"Poisonfeather Birds, fear not, My Humble Self has plenty of use for you. In fact, I will now give you an opportunity to earn a valuable position in my clan," Xinzi said and spread his hands out. Whenever he referred to himself as "My Humble Self," the rank-four Poisonfeather Generals only felt their hearts grow more restless.
Xinzi spread his hands out. A tide of Klesha Haze poured out, settling in the Poisonfeather Birds' monster cores. Their eyes glazed over, the need to fulfill Xinzi's every wish replacing their previous fears. "From now on, you are my eyes. Your job is simple. Fly towards the Xihai Prefecture and map all that you see from here to there. Stay in one group so together you can deter potential enemies. I have a nagging suspicion that those I'm looking for are heading towards Xihai," Xinzi said and waved his hand. The Poisonfeather Birds obeyed without delay, unfolding their wings, and flying towards their assigned target.
If Chun Xu somehow got the support of A'Zhi, A'Zhu and Yan Le, then Xihai was their most likely destination. After all, though he'd yet to make an appearance there, Xinzi had already taken over Guang Fanghu's Dark Chamber of Commerce. A'Zhi and A'Zhu managed the Liberation Temple's administrative tasks, and could easily use the documents and seals they'd received from Guang Fanghu to complete the official takeover—then hide in Xihai.
The only issue with this choice was that it couldn't possibly escape Guang Fanghu's notice. The Dark Chamber of Commerce had been working for him for centuries, and would certainly alert him of the new owners' arrival.
So, unless Guang Fanghu was part of the stunt, Xihai didn't make sense either. However, it was the only plausible option. No other place could provide the girls shelter, so Xinzi had to try there first. To avoid attracting needless attention, the birds flew at extremely high altitudes, yet could still survey all underneath with their unique eyesight.
"They say that when a flock of Poisonfeather Birds takes flight over an area, imminent disaster will come crashing upon it. Now these birds…are spreading over the Dongli state. What do the whims of fate have in store for us? I wonder. Then again, I'm the one that sent them," Xinzi said, and shifted his attention to the Yan Spirit clan. Bright white rays undulated around them, reminiscing of the divine light of the Taiyang and Hengye clans.
The Servant Sutra had no barrier of entry, enabling even the most unreliable mortal fools to get enlightenment. Thus, almost in synch, the Yan Spirit clan's scions comprehended the Servant Sutra. Inside their chests, the flames surrounding their Fire Spirit hearts vanished, and from red, their hearts became crystal-white. Their flaming hair turned white as well, and as radiant light lit up their forms, large pairs of magnificent feathered wings sprouted from their backs, with halos also taking shape above their heads.
Be it in aura or appearance, the Yan Spirits…no, the Yan Demons would make even the most observant of scholars mistake them for Divine Spirits. Yan Zhong's full black eyes reverted to silver, with his sclera returning to the normal white shade. Angelic melodies oozed from their chests, like songs of the Grand Dao, guiding all across the bumpy immortal road.
Xinzi was the polar opposite. A pair of black-feathered wings grew from his back, with a dark ring above his head. Runic characters of the same dark color formed around his heart as well—fusing with the Klesha Heart. Our monk snapped his fingers, and the wings folded back into his flesh. The ring vanished, and here, the Yan clansmen's eyes opened—shining with bliss.
All saw their cultivation base increase by one level. Their comprehension skills, cultivation speed and battle-prowess all rose exponentially, and any capacity to feel pain or grief seemed to have vanished from their hearts.
For every 100 Yan clansmen, one long, dark-purple shard appeared before Xinzi: 30 in total. Each rippled with over 1,000 times the energy reserves of the best spirit stones—surpassing even the divine jades that the Hengye clan used to build artifacts such as Xinzi's throne.
The Yan clan's demonic boosts fed Xinzi as well, increasing his cultivation speed and comprehension level by their combined values. By relying on the Devil Root Refining Sutra, Xinzi dared say that he'd become a Heavenly Immortal within 100 years.
"Thank you, oh lord, for giving us this opportunity! Be it in this life or another, the Yan clan's souls will serve you and only you!" All Yan clansmen said, their voices echoing like a choir of angels.
"I know, and your service starts now," Xinzi said. In his right hand, he held the Thousand Immolation Soul Flag. In the left, the Demonic Shards hovered, ripping with catastrophic energies.
"Henceforth, there is no Yan clan. You are the first brigade of my White-Winged Demon Army. All of you are surnamed Xin and will follow me to give this world, all worlds' lives, an opportunity to embrace my Creed of Liberation. Our grand rapture starts…with Burning Spear Supercity!"
Xinzi said, and the Five Elements Transmutative Technique kicked in, channeling the 30 Demonic Shards to turn one random pebble on the ground into a tiny pale worm that now crawled by Xinzi's foot.
"Go, take back Burning Spear Supercity from the Demon Slaying Hall's First Division. I want all members alive and brought back to me within an hour. In the meantime, I will be working on the gifts they will need to recognize the error of their way." Xinzi ordered, and immediately, the White-Winged Demon Brigade spread its feathered wings, rising from the Lake of Myriad Toxins, whose fluids seemed unable to stick to the demons' skin.
"As you command, oh lord!" The White-Winged Demons bowed and stretched their hands out, summoning long white swords, spears, bows and hammers, depending on preference.
"Actually, I prefer…Reverend Ecstasy," Xinzi said and waved his sanguine flag.. The 3,000 White-Winged Demons turned into radiant beams, shooting towards Burning Spear Supercity.