'What a shameless scoundrel. He even has the nerves to call these seven days of debauchery a Lianist education? Based on what precepts? The Black Lotus Temple's? Never mind. The more debauched, the easier they are to control. I must take advantage of this lustful nature to imprint myself in his mind.'
"Oh Divine Lord, Your Humble Servant greets you!" Unaware that Xinzi had access to all her thoughts, Xue Jingzhao settled on her attack plan, and without delay dropped on her knees—compressing her chest so her bountiful cleavage would pop out of her dress. Concealed under the colorful clouds, Xinzi smiled at the scene—then shut his eyes close, entering a semi-trance.
"Mhm. Servant? As a Noble Consort of Taiyang Yuan, how can you refer to yourself as 'servant' before My Divine Self? You're throwing away your monarch's face and reducing the Sun's prestige. Good, please carry on."
"Huh?" Baffled by Xinzi's words, Xue Jingzhao blinked, not knowing how to proceed. On the surface, this God-Monarch admonished her, but in the same breath, he urged her to continue. Did he already see through her tricks, or just find her conduct amusing?
'I can't tell what he's thinking. If only he'd reveal his face!' Inwardly, Xue Jingzhao gnawed her teeth. She didn't know what cultivation base the man she faced possessed, and didn't dare to use her Spiritual Sense to look past the colorful clouds. If she did, she died. Taiyang Yuan himself wouldn't care to intercede, for throughout the Great Desolation World there was no greater offense than insulting a God's dignity.
A part of her wondered if Xinzi didn't use this cloud trick to destroy her composure. Little did she know that our monk's Qi Sea overflowed with Yin Qi—Yin Qi that he now digested to condense his Spiritual Cave, before making his cultivation base rise exponentially.
"Your Divine Majesty represents the Night Pantheon in this mortal world. Though I serve the August Divinity, I'm still but an Ice Spirit—as such, before a deity of your caliber, groveling is my only choice."
"Just groveling? What a bore. But I understand. The Divine Ancestor of the Ice Pantheon is a Sovereign God—not a Primeval. That being the case, your pantheon isn't quite self-sufficient, so while you rank higher than Water Spirits and the like, in the divine hierarchy, you're still worms. A worm should have a worm's self-esteem. Groveling does fit you best."
"You!" The nonchalant tone that Xinzi spoke these insidious words with brought down the mask of humility that Xue Jingzhao put forth. Her stomach churned, her eyes turned red, and she leaped to her feet. But barely had her outburst kicked off that formless pressure dropped from the palace's walls, sending her knees right back on the ground.
"Oh? Is that animosity that I feel? Careful, beautiful. Night Flower City stands in a dimension of its own, and everything here obeys my will. I only need a thought to execute you. It would be a shame if I wished your death by accident," Xinzi said, and Xue Jingzhao broke into cold sweat.
"Ugh!" Oppressed by the Consummation Palace's arrays, the Noble Consort spurted blood. This time, however, she didn't dare to show the slightest hint of complaint. Here, Xue Jingzhao realized how grossly she'd overestimated herself. No matter how depraved, a God is still a God. To think that she could use a few hussy tricks to control him was nothing short of lunacy. Worse, Xue Jingzhao had the sensation that Xinzi could read through her like an open book, enabling him to see all the emotions and desires she concealed. But how could it be? Terror took over, and her Dao Heart shook uncontrollably.
"Now that we've established the basis of this relationship, let's start over. My Divine Self's time is precious, and playing games with women I have no interest in doesn't amuse me. You are Taiyang Yuan's Noble Consort. That status adds some appeal, but for Taiyang Yuan to send you to me can only mean two things:
One, he's desperate to show good will.
Two, he doesn't care for your fate.
In fact, now that I think about it, both could be true. And if Taiyang Yuan doesn't care about you, why should I?
"Xue Jingzhao, the Great Betrayer, as the elders like to call you. Though Qiu Meng only had eyes for your big sister, he treated you like his own family. Otherwise, you would have never reached Supreme Clarity so fast. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been privy to his greatest secret. But just because he loved your sister, and not you, you sold him out to Taiyang Yuan. It's not even that you were in love with him. No, the simple fact that someone of his level would treasure your big sister over you drove you insane. You never once stopped to consider that, once this secret spread, the entire Xue clan was at risk of extermination."
"Nonsense! The Xue clan just had to follow my lead and pledge itself to Taiyang Yuan. Half were ready to do so—more following my sister's death! It was Xue Yuanshao who slaughtered all that were willing to compromise, turned them into cultivation pills, and dragged the remaining Xue clansmen to wage a pointless war against the Central Domain! The fall of the Xue clan...has nothing to do with me, and I'm still paying for it today!" Jingzhao snapped. As far as she was concerned, her brother and sister cost her far too much. With the Xue clan, she'd have stayed in control of the Northern Continent. Add to that the Demon Slaying Hall that she now possessed, and her status in the Taiyang clan would be entirely different. At the very least, she'd be a Human Immortal by now!
"Interesting. So you care more about what the clan could have offered you than the extermination they suffered. Fine. Then what about the Great Desolation War? You convinced Qiu Meng's core disciple, the Eastern Continent's Nameless Sword Emperor, to join your betrayal and destabilize the Celestial Hall's defensive formations. Taiyang Yuan killed Qiu Meng and destroyed it all. The Taiyang elders slew Xue Yuanshao, then the four nuns opened a portal to the Infernal Paradise, plunging the entire world into misery. Impressive."
"They just had to suck it up! All that chaos for what? In the end, did they still not lose? Taiyang Yuan promised me what Qiu Meng couldn't give: an Immortal Destiny! No matter how insolent, you Divine Spirits are all born with heaven on your side—destined to Immortality! For you, it is the starting point, for us, it is the altitude we desperately chase across tens of thousands of years! A direct connection to a deity is by itself an Immortal Destiny, so why would I not trade that secret to join Taiyang Yuan?
From birth, my sister had it all. Peerless talent, unrivaled looks and the adoration of the world! Xue Yuanshao rejected the position of Crown Prince so she could become the first female emperor in the history of the Four Continents! Why?!
Her eunuch husband became the first Immortal produced by the four continents since the Venerable Tongtian—then later awakens an immemorial lineage, and I have to accept it? Why?!
It is not fair! The world isn't fair! So I will make it fair for me!" Unbeknown to Xue Jingzhao, dark tendrils formed in her soul. Xinzi's words flayed her mind, her skin flushed from rage, and reason left the chat.
"Interesting. Taiyang Yuan probably despises you. To select his Crown Princess, Taiyang Yuan only considered character, and destroyed his cultivation base so he could see who—among all the women of the Taiyang clan, would still stand by him. Only one did, and with her loving support, he cultivated all the way back to the peak. How could such a man not look down on you?" Xinzi rhetorically asked, and baffled by the words, Xue Jingzhao reeled back. Her Dao Heart wavered still, and her soul grew chaotic.
"Truth be told, Taiyang Yuan is another pitiful person. He had the talent to at least become a strong True God. If not for Hengye Yuemi derailing his Divine Consecration, his current achievements wouldn't be this low."
"You...also know that?" The Noble Consort's jaw sank. Xinzi knew too much—almost as if he'd watched these events from an omniscient point of view. She wasn't incorrect.
"Of course. Most believe that Hengye Wuxin derailed Taiyang Yuan's Divine Consecration, and Yuemi's identity reveal put the final nail in the coffin. That is inaccurate. Taiyang Yuan had already figured out that his Crown Princess was dead. Divine Spirits cannot form Heart Demons, yet that blow was enough to ruin his Dao Heart.
As you should know, past Dao Revelation, any weakness in your Dao Heart puts your entire cultivation base—and even life—at risk. Thankfully for him, he managed to rebuild his Dao Heart on the flames of hatred. Hatred for Yuemi, Wuxin and the Eternal Night Dynasty.
That hatred knows absolutely no limit, and yet he manages to keep it all suppressed, conceals his real cultivation base, and even sends his consort as an emissary. Taiyang Yuan scares me. I really want to kill him. But I can't. For that I'd have to dispatch the retired elders and trigger the second Great Desolation War. Too much, too soon," Xinzi said, and his tone grew distant. Needless to say, our monk didn't fear Taiyang Yuan, but he did fear what he could do to the current Qingxin. The realities of ten-thousand years ago no longer applied. Should Taiyang Yuan learn what happened to Qingxin and find his location, even Xinzi couldn't save his master from destruction.
This fear was the main reason why our monk was so terrified of their identities spreading.
"But thankfully, there are other ways to bring a castle down. If you can't start with the top, go straight for the base, aim at the foundation, and let it all unravel. Taiyang Yuan made a grave mistake by sending you to me.. You will become the pebble that brings the castle down."
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