The Night Spirits couldn't be trusted, but the same didn't go for the various creatures of the Endless Sea. Water Spirits, Ice Spirits, Ice Phoenixes, Flood and Sea Dragons, Jeweled Tortoises, Snow Wolves, Nine-Headed Hydras, and other Divine Beast lineages. From the archipelagos to the undersea principalities, the Endless Sea concealed myriad sea bloodlines and opportunities. So, while no clan—single or combined—could challenge the Night's hegemony, pure bloodline quality and potential-wise, some were not that inferior to this Hengye branch—they just lacked resources.
As long as he could leverage his prestige as God-Monarch and Greatest of the Night Pantheon and seduce these clans and forces with his Five Elements Transmutative Technique, Xinzi estimated that, within a century, his Creed of Indulgence would blossom into the most dominant faith of the Great Desolation World—perhaps even…the only faith!
Second and third-class maids all came from renowned sea clans and could become Xinzi's bridge to bringing them all to his banner. Afterward, the hidden clans, some of whom neared extinction, could rally under Xinzi—helping him gather the myriad sea races and control the seas as Abbot Xinzi of the Liberation Temple.
Be it to fulfill his monastic plan or break the hold that Yongye had on both his Divine Soul and Zhen-body, Xinzi needed inconceivable quantities of energy. So much so that once, he considered turning the entire East into a sacrificial formation to break his shackles—then do the same with another continent for the shadow problem. But while efficient if executed well, such deeds were in complete contradiction with the Lianist Paradise that Xinzi aimed to create.
Not many would willingly follow a man that'd turn tens of billion into food whenever necessary. Xinzi didn't want to rule by might or control through tyranny. The world's myriad lives should join because his faith or boons appealed to them, not because they had no other choice. Coercion had its use, but couldn't become his way of life.
"Greatest One, helping you increase your cultivation is my glory. The loss was nothing compared to the opportunity to serve you. Why…did you give it back?" Startled by the return on investment, the flood dragon maid panicked—not knowing if she should jump to the ceiling or burrow in the underground.
"Nonsense. I do not need to steal from you to grow. You have done me no wrong. Why should I rob your centuries-worth of hard work out of the blue. Dual cultivation is such a delight because both parties benefit massively. The previous monarchs saw their harem as expendable dual cauldrons. But if a cauldron there must be, I am your cauldron," Xinzi said while fixing the girl's loose curls.
'The Greatest One just became my…dual cauldron?' His words fried the dragon maid's brain, and like a dazed fawn, she stared absentmindedly at her lord. All three other second-class maids rushed towards Xinzi and dropped on their knees—eager to demonstrate their loyalty.
"Greatest One…no, Abbot Xinzi, we're willing to devote ourselves to your creed and go through fire and storms if you so desire!"
"Yes…yes." Following her fellow maids' pledge, the flood dragon girl gave an air-headed nod, approving in her own way.
"Hopefully, fire and storms will not be necessary," Xinzi said and shifted towards the Night Spirit maid. Skepticism twisted her face.
In her mind, there was nothing wrong with the Night Slave Hall, nothing wrong with harvesting maids, nothing wrong with anything, really. As Yongye's begotten son, Xinzi could do no wrong. But once he started talking about "my faith," the implications became worrying. Night Spirits only had one faith: the Eternal Night.
From the lowest of Hengye scion to the highest of High Gods, so long as they belonged to the Night Pantheon, Yongye was the faith. Lianism was just a tool for the young master to expand his bag of tricks, align with Qingxin, and increase his battle power. No one expected or wanted him to develop his own faith. This…almost sounded like a challenge to the Eternal Night.
'Is it a test? Should I contact the great elder? Depending on how I answer, I might not live for very long.'
'How you answer doesn't matter, because your heart will tell me how you feel.' The first-class maid couldn't understand why Xinzi would speak such words before her. But as she considered how to deal with the situation, she also couldn't imagine that Xinzi had turned into a demon already, with his Heartshifter heart enabling him to listen to the emotions and desires that raced through all lives' chests. Although at his current level, attempting to alter the emotions and desires of a Supreme Clarity level maid was, at best, suicidal—listening was never a problem.
If even a first-class maid couldn't consider anything that stood in remote contradiction with the Night's precepts, then Xinzi would give up on his Hengye clan.
On the outside, the maid stayed stoic. But inwardly, she floundered, making Xinzi sigh at the display.
"Eons of domination have made us neglect the basis of religion: faith. Only Night Spirits worship Yongye. Not only is my Divine Mother's faith of no appeal to mortals, but even if it were, we don't see them as worthy of praying at the altar of Yongye. However, to spread the divine rules and complete the Ancestral Task, converting mortals en masse and channeling their faith is of paramount importance. I cannot do it as the Zhen of this Pantheon. But in this decoy shell, though time-consuming, it is feasible. After the Divine Consecration, my Zhen-body can channel this faith and speed up the completion of the Ancestral Task," Xinzi said, and though he didn't comment on the maid's lack of reaction, she could see in his eyes and sigh that the doubts she concealed disappointed him greatly.
"G-greatest one, forgive me! I was just…confused." Alarmed, the first-class maid fell on her knees. The second-class maids, who had to bear her overbearing commands on the daily, couldn't hide their sneers. Xinzi shook his head, faking no end of disappointment. Plotting in the open had its risks. But should Xinzi try to do all this in the shadows, without at least the silent support of this branch, then once he got caught, no explanation could save him from ruin.
Yuemi might be gone, but the elders remained. All active elders were at least Earth Immortals, many were at the Heavenly Immortal level—with the great elder controlling them all through his Immortal Emperor cultivation base. So long as Xinzi gave them cause to doubt, they'd investigate, and the Xinzi-body couldn't resist such pressure now.
So, he had to nurture the intimacy, and convince them all that before they even thought of asking ifs and whys, he'd share it all with them. With that said, on topics such as the Five Elements Transmutative Technique, complete transparency would never be part of the equation.
Xinzi had to grow, grow so fast that 12 years from now on, he would be able to control the outcome of his Divine Consecration. The Hengye branch wasn't trustworthy, but he could still manipulate their religious zeal to benefit massively.
"Never mind. You may leave. We will meet again for the inauguration of the Night Flower Hall. Stay tuned," Xinzi said and sent them on their way. The flood dragon maid didn't want to leave his lap and tried to come up with excuses to stay cushioned. Alas, it was time to dip, and as they left, Xinzi connected to the Armored Lion King, sending him to collect the Corpse Demons and False Devil remains in the Endless Sea.
No one dared to touch them, for the sentence for demonic collusion is…"rest in peace."
Here, Xiao Hu's eyes stirred, and she awoke from her slumber, still groggy from the damage she'd sustained in the Immortal Qi Pool. Even with Xinzi's Divine Power keeping it balanced, her dantian felt like an over-bloated mass of qi—sending searing pain through her abdomen. Xiao Hu ignored it, fighting with her body to lift herself from the bed.
"Don't force it. It would be a miracle if you could walk straight now—not that you ever did."
"Lame joke. Shame on you."
"Actually, it was brilliant. Matter of fact, my jokes are all brilliant—just misunderstood." A brief back and forth ensued. Xiao Hu shook her head, unconvinced by Xinzi's rhetoric. "Posing as an orphan monk was the biggest joke you've played on us. Poor Dong Ling is battling her old man to make a monk tie the knot, unaware that be it on earth or in heaven, the world's most dominant thearchy stands at that monk's back. Xinzi, you're…so cruel." Xiao Hu gave her appraisal.
"It is only cruel if I have no future in store for us. Since I do, my conscience is clear." Xinzi shrugged, unfazed by Xiao Hu's words. She sneered at the retort—convinced that no good future could await little Dongli girls in the horrifying world of the Eternal Night. An awkward silence settled in—with Xiao Hu avoiding eye contact.
"You can say it. I know there's something on your mind. At this point, no need to play coy." Xinzi challenged the swordswoman, whose hands trembled while she avoided his gaze.
"I finally understand. You…are Hengye Baxian's alibi.." For the first time since she'd waken up, Xiao Hu met Xinzi's gaze and said with complete confidence.