I Bound Myself to a Destructive Witch

"But if the opponent indeed possesses an S-class Spiritual Artifact, we absolutely cannot let the holder escape! Otherwise, the problems will be endless," the Red-faced Ghost said gravely.

Kovis shook his head gently, "No worries, I've already prepared for such an eventuality. A maiden will be here shortly to assist."

Maiden?

The Red-faced Ghost was momentarily startled, a bit surprised. Naturally, he had heard of the great reputation of the three maidens of Golden Sparrow.

This mega-clan, Golden Sparrow, was established by someone revered by all as "Mother." Over countless generations, from the first to the present eighth, it had adopted myriad children through a thousand years, entwining various powers deeply within the human Empire.

Under "Mother's" leadership, for the overall benefit of Golden Sparrow, all the powerful families formed Sparrow God Mountain, setting up the Twelve Seated of Sparrow God Mountain as the ultimate governing body of Golden Sparrow.

It could be said that the twelve Spirit Masters of the Twelve Seated were the twelve most formidable members of the clan, who also held high-ranking positions within various powerful institutions of the Empire.

However, aside from these twelve, there existed three others who led independently from Sparrow God Mountain. They were known as maidens, generally selected from the female clan members.

Much like the Holy Daughter of the Church Court or the earthly proxies of the divine, the maidens' function is to enact the decree of "Mother Above."

For this reason, the maidens only answer to Mother Above and are not governed by Sparrow God Mountain, enjoying a great degree of freedom.

"Which maiden is it?" The Red-faced Ghost asked curiously.

"Ke Yanqing," Kovis replied lightly.

"Oh?" The Red-faced Ghost smirked, "I've researched your background, Your Excellency. Ke Yanqing is your sister, right? I heard that her talent surpasses yours in the entire eighth generation."

Kovis gave the Red-faced Ghost a sidelong glance, his eyes slightly narrowing.

The Red-faced Ghost continued to stroke his chin, "I also heard that Ke Yanqing herself had a chance to compete for a position among the Twelve Seated of Sparrow God Mountain, but she eventually gave up her candidacy and chose to become a maiden instead."

Saying so, the Red-faced Ghost looked towards Kovis, "And she did so to clear the path for you."

"..."

Being a maiden sounds impressive, a position just below one and above all else, not regulated by Sparrow God Mountain, but in reality, it did not hold much real power, certainly not as much as being part of the Twelve Seated.

"I also heard that you are secretly in love with your sister Ke Yanqing, but due to the constraints of blood relations, this unrequited love could only end without issue—"

"Red-faced Ghost, are you seeking death?" Kovis's tone was chilling, his deep black cloak fluttering in the wind.

With a light laugh, the Red-faced Ghost, his face painted unconventionally, flashed his sharp teeth, his dark purple lips parting, "Alright, Lord Kovis, I'll say no more."

Kovis's gaze grew colder. If it weren't for the importance of this collaboration, this woman's head would have already fallen.

But the words of the Red-faced Ghost were indeed correct.

He was indeed secretly in love with Ke Yanqing, even chasing relentlessly in her footsteps.

If Ke Yanqing had not become a maiden, the title leader of the eighth generation might well have been hers.

This was precisely why he resented it, always harboring a burning drive.

"Lord Kovis, your selection of Mu Qingtong, could it be because she shares a similar aura with Ke Yanqing?" the Red-faced Ghost suddenly spoke again, leaning close.

Kovis looked up impassively, "Red-faced Ghost, once this collaboration ends, you'd best be careful."

The Red-faced Ghost chuckled, about to say something when he suddenly glanced upward.

In the sky, silently unfolding was a watercolor painting, from which a tall woman dressed in a classical dark-colored flag-dress emerged.

Holding an oil-paper umbrella sketched with watercolor mountains and rivers, she took a step and dissolved into watercolor ink, the next instant reappearing above the clouds.

It was then that the Red-faced Ghost could clearly see her appearance, an exceedingly beautiful woman with a cool, classic beauty.

"Maiden," said Kovis respectfully, bowing.

The woman with the umbrella looked down through the clouds, and the entire venue was still enveloped by the Nightmare Domain, with nearly a hundred thousand people's memories and emotions stripped away.

After a glance, she lifted her eyes and spoke coldly, "Ves, you should understand, if the Imperial Gate knows this is the doing of the Golden Sparrow, you might never have hope for the Twelve Seated."

Kovis nodded calmly, "I do understand, but Sister Qing, all the major Life Roulettes have entered the advanced sacrificial stage, which means the competition for the Sumeru Throne is about to begin. Every power has entered the fray; there's no reason for us Golden Sparrows not to partake."

Saying this, he also squinted at the venue below, "Fortune favors the bold. If we can secure a spot to compete for the Sumeru Throne, those from Sparrow God Mountain would probably wake from their dreams laughing."

"You just be sure of yourself, don't overplay your hand."

The woman with the umbrella advised no further, her voice indifferent, "You sent a message about running into some trouble?"

"It's not much of a trouble."

Kovis briefly explained the situation, chuckling and shaking his head, "This person has only Fourth Rank Spiritual Pressure, but his spiritual power is exceptionally vast, not ruling out other hidden cards or possible help, which is why I called you, Sister Qing, to bolster the ranks, just in case."

Both he and the Red-faced Ghost were in the True Martial Realm, which was actually sufficient to handle any contingencies, but facing someone who likely possessed an 'S' Level Spiritual Artifact, it was still best to be cautious.

Ke Yanqing was also in the True Martial Realm, but as a serving maid, she possessed the "Hua God Umbrella" bestowed by the "Mother."

The Hua God Umbrella was one of the Mother's powers and the standard equipment for every serving maid; it could extremely terrifyingly boost Ke Yanqing's power, approaching the Venerable Realm.

However, at the same time, the Hua God Umbrella was also a means of controlling the serving maids, ensuring their absolute loyalty.

Those bound by the Hua God Umbrella contract, their body, spirit, mind, and emotions were all tightly controlled by the "Mother."

The Mother could, with a mere thought, make a maid experience emotional pain, physical itchiness, mental chaos, and despair of the soul -- simply put, the ability to decide life or death with a thought.

"Both of you, get ready, the Nightmare Domain will dissolve in thirty seconds."

The Red-faced Ghost suddenly spoke in a deep voice, closed his eyes to sense again, then said, "I've located Mu Qingtong's position, Lord Kovis, shall I help you teleport her over later?"

"No need, we'll deal with this woman after everything is over."

Kovis spoke blandly, the reason he had asked the Red-faced Ghost to also cleanse Mu Qingtong's memories and emotions was because he possessed a Spiritual Artifact that could bestow emotions.

His Spiritual Artifact was called the "Emotion Ring," merely a 'C' Level Spiritual Artifact, which could kill a target and then collect their emotions, feelings, storing them in the ring and releasing them during combat, impacting the mental state of enemies with weaker spiritual powers.

Its effect was decent, but due to its lower level, it wasn't very effective, and he rarely used it in combat.

However, it could serve some auxiliary function.

For instance, currently, in combination with the great disaster of the Nightmare, he could easily bestow emotions to everyone in the venue.

Kovis had once killed a woman who loved him deeply and obeyed his every command, collecting an "Emotion of Love."

Thus, now all he needed to do was wait for things to end and bestow that "Emotion of Love" to Mu Qingtong, who had lost her memories and emotions.

"Mu Qingtong, a daughter of a minor noble, is this person the wife you've chosen?" The woman raised the Hua God Umbrella, her beautiful eyes narrowing slightly.

Kovis lifted his eyes and looked at the woman holding the umbrella, her ink-colored banner dress outlining her elegant figure, her aura cold as if coming from the misty rain of Jiangnan.

Indeed, Mu Qingtong and Sister Qing's temperaments were similar; though her status was a bit low, she was, with some effort, eligible.

In contemplation, Kovis's gaze grew complex and unfathomable, he nodded, "Yes."

The woman with the umbrella fell silent for a moment, then also nodded, "Alright, good choice."

She, of course, knew what Kovis's feelings for her were; after so many years, she should probably let go by now...

She pursed her lips, about to say something, when at that moment.

Hum—

The paper umbrella in her hand trembled lightly, she looked up with a sense, her brows furrowing in confusion, why here, did she sense... the presence of "Mother"?