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

"Because the owner it recognizes has never been you."

Jiang Yining suddenly exerted force with her wrist, tightening the thin purple-gold vine.

The fake root lit up with the exclusive mark of the Pei family's ancestral bloodline in the fire well.

The Ancestral Fire Array made an instant misjudgment, mistaking the fake branch for the real main branch of the Pei family, and without hesitation brought up the original blood patterns left when the city lockdown order was issued.

Three enormous marks slowly rose from above the fire well and hovered in mid-air.

One of them did indeed belong to Pei Henian, while the other two appeared intact, but the internal fire lines were strangely circling the same person's bloodline.

Pei Henian's expression changed drastically, and he raised his only remaining hand to grab the fake root.

"Stop right now, or the fiery chains at the core of the formation will pierce through the child's dantian!"

Jiang Yining did not continue to absorb the flames, but instead skillfully used the vine tip to pry open the outer shells of the two seals.

"The three elders need three different ancestral bloodlines to combine their seals, but the two fire rings you forged share the same bloodline."

She raised her head, her gaze passing over the flames and piercing straight at the projection.

"Since the city's protective water mirror can detect fire paths, it should also let the whole city take a good look at who exactly made this so-called joint seal."

The mark in the water mirror was magnified several times in an instant and projected into the sky above Tianhuang City.

The forged fire ring peeled off layer by layer like dried snakeskin, revealing only Pei Henian's private seal at the bottom.

The warriors below the city wall immediately erupted in chaos.

Someone tore open the document in their hand on the spot and repeatedly compared the print on the paper with the image in mid-air.

The corners of the paper scattered all over the ground like snowflakes.

"The lockdown order wasn't approved by the three elders at all; Pei Henian mobilized the city's defense forces all by himself!"

"Did Han Que know about the forged order surrounding the North Post Station and even threatening to use a million blood crystals to arrest people?"

Han Que stood beside the water mirror platform, his hands trembling so much he could barely hold the city defense token.

He suddenly reached out and pressed his hand against the core array eye of the city's protective water mirror.

"The forged edict should be submitted to the council chamber for verification. The Water Mirror involves city defense secrets and cannot be made public any further!"

Chu Ling Shuang sneered, and her crimson hammer slammed down with a whooshing sound, steadily blocking his hand.

"When you used the water mirror to convict Jiang Yining just now, you didn't mention a single word about the city's defense secrets."

Chu Ling Shuang raised her eyebrows and looked at him.

"Why are you in such a hurry to close the dressing table now that Pei Henian's private seal has been exposed?"

Han Que gritted his teeth and forcefully activated the city defense order, just as the light at the edge of the water mirror dimmed slightly.

The false root in the Ancestral Fire Formation pierced directly into the illuminating fire path, reviving the mirror light that was about to go out.

Jiang Yining's voice carried clearly through the water mirror.

"The city lockdown order was issued by the Ancestral Fire Array, and the original blood patterns are still inside the array."

She looked in Han Que's direction.

"If you want to turn off the projection, first show the fire control secondary seal on your chest that is connected to Pei Henian."

A burning sound that made one's teeth ache suddenly came from Han Que's chest.

A dark red mark bulged under his clothes, burning his muscles and making them twitch.

Pei Henian realized that the water mirror was out of control and began to frantically activate the secondary seal.

Han Que's right hand was completely out of his control, and he suddenly grabbed at the core of the mirror stand, his fingernails scratching several bloody marks on the stone.

Chu Ling Shuang grabbed his wrist tightly with her backhand, so hard that she almost crushed his wrist bones.

"Your son has already stopped taking his medication, yet he's still willing to work for this old scoundrel?"

Han Que's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the water mirror.

He suddenly drew the short knife from his waist and aimed it at the bulge in his chest.

"I was forced to take the blood pact by Pei Henian, who threatened my son's life."

The dagger pierced the fabric and embedded itself in the flesh.

"Later, when the position of city defense commander became vacant, I knew that the reward was offered using a discarded seal, but I still wanted to take that position with the support of the Pei family."

With a forceful flick of the blade, he dug out a dark red mark still attached to flesh.

Blood instantly stained half of his body red.

"I was sometimes forced into it, and I did accept benefits from him."

Han Que, panting heavily, threw the blood-stained secondary seal onto the mirror stand.

The city defense order subsequently lost all its luster.

"I admit to the crime of sealing off the north city and offering a million-dollar reward."

Several attendants exclaimed and tried to step forward to help him, but he raised his hand to stop them.

"First, remove the city defense formations taken over by the Pei family. No one is allowed to touch the Water Mirror again."

Han Que leaned against the stone platform and suddenly said something in a low voice.

"My son should stop taking his medication."

Deep within the formation, Pei Yunji had already traced the Mu family's blood seal along the Earth Fire Well.

He used the fire-breaking technique he learned in the secret library to precisely cut open the outer wedge pattern.

After preserving the wisp of ancestral fire in the middle, he directly transferred the sharing permissions to the city's protective water mirror.

The mirror flickered for a moment, then reflected a complete blood pact.

Mu Chongshan and Pei Henian placed their palms on either end of the contract.

The text of the inscription lights up line by line.

The Mu family is responsible for intercepting and killing Jiang Yining in the Tianhuang Secret Realm passage and destroying all traces of her companions and children.

Pei Henian then handed over the collateral blood marrow, the northern city defense seat, and a portion of Guiyuan wood marrow.

After the matter is completed, the Pei family's underground fire well will be opened for the Mu family to use.

Mu Chongshan was standing below the city wall at this moment. When he saw the blood pact appear, he immediately swung his qi-infused longsword at Shui Jing.

"This item comes from the Pei Clan's ancestral fire, and Jiang Yining can modify it at will. Who would dare to take such a thing seriously!"

Chu Ling Shuang dragged the heavy hammer forward to meet them.

Pei Zheng had already jumped onto the mirror platform and pressed the first storage bag into the verification array.

"One blood pact isn't enough, are the three hundred-plus blood samples I brought enough?"

The water mirror image then split into hundreds of pieces.

The names of collateral relatives are engraved on the bottom of the blood vials, and the dates listed in the register correspond one-to-one with the records of the distribution of the blood-draining pills.

Pei Zheng then took out the forged blood token and fragments of the mirror that revealed the marks.

"The blood order to capture the host of the sacred tree was forged by Pei Henian."

He held the fragments aloft.

"The imaging mirror captured images of him extracting collateral blood marrow under the guise of treating an illness."

The mirror revealed a dark, secret chamber of the medicine hall.

Pei Henian stood in front of a row of unconscious martial artists and coldly ordered his men to record the duration of the ancestral fire's exposure.

Two young men with ruptured Qi Seas were dragged toward the Fire Gate, and the corresponding positions on the roster were painted gray with a brush.

The area below the city gate was in complete chaos.

Several members of the Pei family's collateral branch, who had been blocking the entrance to the North Post Station, rushed to the mirror stand with red eyes.

They took out their medicine bottles and frantically compared them with the images.

"My younger brother died in the Medicine Hall last year. They said his bloodline was exhausted and his body couldn't be brought back to the clan!"

A burly man knelt on the ground and wailed loudly.

"Pei Henian is using living people to test his skills, and he's making us continue taking medicine!"

The martial artists who were approaching Chu Ling Shuang began to quietly retreat.

Some members of the Mu family's outer perimeter guard also silently laid down their weapons.

A young man gritted his teeth, ripped off the Mu family wrist guard from his arm, and turned to leave the battle.

"If the assassins in the secret passage were indeed sent by the Mu family, I will absolutely not destroy the evidence for them."

Seeing this, Mu Chongshan turned around and slashed down the clansmen who were about to retreat.

"Anyone who deserts in the face of battle will be executed according to clan rules. All of you, charge onto the mirror platform!"

Chu Ling Shuang caught the knife with her hammer, the hammerhead pressing down on Mu Chong Shan's arm and causing it to sink sharply.

"The more eager you are to kill, the more the city dwellers will see how real the blood pact is."

Chu Ling Shuang shouted loudly.

"The Lou family guards will hold Pei Zheng's position; the rest of the city defense troops will lead the civilians to retreat!"

More than ten streams of energy simultaneously struck the mirror stand.

The Lou family guards quickly formed two layers of shields.

The first layer of longswords firmly blocked the qi, while the second layer protected Pei Zheng and the storage bag in the center.

The shield cracked repeatedly, yet no one moved aside to get directly in front of the water mirror.

Within the array, Pei Henian, in a fit of rage, began burning the blood of the elders.

He attempted to burn the false root along with the fire well.

Following the command to burn, the Purple Gold Vine chased into the array pattern, projecting his voice and bloodstains onto the water mirror.

"Destroy the blood samples from the collateral branch, shut down the city's protective water mirror, and if Mu Chongshan dares to retreat, all the Guiyuan Wood Marrow obtained by the Mu family will be reclaimed!"

As soon as the order was given, the Mu family warriors outside the city gate retreated a large circle.

Taking advantage of Pei Henian's distraction, Jiang Yining and her daughter quietly slipped into the first fire chain along the stone platform.

Jiang Siyue continued to follow the rhythm her mother had taught her, methodically gathering her fox breath.

With the ancestral fire within the chain losing its bloodline replenishment, the purple-gold vine successfully passed through the gap in the lock.

"April, now lift your left foot up, and Mother will catch you."

Jiang Yining's voice was incredibly gentle.

Jiang Siyue hugged the Fire Spirit Falcon tightly and slowly raised her injured ankle.

"It's all set for April, Mother, don't hurt your hands."

"Your mother's hands are still usable, so just take good care of yourself."

The vine tip precisely wrapped around the lock, and the first fire chain slid down from Jiang Siyue's ankle.

The child flinched in pain, but still hid his left foot inside the fox tail to prevent the ancestral fire from touching the wound.

Pei Henian turned around and found that the fire chains had been broken, and the projection immediately rushed into the center of the formation in a rage.

He no longer fought with the false root for the outer fire path, and instead pressed all the ancestral blood in his palm onto the remaining chains.

The eight fire chains were pulled off the stone platform, no longer binding Jiang Siyue's limbs, and instead shrank into a fine ring of fire.

The fire rings wrapped around the child's chest, pressing tightly against his dantian.

The ring of fire will instantly contract inwards whenever it is touched by an external force.

The mother and daughter vines in Jiang Yining's hands were scorched by the fire ring, forcing her to stop expanding the false roots.

The blood chains on his right wrist also loosened slightly.

"You finally decided to stop."

Pei Henian retrieved the scattered ancestral fire and sank the array core key into the deepest part of the Earth Fire Well.

"The evidence in the water mirror can protect the Pei family's collateral branch, but it can't protect the child in your arms."

The projection emitted a chilling laugh.

"Continue to absorb a fire pattern, and eight fire chains simultaneously pierced into her heart."

Jiang Yining pushed the purple vine back to the edge of the stone platform.

"The fox breath was withdrawn in April, and the Ancestral Fire Formation is lacking power. How long can you maintain it?"

"The key to the array contains three thousand years of ancestral fire, more than enough to burn a young fox to death."

A loud bang came from outside the water mirror, and Mu Chongshan began to burn the Mu family blood token.

The reddish-brown protective armor of qi rose from his feet all the way up to his shoulders.

Pei Henian took the opportunity to completely seal off the entrance to the fire well, leaving only eight fire lines connecting the center of the formation.

Jiang Yining ran her fingertips over the scorched mouth of the mother and daughter's thin vines, her eyes searching around the stone platform for a second entrance.

Pei Henian's projection stood in front of the stone platform, his palms forming eight fiery rings.

"The evidence may shine throughout the city, but your daughter's life is still in my hands."