"Elaborate." Not one to jump to conclusions, Xinzi kept his cool, giving Tusha time to explain the situation. The calm with which Xinzi approached the problem eased Tusha's fears, and she regained her confidence.
"As I mentioned before, your seed morphed in unexpected ways, causing changes that I couldn't predict. The fertilized girls not only saw their cultivation speed increase exponentially, and at the same time, the structure of their internal organs changed as well. The changes were neither demonic nor human, but the dantian capacity rose to 10,000 Spiritual Drops.
Aware that the changes could lead to chaos, I contacted Chun Xu to clarify the situation. Initially, I planned to let them use this opportunity to cultivate over 10,000 Spiritual Drops, and they did. The problem…started here." Tusha paused, giving Xinzi a second to process before carrying on.
"Dongli is now a chaotic place. By relying on the Immortal Rhythm left in the White Immortal sect, Hanxing broke through to Divine Transformation much faster than he should have. Combine these benefits with what he'd received from Ziyun's sacrifice, and his current foundation enables him to run amok. All resources harvested through Zi Yao's prompt management have fallen into Hanxing's hands, and everything now goes through him.
The disappearance of Xiao Hu threw him into a frenzy that even the sect elders now suffer for. The extreme reaction startled Zi Yao, who inferred that Hanxing took Xiao Hu in for dual cultivation purposes and feared that with the girl now out of reach, he'd shift his attention to Chun Xu, Dong Ling, or both. So, she told Chun Xu that following her Foundation Building breakthrough, she'd send them both to try for the Imperial Wind Academy. Zhenwu Shenquan…is the headmaster." Known as the number one cultivation institution of the Eastern Continent, the Imperial Wind Academy nurtured the future powerhouses of the east, top Hegemons, Spirit Nobles and Imperial Princes all graduated from that place—making the admission criteria an insurmountable barrier for a Dongli citizen.
In this generation, however, things were different. Talent and accomplishments wise, Dong Ling and Chun Xu both had the qualifications to attend the Imperial Wind Academy and mingle with its top talents. Before Hanxing's ascension, Zi Yao wished to give her disciple more time to mature before sending her to that den of wolves. But since her 'master' had revealed his fangs, she opted for preemptive measures.
For over a century, the spirit nobles and imperial clan had lost their control of Imperial Wind Academy to the Zhenwu clan, and now more than ever, the Zhenwus' hold over it seemed unbreakable.
"Ah, the bitch." Even with the Zhenwu in power, the Imperial Wind Academy was no place for Dongli citizens. Zi Yao likely hoped that Chun Xu's talent would grab Zhenwu Shenquan's attention, banking on his notorious love for gifted beauties to end the Anti-Beast Decree and uplift the White Immortal Sect. Xinzi couldn't help but smile at the matriarch's thoughts.
In the past, Dong Ling's talent wasn't enough, and her disposition stood at odds with her mother's, so Zi Yao didn't have much hope for her. But now that her talent reached prodigious levels, did the matriarch change her mind?
Xinzi couldn't tell if Zi Yao wanted to exploit Chun Xu while protecting Dong Ling, or if she wished to exploit them both. What weight did blood have in her callous heart? He'd have to go back to find out.
"Zi Yao, Zi Yao. Just to abolish the ancient decree that makes Mysterious Beasts in the East slaves or dead meat, she dares to aim for that man's support? How moronic. He doesn't like women—especially the scheming type."
"Master-Abbot, you can't underestimate him. In recent days, I've learned a lot about that man. Yes, his background is no match for the Hengye clan, but his cultivation talent ranks among the best in the history of the Great Desolation world. Simply by relying on the resources of an Eastern Province, that man reached Supreme Clarity in 10,000 years—with battle prowess that exceeds any of the Four Spirit Emperors. It won't be long before he gets sealed as the Slaughtering Shadow, thereby becoming the true master of the East." Known as the hope of the human race, Zhenwu Shenquan had already become a legendary figure of the Four Continents. Even in the Central Domain, many looked up to him.
The farther one goes up the immortal road, the harder it becomes to fight above one's realm. All Supreme Clarity level experts are the prodigies of an era, with background, resources and treasures to supplement their innate talent.
The Taiyang and Hengye clans aside, where could one find a cultivator able to dominate them all with a lower cultivation? In the Longxi Province!
Few knew where Zhenwu Shenquan came from. Some speculated that he was the bastard child of a prominent Sun Spirit. Starting as a commoner orphaned by a mysterious murder case, he prostituted himself so he could pay for his studies and buy rudimentary cultivation resources—relying on sweet-talking and his matchless looks to bring in no end of corrupt customers.
The Longxi Hegemon's wife later noticed his earth-shaking cultivation talent—and as she couldn't have children of her own, adopted him. He soon ingratiated himself with the Hegemon as well, who reluctantly paid to have him try for the Imperial Wind Academy—there, he revealed the true depth of his genius, and by the time he graduated, was known throughout the East for the cultivation method he invented: the True Martial Divine Fist. That cultivation method became his name—Zhenwu Shenquan—and with it he massacred his adopted family, taking the reins of the Longxi Hegemony through an irresistible blood storm.
So overwhelming was his momentum that, the August Divinity granted him the unique right to style himself "Great King of Longxi," thereby smashing the Eastern Imperial Clan's face.1 Though Tusha had seen countless prodigies, she had to admit that this Shenquan wasn't a man they could afford to underestimate—or so she thought at least.
"You misunderstand. I don't look down on him. It just doesn't matter. His cultivation base could exceed Taiyang Yuan's that I'd still not care. With or without Zi Yao's meddling, Zhenwu Shenquan and I were destined to butt-head. A pity that his fate was sealed a long time ago," Xinzi said, and Tusha's face contorted into a frown. In Xinzi's words, the infernal nun sensed hidden meanings, but lacking in information, she couldn't form any coherent conjecture.
"Anyway, once she got wind of this, Chun Xu urged me to help her refine the seed. I agreed. Little did I expect that she'd used the energies I poured into her to locate and refine the Soul Wisp I left in her instead—her soul force increased massively, and I lost any control or contact with her. Later, I sneaked back into the White Immortal sect to find out more, but not only had Chun Xu disappeared, Dong Ling, Yan Le, A'Zhi, A'Zhu, and the remaining initiates…have vanished as well."
"You said what?!"
"Hence why I've said…that Chun Xu has gone rogue. The entire sect is looking for its fairies—to no avail so far. Chun Xu and Dong Ling's disappearance created another rift between Guang Fanghu and Zi Yao, and if not for Hanxing suppressing them, I can't guarantee that one of them wouldn't be dead or severely injured right now."
"Incompetence has to be a cardinal sin. All these years of cultivation, and you let an 18-years-old Qi Refinement gal trick you so splendidly?!" Xinzi snapped, his voice grew louder with each word, making Tusha flounder in her lair and fiddle with her fingers.
Composure wasn't just part of Xinzi's Lianist training. Long before he'd taken his first mortal breath, Yongye and Yuemi forged this trait into his soul. Rarely did our monk genuinely lose his composure. As a matter of fact, Tusha had only seen this outburst once before: when Xinzi realized that the Codex in her hand only contained the Devil Race's top techniques—not the Records of the Eternal Night.
"It's not like…this is the first time." The infernal nun made a half-baked attempt at a joke—referring to the time Xinzi bamboozled her. In any other scenario, Xinzi would raise his thumb up and praise the attempt, but by Tusha's own admission, Dongli had become a chaotic place. No! It wasn't just Dongli. The entirety of Yanzhou Province suffered an upheaval.
The Demon Slaying Hall's hunters had been dispatched already, established a base in Burning Spear Supercity, and started tracking down all trace of demonism. This…was another reason why Zi Yao was getting restless. The matriarch hid many secrets, none of which wouldn't bring her and the entire White Immortal sect to extermination—if exposed to the Demon Slayers.
As if that wasn't enough, Xihai Prefecture had gotten flooded with two terrible drugs, starting from the lowest of slums, but slowly creeping onto the corrupt officials' luxurious mansions. These drugs, Paradise and Ignition, had likely been injected by Dongli enemies in preparation for an offensive of some sort.
Thanks to his Klesha Heart, Xinzi managed to stay in tune with these news, but didn't expect that in these chaotic times, Chun Xu would not only go rogue, but take his entire house away with her!
But could he blame her?
The initiates aside, if Chun Xu didn't take the bull by the horn and leave with Dong Ling, who could guarantee that by the time Xinzi returned, they wouldn't be in the Imperial Wind Academy already?
'How did she manage it?' Xinzi wondered. Dong Ling had been on her father's watch for a while now, and even if Guang Fanghu set her free, based on the current atmosphere and his love for his daughter, he wouldn't let her go unsupervised. The initiates disappearance was even more startling. Without Xinzi's express orders. A'Zhi and A'Zhu would never budge from the Liberation Temple—unless of course a life-threatening event forced them to.
A part of Xinzi blamed himself for the negligence. Another praised Chun Xu's cunning—another still thirsted for Hanxing and Zi Yao's blood.
"Fine." Xinzi closed his eyes, shutting communication with Tusha.
In the Gorge of Thousand Venoms, dark-purple rays flashed around the Klesha Heart, oppressing Tusha, the Armored Lion King and Xue Yuanshao's senses with ferocious Evil Qi.
Under the three's stretching eyes, the Klesha Heart beat faster, expanding alongside the foul energies as it morphed into a humanoid figure.
With fair, almost doll-white skin, slicked-back black hair and purple eyes, the slender figure wore a black-feathered Daoist robe.
"Size, skin tone and hair aside, this is a perfect replica of the boss." The Armored Lion King whispered.
"That's a lot of difference already." Xue Yuanshao whispered back, and as the two went and forth, Tusha stepped back, both perplexed and worried. The infernal nun knew about the Reincarnation of Mahasura's secrets, and the Demon Hearts' ability to become avatars if Xinzi so desired it, but she didn't expect him to appear so spontaneously.
"Don't flounder. It is what it is. The mistake stemmed from good intentions. I should have known better, so I can't blame you for this," Xinzi said and stepped forward. His cultivation base, Blood Energy and Evil Qi erupted all at once, conjuring formless pressure that brought all three subordinates on their toes.
"That said, I'm here now. The nerve of the bitch trying to send my people to the wolves of the Imperial Wind Academy. Zi Yao, I've tolerated your antics for long enough. it's high time that My Humble Self teaches you…a lesson long overdue."