'Let's not even mention the purity of his Blood Energy, what kind of Yang Qi is this? Demonic cultivation alone can't possibly achieve this, right? Is it due to the Golden Immortal Relic?' Overwhelmed by the breathtaking levels of Yang Qi that billowed out of Xinzi's hulking frame, Tieshan floundered.
With centuries of experience at her back, the Cow Demoness had naturally seen all manners of dual cultivators, many of whom tried to take advantage of her through yin-yang techniques. Death or castration was the usual result. But in this case, Tieshan felt outclassed, outfoxed and outgunned.
In her tallest aspect, she had absolutely no method to oppose Xinzi, and if she shifted to her stronger aspects, then the lust she kept suppressed would rise exponentially, driving her into Xinzi's arms.
The matchup didn't favor her, and she knew it. But the Cow Demoness would never submit to superior strength. The more oppressed she felt, the less willing she was to bow. Yet, at the same, Xinzi's Yang Qi brought Tieshan an odd sense of familiarity—worse—a craving for something, someone that the whims of fate bound her to.
Her dead father aside, there was no one that Tieshan disliked more than that person. She had never met him, yet even the Demon Noble that routinely tried to corrupt and conquer her couldn't trigger her the way that that person did.
The more the masked outsider reminded her of that person, the more determined Tieshan was to oppose him. Xinzi could have altered his energy signature to prevent Tieshan from recognizing his Yang Qi, but he didn't want to for he knew that what she saw in his yang would stoke the flames of hatred and desire simultaneously.
"It's a pity that you signed a Heart Demon Pledge because, with a Dao Heart of such quality, you could have achieved great things. Alas, that pact tied your future achievements to your demonic patron's goodwill. If not out of fear of losing all control over your psyche due to the pact you signed, you'd have broken through to Dao Revelation already," Xinzi spoke facts. If in the Celestial Paradise, only Gods and Xinzi could give blessings, then in the Infernal Paradise, even the lowest of demons had the means to form a pact.
What they could offer depended on their resources, cultivation and demon heart. But typically, all pacts went through a Heart Demon Pledge, a tool that enabled demons to not only guarantee that their contractor would stick to the arrangement, but also control their future through the Heart Demon they generated.
Heart Demons were always a problem. But starting with Dao Revelation, it became a matter of life or death. Unless the demonic patron assisted their contractor in future breakthroughs, Dao Revelation would be the death of them.
Of course, as a demoness, Tieshan wouldn't die from her Heart Demon. But it could still alter her in unexpected ways, driving her towards irreparable consequences.
"What do you mean by...the price of Niu Yan's loyalty?" Tieshan shifted the topic, her heart thumping at Xinzi's previous words. Although Tieshan did her best to advise him, due to the urgency of the situation, she couldn't afford to pay too much attention to the Bull Demon Prince's thoughts.
But as she faced Xinzi, she realized how badly she'd underestimated the problem. When even she had trouble resisting this masked reverend's words, how well could Niu Yan fare?
Tieshan's words renewed the smile on Xinzi's face. Our monk stepped forward, but with each step that he took towards her, the Cow Demoness stepped back. It wasn't long before her back hit the wall. Xinzi trapped her between his arms, his billowing Yang Qi rattling her senses as he leaned towards her ear.
"So you do want to see. Careful, you cannot unsee what I'm about to show you. And Tieshan, I'm afraid your betrothed has more wisdom than you give him credit for," Xinzi whispered in Tieshan's ears, making the Cow Demoness' cheeks flush in a blend of rage and heat.
"Stop playing games. What have you done to Niu Yan?!"
"You're wronging me. I wouldn't invite you here for some sneak attack. In any case, you've sent avatars, not the true bodies, so what I could I possibly do to him—or you for that matter?" Xinzi said and leaned back, his eyes peering into Tieshan's from within the goat mask.
"No. All that happens here...is consensual—the product of the emotions and desires you both keep bottled up," Xinzi said and snapped his fingers, summoning a silver transmission mirror that gave Tieshan a direct view into the negotiations taking place in the adjacent room. There, a Xinzi avatar sat on a floating golden lotus throne, surrounded by a squad of scantily clad beauties that shamelessly fawned over him.
The Bull Demon Prince kneeled on the ground, his face twisted by lustful thirst, rage and humiliation.
"Niu Yan, the Bull Demon Prince. Why prince though? I'm confused. Did you betray and take down the previous king just so you could become a prince?" Xinzi rhetorically asked.
"Tieshan and I are the joint rulers of the Celestial Farm. Only after going through our official wedding can we truly become king and queen of the Bull Demon clan." The Bull Demon Prince tried to keep his cool. He wasn't stupid enough to think that Xinzi wouldn't try to drive a wedge between Tieshan and him. If not to drive a wedge, why would Xinzi have Tieshan meet the true body whereas he made the Bull Demon Prince meet an avatar?
But so what if the Bull Demon Prince knew? He couldn't escape from Xinzi's palm.
"I understand that having you meet an avatar in a lesser room when Tieshan is facing the true body in his study, gives the impression that I'm looking down on you—or that I recognize Tieshan as your superior. However, this isn't the case. I made you meet my avatar instead of the true body to lower Tieshan's guard, not yours. Niu Yang, you are and were always my target," Xinzi said, making Niu Yan's eyes narrow at him.
"Tieshan is stubborn, self-imbued, and unable to see the big picture. Her hatred of men runs so deep that she feels the need to avenge her mother and herself in all the males that try to woo her. Frankly, I don't think I can reach an acceptable conclusion with her. You, Niu Yan, are no different. And unlike what Tieshan seems to think, you possess more leverage than she does.
It is you, not Tieshan, who owns the High Command Seal. Although Tieshan has a Spatial Rift that connects her to her outsider faction, you only had to wait for one of her trips to blow up the rift and regain absolute control over the Celestial Farm. But you never did. Instead, you served Tieshan like a faithful dog."
"I am not a d—" The Bull Demon Prince rose to his feet, eager to protest Xinzi's words. Alas, our monk's aura pinned him down—suppressing the attempt.
"Like a faithful dog. So first, Niu Yan, I have to make sure we are on the same page. Are you content being Princess Tieshan's lapdog? If you are, I have nothing to offer you," Xinzi said, and instantly, Niu Yan's eyes turned red.
"No...I am not! Not content, not willing! I can't take this anymore!"
