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

Before the image of the condemned prisoner on the blood test monument had fully solidified, a series of uniform, heavy footsteps echoed from the end of the dark passage.

Lou Xiaotian reacted extremely quickly, turning around and drawing his gun, his green wood roots instantly sealing off both sides of the military tent.

Chu Ling Shuang's crimson aura exploded, completely enveloping Jiang Si Yue behind her.

Fan Chenxin took a step forward and stood in front of Jiang Yining, his large hand pressing on the hilt of the knife, his eyes surging with killing intent, ready to strike.

More than ten cultivators dressed in the heavy armor of the Pei family's guards strode into the military tent.

The commander Pei Zheng, who was walking at the front, was carrying a long spear. A large part of his shoulder armor had been burned through by the ancestral fire, and two blood tokens of different colors were hanging brightly on his chest.

He stopped in front of the blood test monument, without making a move or bowing to Pei Yunji, and directly slapped the two blood tokens onto the tomb bricks.

"One order is to escort the young master, with the seals of the three elders combined; another order is to capture the host of the divine tree alive, with the seal of the second elder alone."

Pei Zheng's voice was as cold and hard as stone, "I am verifying this according to ancestral rules. If the blood token is fake, I will deal with it according to the rules!"

Jiang Yining pushed Fan Chenxin's arm away and strode forward.

Too lazy to waste words, she simply threw the shattered array token, fragments of the mirror that revealed the marks, and the blood-stained military flag next to the blood token.

"The route on the battle order, the pursuit images in the mirror, and the ancestral blood extracted from the military flag. Investigate it yourself!"

Pei Zheng squatted down, took out a transparent ancestral bone, and pressed it heavily onto the two blood tokens.

The first blood token displayed three rings of fire, while the second one had only a solitary private seal, with two obvious traces of ancestral fire forgery on the outer edge.

The guards' ranks immediately stirred into a commotion.

Just then, the second blood token flew up on its own, and Pei Henian's ancestral fire surged out wildly from inside the token.

The deputy seals on the chests of more than ten guards simultaneously flared up, pulling at their arms and forcibly pointing the cold blades of their guns at Jiang Yining.

"Pei Zheng, capture the host of the Divine Tree and kill those who stand in your way!"

Pei Henian's voice pierced through the secondary seal, carrying the imposing aura of a high-ranking semi-saint.

Pei Zheng gripped the spear tightly with both hands, veins bulging on his forehead, but the spearhead stubbornly refused to change direction as ordered.

He suddenly pulled out the secondary seal from his chest, pressed it hard against the edge of the blood test monument, and stabbed it through with a backhand shot!

"Article Seven of the Ancestral Rules: A single seal cannot be used to mobilize the Imperial Guards; a false order cannot supersede the ancestral rules!"

Pei Zheng shouted sharply, and the tip of his spear shattered the secondary seal.

The Dark Silver Ancestral Flame rolled back along the gun barrel, burning his shoulder and arm, but he didn't even flinch.

Upon seeing this, the guards behind him drew their secondary seals and smashed them without hesitation.

The backlash of the ancestral fire emitted a burnt smell inside the military tent, but all the spearheads pointed neatly to the ground.

"Open the passage level, put away your weapons. Today, we will only verify the ancestral rules."

Pei Zheng, leaning on his spear, gave his final stance.

The three rings of fire surrounding the blood test monument went out, but the figure of the condemned prisoner remained kneeling inside the monument.

"I've already figured out what to do with the stand-in."

Jiang Yining took out the seal, pressed the extracted ancestral blood of Pei Henian into it, and then used the fragment of the Imprint Mirror to provide the living aura of the life-protecting blood contract.

"Five breaths. If the Stand can hold out for five breaths, we must all go in."

She turned to look at Fan Chenxin, her gaze falling on his blood-soaked hands: "Come with me behind the broken screen, and we'll take care of your hands before you move."

Behind the tattered screen, the purple-gold demonic vines rapidly intertwined, sealing off half a zhang of space and completely blocking the view from the outside.

Fan Chenxin leaned against the wooden pillar, casually tossing the black knife at her feet.

Jiang Yining cut open the cuff of his sleeve that was stuck to his wound, and the clear spring water washed over the charred flesh.

The moment the medicine seeped into the crack in the Buddha's bone, his broad shoulders and back tensed up abruptly, his muscles bulging beneath the taut fabric.

"Rest against me for a moment. I'll wake you up before the stunt double is finished."

She lowered her voice.

Fan Chenxin hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Is it alright if I just lean against your shoulder, without touching the Bloodstained Mark or entering your meridians?"

"Um."

He bent down slightly, pressing his burning forehead against her neck, his breathing heavy like that of a trapped wild beast.

The excruciating pain in his Buddha bone intertwined with the cool, woody scent lingering around his nose, like a dull saw, pulling back and forth on his precarious sanity.

Her subtle fragrance seeped into his very bones.

A moment later, the military flag vibrated, indicating that the stand-in was ready.

Fan Chenxin opened her eyes, but did not stand up straight immediately.

He stared at her profile, which was so close to his face, his gaze sliding over her fair neck. The suppressed fire in his eyes surged up completely, and his dark golden eyes turned frighteningly red.

"Ning'er, may I kiss you for a moment?"

His voice was terribly hoarse, filled with an almost morbid longing, his Adam's apple bobbing violently, "Until you're willing to let me stop."

Jiang Yining did not avoid it.

She raised her slender hand, grabbed his collar, and abruptly closed the distance between them.

"You are not allowed to let the Buddha's breath in, and you are not allowed to touch your waist."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Fan Chenxin kissed her fiercely.

His movements were initially restrained, but the moment he touched those soft lips, his reason completely collapsed, and his breathing became completely disordered.

With his uninjured right hand, he grabbed her slender waist and forcefully pulled her into his embrace.

The two were pressed tightly together, and through the thin fabric of their clothes, she could even feel the astonishing heat of his chest.

The pressure between his lips and teeth intensified as he greedily seized her breath, as if he wanted to devour her whole.

Once a Buddhist disciple who has broken the precepts indulges in unrestrained behavior, the intense sense of aggression that is suppressed to the extreme can almost drown a person.

Jiang Yining felt her body go slightly weak, completely enveloped by his domineering aura.

She let him be unrestrained for a moment, until his large, calloused hands began to unconsciously grope down her slender back, causing her to tremble. Only then did she calmly reach out and forcefully press against his hard chest.

That's enough.

She stepped back slightly, her chest rising and falling gently.

Fan Chen's mind stopped instantly.

His chest heaved violently, the desire in his eyes still churning like waves, the veins on his arms bulging, yet he obediently refrained from chasing after her departing lips, merely staring at her as if trying to brand her with his mark.

When the two stepped out of the broken screen, Pei Yunji was standing in front of the threshold, having already cleaned away the last death mark.

He looked at Jiang Yining's neatly straightened collar and the touch of crimson, and his fingers gripping the sword tightened suddenly, his knuckles turning white.

"The stand-in is ready and poised to cross the threshold."

Jiang Yining pushed the dark silver figure toward the threshold.

Just as Pei Yunji was about to take a step, a long spear suddenly swept across and blocked his way.

Pei Zheng stared blankly at Pei Yunji, the tip of his spear pointing directly at the ancestral mark of the young master on the back of Pei's hand.

"The passageway can be opened. However, according to the rules of the main tomb, if the young master assists an outsider, it will be considered a traitor to the clan."

Pei Zheng's voice echoed through the empty tomb passage, delivering the final blow: "Pei Yunji, if you cross this threshold today, the ancestral mark of the young master on your body will immediately ignite!"