The cultivator named Lin gritted his teeth, forcing each word out. "Using a Beast Taming Technique on a person... As the Crown Prince of the Wuu Family, aren’t you afraid of facing universal condemnation once you leave this Secret Realm?"
Wuu Ziqing slowly turned, gazing down at him. His eyes held the detached calm of someone looking at livestock.
"Lin Daoist, your words are rather shallow."
Wuu Ziqing snapped his paper fan shut, his tone gentle. "This realm has no Law, nor does it fall under the jurisdiction of the Great Zhou Laws. Even if I were to stand before a True God of justice, what wrong have I committed!"
"I used the Skill of Beastkeeping to save your life and made you my human pet, which is better than you becoming a smear of mud in this forest. In a place the Great Zhou Laws cannot reach, you should be grateful for this enslavement, for it proves you still have value."
Just then, the once-silent Spirit Temple suddenly began to tremble violently.
A phantasmal and immense figure slowly rose from the center of the Spirit Temple.
It was an old man clad in a long, cyan robe and holding a Bone Whip. His face was a blur, the only clear feature a pair of lurid green, vertical pupils that radiated an aura of cold indifference, one that viewed all of creation as insignificant.
It was the remnant Spirituality of the Beastkeeping Spirit Temple, as well as the will left behind by the Beastkeeping Commissioner of old—the one who once held dominion over all beasts.
Sensing the Divine Spirit’s manifestation, Wuu Ziqing did not tremble in fear as others might. Instead, he offered a calm bow. "Greetings, Upper God."
The phantom of the Beastkeeping Commissioner lowered its head. Its green, vertical pupils lingered on Wuu Ziqing for a moment before turning to the cultivator named Lin, a collar of Spiritual Light around his neck.
The cultivator named Lin had been on the verge of denouncing Wuu Ziqing’s atrocities to this "Divine Spirit," but the moment his gaze met those icy, vertical pupils, every hair on his body stood on end.
"Interesting..."
The Beastkeeping Commissioner’s voice sounded like two dry beast bones scraping together, harsh and desolate. "In all my years of presiding over this place, I have seen Spirit Beasts kneel at this altar and demons bound before it, yet rarely have any Travelers understood the subtle genius of ’deeming a man a beast.’"
He let out a low, horrifying chuckle as his Bone Whip flicked lightly in the air, casting down a brilliant green light.
"All beings possess spirituality, but that spirituality exists in a hierarchy. In the eyes of a superior being, that which wears fur and horns is a beast. As for that which wears human skin and speaks human words... if it lacks the requisite strength, it is nothing more than two-legged livestock."
The Beastkeeping Commissioner looked toward Wuu Ziqing, a hint of admiration showing on its indistinct face. "You, youngster, are sufficiently ruthless, and your methods are truly orthodox. The rule of the Divine Dao is, at its core, the shepherding of all living things. By refining him into a ’human pet,’ you have not only satisfied this Spirit Temple’s murderous will, but also aligned yourself with the divine law that the strong devour the weak."
"Well done."
With the Beastkeeping Commissioner’s word of praise, the cyan Talisman at the heart of the Spirit Temple erupted in a brilliant glow, and a more condensed surge of authority instantly poured into Wuu Ziqing’s body.
Wuu Ziqing felt the Qi in his body surge, and the pressure on his Divine Soul from forcibly controlling multiple people vanished without a trace.
He could clearly sense that with a single thought, the cultivator named Lin behind him would truly devolve, losing his sanity and dropping to all fours like a wild animal.
"Many thanks for the Blessing, Upper God," Wuu Ziqing said, bowing deeply. His eyes flashed with an unconcealable, wild joy.
With this Divine Spirit’s endorsement, his conduct here was no longer considered an Evil Technique, but had instead become "orthodox."
"Lin Daoist, did you hear that?"
Wuu Ziqing stepped back onto the tiger’s head, gazing down at the utterly despairing cultivator as the corner of his mouth twisted into a cruel arc. "Even a Divine Spirit thinks I’ve done well. In this Secret Realm, you are no longer a person. You are my most important Spirit Pet."
"Let’s go. Since the Messenger is pleased, we will sweep through this forest and round up all the remaining two-legged Spirit Pets. We shall gather enough flesh and blood for the Messenger to reconstruct his Divine Body!"
At Wuu Ziqing’s command, the fierce tiger roared and myriad beasts surged forward.
Lin Daoist followed behind, his eyes lifeless. His spine had been completely crushed by that wave of Divine Dao Authority.
’Find one more Divine Spirit, and my victory on the Celestial Ladder will be assured.’

Comments

Loading...