43: Ji Ziyue's Choice

"How is this possible..." Ji Ziyue, having come to her senses, hurriedly waved her hands in denial.

"Nothing is impossible." Ye Wen sat beside Yao Xi and smiled, "Given my status and the gifts I've offered, even if your Family is unwilling, your Ji Family Holy Lord would personally deliver you to me."

"Do not underestimate their thirst for Lifespan. Not to mention, your Ji Family is not a united front. Sacrificing just you in exchange for a bottle of divine spring to extend the lives of those Old Ancestors—to them, it is definitely a bargain."

"So, you might as well take charge of your own fate and sell yourself. That way, you get the divine spring and can distribute it as you wish, rather than letting it fall into their hands. This is the best outcome for you."

"I do like you quite a bit, though I'm mostly interested in your Primal Spirit Body. Your Primal Spirit Body can help me and those around me, which is why I've sought you out for this deal."

"If you refuse, I will turn around and go to your Holy Lord to propose a marriage alliance. In that case, you will still end up marrying me. Trust me, the world of adults is built on interests. Since I can provide immense benefits to your Holy Lord, he will allow you to marry me, and might even personally escort you to my door. Even if your parents want to refuse, it will be useless."

"I have my ways to make your Holy Lord agree."

Ye Wen's words turned Ji Ziyue's face pale.

Even though she didn't want to accept what he said, she knew that what Ye Wen described was very likely to happen.

The Family was indeed not united. If they knew that sacrificing her could exchange for a bottle of divine spring to extend the lives of several Old Ancestors, they would surely agree frantically. At that time, even if her parents disagreed, it would be futile.

Observing Ji Ziyue's reaction, Ye Wen continued, "As long as you agree to become my Dao Companion, it will be a win-win situation. You get the divine spring, and I get the Primal Spirit Body. Wouldn't such a situation be wonderful?"

"And it's not just you; others are the same. It's only because you possess the Primal Spirit Body that I sought you out first. There are others later; they are all my targets."

"So, Young Miss Ji Ziyue, won't you consider it?" Ye Wen looked at Ji Ziyue with a faint smile.

Right then, Yan Ruyu spoke to Ji Ziyue, "You don't need to worry about how we'll treat you. We are all very friendly. Once you become one of us, it will change your life."

"This may seem sudden and frightening now, but once you've had time to process it, you'll realize this is a grand Opportunity for you. Even your relatives will receive immense benefits."

"By following us, if nothing else, I can guarantee you will successfully advance to the Quasi-Emperor realm. This is my promise to you. What do you think?" Yan Ruyu advised Ji Ziyue very gently.

"Do you know who I am?" Yan Ruyu asked Ji Ziyue.

Hearing Yan Ruyu's words, Ji Ziyue couldn't help but nod.

"The Yao Race Princess, descendant of the Azure Emperor, Yan Ruyu. I know of you." Ji Ziyue did know a bit about Yan Ruyu; many people around her had recognized her when they met earlier.

Not to mention, the Jade Lake Saintess had confirmed it.

"It's good that you know. Then do you know why I follow him?" Yan Ruyu looked at Ye Wen with a smile and said, "Because he helped me retrieve my ancestor's Legacy. This is my ancestor's Imperial Weapon." Yan Ruyu produced the chaos green lotus before Ji Ziyue.

Weiwei, Qin Yao, Yao Xi, and Zixia all looked at the green lotus in Yan Ruyu's hand in shock.

Although they knew Yan Ruyu possessed an Imperial Weapon, seeing it in person was even more shocking.

"This is my ancestor's Imperial Weapon, named the chaos green lotus. Because I am a descendant, I can use it. However, not long ago, I didn't even know where this chaos green lotus was. It was the Saint who helped me retrieve it."

"Furthermore, Young Miss Ziyue, the Saint's status is incredibly noble. He is the successor of the Yaoguang Holy Land and is protected by an Imperial Weapon. Marrying the Saint would not belittle your status."

"If the Holy Lord were to open up his requirements, never mind the Eastern Wastelands, even in the Big Dipper Star Domain, a crowd of Saintesses would come knocking to be chosen by him. It is only because of certain special reasons that we wish to find more suitable sisters. That is why we held this competition—the purpose was to gather everyone here for preliminary negotiations."

"As long as you agree, you can join us immediately, become one of us, and embark on a stronger and further path." Yan Ruyu toyed with the chaos green lotus in her hand as she gently persuaded Ji Ziyue.

Ji Ziyue was already so shocked that she was incoherent.

She hadn't expected that this Eastern Wastelands Grand Competition was actually initiated by the man before her.

"You want to know about me? As I said, my name is Ye Wen. I am the Saint of the Yaoguang Holy Land. Of course, I have another identity: the entire Yaoguang Holy Land follows my orders. Now do you understand?"

Ye Wen's words left Ji Ziyue too stunned to speak.

"Good sister, join us. I guarantee you'll be very comfortable. Just listen to me." Qin Yao came up behind Ji Ziyue, hugging her and speaking with a light chuckle.

Being hugged by Qin Yao caused Ji Ziyue to instantly snap back to her senses.

"You... I, I... I need to think." Ji Ziyue broke free from Qin Yao's embrace and stood at a distance, looking at everyone warily.

Although Ye Wen and Yan Ruyu had said all this, and Ji Ziyue believed them in her heart,

she still couldn't make a decision. After all, this was a choice that concerned her entire life.

"Think about it? Fine. During the competition, you'll have plenty of time to think, right? You have about three days. Of course, you cannot speak of tonight's events to anyone, otherwise the consequences will be very serious."

Ye Wen didn't force her to make a decision right then. After all, Ji Ziyue was still too young.

Compared to her, Ye Wen preferred talking to the upcoming Jade Lake Saintess.

"In that case, Qin Yao, take her to rest and arrange a room for her." Ye Wen looked at Qin Yao, putting her in charge of Ji Ziyue.

"Understood, Little Master." Qin Yao smiled at Ji Ziyue. "Then, Young Miss Ziyue, please follow me. I'll take you to rest. You can take your time thinking over the next three days."

Hearing Ye Wen's words, Ji Ziyue couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

She then bowed to Ye Wen and followed Qin Yao out.

"Is this really okay?" Weiwei watched Ji Ziyue leave.

"She knows so much now. If she talks, our plan will go down the drain." Weiwei looked at Ye Wen and found him looking completely unconcerned, which confused her.

"Don't worry, she won't talk. Even if she wanted to, she'd have to be able to leave the mountain first, wouldn't she?" Ye Wen's words startled Weiwei.

"Oh right, she can't get down." Weiwei's realization made Ye Wen chuckle.

"Alright, please invite the next guest in." Ye Wen looked at Weiwei.

Weiwei nodded and left the living room to call the next person in.

Before long, Weiwei brought in a Saintess who bore some resemblance to Yao Xi.