'Why does this conclusion…not feel right.' Perhaps it was the sight of his divine lord spurting mortal fluid on the Lord-Regent's face. Perhaps it was the ease with which Xinzi indulged in these mortal vices. Or perhaps the eyes that shifted between friendly and sinister, from one second to the next, just made him feel ill-at-ease. But as Xinzi vanished with Yuemi, Hengye Jie felt a crippling sense of foreboding creep over his back. His eyes narrowed at where the two previously stood. Not long after they left, Xinzi returned—standing right at that spot.
"Greatest One, your servant was late and let you suffer in vain." Shoving his doubts to the side, Hengye Jie fell to his knees, kowtowing at Xinzi. All retired elders did the same, and the great elder followed suit. Should any bystander see 12 Immortal Emperors and one Great Principle realm ancient kowtowing so willingly, they'd likely bang their head against a wall, then ask the sky why it drove them insane. Xinzi didn't care. He never did. Worse, the more willing these people were to abandon their pride before him, the less he trusted them.
'None of the Immortals of the Hengye clan can be trusted. Their devotion to the Thousand-Faced God has been ingrained for so long that no one can break the spell. At his peak, these same people sang the old man's praise, bowing and striving to fulfill any of his needs so he'd lift them all to the Heavens they so desperately aspire to. But at the slightest sign of rebellion, did they not all turn their back on him? If they can do it to the Hengye Wuxin that was born among them and brought them all they enjoy now, they can do it to me.' Each time he saw these grand shows of reverence, these were the words that popped up in Xinzi's mind. Hengye Jie and Hengye Mochen didn't hesitate to use the backlash that Qingxin suffered from his Holy Path's destruction to assault him and ruin his cultivation base.
For one, his only son. For the other, his most dazzling grandson. Yet not one bit of hesitation crossed their minds. Even as Yuemi made Qingxin watch his wife and infant son's gruesome deaths, they didn't intervene.
Xinzi didn't doubt his ability to seduce or corrupt those he wanted by his side, but even he didn't dare to try and take over the Hengye clan—at least not the Immortals. Still, this wouldn't stop him from milking them of all their worth.
"Supreme elder, please accept my apology," Xinzi said and dropped on his knees. His eyes turned red, and our monk's lips curled into a self-mocking smile.
"Greatest One, what are you doing? Your servant cannot accept this!" Alarmed, Hengye Jie raised his head, and his hands jerked forth, refusing to let Xinzi kowtow. Xinzi didn't care and placed his forehead on the ground—kowtowing at the 13 elders.
"No. If I cannot even fulfill the responsibilities of God-Monarch of this branch clan, how can I live up to the title of Greatest One? To think that…because of my incompetence, you were forced out of torpor…I'm…so sorry."
Hengye Jie had one fear. As demented as Yuemi was, she couldn't go so far as to molest, beat and outright threaten to harm the Greatest One of the Night Pantheon without provocation. Perhaps, just perhaps, their lord manipulated the scenario, driving Yuemi into self-destruction. But as he watched Xinzi humble himself before mere branch clan servants, Hengye Jie realized that…even if his doubts were true, the bitch deserved it!
How dare she step on his lord's dignity and push him to this extent?! If not for her connection to their Divine Ancestor, he'd behead the mortal shell and extinguish the Divine Soul! If even Hengye Jie felt this outraged, one could imagine the thoughts racing through the 12 other elders' minds.
"No! Greatest One, I've watched firsthand all the difficulties that this madwoman put you through. Going back to when you first took possession of your mortal shell, all the things that the madwoman made you experience…make me seethe with rage and thirst for her execution! Still, you stayed composed, and fulfilled your obligations to the best of your abilities! Hengye Yuemi was holding you, and the entirety of this branch back! Now that she's gone, both the Ancestral Task and recovery of the Record will go smoothly." Hengye Mochen went off. His hands trembling at the recollection of events he wished didn't exist.
Xinzi's demon heart listened to the emotions and desires bubbling in the 13 elders' chests. Inwardly, he sneered, but maintaining the solemn look, our monk lifted himself into a straight kneeling pose, and with his hands on his thighs, said:
"Twelve years. Give me an extra twelve years, and I will bring the records back. Afterward, I will go through my Divine Consecration and complete the Ancestral Task. Then, we will destroy the Taiyang clan and ascend to Heaven."
Actions spoke louder than words, but words still needed to be said so the people wouldn't let doubts grow and fester in their minds. Xinzi had to give the old fogeys a clear deadline so they wouldn't start paying close attention to what went on in Dongli.
"Very well. Greatest One, your servant will not survive his next tribulation. The Heaven-Avoiding Coffins can at best delay it for a century. If I spend too much time outside, it can fall at any time, ending your servant's existence. Your Servant isn't afraid of death, but hopes that before that day, he can see the glory of the Celestial Paradise…and Night Pantheon! Greatest One, please fulfill your servant's bold wish!" Anticipating that Hengye Jie would slam his head against the ground, Xinzi reached out, grabbing the supreme elder's shoulders and lifting him up.
"Rest assured, supreme elder. I will personally lead you all through Heaven's Gates," Xinzi said with a warm, soothing smile. And in that instant, none of the 13 old monsters on the scene doubted his words.
…
Subsequently, the retired elders returned to their coffins, leaving Xinzi and Hengye Mochen to take care of the Evernight Palace. "Great elder, I'm considering key changes to this grand palace's structure. We will soon be discussing important decrees, please wait for my summon."
"As you command, Greatest One!" Following this brief exchange, Xinzi picked up the flood dragon maid whose cultivation base he'd stored, and returned to his chambers. Other maids stayed on their heels, entering the room with their hands clenching at their dresses.
Though in mortal ears, the term "slave" carried heinous connotations, for the people of the Endless Sea, there was no greater honor or cultivation opportunity than stepping into the God-Monarch's Night Slave Hall. The third God-Monarch proved this by building the first and last pretty boy harem of the Endless Sea. Said bluntly, each spot represented a chance at Immortality. Alas, the Hengye clan's Night Spirits dominated most of the relevant spots, only leaving the lowest ranks to the subordinate species. After all, unlike the three other major halls, the Night Slaves represented a direct connection to the reigning monarch. Only Night Spirits were qualified to occupy the highest ranks.
Though Yuemi's decree gave them an opportunity, the maids couldn't guarantee that they could capitalize on it.
"The Night Slave Hall will soon undergo key reformation—starting with the name. From now on, it is the Night Flower Court." Sitting on his bed, where Xiao Hu still lay unconscious, Xinzi stroked the flood dragon girl's hair, applying gentle pressure to wake her up. Her trembling eyes opened to Xinzi's face. The realization that she lay on his lap settled in, and her cheeks flushed red.
"G-greatest…"
"Shh…" With one index on the maid's lips, Xinzi silenced her, then placed his hand on her forehead. In his dantian, the seven-colored sea got to work, the Five Elements Transmutative Technique kicked in, waving the sea and elements to strip the impurities from the cultivation he'd harvested from the dragon maid.
Under the maids' widening eyes, Xinzi injected the cultivation back into the girl's dantian, making her go back to the peak of the Integration Realm. But thanks to the cleanup, her battle-power and the overall quality of her cultivation base reached brand-new heights.
"The Lord-Regent demanded harvesting, so I had no choice but to wrong you. Now that I am back in control, you will get back what you deserve, and more. Not only can I clean your Integration cultivation base, but as long as you're willing to cooperate, I can fix the entirety of your Dao Foundation—giving you a genuine shot at Immortality. The same goes for all of you, and those that follow me.
Outside, you can still call me Greatest One. But here, I am Abbot Xinzi of the Liberation Temple. If you're willing to embrace my faith and devote yourselves to my creed, I will shoulder all your dreams and hammer them into reality," Xinzi said and stretched his hands out. Radiant light erupted from his bones, the Five Elements Transmutative Technique kicked in, channeling the Divine Power to mend Xinzi's lingering injuries—one step at a time.
Above Chun Xu, above Qingxin, the Nine Paths of Yin and Yang and the opportunity to comprehend this Five Elements Transmutative Technique were the real reason why Xinzi focused his efforts on the White Immortal sect. With it to rely on, so long as he could gather enough energy resources, insane plans didn't exist, and helplessness would vanish from his existence.
He was a new brand of God, one in harmony with all elements, in control of nature, spirits and all their changes:
The Shaman God.