”Huh?” Confused, the Bull Demon Prince blinked at Tieshan’s back, his lips petrified in a silly grin. Dark tree roots surged out of the box, piercing through the Bull Demon Prince’s veins and spreading throughout his body. Alarmed, the bull demon tried to shake off the box, but realized that it’d already been glued to his body and soul!
”What’s going on here? Stop it! Aaargh…argh…aaaaaaargh!” The tree roots spread to all of the Bull Demon Prince’s internal organs, making his body shake in monstrous levels of pain. The confusion ballooned into full-blown terror, and he dropped to his knees, quivering like an epileptic child.
”You said it yourself. Today we’re celebrating the coronation of the Bull Demon King—or Priest-King, in this case,” Tieshan said, and while using her Spiritual Sense to study the outlandish changes in her cultivation quality, the Cow Demoness turned heels, facing the terror-struck Bull Demon Prince.
Tree leaves grew all over Niu Yan’s body, and inside his organs, the tree roots drained his cultivation and Blood Energy to grow Evil Blood Fruits.
”Niu Yan, why do you look so confused? Ah, I see. You didn’t get the memo. Your promotion was rejected by the whims of fate. Someone does get to wear the crown, but that someone isn’t you,” Tieshan said, and looked towards the throne room’s entrance. Niu Yan followed her gaze, and imagine his surprise when his eyes locked on a man dressed in red and gold monastic robes. A goat mask kept that man’s face covered, but Niu Yan recognized him instantly.
How could he not, when he’d just betrayed the love of his life to enjoy that man’s boons?
”No…nooo! You tricked me! But why? Didn’t you say that I had the superior bargaining chip? Why trick me? Why choose her over me?”
”I can get all that I want with either one of you, and just like you, I happen to fancy luscious cowgirls more than hulking bulls. The herd doesn’t need more than one bull. Since it has me, what purpose does your existence serve? You’re too greedy for cunnies, so we can never coexist.” As he ambled through the room, Xinzi answered the Bull Demon Prince, whose face twisted at his words.
At last, the Bull Demon Prince realized that, from the start, the so-called reverend used Tieshan to lead him astray, and him to bring Tieshan to his side. Centuries of connection, ruined due to bottled-up emotions and misplaced desires. No matter how Niu Yan processed these events, he couldn’t see a way out.
”By the way, I hope you don’t really think that I fed you one of my girls. It was an illusion I created based on your hidden fantasies. Gotta admit that you have fair tastes. I too am a fan of fox girls.”
”Impossible, it was real!”
”Nope.”
”I could feel it!”
”Yes.”
”All was real!”
”Still nope. You were always humping mist,” Xinzi said and snapped his fingers, conjuring a cloud of Klesha Haze that morphed into a new fox girl. The fox girl smiled at the Bull Demon Prince, then broke into scattering mist.
Here, Niu Yan collapsed—tears filling his eyes as he realized that he’d traded his future by Tieshan’s side for a cloud of mist!
With other women, a man could kneel, beg and cry for an opportunity to turn over a new leaf. But with the Tieshans of the world, you only had one shot. Waste it, and there would be no second chance.
”Niu Yan, do you remember the day you told me that my father felt threatened by my devotion to cultivation and the hatred I failed to hide? That he would soon take action and assassinate me? On that day, my demonic patron appeared and asked me a simple question.
’If you had one shot, one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted, would you capture it?’ I said yes, because since my mother’s head got crushed into a paste of blood and gore, I’ve always known what I wanted, and what I’d be willing to do to seize it.
You, on the other end, have been floundering for centuries. If you didn’t want to agree to my terms, you could have just said so. We could have still cooperated, but with no consideration of a future together. I would have sought my happiness elsewhere—in any case, it’s not like we brought one another much comfort.
Why did you agree…if you couldn’t do it?” Tieshan’s words halted here, and she raised her hands, summoning a red knot rope. This time, it was Xinzi’s turn to flinch, not due to the rope, but the words that Tieshan had just uttered. Again, her eyes looked past the Bull Demon Prince, staring at the goat mask that kept Xinzi’s reaction concealed.
”Tieshan, no!” Niu Yan squealed, snatching back Tieshan’s attention.
”I warned you, Niu Yan. What did I tell you? Betray me, and these same hands that tied this knot will squeeze the life out of you.”
”Tieshan, don’t be silly! He used me to get you! Are you really going to accept the terms of a man that likely aims to make you his plaything?!” Aware that dishonor and death would greet him very soon, Niu Yan panicked, attempting to sway Tieshan by poking at her pride.
In other circumstances, this might have worked. Alas, the Bull Demon Prince misunderstood the situation. With a smile, Tieshan lay the red knot rope on Niu Yan’s nose, then set it ablaze.
”AAAAARGH!” The Bull Demon Prince’s screams boomed throughout the throne room, combining the grief of his flesh and soul. Undisturbed, Tieshan walked past him, pulling Xinzi by the arm, and trapping him in her cleavage.
”Don’t panic, Niu Yan, I don’t want to kill you.
You see, I didn’t make you wait solely to test your worth.
I cultivate the Three Aspects of the Earthmother and have been doing so for centuries, in fact.
One hundred years ago, I realized that, even without the dual cultivation that this technique requires, I could still grind my way to the peak. This choice brought me both drawbacks and benefits.
Because I went without dual cultivation, my cultivation speed was always much slower than what it could have been. But at the same time, I’ve accumulated a staggering quantity of Earthmother Milk, a delicacy that could have made your cultivation increase by leaps and bounds.
Across these 100 years, the difficulties of restraint increased alongside the rate of lactation, convincing me that, at the very least, you could have gone from the early stage straight to the peak of Divine Transformation—perhaps even higher. As for me, the one-time release would also increase my cultivation massively—a win-win situation.
But you couldn’t wait. Worse, you chose to betray me. So, in your stead, another man will have to enjoy the fruit of my labor. I sincerely hope that you will enjoy the show—for I’ve been training to perform my role to perfection, and crown the new king…with an immemorable celebration.”