“Well done, master.” As Xinzi appraised his work, a voice came from his back, interrupting his baptism of the Blood Beast. Xue Yuanshao ambled at him, his wrinkled face stretched by a slasher smile. The tiny pale worm that Xinzi had refined hovered in the air, held in suspension by Xue Yuanshao’s Soul Force.
“Oh? You’ve taken note of my Blood Beast’s abilities already?” More intrigued by Xue Yuanshao’s praise than the eerie grin on his face, Xinzi cast a sidelong glance at the ghost alchemist.
“Indeed. What a terrible creature. I wonder who you plan to use it on.” Xue Yuanshao couldn’t get the full measure of Xinzi’s Blood Beast, but his Soul Force and alchemical expertise still enabled him to study the properties of the Blood Beast’s blood. From it, he sensed a variety of terrible poisons, one of which would have chilled his spine—if he had any.
“Zi Yao. In fact, I’ve made it specifically for her. It’s high time I challenge the limits of her ambitions,” Xinzi said and snapped his fingers. The pale worm flew away from Xue Yuanshao, landing at our monk’s feet.
“Are you sure? Depending on how she handles it, a catastrophe could befall the White Immortal Sect.”
“A catastrophe will befall the White Immortal Sect. Zi Yao just so happens to get the lion’s share of the upcoming tragedy. As for Hanxing, we will see. Murder is a sentence reserved for people I have little to no grievances with. I can’t just kill him. It would be a waste of opportunity and a bad look for my reputation.” As he spoke, Xinzi stroked the Blood Beast’s neck. Thicker than three human thighs, it felt more like rock than flesh, and yet strangely, didn’t lack in flexibility.
“I suppose it was inevitable.”
“It was evitable. They just needed to not be idiots. Like you, see how easily you surrendered to your new role. Then again, I suppose it is my fault. I left them a hint, but not a clear enough warning. Now we’re past warning times, and though it breaks my heart, punishment is a must,” Xinzi said, and worm in hand turned towards Xue Yuanshao, whose body oozed with Evil Qi.
“One thing that I’ve learned over the years, is that humans do not respect humility. The more you give way, the more willing they are to oppress you. On the contrary, oppress them with crushing power and they will grovel, cower, and shake in terror until death or rebellion are their only options left. I’m not a fan of terror, but it does have its use.”
“In the animal world, giving way is a show of weakness.”
“But are humans animals?”
“Aren’t we all?”
“Huh, coming from an Ice Spirit, that’s quite the hot take.” Xinzi ended the exchange, sat crossed-legged, and with a surge of telekinetic power, gathered 99 pebbles at his feet. Dark, crackling energies surged from one Demonic Shard, fueling the Five Elements Transmutative Technique alongside torrential waves that dropped from the Evil Qi Tide, and again, Xinzi turned pebbles into pale worms.
To turn the inanimate into life was a feat that even high-ranking deities would struggle to accomplish. Even for these tiny worms, Xinzi needed colossal quantities of energy—energy that the Evil Qi Tide alone couldn’t provide. So, while it broke his heart, he had to sacrifice this one Demonic Shard—it broke into shimmering dust.
Tusha still refined the Devil Heart. Evil Qi leaked from her pores, and as her cultivation base increased, the blue tattoos on her face vanished. Those on the body remained, but the closer her Blood Energy and Soul Force got to the Immortal level, the less tattoos she’d have as well. Xue Yuanshao’s eyes locked on Xinzi’s work, shining with admiration.
‘In any other man’s hands, this technique would likely summon murderous Heavenly Tribulation. It’s good to be a divine,’ Xue Yuanshao sighed at the injustice. Due to his adoration and work for Hengye Wuxin, the ghost alchemist studied all facets of Heaven’s laws, and the privileges it accorded to the divines. Thus, he knew that, throughout Yanzhou, if anyone other than Xinzi tried to comprehend or cultivate this Five Elements Transmutative Technique, Heaven would end their existence.
The transmutation only took one minute, and 100 pale worms now slithered on the ground. A mere look at them, and Xue Yuanshao’s soul shivered.
“What…are those?”
“Oh, you can’t see through this one? Can’t be helped, after all, this is a brand-new concept. I call them…Heart Enslavement Gu,” Xinzi said and picked one worm at random.
“Don’t let their size mislead you. They can worm their way into your soul, fuse with your Dao Heart, and eat it from inside out—all while dropping eggs that connect you to their master.” Here, Xinzi paused, dropped the worm, and pointed at one that, unlike its restless peers, stayed poised, as if waiting for Xinzi’s orders.
“This one is the Uncrowned King: the other gus’ master. The Uncrowned King has none of his peers’ appetite but can command the Heart Enslavement Gus, and the eggs they leave behind. As soon as the Gus are done devouring your Dao Heart, they die. The eggs become a new heart—dedicated to the cultivation of the Eternal Slave Dao. From that moment on, they can never challenge the Uncrowned King and its master: me,” Xinzi’s eyes sparkled with fiendish delight.
The Demon Slaying Hall had too many zealots with Dao Hearts so strongly devoted to the extermination of demonkind that, trying to corrupt them with traditional demonic methods wouldn’t work.
The Uncrowned King Gu solved that problem, enabling Xinzi to bring the First Division to its knees. And by cooperating with Jingzhao, these First Division members would climb the Demon Slaying Hall hierarchy, helping Xinzi spread more Gu throughout the hall’s ranks.
Taiyang Yuan didn’t mind using Jingzhao to establish a link to Xinzi because, at the end of the day, the Demon Slaying Hall she controlled was nothing more than a cleanup task force used to prevent the spread of demonism. If there was one thing that Hengye and Taiyang will always agree on, it’s that demons equal “kill on sight.” Taiyang Yuan could never imagine that the contemporary monarch, presumably dispatched from the Celestial Paradise, would try to use Jingzhao to turn the Eastern Continent into a land of rampant infernalism.
Xinzi didn’t say it, but Xue Yuanshao could guess the plan and marveled at the audacity, resourcefulness and ruthless means of this young man, by tens of thousands of years his junior.
“You’ve forced your divine and demonic powers to temporary harmony, but at any time, the balance can shatter, leading you to experience no end of torments. How do you plan to solve that problem?” To keep his head on his neck, Xue Yuanshao realized that he’d have to make himself useful. After all, he had neither tits nor cunt to offer.
“Good question. Quite frankly, it doesn’t seem promising. Fusing holy and divine, or holy and demonic, I think I can find a way. But as for mixing the demonic and divine, I’m starting to feel hopeless,” Xinzi said and exhaled a long sigh.
The reaction kindled Xue Yuanshao’s hopes, and self-satisfied, he stroked his long beard.
“Actually, I might have an idea.”