down at him, like a heartless god of slaughter: "Want to stay on Abandoned Star Island? Fine. But there's no such thing as a free lunch."

Her fair chin lifted slightly, and every word she uttered carried an irresistible domineering air: "Sign this jade slip. Hand over control of all the remaining trade routes in the demon realm. From this day forward, you, including the remaining forces behind you, will all become vassals of my Jiang family."

Upon hearing this, the desperate criminals kneeling around felt a buzzing in their heads, and their breaths stopped completely.

To annex the trade routes of the demon realm! To make a Dragon Emperor a vassal! The Mistress's appetite is simply too big to resist; she wants to devour the entire Canglan Realm!

Ao Lin's hands trembled as he picked up the jade slip. The instant his divine sense swept over it, his face turned deathly pale. Relinquishing control of the trade route was tantamount to severing the last lifeline of the Dragon Clan, turning them into puppets of Abandoned Star Island!

This is too humiliating! He, a true dragon at the Heavenly Monarch Realm, even if he has fallen in realm, is still a supreme member of the royal family! How could he be reduced to someone else's vassal?!

He let out a low growl of resentment, wanting to crush the jade slip.

But the moment he looked up, his gaze was fixed on Jiang Yining's flat stomach. There, his only child was being conceived. That morbid obsession, stemming from his ancient bloodline, clung to his heart like a venomous snake, gnawing at it relentlessly. If he were to leave her, his current body, drained of its essence, would be nothing more than a walking corpse.

"Fine." Ao Lin gritted his teeth, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, and even blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, a result of his suppressed frustration. "I'll sign."

The surrounding guards gaped, exchanging bewildered glances, their hearts churning with shock. They'd agreed just like that?! Where was the Dragon Emperor's backbone?!

"Very good." Jiang Yining's lips curled into a mocking sneer.

With a flick of her wrist, a talisman inscribed with dark red semi-saint level binding laws floated in front of Ao Lin.

"This is a soul contract." Jiang Yining's voice was icy cold. "Read the terms carefully. From today onward, all your labor power for all eternity is bought out by me. Every drop of your true essence, every breath you take, belongs to me. This is called 'working to pay off debts.' Even if you die from exhaustion in the mine, your remnant soul must continue to supply power to Abandoned Star Island!"

"Work to pay off debts?!" Ao Lin's eyes widened as he stared intently at the outrageously harsh contract. No pay, no freedom whatsoever—this was clearly treating him as a slave with no chance of ever escaping!

In that half-breath of hesitation...

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

Three extremely terrifying pressures descended instantly.

Gu Qinghan, dressed in white, froze the surrounding seawater with his pure Yang sword intent at the peak of the Dao Inquiry Realm; Yu Luofeng was surrounded by the Yin Ghost Qi of a Half-Saint, with a cold sneer on his lips; Su Chenzhou, dressed in black robes, expressionlessly fiddled with the abacus in his hand.

The three male protagonists made no attempt to conceal their deadly hostility, locking onto Ao Lin with unwavering focus.

Gu Qinghan glared at him coldly, the tip of her sword slightly raised: "What? Mudskipper, do you think the conditions are too harsh? If you're not going to sign, get out of here right now, don't stand here and dirty Ning'er's eyes."

Yu Luofeng chuckled sarcastically, "The mighty Dragon Emperor, doesn't even have this much awareness? We don't tolerate idlers here. Since you're a new 'colleague,' you should recognize your position as the fourth prince. If you dare to harbor even the slightest wicked thought, I wouldn't mind turning you into dragon bone soup!"

Su Chenzhou's fingers flew across the abacus, his tone flat and even: "Although your True Dragon Body is severely damaged, it can still barely offset three percent of the energy consumption when used to activate the array plate in the deep mining area. Sign it, don't waste time."

Ao Lin trembled with rage at the humiliation he received from the three men, but after glancing at Jiang Yining’s indifferent and cold face, he finally lowered his head in utter humiliation.

He suddenly bit his fingertip until it bled.

A drop of true dragon blood containing the essence of the Heavenly Monarch fell onto the soul contract with a "plop" sound, extremely unwilling.

"Buzz—!"

The light of the contract taking effect instantly illuminated the entire night sky. The semi-saint-level binding law transformed into a dark red shackle, directly piercing into Ao Lin's brow and imprinting Jiang Yining's absolute mark deep within his soul.

From then on, he officially became the fourth lowest-ranking employee in the Jiang family.

The once arrogant Dragon Emperor finally abandoned all his pride. Under the pressure of invisible laws, his tall and mighty body knelt down in utter humility, his forehead slamming heavily against the cold stone slab, prostrating himself deeply beneath Jiang Yining's throne steps.