Chapter 459: Guardian Contract
’How did I get it?!’
Just the thought of explaining the process to Yun Ji made Qiao Xixi’s scalp tingle.
But she was also worried that not telling the truth would affect Yun Ji’s judgment.
"Mating."
Yun Ji’s light-colored pupils darkened slightly.
Qiao Xixi felt a little embarrassed, so she could only say with a straight face, "It’s just that when I mate with them, a pattern appears on my body."
"Where does it appear?"
Qiao Xixi thought for a moment, then slightly pulled aside her beast-hide clothes, revealing her lower back.
"Here, on my lower back. It’s roughly in this area, but... it disappears after, you know... so you can’t see it now."
Just as Qiao Xixi was about to let her beast-hide clothes fall back into place, Yun Ji stopped her. She looked up in surprise. "What is it?"
Yun Ji’s eyes were downcast, hiding the expression within them.
"Don’t turn around yet."
Puzzled, Qiao Xixi kept her back to him. "What’s wrong?"
Yun Ji gazed at the patch of snow-white skin, his light-colored pupils gradually sinking into a deeper shade.
He turned his palm over and slowly raised his hand, letting it descend toward that patch of skin.
"Shuishui, you said you’re rejecting me now because I have amnesia, and you’re worried I’ll regret it after my memories return."
Qiao Xixi frowned slightly, only managing a faint "mhm."
"Right."
"But Shuishui, whether it’s the me from before or the me right now, aren’t they both me?"
"What?"
A strange feeling rose in Qiao Xixi’s heart. She wanted to turn her head, but Yun Ji pressed his warm palm against her lower back, holding her in place.
"Yun Ji, don’t do anything rash!"
"So, Shuishui, no matter what decision I make now, I won’t regret it. Contract!"
The moment he finished speaking, Qiao Xixi felt a warm power slowly pouring into her body. Her pupils trembled in disbelief.
A blinding golden light erupted between them, forcing Qiao Xixi to shut her eyes.
Only after the golden light dissipated did Yun Ji retract his hand.
Qiao Xixi anxiously twisted her head to look at her waist. On that stretch of smooth white skin, the same pattern from the sheepskin scroll had appeared. But this time, the colors in the pattern were fully visible.
She didn’t have time to think, quickly memorizing the sequence of colors.
Soon, the pattern vanished again, leaving only a phoenix beast tattoo on that patch of skin.
"The Guardian Contract!"
Qiao Xixi’s lips trembled and her eyes reddened. She wanted to ask Yun Ji why he would do something so foolish.
The Guardian Contract, as its name implied, was a contractual promise of protection from a male to a female. From that moment on, their fates were bound together; if Qiao Xixi were to die, Yun Ji would perish along with her.
The contract’s vow was one of eternal protection.
Yun Ji met her reddened blue eyes, a satisfied smile suddenly spreading across his face.
"Shuishui, with this contract, I can protect you forever."
Qiao Xixi bit her lip, holding back tears.
But the current situation didn’t allow her to be overly emotional.
A loud BANG echoed again.
Yun Ji’s expression grew serious. "You go try. I’ll hold him off."
Qiao Xixi sniffled and nodded. "Okay."
As Yun Ji turned and walked toward the stone door of the passage, Qiao Xixi once again used her wind power to rise into mid-air.
She placed her palm on the sea pearls again. Following the color sequence she had just memorized, her fingertips slowly slid across the pearls. When she reached the multi-colored sea pearl, Qiao Xixi subconsciously swallowed.
It was no wonder she was traumatized; the electric shock from before had been agonizing.
She gritted her teeth and slid her palm right over the multi-colored sea pearl.
After she finished, she quickly closed her eyes, but the electric shock she had braced for never came.
The moment she lifted her palm, the sea pearls, which had only been emitting a faint white light, burst forth with their own unique colors.
The instant these halos of different colors erupted, they suddenly converged on the sea pearl in the very center. The convergence of the light beams gave the central sea pearl a strange and beautiful glow.
The central pearl suddenly sank, disappearing into the stone wall. The other sea pearls sank in as well. The grotto, once illuminated by the pearls, was plunged into heavy darkness.
Yun Ji noticed the change in light, and his anxious voice came from the passageway.
"Shuishui?"
"Yun Ji, I’m fine! The pattern’s sequence was correct."
When Yun Ji returned to the grotto, all the sea pearls had vanished.
Suddenly, as if a hole had been chiseled in the ceiling, a stream of black mist enveloped in a pink fluorescent glow slowly descended.
Qiao Xixi stared at the black mist, surprised. "Is this... the source of the dark source stones?"
Qiao Xixi slowly reached out her hand, feeling a powerful and strange energy rapidly moving toward her.
Just as she was about to touch the black mist, Yun Ji grabbed her hand.
"Don’t touch it."
At that moment, Yun Ming, who was blocked outside the stone door, sensed the power of the dark source stone. Threads of black power pierced through the stone door and shot into his body.
In an instant, Yun Ming felt himself enveloped by an immense power.
After absorbing all the black threads, Yun Ming’s eyes snapped open.
"It’s the power of the source! I can’t believe you found it. That means it’s mine!"
Yun Ming slammed a fist into the stone door, and a crack appeared.
Hearing the commotion at the stone door, Qiao Xixi quickly moved to stand beneath the source of the dark source stone.
She looked at Yun Ji. "Yun Ji, help me hold him off."
Yun Ji nodded and turned to walk toward the stone door.
Qiao Xixi placed her hands one over the other on her chest, piously chanting an incantation. Then, she slowly opened her hands. Enveloped by the dark power, she began to perform the Sacrificial Dance.
The stone door collapsed with a BOOM. Yun Ming charged into the grotto, but the moment the door shattered, he saw Yun Ji blocking his path.
Yun Ming gave a savage laugh. "Yun Ji, let’s end this today!"
Without a single wasted word, Yun Ji gathered power in his palm and struck at Yun Ming.
At first, Qiao Xixi was distracted, keeping an eye on Yun Ji’s situation. After all, his beast soul was damaged, and she worried he couldn’t withstand Yun Ming.
But soon, the solemn atmosphere of the ritual drew all her attention back.
She held her breath and focused, spinning and soaring. Every movement radiated solemnity and sanctity.
A halo of fluorescent green light was slowly drawn out from her body. As it neared the dark source stone, the halo transformed into powerful vines that silently lashed at the black mist.
The black mist was instantly whipped to pieces.
As Qiao Xixi continued her movements, the increasingly fragmented power of the source stone slowly began to disappear.
Yun Ming, who was fighting Yun Ji, watched as he sent Yun Ji flying. He sneered and stepped forward, intending to kill him in one move. But as he attacked, he clearly felt power being drained from his body.
A savage, vicious look appeared on Yun Ming’s face. "You want to destroy the power of the source stone? Impossible!"
Yun Ming’s hand transformed into a sharp claw and stabbed down toward Yun Ji’s neck.