Raise Joan of Arc to be an empress, then discard her.

The merciless iron chains tightened suddenly, and a tremendous pressure descended upon the white-haired woman. Aaron forced her to lower her head. Although the girl's body was still trembling and struggling, Aaron had already closed his eyes. A tidal wave of spiritual power surged into the white-haired woman's body. He was entering the depths of her memory, where her thoughts lay hidden, and what he had to do was modify them.

Everything around him dimmed and the world went empty. Aaron felt himself falling into an endless black abyss. At the bottom of the abyss, a white light shone, and he was greeted by a world he had never been to before.

"boom!"

A burning sensation! An intense burning sensation! It felt as if his body was in the depths of hellfire! The moment Aaron entered the white-haired woman's memory, it was as if he had been hit head-on by a heavy punch. He was stunned, and countless unheard-of and unseen scenes unfolded before him.

A vast, red wasteland stretched out before them, as if lava could erupt from beneath the surface at any moment. Black wings, obscuring the sky, swept across the land, plunging everything into darkness wherever they touched.

Black shadows, countless indistinct black shadows, stood tall on the horizon, each shadow larger than a mountain. They formed the entire world with their own bodies, indifferently watching this ravaged world through the floating clouds.

This doesn't resemble a world inhabited by humans at all, but rather a prehistoric era, when the sky was filled with gray fog, the air on the ground was scorching hot, and there were no plants. The new sun and moon had just slowly risen from below the sea level, and the land beneath the sea surface slowly emerged from the sea under the rising sun. With the sun and moon rising, anyone in this world would feel their own insignificance.

Chapter 263 Control

A flood of chaotic memories surged into Aaron's mind across the long river of time. The moment these memories entered Aaron's mind, they shattered into countless meaningless images. Aaron could not obtain any useful information and could only feel endless melancholy and pain.

"snort……!"

The Book of Darkness forcibly severed Aaron's connection with the white-haired woman. This action saved him, as if a tremendous force had pulled Aaron out of the depths of the black abyss. When Aaron regained his senses, he groaned, his head held high, and he staggered backward, blood gushing from his mouth and nose, as if something had been launched from the depths of the black abyss and struck him squarely between the eyebrows.

"I am a creature that has lived on this land since ancient times. I am one of the first living beings created by the gods."

The white-haired woman spoke slowly, looking at the swaying Aaron before her, a cold smile playing on her lips:

"I have seen ancient dragons dance and swirl in the sky, unleashing divine flames of punishment from the depths of heaven! I have seen the Kunpeng leap from the sea, transforming into a bird, furiously striking the sky! Its outstretched wings could blot out the entire heavens! The things I have seen are beyond your wildest imagination! And you, human, you are merely a lowly and insignificant creature, how dare you make me submit?!"

More and more ancient memories lingered in Aaron's mind, refusing to dissipate. Aaron couldn't hear the white-haired woman's words clearly, but the white-haired woman was right about one thing: he had indeed acted too hastily. He wanted to use the Book of Darkness to directly change the white-haired woman's mind, but the seal the Seven Gods had placed on the white-haired woman was far stronger than Aaron had imagined. He suffered a backlash and injured himself in the first step of exploring the memories, which also exposed his lack of control over the Book of Darkness.

He unfolded the Book of Darkness here, altering the white-haired woman's memories, as if he were playing a game of chess with another of the Seven Gods from a hundred years ago across a vast river of time. That Seven Gods had a commanding viewpoint, and the result of the game was a complete defeat for him. His mastery of spiritual power was far inferior to his opponent's, so he was expelled from the white-haired woman's mental world in the first round.

Aaron staggered backward. Ironically, despite having studied the Book of Darkness for quite some time, his understanding of it was still very shallow. It was indeed the most powerful Book of Darkness in the world. He had been full of confidence before coming here, but he ran into trouble at the very first step.

How long has it been since I felt this kind of setback? This feeling of danger, like a blade lightly brushing against my skin... makes my hair stand on end and my heart pound, a feeling I haven't experienced in a long time!

His body swayed precariously... his temples still throbbed with pain... the feeling was awful, yet he felt a long-lost excitement, as if something dormant within him had awakened.

In the darkness, the white-haired woman's eyes burst forth with a captivating golden light. Deep within her golden pupils, it seemed as if golden lava flowed. They were no longer human eyes, but the eyes of a dragon, brilliant golden pupils.

The white-haired woman was also having a hard time; her body was still bound by the Book of Darkness, but she finally had the energy to think about how to break free.

She was certain that the divine power she had just unleashed had dealt a heavy blow to her opponent—a blow that struck directly at the soul, a backlash from forcibly probing her inner self. The deeper the opponent's probing went, the stronger the counterattack would be. At this moment, Aaron was kneeling on the ground, one hand covering his face, seemingly still caught in the entanglement of those memories. He appeared to be at his limit, but the white-haired woman still felt a sense of unease. She didn't know what kind of sorcery her opponent had used to directly trigger her counterattack.

"Hehehe..."

In the dark purple space, Aaron actually laughed. Aaron stood up from the ground and released the hand that was covering his face, even though he had clearly suffered such a heavy blow.

Aaron forced her to bend over, but the white-haired woman still struggled to raise her head and glared at Aaron. The humiliated yet defiant expression in her golden eyes gave her beautiful face a special charm that aroused a strong desire to conquer her.

Aaron released his grip on the white-haired woman's collar. The white-haired woman thought he was going to strangle her, so she instinctively tensed up and tried to turn her head away to avoid Aaron's hand. But in the end, the hand swept across her graceful, swan-like neck and rested on her head.

Aaron smiled slightly, and a thick black mist emanated from his hands. The black mist gently surrounded Aaron and slowly enveloped the white-haired woman. The next moment, the light descending from the sky suddenly illuminated her body, revealing the black chains around her neck.

"Wh...what..."

The white-haired woman lowered her head and saw the chain on her chest as well.

The white-haired woman's gaze followed the chains, the ends of which were still connected to the man. However, looking out from the dark world, the outside world seemed to have stopped. She could clearly see the man in the distance; he had fainted and was surrounded by fierce bandits. The chains binding her were still connected to him.

Suddenly, the chains connecting their bodies began to sway. The white-haired woman was startled and looked at Aaron. Sure enough, she saw him gripping the chain in a rough, even absurd way. At first, the white-haired woman found it ridiculous—how could chains forged by the seven gods be broken by brute force? But soon she became uneasy because she heard a piercing clanging sound coming from her body. The next moment, the black chain shattered in his hand. The huge, python-like chain fell to the ground with a "bang," turning into silver-gray specks of light and disappearing.

"Just as I thought."

Aaron clapped his hands:

"The control that Seven Gods had over you was extremely secure. The divine power within you even indirectly protected your soul, ensuring that your mind would not be invaded by external forces and that you could always remain under the control of those Seven Gods. However, the chains on your body were not very secure and were 'easy' to untie. This was not because the Seven Gods could not completely tie the ropes, but because if they tied a knot on your body, how could they command you?"

In fact, the Seven Gods' actions were understandable. They weren't sealing away prisoners, so the knot they placed on the white-haired woman was meaningless. Therefore, the chain between the white-haired woman and the man was actually a slipknot that could be easily untied. After all, whether the white-haired woman would stay with the man depended on his behavior. But this gave Aaron an opportunity. However, it's not that the Void God Cult was lazy, because only someone with the same power as the Seven Gods could untie the slipknot on the white-haired woman.

"No...it's impossible...even so, this knot is from the Seven Gods...how could you possibly untie it!"

The white-haired woman still felt as if she had seen a ghost in broad daylight. Those were the Seven Gods, a fact known to all! How could someone possibly break the chains set by the Seven Gods with their bare hands? Was he a god?!

"No... could it be...!"

The white-haired woman's eyes widened suddenly as she stared at Aaron with disbelief. Her gaze towards Aaron was strangely unfamiliar, as if she were meeting him for the first time.

She said in an incredulous tone, "Could it be that you..."

"It seems a bit too late to realize these things now," Aaron chuckled.

How could that be? Only Joan of Arc could do that in Lusset, but... the white-haired woman couldn't believe it no matter what. At first, she thought the man in front of her was just a roadside weed, but she never expected this.

Aaron suddenly sighed: "But this is only breaking the chains between you and men. We are still far from completely subduing you."

But a smile quickly appeared on his lips as he looked at the white-haired woman and said, "By the way, didn't you just say that you've seen things I could never have imagined in my entire life?"

The white-haired woman stared coldly at the smiling man in front of her, wondering what he was up to.

“You’re right, the power of the Seven Gods within you is too strong for me to subdue directly, but I can make a few contracts with you.”

"First, you must never hurt me under any circumstances. This is the first ironclad rule." Aaron actually began to recite the contract.

"Wait a minute...!" The white-haired woman wanted to say something, but Aaron immediately followed and read out the second contract:

"Second, at any time, in any place, and under any circumstances, you must obey me. When the second rule conflicts with the first rule, the second rule shall take precedence."

The white-haired woman panicked and said angrily, "Do you think I'll obediently follow your contract?!"

"Okay, here comes the important part. The third contract states that you cannot use spiritual power on your own unless you obtain my permission. This contract also has a supplementary clause: when you wholeheartedly obey me, all the above contracts will be terminated."

The white-haired woman was stunned. When Aaron finished speaking the last word, she seemed to hear a huge thunderclap from the sky, and a cold wind swept over her body. It was as if a pair of eyes in the sky had really opened and were indifferently scrutinizing them.

"The way to break the contract is simple. As long as you stop resisting and faithfully carry out my orders, the Yuan energy in your body will slowly resume its flow. When you can obey my orders without hesitation one day, you can unseal all your Yuan energy."

Aaron pulled out a small knife from somewhere, made a cut on his palm, clenched his fist, and let the blood gushed onto the ground.

A faint light shone on the stone book of the heart, and the manipulation began the moment the blood fell to the ground.

No one will admit that they have been manipulated by others, or that all their actions are the result of careful consideration. What's terrifying about Heart Book is that it will firmly make you believe that.

The invisible chains on the Heart Book rumbled and broke. The moment the chains broke, the white-haired woman did not pounce on Aaron like a raging beast. Instead, she performed a gesture that seemed extremely strange to herself. She knelt on one knee and placed one hand on her chest.

After she finished reading those words, the Book of Darkness dimmed, and a shimmering, cyan mark appeared on the white-haired woman's tongue. Her words took root, and the contract was established.

If words spoken by others can have influence and manipulation, then what influence do words spoken by oneself have?

The white-haired woman couldn't think about the question because Aaron in front of her shook his head and said, "The voice is too soft, like a mosquito's buzz. Louder."

"What……"

The white-haired woman's face flushed crimson instantly, overwhelmed with shame, wishing she could disappear into a hole in the ground. But she had no choice but to obey Aaron's command, and in a trembling voice, she repeated:

“I… am my master… Lord Aaron… a loyal servant… who will always obey my master’s commands…”

After saying this, the white-haired woman gasped for breath. She felt her heart pounding more violently than ever before. A strong sense of shame for uttering such humiliating words and a strong sense of guilt for betraying the man welled up within her. These two complex feelings caused the white-haired woman's body to tremble violently.

The white-haired woman had her head down and couldn't see Aaron's expression, but she knew without a doubt that Aaron's expression was one of pleasure and smugness as he reveled in his shameful figure. The thought made the white-haired woman tremble even more violently, her face turning as red as if it were about to drip water.

Contrary to her expectations, Aaron did not show any smugness. On the contrary, he frowned, showing none of the joy and pride the white-haired woman had imagined. He was considering whether to have the white-haired woman repeat the words to deepen their impact on her.

Aaron shook his head, but just as he was about to speak, the white-haired woman suddenly raised her head. A thin layer of mist clouded her originally stern and cold golden eyes, and her expression was one of extreme shame and anger.

"How long are you going to keep toying with me...?"

Aaron remained silent for a moment, then silently withdrew the Heart Book. With a wave of his right hand, the pale purple barrier disappeared, and time began to turn like a rolling wheel. The white-haired woman felt the wind around her begin to flow again. The barrier disappeared, and the two were suddenly exposed to the scorching sun. On the open ground, people shouted and horses neighed, swords and arrows flew, and blood mingled with saliva.

Almost the instant time began to flow again, a huge cheer erupted from the other side of the open space—they had finally captured the man! Despite losing nearly half their troops and suffering countless wounds, they had finally captured him!

That group of people were typical roughnecks, with shaved heads and braided hair on the back of their heads, looking like bandits. It was hard to tell if they were a private army in disguise.

Regardless, they had gone to such great lengths and lost so many brothers to capture the man. Not only were they bloodthirsty from the hunt, but they were also burning with rage. Some of them grinned maliciously when they saw the unconscious man. The bandits had plenty of ways to torture people. So many brothers had died, and they had already formed a blood feud. The man would pay for all of this.

Several men who appeared to be subordinates had already drawn their sabers, their eyes filled with sinister and violent intent. Fortunately, the leaders were still clear-headed and stopped the men, turned their horses around, and slowly retreated, looking at Aaron not far away.

Chapter 264 Rescue

The leaders' gazes were equally sinister and ruthless. They didn't know Aaron's identity, but the white-haired woman had killed more than a dozen of their brothers and was in cahoots with the man. This matter was not over yet.

The bandits cautiously retreated to the edge of the forest, creating considerable distance between themselves and the woman. A smug, sinister smile spread across their faces. One of the bandit leaders gave a signal, and a skinny, monkey-like bandit jumped off his horse, holding a long knife to the man's neck. His companions watched the spectacle, muttering amongst themselves, their eyes filled with mockery and calculation. Looking at the helpless woman, they grinned maliciously and shouted:

"If you don't want to see him die, then bind your hands and crawl over on your knees!"

A chilly autumn wind blew across the woman's face, ruffling her hair. Never before had she felt so cold all over.

As the bandits retreated, they drew brand-new blades from their waists. The leader, gripping the reins tightly, watched them warily and shouted to the white-haired woman. Behind him, the silent archer drew back his bow, took three brand-new arrows from his quiver, and aimed them at the white-haired woman.

In a very short time, the bandits gathered noisily yet each had their own task. They retreated while spreading out their formation, shouting vulgarities and vigilantly observing their surroundings. The chaos was tinged with order, and the more one looked at them, the more terrifying it became. They were no ordinary bandits; they had come here specifically to ambush them. They could be elite cavalrymen or bandits accustomed to living a life of bloodshed. Regardless of who they were, any man who fell into their hands would suffer a terrible fate.

"Do you know who they are?" Aaron asked.

"Aren't they in cahoots with you?" the white-haired woman replied coldly.

“If I were in cahoots with them, you’d be in their bed right now,” Aaron said with a shrug.

“I don’t know them. There are so many scoundrels in the world, how could I possibly remember every single one of their names?”

"So many scum? You must have made too many enemies." Aaron was also observing the bandits, gazing into the distance behind them.

After saying that, Aaron waved to the group of bandits and said, "Show yourselves?"

“I am your father.” The leader glanced at Aaron warily and said with a smile.

Aaron still smiled: "You captured this person for money? For revenge? How about this, I'll pay for his life myself. If you can get the bounty by taking him, I'll pay three times that amount."

"This guy isn't cheap, and so many of our brothers died trying to catch this big fish. His life isn't cheap either," the leader said, sharpening his knife.

From the very beginning, the white-haired woman did not disturb Aaron. She could tell that Aaron was negotiating with the bandits. These people knew his identity and were extremely wary of him. Aaron was trying to rescue the man.

"The price is negotiable."

"Hehe, hasn't that woman been by your side the whole time? Take off her clothes, tie her up with ropes, carry her over your head and bring her to us, and we'll return the man to you. It's a life for a life, but it's worth it to trade her for the man's life. After you bring her here, we'll treat her well." After saying that, the bandits burst into laughter.

Aaron sighed, turned around and said, "They know who you are, and they didn't ambush you for money. It seems they won't let him go easily."

The white-haired woman was silent for a moment, then whispered, "Save him."

Would you trade yourself for him?

"Even if I were willing, they wouldn't change it."

"Yes, that's why we're in trouble." Aaron shook his head, looking troubled. "Isn't this a dead end? Do we really have to call the Duke over?"

"The Duke!"