It's the unaccountable part that's a problem, though pretty much any set of lawgivers will eventually try to make themselves unaccountable if they're not already. That's just baked into reality itself. Instrumental Convergence. Becoming unaccountable is too useful as an instrumental goal for pretty much any terminal goal, since it short-circuits a great many other instrumental goals.
BarbatosLupus008
Certified Not Killer Giant Robot
- Location
- Behind You
Per Xianxia rules if they wanted to be people they shouldn't have lost. They did so their "people" privileges are revoked!
Simple as.
- Pronouns
- He/His/etc
If you're a Demonic cultivator and can't defeat an Orthodox cultivator then what was even the point? You're supposed to acquire great power through sin and transgression, not honestly-kinda-mediocre power through sin and transgression.
By killing you now they just saved you from future embarrasment.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
I mean, give the devil his due, I think that's overstating it.
You stop counting as a 'person' with a right to exist for karmic purposes (read: the score the machinery of heaven chooses to award you) as soon as you become a 'demonic' cultivator. Regardless of whether or not you're winning at it.
Frankly, I think this does have a certain ironic truth to it.
- Pronouns
- He/His/etc
If you win hard enough you get to Attack And Dethrone God and now karma answers to you rather than the other way around. So winning vs losing is a very important distinction.
Pop quiz, did you just describe the xianxia setting or real life pre-modern imperial China?
Answer: Of course both. Just as it's almost impossible to get away from Christian assumptions in any European-derived fantasy, there's stuff deep-baked into xianxia. Even here where we're reading an english story only based on chinese xianxia stories.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
I mean, I considered that to go without saying.
Chapter 29: Snake Demon
ninjastar
(Verified Taoist Immortal)
- Location
- Your mom's house
Transmigrated back into the body of her child self, can the mighty Celestial Bing Meilu survive in a Xianxia world all the while staving off the advances of arrogant young masters and wannabe protagonists alike?
Why is life so hard for the Icy Beauty?
Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Chapter 29: Snake Demon
---
There were four main disciple factions in 70th Port Snake. The Blackheart Faction, the Liyang Faction, the Rampage Faction, and the Tang Faction. Each of these was effectively backed by one of the port's four Nascent Soul Commodores, the equivalent of an Outer Elder in the Moon Crying Swan Palace. 3rd Division Commander Ji Tianfang was not far from the Saint Realm. When he began his ascension, he would be promoted to Strike Force Commander, leaving the position of 3rd Division Commander open for the taking. Whomever of the four Commodores was selected for the position would receive a huge increase in resources, more than enough to escape Nascent Soul and reach the Transcending Impurity Realm.
As such, competition between the four groups was fierce, as they sought to acquire status and power for their faction. There were the formal annual faction contests, and countless informal power struggles and secret battles. If asked, most would say that new disciples should stay well out of the factional warfare. It was simply too dangerous for Qi Condensation newbies, or even those in the lower levels of Foundation Establishment. However, Bing Meilu planned to throw herself into the deep end of the conflict.
Why? Simple: Power and resources. Conflict necessitated risk, but those who were victoriously reaped the rewards.
"The question is simply which golden thigh to hug," the girl pondered.
There were effectively two options. The former Crimson Dragons had been allied with the Rampage Faction. Therefore no one would find it strange if 'Bing Meilu's Faithful Slaves' Faction, their successor, simply continued such a relationship. The other option was the Blackheart Faction, which was currently the most powerful of the four.
'I'll stick with the Rampage Faction. While the Blackheart may be a bit stronger, any faction I support is guaranteed victory. Meanwhile, those who defected from another group are often reviled and mistrusted even by those they joined. A traitor once can be a traitor twice after all.'
The fact Bing Meilu herself had never personally been an ally of the Rampage Squadron would not stop her from being seen as a turncoat, which would draw unwanted retaliation from Rampage and even mistrust from Blackheart. It was then clear sticking with the Rampage Faction was the best idea.
"The first thing to do is work up the strength of our faction, both of my slaves and myself, to a sufficient degree of strength."
"Are you sure this is a wise idea?" Zhang asked, sighing. "I know you're a young, hot-blooded cultivator, but being cautious is not a vice. You could just stay out of this and peacefully cultivate."
The resigned sigh he gave indicated not even the Core Formation expected his words would be persuasive. He was correct.
"I know what I'm doing," the girl assured him. "Besides, the faster I can grow in power, the faster you'll get the medicine you need."
If she'd been the type, she would have laughed at the irony of being lectured on the follies of youth by a cultivator not even in the Deathless realm.
Zhang nodded tiredly, sighing as he left Bing Meilu alone in her throne room. Physically only eleven years of age, she was dwarfed by the throne, constructed for the massively muscled body of Jiang Hu, former leader of the Crimson Dragons. As far as she was concerned, that only meant the chair had more legroom.
She hopped down from the comically oversized seat of power, making her way out of the factional headquarters with a confident stride. Through the wide open field upon which the many buildings in the compound were built she walked, until she arrived back at the dorm room initially assigned to her and Xia Xuefeng.
Now that she no longer needed the place, she could move her items out of it. Bing Meilu did not actually have much to her name by the time she arrived in Port Snake. Mostly some random trinkets, clothing and money she picked up along her trip from the northern tip of the Bird Talon Continent.
As she picked up several bags, she caught sight of a large block of red ice with a snake wriggling inside. Blinking, Bing Meilu remembered. She had captured this snake demon when it had sneak attacked her in the Flesh Mountains, using the technique Frozen Blood Prison Art. She'd been busy with cultivating and then finding XIa Xuefeng so the thing had simply... slipped her mind.
"Well then little Demon, looks like your time has come," Bing Meilu muttered.
She picked it up, noticing the way its eyes rapidly blinked and turned to stare at her, with burning malice. It felt almost... human-like. Her instinct told her there was something unusual about the scaled beast, and to a cultivator, such instincts were not something easily ignored.
"Yet I can't tell what could possibly be special about you," the girl shrugged. "To my eyes, you seem like any pathetic demon in the Qi Condensation Realm."
The snake aggressively blinked several times, slit eyes boring a hole into her. It was almost as if it could understand her and was angry at the dreaming insult... That was unlikely but, well... stranger things had happened.
"Hmm? Disagree? Are you not just a stupid, useless little beast?"
The snake began to furiously trash, and hiss in rage. A curious light appeared in the girl's eyes.
"You realize you've just given away you can understand human speech, right?"
The snake froze, staring up at her with wide eyes. It knew it had screwed up, it seemed. Bing Meilu smiled.
"Always interesting to find anomalies. A demon usually does not achieve wisdom until the Nascent Soul realm, and even then it is a simple, bestial intelligence. Understanding human language at the Qi Condensation Realm makes you a special find... I guess I can always find a use for a tamed Beast."
Bing Meilu's Qi began to pour into the serpent, completely overwhelming it.
----
Aiwa Satsushi struggled as a burning frost ripped its way through his meridians. His limp, injured Cultivation base could barely muster the force to slow down, let alone stop the infiltration. Fury and terror in equal parts churned within his tiny snake chest.
Status Effect Gained: Internal Qi Infiltration(Minor)!
Status Effect Gained: Internal Qi Infiltration(Minor)! x2
Status Effect Gained: Internal Qi Infiltration(Minor)! x3
Status Effect Gained: Internal Qi Infiltration(Moderate)!
Status Effect Gained: Internal Qi Infiltration(Moderate)! x2
Status Effect Gained: Internal Qi Infiltration(Moderate)! x3
Status Effect Gained: Internal Qi Infiltration(Major)!
Status Effect Gained: Internal Qi Infiltration(Major)! x2
Status Effect Gained: Internal Qi Infiltration(Major)! x3
Where had it all gone wrong for the human-turned-Snake Demon? Not a few weeks ago he lurked in the bountiful gardens of the Flesh Mountains, hunting caravans for points to fund his 'Demon Beast System'.
There he had been, peacefully minding his own business when hunting when the blasted bitch had appeared.
Bing Meilu! Rage coursed through his heart at the sight. However she was, she was certainly important. He would not have been offered a 'story quest' to kill her. Yet somehow she had managed to survive and even capture him, circumventing every seemingly foolproof plan.
'Just wait! When I'm out of here!' he raged.
System Warning! Debilitating effect 'Beast Slave Contract' is building up. 10%
System Warning! Debilitating effect 'Beast Slave Contract' is building up. 20%
White hot fear lanced through the serpent's heart. This could not be happening. There was no fucking way.
System Warning! Debilitating effect 'Beast Slave Contract' is building up. 30%
System Warning! Debilitating effect 'Beast Slave Contract' is building up. 40%
System Warning! Debilitating effect 'Beast Slave Contract' is building up. 50%
'Stop! Stop! Fucking stop! Please, God, Buddha, anyone? I promise I'll do whatever, just don't let this happen!' he screamed internally.
Aiwa was destined for greatness. He was chosen out of all of humanity, to be reborn in this strange new world, to be the host to this system. Surely he could be enslaved here, right? That wasn't his chosen fate. It couldn't be.
'System! There has to be a way to stop this? Is there anything?'
There was no response, and Aiwa could only despondently watch as the bar ticked up.
60%
70%
80%
90%
95%
99%
100%
His system cheerfully chimed. Aiwa regretted setting it to that sound.
The debilitating effect 'Beast Slave Contract' has been activated. User 'Aiwa Satsushi' now has the status effect 'Slave Contract' with Owner: 'Bing Meilu'.
Class: 'Nightstalker +3' forcibly changed to: 'Tamed Beast'
Name Aiwa Satsushi forcibly changed to 'Name Pending'
Contract Effects:
1: Tamed Beast may never disobey the Owner
2: Tamed Beast can never attack the Owner
3: Tamed Beast and Owner form a spiritual link
---
Bing Meilu raised an eyebrow as the beast-taming method took hold, subjugating the white-scaled serpent. A mental link formed, information flooding into her. She could sense its corporeal form, only a few feet from her, riddled with injuries and shattered meridians. It appeared the creature had been more powerful in the past, only to have lost its cultivation base? That might explain its unique spirituality to some degree.
Even more concerning was the molten copper symbol etched into the beast's Dantian. She would of course recognize anywhere the vile, esoteric Qi that made up a Sealing Mark created by a Demon from the depths of the Underworld.
She had, after all, used the very same thing to sacrifice her Heaven and Earth to become a Paragon.
Why is life so hard for the Icy Beauty?
Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Chapter 29: Snake Demon
---
There were four main disciple factions in 70th Port Snake. The Blackheart Faction, the Liyang Faction, the Rampage Faction, and the Tang Faction. Each of these was effectively backed by one of the port's four Nascent Soul Commodores, the equivalent of an Outer Elder in the Moon Crying Swan Palace. 3rd Division Commander Ji Tianfang was not far from the Saint Realm. When he began his ascension, he would be promoted to Strike Force Commander, leaving the position of 3rd Division Commander open for the taking. Whomever of the four Commodores was selected for the position would receive a huge increase in resources, more than enough to escape Nascent Soul and reach the Transcending Impurity Realm.
As such, competition between the four groups was fierce, as they sought to acquire status and power for their faction. There were the formal annual faction contests, and countless informal power struggles and secret battles. If asked, most would say that new disciples should stay well out of the factional warfare. It was simply too dangerous for Qi Condensation newbies, or even those in the lower levels of Foundation Establishment. However, Bing Meilu planned to throw herself into the deep end of the conflict.
Why? Simple: Power and resources. Conflict necessitated risk, but those who were victoriously reaped the rewards.
"The question is simply which golden thigh to hug," the girl pondered.
There were effectively two options. The former Crimson Dragons had been allied with the Rampage Faction. Therefore no one would find it strange if 'Bing Meilu's Faithful Slaves' Faction, their successor, simply continued such a relationship. The other option was the Blackheart Faction, which was currently the most powerful of the four.
'I'll stick with the Rampage Faction. While the Blackheart may be a bit stronger, any faction I support is guaranteed victory. Meanwhile, those who defected from another group are often reviled and mistrusted even by those they joined. A traitor once can be a traitor twice after all.'
The fact Bing Meilu herself had never personally been an ally of the Rampage Squadron would not stop her from being seen as a turncoat, which would draw unwanted retaliation from Rampage and even mistrust from Blackheart. It was then clear sticking with the Rampage Faction was the best idea.
"The first thing to do is work up the strength of our faction, both of my slaves and myself, to a sufficient degree of strength."
"Are you sure this is a wise idea?" Zhang asked, sighing. "I know you're a young, hot-blooded cultivator, but being cautious is not a vice. You could just stay out of this and peacefully cultivate."
The resigned sigh he gave indicated not even the Core Formation expected his words would be persuasive. He was correct.
"I know what I'm doing," the girl assured him. "Besides, the faster I can grow in power, the faster you'll get the medicine you need."
If she'd been the type, she would have laughed at the irony of being lectured on the follies of youth by a cultivator not even in the Deathless realm.
Zhang nodded tiredly, sighing as he left Bing Meilu alone in her throne room. Physically only eleven years of age, she was dwarfed by the throne, constructed for the massively muscled body of Jiang Hu, former leader of the Crimson Dragons. As far as she was concerned, that only meant the chair had more legroom.
She hopped down from the comically oversized seat of power, making her way out of the factional headquarters with a confident stride. Through the wide open field upon which the many buildings in the compound were built she walked, until she arrived back at the dorm room initially assigned to her and Xia Xuefeng.
Now that she no longer needed the place, she could move her items out of it. Bing Meilu did not actually have much to her name by the time she arrived in Port Snake. Mostly some random trinkets, clothing and money she picked up along her trip from the northern tip of the Bird Talon Continent.
As she picked up several bags, she caught sight of a large block of red ice with a snake wriggling inside. Blinking, Bing Meilu remembered. She had captured this snake demon when it had sneak attacked her in the Flesh Mountains, using the technique Frozen Blood Prison Art. She'd been busy with cultivating and then finding XIa Xuefeng so the thing had simply... slipped her mind.
"Well then little Demon, looks like your time has come," Bing Meilu muttered.
She picked it up, noticing the way its eyes rapidly blinked and turned to stare at her, with burning malice. It felt almost... human-like. Her instinct told her there was something unusual about the scaled beast, and to a cultivator, such instincts were not something easily ignored.
"Yet I can't tell what could possibly be special about you," the girl shrugged. "To my eyes, you seem like any pathetic demon in the Qi Condensation Realm."
The snake aggressively blinked several times, slit eyes boring a hole into her. It was almost as if it could understand her and was angry at the dreaming insult... That was unlikely but, well... stranger things had happened.
"Hmm? Disagree? Are you not just a stupid, useless little beast?"
The snake began to furiously trash, and hiss in rage. A curious light appeared in the girl's eyes.
"You realize you've just given away you can understand human speech, right?"
The snake froze, staring up at her with wide eyes. It knew it had screwed up, it seemed. Bing Meilu smiled.
"Always interesting to find anomalies. A demon usually does not achieve wisdom until the Nascent Soul realm, and even then it is a simple, bestial intelligence. Understanding human language at the Qi Condensation Realm makes you a special find... I guess I can always find a use for a tamed Beast."
Bing Meilu's Qi began to pour into the serpent, completely overwhelming it.
----
Aiwa Satsushi struggled as a burning frost ripped its way through his meridians. His limp, injured Cultivation base could barely muster the force to slow down, let alone stop the infiltration. Fury and terror in equal parts churned within his tiny snake chest.
Status Effect Gained: Internal Qi Infiltration(Minor)!
Status Effect Gained: Internal Qi Infiltration(Minor)! x2
Status Effect Gained: Internal Qi Infiltration(Minor)! x3
Status Effect Gained: Internal Qi Infiltration(Moderate)!
Status Effect Gained: Internal Qi Infiltration(Moderate)! x2
Status Effect Gained: Internal Qi Infiltration(Moderate)! x3
Status Effect Gained: Internal Qi Infiltration(Major)!
Status Effect Gained: Internal Qi Infiltration(Major)! x2
Status Effect Gained: Internal Qi Infiltration(Major)! x3
Where had it all gone wrong for the human-turned-Snake Demon? Not a few weeks ago he lurked in the bountiful gardens of the Flesh Mountains, hunting caravans for points to fund his 'Demon Beast System'.
There he had been, peacefully minding his own business when hunting when the blasted bitch had appeared.
Bing Meilu! Rage coursed through his heart at the sight. However she was, she was certainly important. He would not have been offered a 'story quest' to kill her. Yet somehow she had managed to survive and even capture him, circumventing every seemingly foolproof plan.
'Just wait! When I'm out of here!' he raged.
System Warning! Debilitating effect 'Beast Slave Contract' is building up. 10%
System Warning! Debilitating effect 'Beast Slave Contract' is building up. 20%
White hot fear lanced through the serpent's heart. This could not be happening. There was no fucking way.
System Warning! Debilitating effect 'Beast Slave Contract' is building up. 30%
System Warning! Debilitating effect 'Beast Slave Contract' is building up. 40%
System Warning! Debilitating effect 'Beast Slave Contract' is building up. 50%
'Stop! Stop! Fucking stop! Please, God, Buddha, anyone? I promise I'll do whatever, just don't let this happen!' he screamed internally.
Aiwa was destined for greatness. He was chosen out of all of humanity, to be reborn in this strange new world, to be the host to this system. Surely he could be enslaved here, right? That wasn't his chosen fate. It couldn't be.
'System! There has to be a way to stop this? Is there anything?'
There was no response, and Aiwa could only despondently watch as the bar ticked up.
60%
70%
80%
90%
95%
99%
100%
His system cheerfully chimed. Aiwa regretted setting it to that sound.
The debilitating effect 'Beast Slave Contract' has been activated. User 'Aiwa Satsushi' now has the status effect 'Slave Contract' with Owner: 'Bing Meilu'.
Class: 'Nightstalker +3' forcibly changed to: 'Tamed Beast'
Name Aiwa Satsushi forcibly changed to 'Name Pending'
Contract Effects:
1: Tamed Beast may never disobey the Owner
2: Tamed Beast can never attack the Owner
3: Tamed Beast and Owner form a spiritual link
---
Bing Meilu raised an eyebrow as the beast-taming method took hold, subjugating the white-scaled serpent. A mental link formed, information flooding into her. She could sense its corporeal form, only a few feet from her, riddled with injuries and shattered meridians. It appeared the creature had been more powerful in the past, only to have lost its cultivation base? That might explain its unique spirituality to some degree.
Even more concerning was the molten copper symbol etched into the beast's Dantian. She would of course recognize anywhere the vile, esoteric Qi that made up a Sealing Mark created by a Demon from the depths of the Underworld.
She had, after all, used the very same thing to sacrifice her Heaven and Earth to become a Paragon.
- Location
- Lost amidst hungry sheep
- Pronouns
- They/Them
An isekai protagonist being enslaved by a young girl. Ironic.
Karma some call it!
Truck-kun is a hero, sending heroes to where they are needed.
Truck-kun is a hero, sending heroes to where they are needed.
You know Ive always wondered if in these Isekai settings Earths on whether there are specific trucking companies that just Isekai people for a living or whether they just roll it into your normal trucking schedule to like, make 12 deliveries in a neighborhood and also send a teenager to a magical realm.
Roth963
If I become inactive with this massage, I died
One story I saw had gods have the power to manipulate trucks, the reason they can't handle demon lords by themselves is that there are no trucks in fantasy worlds.
Chapter 30: The Sealing Mark
ninjastar
(Verified Taoist Immortal)
- Location
- Your mom's house
Transmigrated back into the body of her child self, can the mighty Celestial Bing Meilu survive in a Xianxia world all the while staving off the advances of arrogant young masters and wannabe protagonists alike?
Why is life so hard for the Icy Beauty?
Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Chapter 30: The Sealing Mark
---
It had really not been long since that day. Bing Meilu had been at the Peak of the Celestial Realm, the Birthing Dao Realm, for eons. Her cultivation, which had one blazed forward unimpeded had become utterly stagnant.
She, of course, knew the cause. Though she may have been a rare genius Bing Meilu had arisen from the mortal world, had ascended upon a hodgepodge foundation of various mortal quality cultivation techniques. Those critical flaws in her foundation had come back to bite her.
Where before she had comfortably breezed past her enemies in cultivation, now they had begun to catch up to her. It was utterly unfair. She was better than them in every other way, smarter, more talented, more ruthless, more dedicated. Her only failure had been the bad luck to be born in a lower realm. Had she been given the resources and backing of her many rivals, she'd perhaps have been a God already.
It was then in a moment of weakness, a Demon had approached her, offering an accord. A method by which she could finally reach the Paragon Realm. A Sealing Mark that could be used to unleash her true potential and ascend to the realm so long denied to her. Her stagnant cultivation would rush forward. Only, Bing Meilu had not properly understood the consequences of such a ritual. Such a thing demanded a heavy price, her Inner World, the Heaven and Earth birthed within her form that marked her as being of the Celestial Realm, was burnt to cinders.
The potent sacrifice had roused the will of an ancient Devil God, whose very presence had annihilated everything around her. Her sect, her junior sisters and all her disciples. No doubt it was a step in some esoteric and treacherous plot of the Underworld. Unwilling to let such an event occur, Bing Meilu had used the might of her Paragon status to send herself back in time, to change the future.
Now, blazing with heretical power, was another such Sealing Mark, of the same make. The molten bronze symbol twisted and turned, vile and laced with Demonic Qi. Bing Meilu's eyes narrowed and she inhaled shakily.
'Something like this cannot have been present in the original Bird Talon Continent. It is not possible! The presence of such a thing would have drastically altered the flow of history.' the girl realized. 'That can only mean that my arrival here has allowed its existence!'
This was the second major change she'd noticed, after the mysterious destruction of her old sect, the Moon Crying Swan Palace. At this point, it was overwhelmingly clear that outside forces were meddling in her world.
It should not really be feasible for higher beings to intervene in the lower realms like this. There were natural laws and providence that prevented such things. If one wanted to push their way in, against natural law, The Heavenly Dao would force them to pay a heavy price.
Bing Meilu had lost her entire cultivation base, of the realm of Paragon, just to return herself to the Bird Talon Continent, and she was actually from it. A Demon from the Underworld should be forced to pay an even higher price and there was simply nothing worth said price in the lower realms.
Theories poured through her mind. It was entirely possible that her transgression of the Dao of Time had essentially created Cassus Beli for higher beings to interfere more drastically in the lowers worlds. Bing Meilu cursed her low cultivation. At her current stage, she could no longer feel the Natural Laws of Heaven or Earth. She would have to step into the Ancient Sage Realm to begin to do with the degree of accuracy to assess whether her theory was true. If this was the case, and the natural protections of the lower realms were weakened, the situation would be very dire indeed.
'I need to find out more before I can fight back,' the girl admitted. 'There is not much I can do else. Right now I'll have to accelerate my plan to get stronger. Not that I was planning on being slow before... but if this continent is part of a plot of some Demon or other higher being, it becomes rapidly less safe every moment.'
For now, she would focus on the newly captured beast. She had to find out as much as she could about its origin and the Sealing Mark.
"Greetings Serpent," Bing Meilu spoke through her spiritual link to the tamed beast. "Do you have a name?"
She was not focused on Beast Taming, but Bing Meilu had many pets and tamed animals over the years, most fondly her Moon Crying Swan, who'd accompanied her all the way from the lower realms, so she was more than familiar with managing a Tamed Beast.
Her white-scaled, red-eyed serpent blinked in confusion, as it heard her voice. Then it began to trash in fury.
"-Fucking slutty cuntess! I'll light your entrails on fire and fling your defiled corpse into a fucking pit of-"
"Silence."
The Demon shuddered, falling quiet. She could feel torrents of rage and horror through the mental link. Cleary her beast had yet to accept its fate.
"You may only speak when asked a question and do not use any vulgarities. Now tell me Demon, Do you have a name?" the cultivator asked.
"My name is Aiwa Satsushi!" the creature spat. "And I am going to flipping kill you!"
"Refrain from any threats. What species are you?"
"I am cur-cur-currently a White Sword-Scale Python..."
"Currently? Does that imply you can change your bloodline?"
The Demon seemed to twitch and struggle, but ultimately, resistance was useless before the Beast Taming Contract latched onto its very soul.
"Y-yes. I can switch my bloodline between options unlocked in the Demon Beast System."
Now that was interesting.
"What is the 'Demon Beast System'?"
"It-it-it's a power that interfaces with chosen humans, turning them into Demon Beasts and granting them special powers and abilities. It can grant bloodline abilities, special boons, items and all sorts of perks."
'That must be the work of the Sealing Mark. A human that was granted a power linked to the Devils of the Underworld... Exactly what happened to me. Was he also offered an accord by such a being?'
"Explain how you acquired this 'System'."
"I used to be a human being in another world- I then died, only to awaken in this world as a small snake demon. The Demon Beast system chose me, out of trillions of souls to become its new host and eventually become a Demon God!"
Bing Meilu actually rolled her eyes. Heavens above, it really did sound like such an obvious con to her. How she had fallen for effectively the same trick would forever elude her.
"And... do you think the creator of the Demon Beast system did this.,. out of the kindness of their heart?" Bing Meilu asked, disdain creeping into her calm voice.
Aiwa seemed to pause, blinking in confusion as if he had never considered the idea.
"What do you mean?"
"Obviously something as intricate as this system required a good deal of resources and time to create. Why would any self-respecting immortal or God just randomly hand out such a thing for no return? One does not ascend through naive benevolence. For every boon, there must be a cost."
"What the hell would a little girl like you know about the motivations of immortals?" the serpent spat angrily. "Perhaps the system simply recognized my potential and knew I was special. It chose me for a reason!"
'The Sealing Mark must have selected such a gullible host on purpose,' the girl snorted.
"It certainly is easier to fool a man than convince him he's been fooled," Bing Meilu shook her head. "Regardless, explain more about your System."
And so she sat, listening in quiet interest as her beast slave explain his System and how it worked.
"...There are also quests, where the system gives you a challenge and if you succeed, you receive a reward. There seem to be multiple kinds, triggered by different things, such as daily quests, and quests triggered by things, like receiving a certain bloodline after killing a bunch of creatures that possess it."
The more she heard about this system the more certain she was it was some elaborate trap. This quest system obviously served to push the host into specific actions. Perhaps the purpose was to mould an unwitting idiot into becoming a resource to be devoured for cultivation, or something even more insidious, such as how the Blood Moon Spectral God's Sealing Mark was placed into Xia Xuefeng to allow that old monster's resurrection.
"What quests are currently available to you in the System?" the girl asked.
Aiwa twitched, one more failing to resist answering her question.
"Currently I have five. The first quest requires me to devour six Islandback Tortoise Eggs in return for a perk that will let me move faster when in water. The second quest requires me to consume one hundred humans every day for a week in return for an increase in my comprehension ability. The third requires me to kill you in return for a powerful bloodline-"
"Kill me? Give me the full details," Bing Meilu frowned. "How exactly did the system present this quest?"
"It was like this: 'Story Quest Unlocked: Heaven's Retribution. Task: Slay and devour 'Bing Meilu', the young human girl wearing a blue dress.
Reward, Unlock Bloodline 'Crystal Heaven Dragon' Extremely Strong 10'"
Bing Meilu was silent for a long moment. Why was a quest offered by a Demonic system called Heaven's Retribution? It could simply be fluff... but her instinct said otherwise. Did that imply that the 'Demon Beast System' was actually aligned with the Dao of Heaven? The thought was almost unthinkable... but then again, the very presence of a Sealing Mark from the depths of the underworld was unthinkable as well.
"So the Heavens of the Bird Talon Continent are against me then?" the girl sighed, rubbing her brow in a rare show of annoyance. "That complicates matter slightly..."
It also solidified her worry. The 'Crystal Heaven Dragon' bloodline mentioned by the System was a rare and powerful draconic bloodline whose natural life cycle extended to the Celestial Realm. To be able to easily hand out such a bloodline through a mere Sealing Mark. That implied... that whoever had created this system was at the very least of the Paragon Realm. That was perhaps the most deeply worrying revelation since she had returned to the Bird Talong Continent.
Paragons were those who had reached the limit of natural power, invincible to all but the Gods above. Each Paragon was a unique genius of unfathomable power, deeply terrifying to oppose. Bing Meilu should know, having briefly tasted the power in her last life. She had been so mighty the very Abyss had not been able to harm her, even as it swallowed her Sect and countless lower realms.
"Tell me more. What exactly does 'story quest' mean?"
"I honestly don't know. I've never had anything else called a story quest." the snake replied, head bobbing up and down as if it were attempting to shrug even without any shoulders.
"I see..."
Why is life so hard for the Icy Beauty?
Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Chapter 30: The Sealing Mark
---
It had really not been long since that day. Bing Meilu had been at the Peak of the Celestial Realm, the Birthing Dao Realm, for eons. Her cultivation, which had one blazed forward unimpeded had become utterly stagnant.
She, of course, knew the cause. Though she may have been a rare genius Bing Meilu had arisen from the mortal world, had ascended upon a hodgepodge foundation of various mortal quality cultivation techniques. Those critical flaws in her foundation had come back to bite her.
Where before she had comfortably breezed past her enemies in cultivation, now they had begun to catch up to her. It was utterly unfair. She was better than them in every other way, smarter, more talented, more ruthless, more dedicated. Her only failure had been the bad luck to be born in a lower realm. Had she been given the resources and backing of her many rivals, she'd perhaps have been a God already.
It was then in a moment of weakness, a Demon had approached her, offering an accord. A method by which she could finally reach the Paragon Realm. A Sealing Mark that could be used to unleash her true potential and ascend to the realm so long denied to her. Her stagnant cultivation would rush forward. Only, Bing Meilu had not properly understood the consequences of such a ritual. Such a thing demanded a heavy price, her Inner World, the Heaven and Earth birthed within her form that marked her as being of the Celestial Realm, was burnt to cinders.
The potent sacrifice had roused the will of an ancient Devil God, whose very presence had annihilated everything around her. Her sect, her junior sisters and all her disciples. No doubt it was a step in some esoteric and treacherous plot of the Underworld. Unwilling to let such an event occur, Bing Meilu had used the might of her Paragon status to send herself back in time, to change the future.
Now, blazing with heretical power, was another such Sealing Mark, of the same make. The molten bronze symbol twisted and turned, vile and laced with Demonic Qi. Bing Meilu's eyes narrowed and she inhaled shakily.
'Something like this cannot have been present in the original Bird Talon Continent. It is not possible! The presence of such a thing would have drastically altered the flow of history.' the girl realized. 'That can only mean that my arrival here has allowed its existence!'
This was the second major change she'd noticed, after the mysterious destruction of her old sect, the Moon Crying Swan Palace. At this point, it was overwhelmingly clear that outside forces were meddling in her world.
It should not really be feasible for higher beings to intervene in the lower realms like this. There were natural laws and providence that prevented such things. If one wanted to push their way in, against natural law, The Heavenly Dao would force them to pay a heavy price.
Bing Meilu had lost her entire cultivation base, of the realm of Paragon, just to return herself to the Bird Talon Continent, and she was actually from it. A Demon from the Underworld should be forced to pay an even higher price and there was simply nothing worth said price in the lower realms.
Theories poured through her mind. It was entirely possible that her transgression of the Dao of Time had essentially created Cassus Beli for higher beings to interfere more drastically in the lowers worlds. Bing Meilu cursed her low cultivation. At her current stage, she could no longer feel the Natural Laws of Heaven or Earth. She would have to step into the Ancient Sage Realm to begin to do with the degree of accuracy to assess whether her theory was true. If this was the case, and the natural protections of the lower realms were weakened, the situation would be very dire indeed.
'I need to find out more before I can fight back,' the girl admitted. 'There is not much I can do else. Right now I'll have to accelerate my plan to get stronger. Not that I was planning on being slow before... but if this continent is part of a plot of some Demon or other higher being, it becomes rapidly less safe every moment.'
For now, she would focus on the newly captured beast. She had to find out as much as she could about its origin and the Sealing Mark.
"Greetings Serpent," Bing Meilu spoke through her spiritual link to the tamed beast. "Do you have a name?"
She was not focused on Beast Taming, but Bing Meilu had many pets and tamed animals over the years, most fondly her Moon Crying Swan, who'd accompanied her all the way from the lower realms, so she was more than familiar with managing a Tamed Beast.
Her white-scaled, red-eyed serpent blinked in confusion, as it heard her voice. Then it began to trash in fury.
"-Fucking slutty cuntess! I'll light your entrails on fire and fling your defiled corpse into a fucking pit of-"
"Silence."
The Demon shuddered, falling quiet. She could feel torrents of rage and horror through the mental link. Cleary her beast had yet to accept its fate.
"You may only speak when asked a question and do not use any vulgarities. Now tell me Demon, Do you have a name?" the cultivator asked.
"My name is Aiwa Satsushi!" the creature spat. "And I am going to flipping kill you!"
"Refrain from any threats. What species are you?"
"I am cur-cur-currently a White Sword-Scale Python..."
"Currently? Does that imply you can change your bloodline?"
The Demon seemed to twitch and struggle, but ultimately, resistance was useless before the Beast Taming Contract latched onto its very soul.
"Y-yes. I can switch my bloodline between options unlocked in the Demon Beast System."
Now that was interesting.
"What is the 'Demon Beast System'?"
"It-it-it's a power that interfaces with chosen humans, turning them into Demon Beasts and granting them special powers and abilities. It can grant bloodline abilities, special boons, items and all sorts of perks."
'That must be the work of the Sealing Mark. A human that was granted a power linked to the Devils of the Underworld... Exactly what happened to me. Was he also offered an accord by such a being?'
"Explain how you acquired this 'System'."
"I used to be a human being in another world- I then died, only to awaken in this world as a small snake demon. The Demon Beast system chose me, out of trillions of souls to become its new host and eventually become a Demon God!"
Bing Meilu actually rolled her eyes. Heavens above, it really did sound like such an obvious con to her. How she had fallen for effectively the same trick would forever elude her.
"And... do you think the creator of the Demon Beast system did this.,. out of the kindness of their heart?" Bing Meilu asked, disdain creeping into her calm voice.
Aiwa seemed to pause, blinking in confusion as if he had never considered the idea.
"What do you mean?"
"Obviously something as intricate as this system required a good deal of resources and time to create. Why would any self-respecting immortal or God just randomly hand out such a thing for no return? One does not ascend through naive benevolence. For every boon, there must be a cost."
"What the hell would a little girl like you know about the motivations of immortals?" the serpent spat angrily. "Perhaps the system simply recognized my potential and knew I was special. It chose me for a reason!"
'The Sealing Mark must have selected such a gullible host on purpose,' the girl snorted.
"It certainly is easier to fool a man than convince him he's been fooled," Bing Meilu shook her head. "Regardless, explain more about your System."
And so she sat, listening in quiet interest as her beast slave explain his System and how it worked.
"...There are also quests, where the system gives you a challenge and if you succeed, you receive a reward. There seem to be multiple kinds, triggered by different things, such as daily quests, and quests triggered by things, like receiving a certain bloodline after killing a bunch of creatures that possess it."
The more she heard about this system the more certain she was it was some elaborate trap. This quest system obviously served to push the host into specific actions. Perhaps the purpose was to mould an unwitting idiot into becoming a resource to be devoured for cultivation, or something even more insidious, such as how the Blood Moon Spectral God's Sealing Mark was placed into Xia Xuefeng to allow that old monster's resurrection.
"What quests are currently available to you in the System?" the girl asked.
Aiwa twitched, one more failing to resist answering her question.
"Currently I have five. The first quest requires me to devour six Islandback Tortoise Eggs in return for a perk that will let me move faster when in water. The second quest requires me to consume one hundred humans every day for a week in return for an increase in my comprehension ability. The third requires me to kill you in return for a powerful bloodline-"
"Kill me? Give me the full details," Bing Meilu frowned. "How exactly did the system present this quest?"
"It was like this: 'Story Quest Unlocked: Heaven's Retribution. Task: Slay and devour 'Bing Meilu', the young human girl wearing a blue dress.
Reward, Unlock Bloodline 'Crystal Heaven Dragon' Extremely Strong 10'"
Bing Meilu was silent for a long moment. Why was a quest offered by a Demonic system called Heaven's Retribution? It could simply be fluff... but her instinct said otherwise. Did that imply that the 'Demon Beast System' was actually aligned with the Dao of Heaven? The thought was almost unthinkable... but then again, the very presence of a Sealing Mark from the depths of the underworld was unthinkable as well.
"So the Heavens of the Bird Talon Continent are against me then?" the girl sighed, rubbing her brow in a rare show of annoyance. "That complicates matter slightly..."
It also solidified her worry. The 'Crystal Heaven Dragon' bloodline mentioned by the System was a rare and powerful draconic bloodline whose natural life cycle extended to the Celestial Realm. To be able to easily hand out such a bloodline through a mere Sealing Mark. That implied... that whoever had created this system was at the very least of the Paragon Realm. That was perhaps the most deeply worrying revelation since she had returned to the Bird Talong Continent.
Paragons were those who had reached the limit of natural power, invincible to all but the Gods above. Each Paragon was a unique genius of unfathomable power, deeply terrifying to oppose. Bing Meilu should know, having briefly tasted the power in her last life. She had been so mighty the very Abyss had not been able to harm her, even as it swallowed her Sect and countless lower realms.
"Tell me more. What exactly does 'story quest' mean?"
"I honestly don't know. I've never had anything else called a story quest." the snake replied, head bobbing up and down as if it were attempting to shrug even without any shoulders.
"I see..."
- Location
- USA
This is obviously a test by the Heavens! If she can successfully trick the system into thinking he killed and devoured her, she gets an amazing pet!
- Pronouns
- He/His/etc
Or she somehow inverts it and gains the Crystal Heaven Dragon bloodline herself by subsequently ritually sacrificing the snake.
Revlid
blob of bugs
- Location
- England
An obvious experiment for Bing Meilu would be to fulfil one of the quests - preferably the turtle one, though I've no doubt she could convince herself to find 700 unworthy humans to feed to the snake over a week - and see if it's replaced. If it is, that suggests a degree of automation - and/or abstraction of innate capabilities - within the Demon Beast System, since a system directly micromanaged by a patron who clearly "wants" to kill her would have no reason to continue offering development rewards to a creature that is now her servant.
Or it might be a trick intended to convince her of that, for some reason. Or the Heaven's Retribution quest might have been a trick aimed at Satsushi, to get him to cross paths with her and be turned into her servant, for some reason. Higher beings are confusing.
Anyway, since Bing Meilu is being all smug about how easily Satsushi was tricked into accepting poisoned power from a higher being, my money is on her being a Trojan horse for at least some of the changes she's seeing here. The demon marked her, empowered her, and ruined her - knowing full well she'd react by returning to her own past, a place it couldn't reach on its own but could now tag along with her to. For all we know, she might be entirely incidental to its desires and no longer relevant - perhaps there was a limited edition trading card only available around this time that it needed to pick up.
Or it might be a trick intended to convince her of that, for some reason. Or the Heaven's Retribution quest might have been a trick aimed at Satsushi, to get him to cross paths with her and be turned into her servant, for some reason. Higher beings are confusing.
Anyway, since Bing Meilu is being all smug about how easily Satsushi was tricked into accepting poisoned power from a higher being, my money is on her being a Trojan horse for at least some of the changes she's seeing here. The demon marked her, empowered her, and ruined her - knowing full well she'd react by returning to her own past, a place it couldn't reach on its own but could now tag along with her to. For all we know, she might be entirely incidental to its desires and no longer relevant - perhaps there was a limited edition trading card only available around this time that it needed to pick up.
- Location
- Spain
She only needs to make a young girl, name her Bing Meilu and give her a blue dress.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
To be fair, she's a one-in-quadrillions (if not more) success story on the gigantic meta-mega-cosmic multilevel marketing scheme that is cultivation. She'd never have gotten this far if she weren't nose-to-grindspiritualstone committed to pursuing said MLM.
That would itself be (from a rather appalling perspective) a consequential test of how this snake's "quest system" works. If the quest system works on the power of exact words and literalism, that would absolutely work. If the quest works like fictional 'Gamer' systems usually work, then "little girl in the blue dress" is just flavor text attached to a quest that cannot be fulfilled unless the woman with the metaphysical <is_Bing_Meilu_the_preincarnated_cultivator> HTML tags, specificially, dies.
- Location
- USA
Knowing developers, there's bound to be an edge case she can exploit. Add in Face culture and unexpected inputs causing unexpected results would probably get claimed as a feature, not a bug.
Unfortunately, it might also trigger a null reference error and that could have interesting results.
There's also the face that there's nothing that says she needs to stay dead, and in these kinds of settings death is more of a spectrum rather than a binary condition.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out that the "code" of the gamer system is accessible (if alien) to high pseudo-divine level cultivators.
Modding, anyone?
Modding, anyone?
Now you're talking.
Chapter 31: Give me your Blood
ninjastar
(Verified Taoist Immortal)
- Location
- Your mom's house
Transmigrated back into the body of her child self, can the mighty Celestial Bing Meilu survive in a Xianxia world all the while staving off the advances of arrogant young masters and wannabe protagonists alike?
Why is life so hard for the Icy Beauty?
Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Chapter 31: Give me your Blood
---
"The last two quests are to gain five more bloodlines, in return for a bloodline upgrade crystal, and to level a Class to rank five, in return for an upgrade to the effectiveness of all Classes."
Aiwa had already explained to Bing Meilu the class system, which allowed him to take on various job-like roles in return for certain benefits.
"What is your current class?"
"My-current class is Tamed Beast. It gives me a five percent bonus to damage when attacking people under my o-owner's orders." the unmistakable tremble of rage in Aiwa's voice caused Bing Meilu to roll her eyes.
"You attacked and tried to kill me in return for benefits. Of course, the nature of this world is that the strong take what they please from the weak. Had I been a simple mortal, you would have killed and consumed me. However, you were unlucky enough to take action against me, and thus were instead subjugated. By the very nature of the right of the strong, you have no justification to be angry at me. If you wish to resent something, resent your weakness and lack of foresight for daring to challenge me with such weak cultivation, Aiwa Satsushi. I want to be very clear; I am your master and I will not tolerate anything but subservient obedience. I have the power to make your life very pleasant or difficult. It will be up to your attitude to determine which."
Aiwa fumed silently, red demonic eyes staring up at her with the naked killing intent only a rabid beast that had slaughtered countless mortals could muster.
"I would like a verbal apology now for your attitude and an assurance you will obey me in the future." the girl continued tone mild.
"And I am not going to flipping give you that you b-bi-woman." Aiwa spat, struggling against his commands with futile rage.
"That is fine. You'll learn your place eventually," Bing Meilu smiled politely. "Do not move from our current position even slightly. Do not attempt to escape this building. Do not speak to anyone besides me or show any sign of intelligence."
Aiwa's body froze and through the spiritual link, he raged at her. With that, Bing Meilu turned around and began to walk out of her throne room.
"Where the hell do you think you're going, girl!?'"
"Leaving. I have no need of a disobedient tamed beast with me. While I could order you around, it will never be as effective as willing submission. I'll come back and check up on you in a week's time. If I remember. We'll see if you're willing to serve me then."
With that, the jade-skinned girl stepped out from the throneroom, slamming the door closed to the stunned disbelief of the serpent.
---
Bing Meilu sat imperiously atop a throne of ice, staring down at the gathered members of Bing Meilu's Faithful Slaves Faction, all eighteen of them.
Li Ji, his yin metal qi circulating stood by her side, hands clasped behind his back nervously.
"Welcome all to our meeting. I have called you all here today for a very important task," she began. "I plan to whip you up into a fighting force worthy of the name Bing Meilu's Faithful Slaves Faction. To do so, I will draw on much of the knowledge imparted to me by my former sect, the Moon Crying Swan Palace. However, such secrets cannot be freely spread. As such, I demand from each of you an offering of Essence Blood, to act as insurance."
Shocked gasps rang out from the clearing. This was an incredibly taboo thing to ask from her faction members. After all, Essence Blood was deeply tied to the cultivator who produced it, and one who possessed your Essence Blood could use it to enact many nefarious curses upon you. It was exactly this usage that Bing Meilu was banking on to ensure that none of her members betrayed her or leaked any secret technique or manuals she taught to them.
"No way!" Slave two, one of the faction three lieutenants shouted. "That's too far, Bing Meilu."
"And what happens if we refuse?" asked slave three, frowning.
"Nothing will happen if you refuse. I will simply not give you the secret knowledge I give to those that accept. Those who dedicate themselves to me fully will achieve an explosive increase in strength and my personal grooming. The rest of you will effectively be an 'outer sect' portion of my faction."
"I accept." Li Ji volunteered, raising a hand nervously. "You somehow managed to improve my cultivation technique, allowing me to pass my bottleneck and reach the eighth stage. I can't imagine the power I might achieve if given your full tutelage, and the knowledge you received from the Prime Elders of the moon Crying Swan Palace."
This was the crux of the issue. While giving up essence blood was a huge deal, strength was also everything to cultivators, and Bing Meilu had already proven her prowess in guiding the cultivation of the faction members. Was it worth it to safely languish in obscurity or to take a risk for monumental power? That was the defining difference between geniuses and the mediocre.
"I also volunteer," Jiang Hu said, raising his hand. The former leader of the faction had completely changed in attitude since his defeat at Bing Meilu's hand, and he seemed to have a deep respect for her power.
The Eighth Stage Earth Cultivator, Slave Six also raised his hand "As the leader of the Elemental Four, I volunteer us all."
"You still haven't found a promising wood cultivator then?" Bing Meilu raised an eyebrow.
Slave Six gulped, his bushy eyebrows trembling as he recalled the woman's earlier threat.
"Well, we have a few promising candidates, we'll just have to run them by you first."
"Very well, We'll discuss that later."
"Me too!" shouted Private Ji, the idiot who had tried to cultivate a method for Spirit Dogs.
"I also accept," said the talented spear cultivator Xi Fu, who guarded Bing Meilus's throneroom
Bing Meilu waited for a long moment, but no one else volunteered. That meant eight of the eighteen had agreed to enter her inner circle, a little less than half. She scanned the rest of her slaves, seeing the reluctance and fear on their faces before nodding.
"Very well, Just remember the offer is open should any of you change your minds later."
Bing Meilu stood and snapped her fingers. From the shadows, the tall sickly form of Zhang appeared. the crippled Core Formation cultivator coughed loudly into his palm.
"This here is Zhang. While he is currently injured, Zhang is actually at the peak of the Core Formation Realm."
The members gasped at that. Even in Port Snake, Core Formation was still a high realm.
"I have taught Zhang multiple techniques that I want all of you to learn. He will be instructing you in them while I personally oversee the inner circle. Just remember, I may not have your essence blood, but any treachery or leaking of secrets will still result... in my displeasure."
Bing Meilu's frosty qi erupted from her body, the temperature in the whole area noticeably dropping, a film of white frost covering the grass and rocks.
"Am I understood?"
The faction members all nodded quickly.
"The first thing you will be learning is a simplified version of a powerful battle formation called the Manyheart Shield Art. It will allow you to form a barrier together that will block attacks. Zhang, you may begin. Those of you who have accepted the offer to join my inner circle, follow me. "
Why is life so hard for the Icy Beauty?
Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Chapter 31: Give me your Blood
---
"The last two quests are to gain five more bloodlines, in return for a bloodline upgrade crystal, and to level a Class to rank five, in return for an upgrade to the effectiveness of all Classes."
Aiwa had already explained to Bing Meilu the class system, which allowed him to take on various job-like roles in return for certain benefits.
"What is your current class?"
"My-current class is Tamed Beast. It gives me a five percent bonus to damage when attacking people under my o-owner's orders." the unmistakable tremble of rage in Aiwa's voice caused Bing Meilu to roll her eyes.
"You attacked and tried to kill me in return for benefits. Of course, the nature of this world is that the strong take what they please from the weak. Had I been a simple mortal, you would have killed and consumed me. However, you were unlucky enough to take action against me, and thus were instead subjugated. By the very nature of the right of the strong, you have no justification to be angry at me. If you wish to resent something, resent your weakness and lack of foresight for daring to challenge me with such weak cultivation, Aiwa Satsushi. I want to be very clear; I am your master and I will not tolerate anything but subservient obedience. I have the power to make your life very pleasant or difficult. It will be up to your attitude to determine which."
Aiwa fumed silently, red demonic eyes staring up at her with the naked killing intent only a rabid beast that had slaughtered countless mortals could muster.
"I would like a verbal apology now for your attitude and an assurance you will obey me in the future." the girl continued tone mild.
"And I am not going to flipping give you that you b-bi-woman." Aiwa spat, struggling against his commands with futile rage.
"That is fine. You'll learn your place eventually," Bing Meilu smiled politely. "Do not move from our current position even slightly. Do not attempt to escape this building. Do not speak to anyone besides me or show any sign of intelligence."
Aiwa's body froze and through the spiritual link, he raged at her. With that, Bing Meilu turned around and began to walk out of her throne room.
"Where the hell do you think you're going, girl!?'"
"Leaving. I have no need of a disobedient tamed beast with me. While I could order you around, it will never be as effective as willing submission. I'll come back and check up on you in a week's time. If I remember. We'll see if you're willing to serve me then."
With that, the jade-skinned girl stepped out from the throneroom, slamming the door closed to the stunned disbelief of the serpent.
---
Bing Meilu sat imperiously atop a throne of ice, staring down at the gathered members of Bing Meilu's Faithful Slaves Faction, all eighteen of them.
Li Ji, his yin metal qi circulating stood by her side, hands clasped behind his back nervously.
"Welcome all to our meeting. I have called you all here today for a very important task," she began. "I plan to whip you up into a fighting force worthy of the name Bing Meilu's Faithful Slaves Faction. To do so, I will draw on much of the knowledge imparted to me by my former sect, the Moon Crying Swan Palace. However, such secrets cannot be freely spread. As such, I demand from each of you an offering of Essence Blood, to act as insurance."
Shocked gasps rang out from the clearing. This was an incredibly taboo thing to ask from her faction members. After all, Essence Blood was deeply tied to the cultivator who produced it, and one who possessed your Essence Blood could use it to enact many nefarious curses upon you. It was exactly this usage that Bing Meilu was banking on to ensure that none of her members betrayed her or leaked any secret technique or manuals she taught to them.
"No way!" Slave two, one of the faction three lieutenants shouted. "That's too far, Bing Meilu."
"And what happens if we refuse?" asked slave three, frowning.
"Nothing will happen if you refuse. I will simply not give you the secret knowledge I give to those that accept. Those who dedicate themselves to me fully will achieve an explosive increase in strength and my personal grooming. The rest of you will effectively be an 'outer sect' portion of my faction."
"I accept." Li Ji volunteered, raising a hand nervously. "You somehow managed to improve my cultivation technique, allowing me to pass my bottleneck and reach the eighth stage. I can't imagine the power I might achieve if given your full tutelage, and the knowledge you received from the Prime Elders of the moon Crying Swan Palace."
This was the crux of the issue. While giving up essence blood was a huge deal, strength was also everything to cultivators, and Bing Meilu had already proven her prowess in guiding the cultivation of the faction members. Was it worth it to safely languish in obscurity or to take a risk for monumental power? That was the defining difference between geniuses and the mediocre.
"I also volunteer," Jiang Hu said, raising his hand. The former leader of the faction had completely changed in attitude since his defeat at Bing Meilu's hand, and he seemed to have a deep respect for her power.
The Eighth Stage Earth Cultivator, Slave Six also raised his hand "As the leader of the Elemental Four, I volunteer us all."
"You still haven't found a promising wood cultivator then?" Bing Meilu raised an eyebrow.
Slave Six gulped, his bushy eyebrows trembling as he recalled the woman's earlier threat.
"Well, we have a few promising candidates, we'll just have to run them by you first."
"Very well, We'll discuss that later."
"Me too!" shouted Private Ji, the idiot who had tried to cultivate a method for Spirit Dogs.
"I also accept," said the talented spear cultivator Xi Fu, who guarded Bing Meilus's throneroom
Bing Meilu waited for a long moment, but no one else volunteered. That meant eight of the eighteen had agreed to enter her inner circle, a little less than half. She scanned the rest of her slaves, seeing the reluctance and fear on their faces before nodding.
"Very well, Just remember the offer is open should any of you change your minds later."
Bing Meilu stood and snapped her fingers. From the shadows, the tall sickly form of Zhang appeared. the crippled Core Formation cultivator coughed loudly into his palm.
"This here is Zhang. While he is currently injured, Zhang is actually at the peak of the Core Formation Realm."
The members gasped at that. Even in Port Snake, Core Formation was still a high realm.
"I have taught Zhang multiple techniques that I want all of you to learn. He will be instructing you in them while I personally oversee the inner circle. Just remember, I may not have your essence blood, but any treachery or leaking of secrets will still result... in my displeasure."
Bing Meilu's frosty qi erupted from her body, the temperature in the whole area noticeably dropping, a film of white frost covering the grass and rocks.
"Am I understood?"
The faction members all nodded quickly.
"The first thing you will be learning is a simplified version of a powerful battle formation called the Manyheart Shield Art. It will allow you to form a barrier together that will block attacks. Zhang, you may begin. Those of you who have accepted the offer to join my inner circle, follow me. "
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