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

The long iron spear that had pierced the crack in the door was suddenly withdrawn.

Thirty-six spear shadows, gleaming with a bluish light, then crashed into the stone gate.

The roots of the green trees that Lou Xiaotian had laid down broke one after another.

Fine wood chips mixed with lime flew into the stone chamber, and rows of black-armored guards stood ramrod straight outside the door.

Jiang Yining's waist was burned so badly that the silver leaf was almost burning through her skin.

Dark silver blood streaks climbed up her pale waistline, eerily lifelike.

With each leap of the silver leaf, the spear tips outside the door would extend forward by half an inch.

Pei Yunji flicked his sword tip, flipping over half of the broken mirror.

He squeezed out a drop of dark silver ancestral blood from his fingertip, and the mirror instantly reflected the strange appearance of Jiang Yining's waist and abdomen.

"Pei Henian is using the Ancestral Hall Blood Order."

"He forcibly injected his elder's blood into Silver Leaf, and the guards outside have completely locked onto you."

Jiang Yining glanced down at the leaf that she couldn't shake off from her waist.

She unleashed a burst of purple-gold wood energy from her fingertips, forcefully suppressing the blood-red markings that were about to climb onto her chest.

"We'd better explain what exactly Silver Leaf is today."

Her tone was icy cold, but the red mole between her brows appeared even more alluring under the pressure of her fiery aura.

Pei Yunji averted his gaze, avoiding looking at the slender waist that was revealed by her disheveled clothes.

"It's a tracking blood mark planted by the Pei family."

"As for the so-called 'bridge of life,' it's just a blood pact forcibly imposed on you and Lou Xiaotian in a wooden coffin."

"The life-protecting blood pact will allow Lou Xiaotian to share the damage for you."

Pei Yunji looked at the cold light flashing outside the door, and his voice deepened.

"The Spirit-Destroying Spear Formation outside is an ancient tomb weapon specifically designed to sever the root system of the Myriad Spirit Divine Tree."

Jiang Yining straightened her tattered robe.

"Alright, from now on, we'll call the Shared Life Pact the Life-Protecting Blood Pact, the Spear Formation the Spirit-Destroying Spear Formation, and the Silver Leaf the Blood-Chasing Seal."

She glanced at the three men present, each with a different expression, and set the rules.

"Remember these three names, so you won't have to guess them randomly when we fight later."

Without saying a word, Lou Xiaotian picked up the Overlord Spear.

The rich aura of green wood spread along the gun barrel all the way to the doorway.

"Now that we've figured out the name, we should also have a way to break the formation."

He strode forward, his broad shoulders blocking Jiang Yining's path.

"The gun emplacement is coming for you; I'll go check it out."

Before his heels even touched the ground, a section of purple-gold spirit-devouring vine shot out from Jiang Yining's sleeve.

The vine tip wrapped around his firm chest muscles, precisely binding the old wound on his chest.

The purple-gold vine pattern instantly crushed the life-protecting blood contract, and Lou Xiaotian's feet went numb. The Overlord Spear was forcibly pulled back half a foot.

"Return it."

Jiang Yining gave him a cold look.

"The spearhead is aimed at you; it's more appropriate for me to stand in front."

Lou Xiaotian's Adam's apple bobbed, but he did not break free.

"So it's not your turn to go forward and die."

Jiang Yining suddenly tightened the vines.

The distance between them was brought extremely close, and the cool, woody scent emanating from her body wafted into his nostrils.

"If it really stabs you, what are you going to use to block it?"

He looked down at her, his voice hoarse.

With a flick of her fingertip, Jiang Yining completely sealed off the acupoints where he could mobilize his original energy using the Purple Gold Wood Qi.

"I will dismantle it myself. If you dare to take the hit for me, I'll deal with you first."

Lou Xiaotian felt a dull pain in his chest, but his grip on the gun completely loosened.

He even somewhat enjoyed the illusion of being firmly under her control.

"If you're willing to take care of my life, I'll follow your arrangements."

He curled his lips into a roguish smile.

"However, you can loosen the thorns a little; they're about to pierce the flesh."

"Once you learn not to risk your life to test formations, I will naturally take it back."

Jiang Yining shook off his hand without any politeness.

The tomb wall on the right side of the stone chamber suddenly collapsed at this moment.

A crimson hammer shattered through the stone layer with a deafening roar, sending rubble tumbling to the ground.

Chu Ling Shuang dragged the heavy hammer across the broken wall, her shoulder armor covered with scratches left by the spear.

She still had two broken array plaques hanging from her waist, and she was dusting them off while cursing.

"I followed the outer side path around half of the tomb, and just as I found you, I saw this group of iron-clad figures blocking the entrance."

Chu Ling Shuang's gaze swept over Jiang Yining and the men.

"Someone tell me, how did the beautiful Jiang become a target of the Pei family?"

Pei Yunji tossed the mirror that revealed his marks to her.

"Pei Henian infused her with ancestral blood, and the Extinction Spirit Spear Formation recognized her as a descendant of the Pei family."

His sword tip pointed at the tightly closed stone door on the north side.

"This is only the front chamber for washing soldiers; the main stone chamber is behind the north gate."

"Opening the door requires a general's seal; the item is on the lead guard."

Chu Ling Shuang strode up to Jiang Si Yue and slammed the heavy hammer to the ground.

"You go and get the seal; I'll watch the children."

She raised her chin, extremely arrogant.

"Anyone who dares to step over here, I'll smash them back into the tomb bricks."

Jiang Siyue, holding the Fire Spirit Falcon, peeked out from behind the heavy hammer with her fluffy fox ears.

She stared innocently at the gun tip spinning outside the crack in the door.

"Mother, does the bad gun only bite Uncle in black and Mother?"

Jiang Yining reached out and rubbed her daughter's head, leaving a wisp of purple-gold wood energy to protect her.

"If it dares to bite you, Mother will tear them all to scrap metal."

After she finished giving her instructions, she turned to look outside the door.

Pei Yunji reacted extremely quickly, flicking three drops of the young master's ancestral blood from his fingertips, which were then scattered into three corners.

Upon smelling Pei's blood, the three guards immediately turned their spears and charged into the empty space.

The Fire Spirit Falcon wasn't idle either; it flew out through the crack in the door, carrying half a piece of lens stained with fake blood in its beak.

Most of the Xuanjia guards outside the gate were lured by the fake blood and chased after it to the west with a rumble.

The remaining guards smashed open the stone door, their spears pointed directly at Jiang Yining.

"Stay three steps behind me. If Silver Leaf is in pain, tell me."

Fan Chenxin stepped into the gap with his sword, dark golden Buddhist light flowing along the blade.

He glanced at Lou Xiaotian out of the corner of his eye, but his strike was extremely ruthless.

The blade avoided the soul fire at the spear tip, precisely severing the power array between the spear shaft and the ground.

A guard lunged at him from the side, but Lou Xiaotian deflected its arm with his spear.

He kept Jiang Yining's rule firmly in mind and never stepped more than three steps away.

"I didn't risk my life to take a bullet; I just cleared the right side for you."

He added a boastful remark.

"Just hold your ground, don't chase."

Jiang Yining didn't turn around at all.

She kept her eyes fixed on the leading guard at the north gate, and the Soul-Devouring Vine slithered through the crack in the ground.

The lead guard charged forward with his gun raised, revealing a charred bronze seal on his side.

Jiang Yining slid to the side, narrowly avoiding the gun's edge.

The purple-gold vine, like a venomous snake, snaked through the guard's armpit, coiled around the general's seal, and suddenly yanked it out.

The guard reached back to grab the vine, but Fan Chenxin's black blade had already severed five of its iron fingers.

Lou Xiaotian swung the butt of his spear and smashed it into the guard's back, forcing him to his knees.

"Once you have the seal, retreat!"

Jiang Yining caught the bronze block.

The seal was embedded into the groove of the north gate, and the heavy stone gate slowly opened.

Chu Ling Shuang picked up Jiang Si Yue and retreated first, while the Fire Spirit Falcon flew back with the lens in its beak.

Fan Chenxin and Lou Xiaotian took turns providing cover while retreating into the doorway.

Jiang Yining finally stepped over the threshold and pulled out the general's seal with her backhand.

Just as the stone door was about to close, a Spirit-Slaying Spear shot in through the crack.

The spearhead grazed her side, instantly tearing a long gash in her outer robe.

The dark silver veins of the leaves were exposed to the air and gleamed brightly in the gunfire.

Pei Henian's sinister laughter seeped into the stone chamber through the veins of the leaves.

"Jiang Yining, you may be able to hide for a while, but you can't escape the bloodline recognition."