The Face-Erasing Whip, a Divine Armament bestowed upon Yuemi by Yongye so she could keep control of her only begotten son. The whip scaled to match the one it faced and, from time immemorial, had sapped the rebellious tendencies that swelled in Yongye's boldest subjects—forcing them to either lose their individuality or surrender to the will of their divine master.
As the main face of the Thousand-Faced God, Yongye had dominated the Celestial Paradise for eons, making countless deities shiver as they considered the possibility that one of the Thousand Faces could be hiding right beside them. Some even wondered if, unbeknown to them, they were not faces kept dormant so that Yongye could manipulate all facets of heaven and earth. The mystic and irresistible power paired so well that, nowadays, the whip didn't have much use. In fact, if not for Qingxin, Yongye would have likely never used it again.
Breaking into particles of divine light, Xinzi flew back into his Xinzi-body, shoved Yuemi to the side, and kneeled at the ancestral tablet. There he folded his arms and closed his eyes.
"Oh? I like the confidence. But Zhen'er, defiance oozes from your body. I'm worried that all this time spent among insects has made your head balloon into a cluster of mistakes. Let's straighten that up, shall we?" Yuemi said, and whip in hand, ambled at Xinzi.
The overwhelming Divine Power in Xinzi's Heaven-Trampling Dao Bones forced even Yuemi's Spiritual Senses to bounce back. So far, the Lord-Regent couldn't tell whether or not Xinzi's new bones and divine power were detrimental to Yongye's plans, but once the whip struck, she'd know. Her hands trembled around the handle, her cheeks twitched, and as she brought the whip closer to Xinzi's back, the laughing and weeping from the bleached faces intensified, pairing with the cracking lightning to paint a nightmarish picture.
This wasn't the first time that Xinzi had tasted the Face-Erasing Whip, so he didn't care.
"As you know, your chains do not merely exist so your Divine Mother can control you. Another reason is that, before you cross the Divine Consecration Ladder and unlock your godhood, you cannot control the obscene level of Divine Power you were born with and would ruin far too many. The tragedy caused by your birth is the best example of this. Why did the first lock break?" Yuemi asked and raised the whip.
"A demonic entity with clear ties to the devils of the Infernal Realm tried to take over my body and soul to consume Heaven's Grace by proxy, forcing the lock to activate in self-defense," Xinzi said, and the whip fell on his back, sending jolts of black lightning to tear through his monastic robes and lacerate his flesh. The Heaven-Trampling Dao Bones kicked, unleashing uncompromising power that slammed into the whip, forcing it to bounce back—Yuemi's eyes narrowed instantly.
The whip, however, didn't react to Xinzi's Divine Power, proof that Yongye tolerated these mystical Dao Bones. That being the case, Yuemi shouldn't care, but the rejection she felt knifed her demented heart. Her teeth cackled, her breathing grew ragged, with disturbing hissing sounds chiming in occasionally.
"Why was your soul marked by Inverse Dao Seals?"
"The locks only breaks when my Divine Soul is threatened. The demonic entity had already gotten control of my body and started the devouring process. Thankfully, it also tried to pervert my soul, forcing open the first lock, and giving me the opportunity to fight back. Heaven doesn't care that I consumed the grace unwillingly and slammed the Inverse Dao Seals on me regardless. At that point, i had no reason to hold back. So, I consumed what remained to give my mortal body an extra source of Divine Power, suppress the Evil Qi, and break the demonic entity with overwhelming Divine Power—it fled subsequently. I couldn't expect that the grace would give birth to these strange bones." Xinzi answered, and again Yuemi struck. As before, our monk's Divine Power stood in the way—challenging the whip's might.
Shifting grimaces took over Yuemi's face, and for a second, her grip loosened.
"What about the girl?"
"She's the chosen that the grace stemmed from. Our repeated clashes broke her destiny, revealing the Grace to both the demonic entity and I."
A succession of questions followed. Xinzi met each one with a flawless answer—mixing facts with decoys to distract from any assumption of infernal collusion. So long as Yuemi couldn't figure out that Xinzi cultivated demonic powers from his own volition, everything was fine.
The Lord-Regent had investigated Dongli and located all the fresh traces of demonic appearance. Xinzi's answers matched her discoveries. Better, she knew that after their confrontation, the demon carried out other attacks and turned Yanzhou Province upside down. Still…doubts lingering in Yuemi's mind.
Yes, the whip detected no lies, but was Xinzi not capable enough to set up any scenario that he wanted to sell? Who was to say that he didn't collude with the Devils of the Infernal Realm to destroy Yongye's chains and achieve true freedom? That would explain why Devils took the initiative to lock down all divination attempts in the Great Desolation World.
"Did you collude with the Lords of Hell?"
"Imbecile. Of course, I didn't." Xinzi's direct reply hit Yuemi like a battering ram, and she reeled back, too dazed to strike. Rage then took over, and the 17th whip strike fell on Xinzi's back. By now, even the bones had started to show weakness, making each subsequent strike a rising challenge.
"Why is the only person that can corroborate your story missing key parts of her memory?"
"I didn't expect that I'd have to justify myself to worms, and removed them to prevent my divine identity from leaking needlessly."
"Oh, Zhen'er, sometimes you make me hate to love you. Good. Very good. This is the 18th strike. If you can take it, it means that even with this mortal body, you can cross 18 steps of the Divine Consecration Ladder and become a True God. Of course, for you, stopping there would be tragic. Hengye Wuxin crossed 41 and became the first High God in the last 100,000 years. You should at least cross 81 and become a Sovereign God. Only then can you live up to your Divine Mother's expectations," Yuemi said and raised her whip for the final strike. By now, Xinzi's back had become a charred mess, but not one whimper of pain escaped his lips. Like a stoic rock facing tidal waves, his back stood straight—unbowed, unbent, unbroken.
The final strike tore through the air, with nerve-racking cracking sounds booming throughout the room. Xinzi's Dao Bones went on full display, with blinding light surging to face the blow. It struck, tearing and burning through the charred flesh to slam into the bones once more. Searing pain coursed through Xinzi, but again, he didn't flinch.
"Done?" Xinzi rhetorically asked. Yuemi lost her grip, and the Face-Erasing Whip fell from her hand.
"Good. Now, and for the duration of my stay, I'm taking my better shell back. I'm also regaining control of the administrative affairs. After all, that's all part of my learning process. Correct?"
"Y-yes…" Yuemi stuttered the words, and as Xinzi stood up, her heart raced in her chest. Once more, the Divine Soul leaped out of the body—this time, flying toward the chained orb where Xinzi's true mortal shell lay. Our monk pushed one hand against the orb, and it broke down, enabling him to merge his soul with this matchless body. The shadow of the Thousand-Faced God stirred as Xinzi returned into its cradle, and his eyes opened—shining with irresistible splendor.
In that instant, the Evernight Palace shook. Underneath, the archipelagos suffered wild tremors, with tidal waves rising all across the Endless Sea. From Sea Beasts to underwater kingdoms, all aimed their attention at the Evernight Palace, wondering if an Immortal of the Hengye clan had made a major breakthrough.
Gliding down the air, Xinzi landed before Yuemi. But with each step that he took towards her, the Lord-Regent backpedaled.
"Oh, Zhen'er, don't get angry. I'm just doing my mommy jo—ugh!" Yuemi didn't have a chance to finish her words that Xinzi's right hand jerked forth, choking her while simultaneously hoisting her up the air. Lifted like a flyweight, Yuemi couldn't muster the strength to resist. Limitless blood energy sank the room in red, erupting alongside tyrannical divine power as Xinzi tilted his head, peering into the Lord-Regent's eyes.
"You are playing a dangerous game. The only thing that Yongye cares about is my obedience. You are a pawn she uses to test how willing and able I am to endure the hardships and indignities that she decides to put me through. What do you think that she'd do if I wrenched your head off your neck? What about destroying you completely?
Careful…I might just kill you in a spur of rage, then bear the consequences for the offense," Xinzi said, and his hand tightened around Yuemi's neck.
"Ugh…no…you're too clever for that. You won't compromise yourself for someone you despise. In this body, you are perfection and perfection has no need for pointless moves—especially not with our Divine Ancestor's shadow right at your back. That said, I can help you vent your frustration.
Go ahead Zhen'er. Choke me! Slap me! The whip is right there, abuse me! I want to feel you battering every inch of my body. Go…do it! I'll only love you more for it.." The mourning veil fell from Yuemi's face, revealing a face divine perfection tarnished only by the rabid madness apparent in her jet-black eyes.