"Can you trust me?" Leidong's mocking laughter never ceased. "If I don't erase the mark and release a fragment of your divine soul later, won't you suffer endlessly? Qififi, think it through - if that actually happens, wouldn't death be preferable to this existence?" At this moment, Leidong had halted the Ghost Guards' assault. Dozens of vengeful spirits circled overhead but kept their distance from her.

Qififi floated mid-air, staring at the ferocious visages of the surrounding specters. Her usually composed face was now deathly pale with uncertainty in her eyes as she studied Leidong's resolute features. After an extended silence, she exhaled a weary sigh: "Senior Brother Lei, this time I was indeed blinded by my own delusions. Otherwise how could such calamity befall me? But through years of cultivation..." Her voice faltered slightly. "...I've encountered all sorts of odd characters - male cultivators always lusting after me, even those with proper conduct secretly harboring vulgar thoughts beneath their righteous facades. Just from reading the glances they cast, I can decipher exactly what lurks in their minds."

Leidong's outward demeanor remained relaxed while his inner vigilance sharpened to its peak. Any flicker of movement from Qififi would trigger immediate execution without further words.

"But with Senior Brother Lei..." Her delicate features twisted in torment as she continued with a bitter smile, "I've suffered endlessly despite my pride in my own charms. My soul-binding arts were utterly useless, and now even my life hangs by a thread." She paused dramatically before adding, "Yet something tells me this rock-solid heart of yours is far more trustworthy than those honey-tongued men who shower false flattery upon women. If you swear an oath to erase the mark and release that fragment of my soul after extracting my pure essence..." Her voice trembled slightly as she concluded, "...I'm willing to take a chance on this gamble. Should I miscalculate... it'll simply be my own fault."

"I can swear such an oath," Leidong declared solemnly, his expression turning grave as he began the ritual with each word carefully enunciated.

After hearing his vow, Qififi's expression became complex. Normally any male cultivator gaining control of her soul would treat her as personal property for life, no matter what oaths were made afterward. Yet instinct whispered to her that Leidong might actually honor such a promise once achieved. A strange mixture of relief and resentment surfaced - relief because freedom remained possible, but resentment toward this man who treated an elite beauty with callous indifference after so many years of male adoration.

Seeing these conflicting emotions on her face, Leidong mistakenly assumed she still doubted him. He softened his tone: "Junior Sister QI, though I have no virtues worth mentioning, my word is binding once given. Now come down and discard all your artifacts - the storage bracelets included."

"Thank you, Senior Brother." Qififi banished her swirling thoughts and descended gracefully to ground level where she remained strangely composed despite being exposed. First went the crimson silk ribbon tossed several paces away. Then followed the red sword fused with her soul essence, defensive spirit shield, storage bracelet... A bright red pouch caught Leidong's curiosity - why bring a cloth bag when there was already a storage device?

Suddenly Qififi's cheeks flushed crimson as she began disrobing. Born from the Yin-Yang Passion Sect where intimacy was part of cultivation training, she should have been more accustomed to such exposure. Yet unlike most disciples who practiced dual cultivation early on, her mastery of the White Maid Method left first-time undressing before a man deeply unsettling - especially in front of Leidong.

Silken scarlet robes unraveled like petals into the distance until only crimson silk undergarments and a red girdle remained. Her flawless ivory skin now fully revealed, Qififi's posture exuded both vulnerability and temptation as she subtly twisted her body with arms wrapped around herself - a pose that accentuated every curve.

For most men this would have been an overwhelming display of sensuality. Yet Leidong had weathered the Passionate Woman's Flower Soul Technique before and possessed another advantage: his past life experiences watching various adult films had already forged considerable resistance. Even so, he felt primal stirrings as he focused on recalling Ding Wanyan's ethereal beauty to counteract the sensation - only for his thoughts to shift toward Tianmo's damaged black robe revealing glimpses of divine-like curves through tattered fabric.

With renewed composure, Leidong performed a thorough spiritual scan across her body before commanding her to sit cross-legged. As he positioned himself behind her with one hand pressing against the base of her skull, he warned gravely: "Don't attempt any deceptions or you'll face soul annihilation."

Qififi understood this was now irreversible. Only by following through completely did survival remain possible.

Leidong wasted no time channeling his divine consciousness into her mind, directly invading her soul with Heart Forging techniques. Qififi convulsed as a strange mix of fear and pleasure surged through her body - an entirely new sensation as her consciousness was breached for the first time.

This was Leidong's inaugural attempt at heart forging as well. Though not concerned about her safety, he needed to ensure successful extraction of essence necessary for his breakthrough. Fortunately everything proceeded smoothly within a short while, leaving behind a deep spiritual mark in her soul before carefully severing a fragment.

The severed divine soul caused Qififi to faint immediately, but Leidong gingerly retrieved the fragment and retreated several paces away with Ghost Guards forming protective barriers around him as he began integrating it into his own soul.

After considerable time passed, Leidong opened his eyes - now containing an additional divine thread that completed the Soul Fusion technique. This relatively simple method proved extremely effective, yet carried significant consequences: Qififi's survival was now intrinsically tied to his existence and vice versa through mutual soul destruction if either perished. Beyond this life-bonding effect, the fusion also diluted his spiritual power slightly despite the enhancement from Emperor Demon Seed cultivation.

While he could theoretically maintain multiple such bonds, more than a couple of integrated souls would risk severe mental instability during cultivation. For now however, obtaining Qififi's vital essence justified these risks - as long as he maintained control over this delicate balance between master and servant.

Qififi gradually regained consciousness, suddenly perceiving Leidong as someone indispensable to her very existence. Now both intimately familiar and mysteriously reverent toward him, she found herself caught in an entirely new relationship dynamic.

For more novels, visit storyread.net.