Even the Ji family is not to be relied upon!

Damn it, so you wiped out Jiao Guang along with his friends and Family under the banner of seeking revenge for me?

Hearing this, Qi Yuan's mouth twitched twice. He wished he could kick Situ Yun, this self-proclaimed clever fool, to death on the spot.

This guy was definitely here to cause trouble.

Thanks to this pig teammate in front of him, his reputation within the sect would be completely ruined from now on... To disregard human life like grass, this truly was a Demonic Sect.

Seeing Situ Yun still wearing an expression as if he were claiming credit, Qi Yuan forced down the urge to hit him and said in a serious tone:

"Thank you, but I prefer to take revenge myself. Don't interfere in such matters in the future!"

Since it had already happened, there was no use saying more. He could only give a stern warning to prevent such idiotic things from happening again.

Seeing that Qi Yuan's attitude wasn't as "happy" as expected, Situ Yun also realized he might have kissed the wrong end. He nodded awkwardly and said:

"I see. I was too abrupt this time. Next time, I will definitely bring those who offend you bound alive for you to deal with as you please."

At this moment, Situ Yun was also secretly reflecting:

This Qi Da truly is a talent valued by the Eldest Young Miss. He really is a ruthless person who seeks vengeance for the smallest grievance and is incredibly cruel.

Looking at it now, his method of dealing with Jiao Guang was still a bit too "gentle," making this kid dissatisfied.

This man is cold-hearted and deeply rooted in the Demonic Path. If he were to act personally, he certainly wouldn't allow his enemies to die so quickly. Instead, he would slowly skin them, pull out their bones, extract their souls, and refine their spirits, torturing them severely to vent the hatred in his heart.

After figuring this out, he decided to interfere less in such thankless tasks in the future.

In terms of cruelty alone, compared to this Natural-Born Calamity, he was truly far behind... Meanwhile.

You still want a next time?!

Facing this guy whose head seemed to be filled with water, Qi Yuan felt a wave of exhaustion for no reason. With a dark face, he said:

"Brother Situ, what brings you here this time? Please speak plainly."

Hearing this, Situ Yun immediately snapped out of his thoughts, quickly composed himself, and said with a beaming smile:

"We've shared life-and-death experiences. If it weren't for you stepping forward to save me, Brother Qi, I would have already fallen at the hands of those Pseudo-Daoists."

"I should have come to express my gratitude for Brother Qi's life-saving grace long ago, but unfortunately, I've been burdened by mundane affairs these past few days and couldn't get away. Today, I finally have some free time, so I came to visit."

After saying that, he took out a Storage Ring from his sleeve and placed it gently on the table:

"A small gift to show my appreciation. I hope Brother Qi doesn't mind."

As an old fox, Situ Yun naturally knew how to win people over and understood the proper boundaries.

The more capable a person is, the more they tend to think highly of themselves and possess a proud Heart-Nature.

If he were to rely on the Situ Family's name and start throwing various benefits around, it would likely have the opposite effect.

Therefore, Situ Yun chose to play the emotional card first, letting the other party feel his respect. Once a sufficient foundation of trust was established between the two, he would proceed step by step to seek cooperation.

Although this was a bit troublesome, the advantage was that it was more secure and didn't seem too intentional.

By the time the other party realized it, they would find themselves firmly tied to the Situ Family's war chariot, making it difficult to escape.

Sure enough, Qi Yuan scanned the Storage Ring on the table with his Divine Sense. His eyes flashed slightly before he regained his composure and said calmly:

"Brother Situ is too polite. You recommended me to become a formal Disciple of the Yin Sha Sect, so the life-saving favor has already been repaid. Why send such a generous gift?"

Situ Yun laughed:

"Brother Qi, please feel free to accept it. This is just a small token of my appreciation. You have just entered the Outer Sect and your wings are not yet fully grown. These resources are just what you need for your Cultivation."

"Not just this once; in the future, the same amount of resources will be provided at regular intervals to help Brother Qi become like a Dragon entering the sea and soar to the sky."

The Situ Family wants to recruit me!

Realizing this, Qi Yuan was suddenly between laughter and tears.

What kind of twisted values do these people in the Demonic Sect have?

From an outsider's perspective, he had slaughtered the entire Blood Refining Peak on his first day of entry, making him a total murderous maniac.

To his surprise, not only did he not receive any punishment, but he also attracted the enthusiastic recruitment of another great Demonic Path Family. This treatment was as if he had done something great; it would be unimaginable in a righteous sect.

After pondering for a moment, Qi Yuan nodded and accepted the gift:

"Since Brother Situ is so sincere, This Qi will not refuse."

It wasn't that he lacked these resources, but he needed to stabilize the other party first to continue testing the Situ Family's attitude toward him.

Moreover, Situ Yun hadn't explicitly mentioned recruitment, only friendship. If he were to refuse even this, it would likely immediately arouse the Situ Family's suspicion and suppression, which would be of no benefit to him.

Of course, with Demoness Ji around, it was impossible for him to join the rival Family of the Ji Clan. Otherwise, wouldn't he be helping an outsider against his own?

Thinking of something, Qi Yuan suddenly shuddered and immediately performed a deep reflection on this thought:

Bah! I am the Dao Child of Tai Xuan, a Disciple of a prestigious righteous sect. Even the Ji Clan cannot be joined!

...At the same time.

Ji Clan Ancestral Land.

Inside the solemn and majestic Patriarch's Hall, a lean middle-aged man with wide sleeves was sitting on a large Ebony Throne, holding a White Jade Wolf-Hair Brush and writing something in a Golden Ledger on the desk.

He had a high nose and narrow eyes, with faint, lingering streaks of crimson swirling in his gaze, as if waves were rising in a sea of blood, eerie and sinister.

This man, who appeared to be in his forties or fifties, was the leader of the Ji Clan, the current Patriarch, Ji Yuntian.

Just then, a respectful report came from outside the hall.

"Reporting to the Patriarch, the Eldest Young Master is outside requesting an audience."

Ji Yuntian stopped writing, glanced toward the hall entrance, and replied calmly:

"Let him in."

Soon, Ji Shijie walked quickly into the hall, bowing in a hurry by the desk:

"Greetings, Father."

Ji Yuntian raised his eyebrows slightly and asked in a deep voice:

"Shijie, why are you in such a hurry? What is the matter?"

Ji Shijie didn't dare waste words and quickly took out the diamond-shaped object, explaining:

"In response to Father, the endgame you sent to my residence has been solved. This is what was obtained from that chessboard."

"What?! Solved?!"

Hearing this, Ji Yuntian's expression changed slightly. He stood up abruptly and walked quickly to Ji Shijie.

The reason he had sent the endgame to his eldest son Ji Shijie's residence was considering that his eldest son was quite proficient in the Dao of chess. He had let him try with the attitude of trying anything in a desperate situation.

To his surprise, in just a few days, this son he looked down upon the most had actually made a stunning achievement, easily solving the strange chess game that had troubled the Family for many years!

"Yes, it's this material!"

Ji Yuntian took the diamond-shaped object, examined it carefully for a while, and then immediately showed a look of joy, explaining:

"Ever since the Old Ancestor brought back the chessboard ten thousand years ago, many people in the Family have studied it painstakingly, but no one could crack the secret inside. So it has always been kept in the Family Secret Vault."

"I also saw that endgame a few days ago while inspecting the vault and brought it out on a whim. I didn't expect it to actually be solved by you!"

"Actually, this wasn't my doing."

Realizing that this endgame was of great importance, Ji Shijie didn't dare to hide anything and immediately recounted the process in detail:

“It was one of Chaner's subordinates who discovered that what was on the chessboard was a type of chess called Gomoku..."

After listening to his son's description, Ji Yuntian suddenly frowned and asked in a grave tone:

"That Outer Sect Disciple you mentioned, can he be trusted?"

Hearing this, Ji Shijie's heart skipped a beat.

He knew that with his father's personality, he would never allow an untrustworthy outsider to come into contact with Family secrets, even unintentionally!

If there were even a hint of hesitation in his answer, that kid Qi Da would immediately face a catastrophic disaster... As the thought flashed by, Ji Shijie's expression didn't show the slightest ripple, and he said decisively:

"Chaner brought a subordinate home to meet her parents and elders for the first time, which proves that this person is Chaner's absolute confidant and is completely trustworthy!"