"Woof, woof!" In full fox-cub persona, the Mini Overlords waved their paws and barked at Xinzi, fired up by their newly given names. Chaotic energies leaked from their colorful fur, making our monk's eyebrows arc into a lopsided slope.
"Interesting. With a high enough cultivation level, my Mini Overlords would be able to kill Gods, Devils or Saints." To kill Divine Spirits and Demon Nobles was difficult, but entirely feasible. One would have to obliterate their Divine Souls or Demon Heart which, while the most resilient parts of their constitutions, could be destroyed with enough power. But for Gods, Devils and Saints, the situation was a lot more complex.
Destroy a God's Divine Soul, and with enough time and Divine Power accumulation, his Pantheon or Spark would bring him back to life. Destroy a Devil's Heart, and with enough time and Evil Qi accumulation, their Devil Crown or Infernal Affiliation would bring them back to life. Destroying the Divine Spark and Devil Crown lengthened the process, but ultimately, they'd return all the same. The only exceptions to these rules were Gods, Devils and Saints, who all possessed the ability to kill one another once and for all. The higher the entity's rank in their respective hierarchy, the easier God, Devil and Saint murder became.
In his Zhen-body, Xinzi too could kill them, but his case had always been an unusual one, and he never expected his progeny to carry that ability as well. Impressed, our monk rubbed the Mini Overlords' forehead, and collected the remains of their broken eggs.
Here, Xue Jingzhao woke up, glancing absentmindedly between Xinzi and the fox cubs. Though they could use their shapeshifting skills to become whatever they pleased, neither one of the Mini Overlords seemed to have a predetermined gender. Xinzi didn't care, and shifted his attention back to Xue Jingzhao.
"Fantastic job, Jingzhao. You can now return to the Solar Palace and give Taiyang Yuan my greetings. The Hengye clan accepts his invitation, and will be present on the next Immortal Ascension Grand Prix," Xinzi said, but fearing that she'd been discarded already, Jingzhao trembled, her face twisted by fear and apprehension.
"Don't worry, our 'cooperation' carries on. Like I've said before, you will be my mouth, eyes and ears in the Solar Palace. Taiyang Yuan will tolerate it because in his current position, nurturing a friendly relationship with the Hengye clan is more important than his pride as a Monarch. As for the Demon Slaying Hall, so long as it does its demon slaying job, he doesn't care.
More importantly, his focus right now is on his own strength and cultivation growth, he can't afford to disperse himself. The Taiyang elders, on the other end, will give you more trouble. You've spent too much time here for them to not suspect the nature of our relationship. Your extreme cultivation leap also doesn't help. Most Sun Spirits value their pride and honor above all else, so once they realize that you've devoted your body to me, they'll try to execute you—either openly, or in the shadows." Here Xinzi paused, watching the changes in Xue Jingzhao's mood.
As expected, she recoiled in terror, fully aware that left alone in the Solar Palace, she couldn't survive the Taiyang elders' wrath.
"That being the case, you need to make an overwhelming show of force. Your four-tribulation Human Immortal cultivation base isn't enough to resist Immortals of the Taiyang clan. But with this artifact, aggrieved or not, they will still have to bow." Xinzi snapped his fingers, summoning a pair of golden hoops that rippled with Immortal Qi of such crushing depth that, even with her current cultivation base, Jingzhao felt minuscule in comparison.
"Y-yes, master." Xinzi used the term "cooperation," but by now, Jingzhao knew were she stood. Their relationship was one of master and servant, cemented by benefits only Xinzi could provide, not a partnership of any kind.
"If I'm not mistaken, Taiyang Yuan will use you as an excuse to dismiss his other consorts and, at the same time, flatter my ego. In that scenario, you will have access to more resources as well—enough to consolidate your current cultivation. The next time we meet, we will discuss your Earth Immortal breakthrough. Until then…" Xinzi waved his left hand, conjuring a violet vortex that opened at Jingzhao's back.
"Enjoy your new cultivation base." Jingzhao had no time to comment or say her farewells. The vortex sucked her in, sending her out of Night Flower City.
"Woof, woof, woof!" The Mini Overlords barked in contentment, not only indifferent to their mother's abrupt departure but also eager for the adventures they were about to embark on. Their emotions aligned with Xinzi's, enabling the two sides to stand in perfect harmony.
"Come little fellows, it's time to meet your mums," Xinzi said and sent a succession of mental messages to the Night Flowers for one last gathering before leaving the Evernight Palace—returning to Yanzhou.
…
Meanwhile, in the White Immortal Sect, restlessness had become the norm. The disappearance of the sect's top talents, battle between Guang Fanghu and Jingzhao, and Lord Hanxing's irresistible momentum ensured that, from outer disciples to the top-ranking elders, all stood on their toes. Only one man seemed immune to the anxiety rattling the White Immortal Sect's folks, the main cause of all this tumult: Lord Hanxing.
Well, on the surface at least.
In his cultivation cave, the great elder sat crossed-legged, floating above a translucent Spiritual Spring. Tyrannical Spiritual Qi flowed out of his dantian, and the closer one stood to him, the purer and more harmonious the air seemed to be.
The Ziyun Puppet stood nearby, acting as Hanxing's Dao Protector. The White Immortal Sect might not have anyone bold enough to attempt to murder him during a cultivation session, but Hanxing was never one to take unnecessary risks. Following his Divine Transformation breakthrough, his gray hair returned to black, his skin regained the luster of youth, and he went from a wrinkled old man in his sixties or seventies back to someone in his mid-thirties.
Interestingly, as soon as he broke through to Divine Transformation, the Ziyun Puppet broke through as well, becoming his private heaven-grade Guardian.
"Hehehe, the Golden Lotus does deserve its title of Absolute Saint. To think that my cultivation base, talent and foundation could all make such incredible progress. Perhaps I should consider grooming another sacrifice for more benefits," Hanxing's meditation ended, and his eyes opened. The Immortal Rhythm accelerated his breakthrough, but the great elder couldn't forget that most of the benefits he enjoyed now stemmed from the Golden Lotus' blessings. So, while the loss of Xiao Hu annoyed him, Hanxing had already started to consider potential replacements.
Following the Lotus' blessing, it seemed that the weaves of fate aligned for his sake, with benefits greeting him in all corners. Even the Ziyun Puppet, also created by the Golden Lotus through the sacrifice of Lady Ziyun, could become Hanxing's perfect dual cauldron if he so desired it, enabling him to cultivate the Yin-Yang Sword Array to levels he didn't think possible till now—all while giving his cultivation speed an extreme and drawback-free boost.
However, for reasons he couldn't comprehend, Hanxing couldn't bear the thought of dual cultivating with the Ziyun Puppet, a mirror image of his wife in her younger days, with beauty and benefits tailored to him.
In fact, he'd tried to destroy her several times already, but every blow bounced off her flesh, not even leaving a scratch on her light-purple dress. Realizing that the Golden Lotus had given the puppet some form of immortality, Hanxing first tried to keep her far away from him.
But whenever he left her out of his reach, crushing anxiety weighed on his heart, disturbing any attempt at cultivation. Once she stood in his vicinity, however, and her gentle lavender eyes locked on him, his heart grew restless as well—the only difference being that her flesh released a floral scent that pacified all of Hanxing's anxiety. With no other choice, Hanxing reluctantly kept her as a Dao Protector, but allowed absolutely no eye contact.
As if this wasn't enough, the puppet oozed a contradictory mix of monastic virtue and sex appeal, kindling the great elder's primal needs. At that point, Hanxing had to admit that, if there was one little snag to his meteoric rise, it was this puppet. But with all the time spent in secluded cultivation, although he'd yet to resume eye contact, he'd started to get accustomed to her presence, and perhaps, given enough time, would consummate the Lotus' "gift."
Yes…everything was going smoothly. Fate was now on his side, he just needed time.
Alas, Hanxing failed to realize that fate is an unpredictable mistress, only giving men narrow windows to enjoy her gifts.
At this time, loud earthquakes shook the White Immortal Sect. Secluded experts awoke from their trances, disciples and elders alike dropped their various tasks, and all cast their Spiritual Senses throughout the sect, seeking the source of this disturbance.
'Great elder! Great elder! The sect is under…attack!' A cluster of flustered mental messages filled Hanxing's mind, twisting his face into a frown.
