Hong Jin had no choice but to fight himself. Hong Jin used a banner, and when it was sacrificed, myriad banners stood in formation. Hong Jin vanished within them; you couldn't see him, but he could see you and strike a fatal blow unexpectedly.
Hong Jin, relying on this banner, had injured several generals in the Zhou camp.
Jiang Xia asked for advice from Li Sanlang and other valiant generals, but Li Sanlang and the others were at a loss. Mo Qi did not wish to intervene and also claimed inability to cope.
At this moment, Princess Long Ji stepped forward and said she possessed a white banner that could counter the opponent's banner. Jiang Xia thus agreed to let her fight.
Long Ji indeed did not disgrace her mission, capturing Hong Jin alive.
If Hong Jin had been beheaded, there would have been no further trouble!
However, Jiang Xia had other plans. He wanted to persuade Hong Jin to surrender and serve the Great Zhou.
In the current Great Zhou, talented generals were hard to find, and those with divine magical arts were also abundant. But those who understood both military strategy and divine powers were extremely rare. Therefore, he desperately needed talent like Hong Jin.
He then engaged in earnest persuasion, but Hong Jin was impervious, preferring death to surrender.
Besides, it wasn't true death, merely being listed on the Investiture of the Gods, preserving his integrity. What a good outcome!
At this point, Jiang Xia once again employed his cleverness. The female general Deng Chanyu in the camp was married. Could Princess Long Ji play a role?
Furthermore, Hong Jin was captured by her, so she should be responsible until the end!
Thus, he asked Deng Chanyu to act as a matchmaker, claiming he had divined for Princess Long Ji and found a worldly affinity between her and Hong Jin. They should marry and jointly contribute to the Zhou's victory over Yin, achieving unparalleled merits, redeeming their past sins, and returning to the Heavenly Court. He hoped Chanyu would mediate.
Deng Chanyu agreed and went to propose the match, but Long Ji refused.
She said, "What sense is there in persuading a deity to marry? I am a sinner, and to become entangled with the mortal world again would be compounding my mistakes. It is impossible, absolutely impossible."
Deng Chanyu had to relay Jiang Xia's words back. Jiang Xia was troubled and sought help from the Southern Pole Immortal Elder. The Southern Pole Immortal Elder invited the Matchmaker from the Heavenly Court.
Meanwhile, Mo Qi infiltrated the Prime Minister's mansion to steal the Investiture of the Gods list. He overheard Jiang Xia's secret plan to use a honey trap to keep Hong Jin.
His heart churned. He never imagined that Teacher Jiang would continuously redefine his perception of him!
The Matchmaker was initially unwilling to help, but for the great cause of the Three Religions' Investiture of the Gods, he dared not hold back and had to exert his full effort. He then approached Long Ji, saying, "Princess and Hong Jin already have a destined affinity; it is the will of heaven and cannot be defied. All is fated. I believe the reason the Princess was banished to the mortal realm was to fulfill this very affinity."
Seeing that even the Matchmaker had arrived, Long Ji felt a slight waver, but she still found it somewhat unbelievable: "What worldly affinity? How come I feel it's a forced match, a mere arrangement? If my fate is tied to him, why do I not feel the slightest affection?"
The Matchmaker sighed, "Most of the threads I tie do not evoke immediate feelings of affection, but as time passes, the relationship deepens. Moreover, Princess, you do not wish to remain in the mortal world forever, do you? Your joining the Zhou camp today is choosing the correct path, a path back to the Heavenly Court. But the path is long, and every step must be cautious and correct. For instance, now, by heavenly decree, the Princess should marry Hong Jin, jointly support Zhou against Yin, and achieve unparalleled merits. Upon completion, the Jade Pool will come to escort the celestial carriage back. This is an opportunity and a chance. If missed, your sins will deepen, your return will be distant, and regret will be too late."
Long Ji felt immense pain. She clearly sensed a strong coercion and a helpless feeling of being outnumbered.
If she had known this would happen, she would rather not have been the Princess of the Jade Pool!
However, as the Princess of the Jade Pool, many things could not be done arbitrarily!
One could not be willful forever, only for a moment, because an invisible chain bound her. The more she resisted, the tighter it would constrict.
"Alright, since the Matchmaker has tied the knot, I cannot disobey," Long Ji said with a sigh.
The Matchmaker was overjoyed and stood up, preparing to return to inform Jiang Xia.
At this moment, a voice abruptly arrived: "How many of the threads tied by the Matchmaker truly come to fruition?"
A young man in white appeared gracefully, a hint of killing intent on his face.
The Matchmaker's heart skipped a beat, then he coughed dryly, "Of course, a hundred percent fruition!"
"Utter nonsense. Your eyes are blind, how can you achieve that?" Mo Qi said unceremoniously.
Long Ji looked at Mo Qi, "Youngster..."
Mo Qi waved his hand, continuing to stare at the Matchmaker.
The Matchmaker trembled with anger, "How dare you insult me? Dare to call me blind?"
"If you are not blind, how can you not see that we are the pair?" Mo Qi walked to Long Ji's side and looked back at the Matchmaker.
The Matchmaker narrowed his eyes. Indeed, they looked quite well-matched.
Long Ji glanced at Mo Qi from the side, her heart filled with mixed emotions, "Youngster, do not be rude!"
"Many things are predestined by heaven; we cannot do as we please. The more we struggle, the weaker we become, the more we struggle, the more we get hurt."
"If we don't struggle or resist, living like a puppet, then what is the point of living?" Mo Qi looked at her righteously, "In my opinion, fate is from heaven, but destiny is mine. The more we struggle, the more exciting it becomes."
Long Ji sighed, "After the excitement, only desolation remains."
"Who says desolation isn't a kind of excitement? You fear escaping calamity; let me handle it. I will bear all the consequences," Mo Qi declared resolutely.
The Matchmaker looked at the two of them. They did seem more suitable than Hong Jin.
He then shook his head vigorously, as if trying hard to maintain clarity, "Who is paired with whom, you do not get to decide."
Mo Qi gave a cold smile, "How many of the threads you tie have the possibility of success?"
"A hundred percent success!" the Matchmaker replied.
"Then I will make a bet with you. This time, it will not succeed," Mo Qi said, looking coldly at the Matchmaker.
With that, Mo Qi flickered and sped out of the door.
The Matchmaker looked at Long Ji, "What is he doing?"
Long Ji gently wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye, a stunning smile appearing on her beautiful face, "Killing Hong Jin!"
The Matchmaker was furious and roared, "How dare this brat be so insolent!"
Speaking, he swiftly flew forward to pursue.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xia, seeing that the Matchmaker had arrived, knew the matter was settled. He invited Hong Jin out again to continue the persuasion.
Hong Jin's attitude was resolute; he was determined to die!
Jiang Xia then said, "Now that the Matchmaker has descended, he states that you and Princess Long Ji have a worldly affinity. If you surrender to my Great Zhou, you can advance and retreat with Princess Long Ji as husband and wife, jointly assisting Zhou in defeating Yin and achieving unparalleled merits. On that day, you will ascend to the Jade Pool in the Heavenly Realm as a divine couple. How wonderful would that be?"
Hong Jin's heart bloomed upon hearing this. Were there such good things? He readily agreed.
He had seen Long Ji; she was delicate and fiery, captivating his soul. Otherwise, why would he have been defeated?
Seeing his agreement, Jiang Xia personally stepped forward to untie his bonds.
At this moment, a voice abruptly arrived: "Prime Minister Jiang, you are matchmaking again, ruining someone's life. Does your conscience not ache?"
Jiang Xia turned back in surprise. A white light flashed rapidly towards him. He didn't see the figure clearly, but the tone was extremely unfriendly. He wanted to raise his God-Beating Whip to resist, but saw the white light skillfully bypass him and head directly towards Hong Jin to harass him.
"Pangu's Divine Power, Shatter Void!"
The white light, like a mass of white mist, rapidly spread.
"Hong Jin, you are on the Investiture of the Gods list. Hurry and return to your rightful place. What is there to linger for?" a voice echoed in Hong Jin's ear, deafeningly loud.
Hong Jin was greatly alarmed. Instinctively, he reinforced his protective divine light and simultaneously dodged to escape.
At the same time, the Matchmaker rushed in from outside, "Prime Minister Jiang, quickly stop him! He intends to kill Hong Jin."
Jiang Xia, hearing this, finally reacted and raised his God-Beating Whip again, striking at the white light.
Pangu's Divine Power finally enveloped Hong Jin's body, emitting a thunderous roar.
Under normal circumstances, Hong Jin's body should have been torn to shreds.
But for some reason, his body remained intact. Instead, a ball of golden light appeared, protecting him.
Upon closer inspection, the golden light originated from a seal on his chest.
That seal was secretly placed on him by the Southern Pole Immortal Elder. Before going to invite the Matchmaker, he had divined for him and knew he would face a calamity. Thus, he affixed a protective seal, which unexpectedly proved effective.
Hong Jin was overjoyed and couldn't help but become complacent, "One who survives a great disaster will have future blessings. It seems I am destined for a beautiful affinity."
As he spoke, he unfolded his form and fled rapidly.
At this moment, the God-Beating Whip was emitting countless rays of light, striking at Mo Qi.
The God-Beating Whip had twenty-four sections, each emitting a different radiance, appearing colorful and dazzling. Each section seemed to hide myriad demonic beasts, emitting earth-shattering roars. Its aura was overwhelming, striking fear into the hearts of men.
Mo Qi immediately took a liking to this magical treasure, but for now, his life was paramount.
With a "buzz," the East Emperor Bell appeared out of nowhere. It emitted a dense radiance and met the attack. With a thunderous roar, the light shattered, and Jiang Xia, along with the God-Beating Whip, was sent flying backward.
Mo Qi had no time to see how he fell. He retrieved the East Emperor Bell and used the Golden Light Shrinking Ground Technique to pursue Hong Jin at top speed.
Hong Jin also knew this person was not easy to deal with, at least not someone he could handle. He could only flee for his life.
Mo Qi shot out several arrow-like energies, which he dodged.
At this time, the Southern Pole Immortal Elder, Yang Erlang, Li Sanlang, and others also arrived from various places. The Matchmaker shouted again, "Quickly stop him! He intends to kill Hong Jin."
The Southern Pole Immortal Elder was bewildered, "Why? We have no enmity."
Mo Qi said as he chased, "I am not trying to kill him; I am trying to help him become a god."
Yang Erlang also looked confused and had to pursue, "Prime Minister Jiang had already agreed to recruit him."
Mo Qi said, "This kind of scoundrel deserves to die. He acts noble when there's no profit, but immediately accepts surrender and betrayal when there's profit. Scoundrel!"
Yang Erlang's face darkened, and he couldn't help but slow his pace, "This..."
Li Sanlang, however, angrily said, "You have no right to kill him."
As he spoke, Li Sanlang sacrificed the Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover and struck at Mo Qi.
Nine fire dragons spewed forth, all baring their fangs and claws, lunging at Mo Qi. The fire dragons, surrounded by crimson light, flaunted their scorching heat and world-destroying power in the air, like a fierce eruption of magma, attacking Mo Qi, with flames surging out.