The Forest of Death.
Ye Ling stood at the edge of the shattered earth, feeling the powerful energy surging from within. He took a deep breath, calming his tense nerves.
Although this wasn't his first time facing Zhou Wen, he had a foolproof plan when rescuing the World-Extinguishing Spirit Fire, and was confident he could retrieve it and escape smoothly.
However, the current matter of rescuing Ji Ning was entirely outside of Ye Ling's plans.
Ye Ling did not have absolute certainty that he could rescue Ji Ning, and he wasn't even sure if he could return alive.
But he had to do this.
Not for Ji Ning, but to kill Zhou Wen.
As long as Zhou Wen lived, they would forever be in danger in the Origin Upper Realm.
He would not allow such a dangerous factor to exist in the world!
Boom!!!
While Ye Ling was calming himself, a deafening roar echoed from the Forest of Death again, powerful energy spreading outwards like waves.
"How long is this Zhou Wen going to vent for?"
Ye Ling sensed Zhou Wen's unrestrained display of power and muttered to himself. He then concealed his aura with runes and crept deeper into the Forest of Death.
Soon, Ye Ling reached the center of the Forest of Death and saw Ji Ning, who had been dismembered by Zhou Wen.
Ji Ning was truly torn into eight pieces, with only her head, filled with terror, remaining intact.
Crimson blood stained the ground, and the thick scent of gore permeated the surroundings.
"I, I was wrong... Please, spare me..." Ji Ning pleaded with Zhou Wen, her voice trembling and tears streaming down her face. Her eyes held nothing but fear.
"You pathetic wretch, even your pleas are weak." Zhou Wen cursed fiercely and slapped Ji Ning again.
Even Ye Ling, whose heart was as hard as iron, couldn't help but show a flicker of sympathy at Ji Ning's plight.
"I absolutely cannot fall into the hands of this pervert Zhou Wen, or life would truly be worse than death!"
Ye Ling murmured to himself, secretly taking out a drop of his vital blood. He wrapped it in runes, hid it among the bloodstains on the ground, and slowly approached Ji Ning.
After tormenting Ji Ning for a while, Zhou Wen, fearing he might actually kill her, reassembled Ji Ning's body. He smiled at her and said, "Boss Ji, rest up and recover. Once you're healed, we'll go hunt down Ye Ling, alright?"
"Okay, okay..."
Ji Ning replied fearfully, not daring to meet Zhou Wen's eyes. She sat down again, enduring the immense pain, and began to heal herself.
Zhou Wen's earlier torment had inflicted permanent soul damage on her.
These were injuries that could no longer be healed simply by treatment.
Ji Ning's hatred for Zhou Wen now far surpassed her hatred for Ye Ling, but due to Zhou Wen's immense power, she dared not show any hint of it.
Even so, Ji Ning knew that once Zhou Wen killed Ye Ling, their contract would be dissolved, and she would be next to die!
Fueled by her hatred for Zhou Wen and her fear of death, Ji Ning's desire to kill Ye Ling had significantly waned.
As Ji Ning was healing herself, she suddenly felt a drop of blood crawl onto her skin. She froze, and just as she was about to react, she heard Ye Ling's telepathic message.
"Ji Ning, don't make a sound. I'm here to save you."
"Ye Ling?" Hearing Ye Ling's transmission, Ji Ning was stunned. "You want to save me?"
"Yes... You've seen how monstrous Zhou Wen is. After he kills me, it'll be your turn. I think we can cooperate and take down Zhou Wen together!" Ye Ling said quickly.
"How can I trust you?" Ji Ning asked with a serious tone.
After being tortured by Zhou Wen, Ji Ning had come to despise him.
However, due to Zhou Wen's formidable strength, she dared not oppose him without absolute certainty.
Furthermore, she did not trust Ye Ling.
If she rashly cooperated with Ye Ling, she feared she would be the one to suffer in the end.
Ye Ling continued, "Do you feel my blood attached to your skin? That's my vital blood. If you're worried I'll betray you, we can sign a life-bound contract."
"You want to sign a life-bound contract with me?"
Hearing Ye Ling's words, Ji Ning's heart churned with immense shock.
After all, Ye Ling had already escaped Zhou Wen's clutches, while she was still under Zhou Wen's threat.
By signing a life-bound contract with Ye Ling, it meant Ye Ling was willingly placing his life in danger!
Ye Ling said earnestly, "That's right, we'll sign a contract, so we live and die together. You won't have to worry about me betraying you."
Ji Ning asked solemnly, "Why would you go to such lengths? Just to kill Zhou Wen?"
Ye Ling replied, "Exactly... Zhou Wen is a great enemy on my cultivation path. He must die!"
"Ji Ning, if you join us, besides you, we also have two supreme powerhouses, Tian Xing and Dragon Emperor, as well as the Myriad Poison Beast, capable of poisoning supreme beings."
"With our combined strength, taking down Zhou Wen won't be difficult!"
"Let me think..."
Ji Ning replied to Ye Ling and then fell into deep thought, considering the possibility of cooperating with Ye Ling.
She had released Zhou Wen intending to kill Ye Ling, but now, to save her own life, she needed to join forces with Ye Ling to kill Zhou Wen...
The mere thought of it struck her as incredibly ironic.
Hiding in the distance, Ye Ling knew Ji Ning was wavering. He didn't press further, remaining silent, waiting for her response.
He understood that although Ji Ning was not highly intelligent and acted maliciously, she could still discern what was in her best interest.
In her current situation, cooperating with him was her only chance of survival!
In reality, even without a life-bound contract, he and Ji Ning were already bound by a shared fate.
If he lived, Zhou Wen couldn't kill Ji Ning, but if he died, Zhou Wen would unhesitatingly kill Ji Ning.
Ji Ning didn't ponder for too long before replying to Ye Ling, "Alright, let's sign the life-bound contract first!"
"Understood!"
Upon receiving Ji Ning's agreement, Ye Ling didn't hesitate. He immediately manipulated his vital blood to merge with Ji Ning's bloodline, signing the life-bound contract.
The moment the contract was successfully signed with Ji Ning, Ye Ling's aura surged significantly, absorbing some of Ji Ning's power, almost alerting Zhou Wen.
After successfully signing the contract, Ji Ning eagerly transmitted her thoughts to Ye Ling, "Kid, our contract is signed. How are you going to get me out of here?"
"I don't want to spend another second near Zhou Wen!"
"No rush, I have one more question," Ye Ling transmitted quickly to Ji Ning. "When you released Zhou Wen, what kind of contract did you sign with him?"