The Strategic Oath

Each word struck like a poisoned dart.

The fury and humiliation on Qiu Jingwen’s face receded like a tide, replaced by a vacant pallor and a bone-deep agony.

Lin Mo’s words, like countless cold keys, systematically pried open the forcibly sealed floodgates of her heart.

The Qiu Family… it was a colossal entity built upon ambition and sin, sacrificing the lives and happiness of countless descendants to nourish a rapacious old monster.

Qiu Yue, the daughter she cherished above all else, had been nothing more than a meticulously manipulated pawn from birth, destined for sacrifice!

And what had she, as the family head, truly done for her daughter?

Nothing but watch her become twisted, watch her sink deeper and deeper into the wrong path…

Protect the Qiu Family? Protect this demonic lair that had personally pushed her daughter into the abyss?

A colossal wave of sorrow, rage, and self-loathing erupted within her!

She yearned to howl at the heavens, to unleash the anguish and despair consuming her heart.

Yet…

Ultimately, all those emotions, like a breached dam, were replaced by an all-consuming, utterly desolate emptiness.

With a dull thud!

‘To save her daughter…’

‘So long as she could save her daughter…’

In that moment, the formidable Qiu Family Head, who had once commanded such authority, was utterly bereft of ideas, reduced to a simple fool.

Thus, under Xian Chengyue’s slightly astonished gaze, Qiu Jingwen’s knees slammed heavily onto the cold, hard black earth, littered with bone fragments and gravel.

The muffled impact symbolized a complete surrender.

Slowly, with immense difficulty, she bowed her head, her graceful neck forming an arc of humiliation.

Her body trembled violently, uncontrollably; not from the biting cold, but from a sharp, bone-deep sense of shame that threatened to crush her.

‘For Qiu Yue, she would do anything.’

“Since that is the case… repeat after me.” Lin Mo spoke mechanically, like an empty husk walking toward its grave.

“Heaven… above the heavens,” Qiu Jingwen’s voice rasped, dry and hoarse, like sandpaper grating against rotten wood, carrying the agony of tearing flesh. “Earth… beneath the earth—”

Over Barren Bone Ridge, the boundless, chilling death qi seemed to stir, letting out a low wail.

She slowly raised her hands, those hands that had once wielded immense family power, now marred by wounds she had inflicted upon herself.

Biting her tongue, she spat out a mouthful of vital essence blood. The blood was not crimson, but bore a strange, dark golden hue.

Her trembling fingertips, stained with her vital essence blood and tears, traced patterns in the empty air.

Invisible threads of the laws of heaven and earth, imperceptible to the naked eye, began to coalesce and entwine around her, radiating a heart-stopping sense of oppression.

As ancient incantations spilled from her throat, the turbid qi of the skeletal landscape seemed to be stirred by an unseen force, beginning to slowly swirl.

Xian Chengyue’s gaze sharpened, recognizing this as the true omen of a Heavenly Dao Oath, no mere empty words.

Qiu Jingwen struggled to continue, each word a torment as if she were devouring her own heart and liver: “I… Qiu Jingwen… with my primordial divine soul as my life, as my sacrifice…”

Her voice was tinged with a mournful wail, as if weeping blood, yet it also held a nearly fanatical resolve: “…under the witness of heaven and earth… I establish this… Blood Soul Oath, vowing—”

But then, suddenly, Lin Mo spoke, preempting her.

“I vow to become Lin Mo’s ally, never to betray, never to abandon, and to prevent Qiu Yue from approaching him, Lin Mo.”

‘…?’ Though her thoughts momentarily froze, Qiu Jingwen quickly recovered, immediately repeating the same words.

“CRACK—!”

An unprecedented, ghastly white bolt of colossal lightning, without warning, tore through the ink-black night sky above Barren Bone Ridge!

The blinding light instantly illuminated the entire skeletal wasteland as brightly as day!

Countless dried bones cast grotesque, twisted shadows in the electric glare!

An ineffable, boundless will, imbued with the cold finality of judgment, instantly enveloped the entire Barren Bone Ridge!

Xian Chengyue’s expression shifted dramatically as she fully unleashed her cultivation; the terrifying pressure made even a peak Void Immortal like her gasp for breath!

Lin Mo felt his bones groan and his very soul tremble beneath that imposing will!

That blinding white light, like a divine searchlight, precisely landed on Qiu Jingwen, etching an extraordinarily complex, arcane rune of flowing light patterns beneath her feet!

At the core of the rune lay that drop of dark golden essence blood!

The covenant rune instantly materialized, then split in two.

A fine, blood-red streak of light, like a brand, immediately vanished into Qiu Jingwen’s glabella, as if it had never been there.

The remaining half, however, spun in the air, instantly transforming into a piercing mark. Lin Mo groaned in his heart, his aura instantly wilting, the color draining from his face, and fine threads of blood seeping from all seven orifices!

Qiu Jingwen, too, experienced the same.

The white lightning vanished.

Barren Bone Ridge plunged back into absolute darkness, as if the earth-shattering event had been but a nightmare.

Only the lingering terrifying pressure and scorched scent in the air remained, proof that the Heavenly Dao Oath had been sworn, inviolable.

Qiu Jingwen abruptly lifted her head, looking at Lin Mo. She couldn’t comprehend… why this Lin Wan’er… no, since he had already admitted it, she would simply call him Lin Mo.

She couldn’t understand why Lin Mo had… changed his words at the last moment?

Invoking essence blood to swear a Heavenly Dao Oath had significantly weakened her aura. She forced herself upright, fiercely wiping away the blood from the corner of her mouth with her sleeve.

Her once noble and alluring face was now etched only with shock.

She didn’t understand why Lin Mo had relinquished such a clear advantage.

‘Why had he… let her go?’

‘She was a Void Refinement realm cultivator! The current Head of the Qiu Family, no less.’

‘To a Foundation Establishment cultivator like him, having her as a servant would undoubtedly bring countless benefits with no drawbacks.’

‘But why… ?’

‘Was he… thinking she wasn’t worthy?’

‘Was he… afraid she would pull some trick?’

In that instant, a deluge of questions surged into Qiu Jingwen’s mind. She racked her brains, yet she could not fathom the profound meaning behind Lin Mo’s sudden change.

Lin Mo, meanwhile, slowly approached her, the frosty sharpness and aloofness that had previously been in his eyes now completely gone.

“Qiu Family Head, I apologize for my earlier actions. Due to your esteemed daughter, I had to remain vigilant. Publicly, I believe that for the Xuan Nv Sect, having another ally is beneficial. Since we are to cooperate, and you have shown sincerity, I shall do the same.”

“Honestly, a magnificent and powerful Grand Cultivator such as yourself, I am certainly envious of your capabilities. However… you are a mother. A mother who, for her daughter’s sake, would hand over her dignity, even her very life, to a junior like me. Personally… I dare not desecrate such profound ‘love.’ Moreover, my grievances are solely with Qiu Yue and Qiu Ku; they do not involve you. While Qiu Yue may indeed have been twisted, as you said, her actions cannot be immediately overlooked.”

“I can only offer you a wisp of spiritual fire, hoping that in the future, you may break free from your shackles and return to the righteous path.”

“To gain you as an ally, to win your heart, that is the most worthwhile outcome.”

‘He… envied her?’

Her heart, long dormant, was stirred as if by something profound.

‘Lin Mo, it seemed… was not so hateful after all… perhaps even somewhat agreeable?’

‘He… wanted to win her heart?’

‘Was this not… a confession?’

Observing the beautiful woman’s astonished expression, a faint sense of satisfaction secretly bloomed in Lin Mo’s heart.

It wasn’t a reconciliation, merely the best choice for the present.

A Void Refinement realm cultivator was not someone a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator like him could control.

He still had too much unknown information; playing mind games with a cultivator who had lived for over a thousand years might yield a temporary victory, but would ultimately lead to a devastating defeat.

As the formidable Head of the Qiu Family, her insight and knowledge, or even her mere desire, could allow her to scour the world for items or methods to break any oath.

If he truly took her as a servant, it would only sow the seeds of future disaster.

While Qiu Jingwen was indeed beautiful, exuding the charm of a mature woman, and having her as a servant would certainly elevate his standing… if she couldn’t kill him, couldn’t other members of the Qiu Family?

If this news spread, he would be the first to die.

Therefore, rather than creating trouble for himself, it was better to ease his mind and first gain an ally.

Qiu Ku was the one who truly mattered.

Lin Mo believed that Qiu Ku would certainly seek to reclaim the ground lost at the Xuan Nv Sect in the future.

To claim that magnanimous individuals overlook minor transgressions was utter rubbish.

In reality, once one possessed sufficient power, it was commonplace to kick even a passing dog.

Truly forgiving Qiu Yue? That was impossible.

He harbored resentment towards Qiu Jingwen as well.

But now, by taking a step back, he could not only find a vast expanse of opportunity but also win the heart of an ally.

Was that not splendid?

Hadn’t Prime Minister Zhuge Liang’s seven captures of Meng Huo become a legendary tale?

Now, by letting go of past grievances and fostering mutual cooperation, why couldn’t this become an equally celebrated story?

Rather than cultivating hatred and inviting trouble upon himself, it was better to show leniency where possible and gain a valuable helper.

Lin Mo smiled, gazing at Qiu Jingwen’s fervent eyes.

‘She must surely be touched by him, right~’