81 - Divine Mastering Dragon System

Chapter 81: The Fire of Hatred (Part 2) Xiang Shi Yan crafted a puppet using the Heart Reflection Mirror, which was indistinguishable from herself in appearance. Du Ruo had once suggested that she use a puppet modeled after Du Ruo, so even if discovered, it wouldn't cause significant trouble for her. After all, Du Ruo was a member of the demon clan and had been chosen as a saintess only recently, her appearance not yet widely known among human cultivators, which posed no disadvantage to her. Nevertheless, Xiang Shi Yan insisted on using her own likeness, her stance unyieldingly firm, leaving Du Ruo with no option but to relent. Zhu Cheng seemed to have suddenly lost his mind, recalling something that left him simultaneously smug and maniacal. While laughing at Xiang Shi Yan, he absentmindedly wiped the blood from his nose, only to horrifyingly realize that four fingers of his left hand had already been cut off by her, leaving his face a disarrayed mess. As he tried to stand, Xiang Shi Yan kicked him back down. Yet, the man only laughed bizarrely from his lungs, as if he were not the one being cornered. Xiang Shi Yan stepped on the severed ends of his fingers, looking down at Zhu Cheng, who was sweating and mockingly smiling despite the pain. His features were obscured by the backlight, but his chilly, cutting eyes were clearly visible. "You're truly amusing," Zhu Cheng trembled from the agony, yet continued to wheeze laughs as if he'd heard a grand joke. "I once thought ensnaring one of the Twin Beauties of Jade Mountain would be enough for a lifetime of pride, but to think I stumbled upon the opportunity to split you lovebirds apart..." "Tell me, 'Junior Sister Xiang,' does your dear senior sister know about your filthy thoughts towards her? Or is it that she knows and yet... Ha! The Twin Beauties... what a fitting name. Did you already have secret trysts before she married me?" By all accounts, a battle between two nascent souls should never look like this—one side downed and kicked like a dog. One glance at the six people fiercely battling in the sky would attest to that. Zhu Cheng was not only an artificial nascent soul crafted by elixirs and pills but also a young master of a prestigious family. From the moment he began cultivating, his path was smoothed; during his youth, any secret realm visits were accompanied by escorts from the family, giving him no real experience. Being a specialist in arrays, his combat skills were negligible at best; even a golden core cultivator could potentially best him. Were the high-level cultivators in the cultivation world to select a "Disgrace of the Nascent Soul," Zhu Cheng would undeniably take first place. Even without the ambush, in a fair fight, he wouldn't withstand several attacks from Xiang Shi Yan, who was only at three-fifths of her peak strength. Xiang Shi Yan went to great lengths to isolate him and used spirit stones infused with neutral energy to create this hunting ground—she clearly intended to kill him. Yet, facing certain death, Zhu Cheng didn't beg for forgiveness but instead hurled insults, knowing full well that no amount of groveling would ease his fate at Xiang Shi Yan's hands. His hope was to provoke her, perhaps speeding up his death. But Xiang Shi Yan would not grant him that satisfaction. She increased the pressure of her foot, slightly twisting, making Zhu Cheng's wrist fracture with a dull crunch. He wanted to speak, but all that escaped his lips were cries of agony. Alas, the elders were still embroiled in battle, and the kin, guards, and allies of the Xu Bai families were preoccupied with quelling the chaos within the city, leaving no one to aid him. "Ugh—hee hee, hahaha, the more you hate me, the more I—ugh!" Xiang Shi Yan applied more force, and Zhu Cheng's left hand began to shatter under the pressure. Despite preparing himself for death, the pain was still excruciatingly torturous. Xiang Shi Yan reacted stoically to his provocations, lifting her foot only when she felt it was akin to stepping on crushed flesh. She looked down with a cold and disdainful gaze at Zhu Cheng, who was pale and drenched in cold sweat. She crouched, grabbing his hair and lifting his face from the dirt, predictably revealing tear tracks on his dust-blotched face and his feigned composure now twisted with pain. Xiang Shi Yan spoke softly, "Crying already? It's just one hand, and this is only the beginning." At her words, Zhu Cheng couldn't help but shudder. If death were to be viewed as a predetermined ending to everyone's journey, then having his life taken now merely ushered that day in prematurely. Zhu Cheng felt no regret for his actions, even if they indeed hastened his demise. Everyone dies. Zhu Cheng had done what he could for his family, delaying the Zhu family's collapse. As a part of the Zhu lineage, he believed he could die without regret, for he had preserved his family's stability, albeit temporarily. But dying was taking longer than he had anticipated. Xiang Shi Yan methodically inflicted pain upon him without haste. As she shattered the bones in his left hand, Zhu Cheng felt a flicker of regret; this pain was the most severe he had ever endured in his life. His newly cultivated body was not yet accustomed to pain, and the unending waves of agony assaulted his nerves, causing the overindulged "infant" of three or four centuries to sob and wail. Many misunderstood Xiang Shi Yan thoroughly. Those unfamiliar with her thought she was heartlessly cold with no tolerance for error; those who knew her often underestimated her ruthless decisiveness, mistaking her everyday mildness for forgiveness. Xiang Shi Yan took no pleasure in tormenting others, and witnessing others' suffering brought her no joy, even when faced with Zhu Cheng, the man who ruined Gong Ning's life. She used an unenchanted mortal sword against Zhu Cheng's forearm, the blade descending slowly, severing his forearm calmly and unyieldingly. Blood sprayed onto her cloak and shoes, but Xiang Shi Yan, appearing nothing like a serene immortal, ignored it entirely. She wiped the blood off her cheek and flicked the blood from her sword onto the stone floor. Zhu Cheng screamed, not just from the pain, but from the fear of watching his limbs detached with helplessness. "Surely you didn't only create the furnaces Zhu Yun and Zhu Yu, did you? How many female cultivators did you actually kidnap, and where are they kept now? What about the children who haven't yet been sold?" Xiang Shi Yan raised her sword again, and Zhu Cheng clutched his bleeding left arm, curling up and howling. His blood pooled beneath him, soaking into his robes, merging with the dark red of his luxurious garment. Hearing Xiang Shi Yan's questions, Zhu Cheng gritted his teeth and remained silent. She casually kicked his severed forearm aside, her expression dark. "Not willing to talk? That's fine; we've got plenty of time." The man struggled to suppress another cry, glaring at Xiang Shi Yan with hatred and anger. Her eyes glinted darkly. "Don’t tell me you thought I was joking when I said I'd skin you alive one day..." Zhu Cheng was at a loss for words, the sweat slipping into his eyes, forcing him to shut them. In the darkness, he felt the blunt edge of the mortal sword pressed into the joint between his shoulder and left arm, forced deep into his flesh by the sheer strength of a nascent soul cultivator. Through the communication jade, Du Ruo listened in real-time to the noises from Xiang Shi Yan’s location. Zhu Cheng's screaming persisted even as Du Ruo took advantage of the chaos to rescue the demon clans in the Zhu, Xu, and Bai families, then rushed into the brothels of the city to save a dozen demon girls, using the portal talisman from Xiang Shi Yan to transport back and forth between Huaihai City and the demon territory. Though it required no magical energy, the repeated spatial shifts made Du Ruo so nauseous she wanted to vomit. Leaning against the high walls surrounding the Zhu estate, she listened as the man's cries grew weaker, finally forcing out a few scattered addresses amidst his gasps of pain. Xiang Shi Yan spoke into the jade, "Du Ruo, are you alright?" "I heard clearly. I'm heading out now..." Du Ruo said, retching dryly for a moment. "Such a perfect opportunity can't be missed." Xiang Shi Yan pursed her lips; this was perhaps the last chance. The system had warned her multiple times that abusing powers from other dimensions made the world consciousness more likely to notice its presence. But Xiang Shi Yan pressed on, bolstered by the majority support from logistical personnel, leaving her little choice but to follow their guidance. Though this was her willfulness, perhaps dragging Du Ruo into it wasn't a good idea... Just as she was about to speak, she heard the amused voice from the jade, "Senior must not have expected me to be so selfless? Born as a demon, Du Ruo could never let her kin be dishonored; born as a woman, she could never ignore the plight of the afflicted. Were it humans suffering, I'd pay for a front-row seat just to watch." Hearing her jest, Xiang Shi Yan replied with complex emotions, "For all the facade, the Zhu family likely hasn't stationed many guards at these locations to avoid attracting attention. But even so, be careful and prioritize your safety." "No need for Senior's concern; this little demon isn’t that kind-hearted yet." Du Ruo, recovering, teased with a playful tone, "Besides, Senior has been so distant. I originally intended to repay the favor from those years ago, but now I've incurred another from Senior just to save a few sisters of my kin... My debt to you only grows." "..." Knowing she couldn't win in a banter, Xiang Shi Yan sighed helplessly. "Once you've rescued them, use the beacon to leave Huaihai City immediately. Don’t linger in the city." Du Ruo fell silent for a moment, contemplating asking Xiang Shi Yan about her next steps. However, the muffled sounds of agony and struggle from the other end made her feel as though Xiang Shi Yan was a stranger—no longer the ethereal immortal she knew but the cold-hearted cultivator who once slew several great demons. Yet, this side of Senior Xiang had its own peculiar flavor. She mused about whether, if she met a tragic end one day, Xiang Shi Yan would rage like this for her. Or if she ever did something heinously wrong and was caught by Yuehua Jun, would he feel doubly resentful because of the trust he once placed in her? Would Xiang Shi Yan inflict upon her a suffering even greater than Zhu Cheng's? In a secluded courtyard, Zhu Cheng lay dismembered, his body writhing pathetically like a bloated worm. He was almost numb; the phantom pains of lost limbs tormented him more than the severed stumps. He quivered in the pool of his own blood, waiting for Xiang Shi Yan to end his life. However, Xiang Shi Yan hadn’t fulfilled her original threat. Before she could carve his body into countless pieces, the man had already confessed through tears—how he acquired the Heart-Eating Gu, who assisted in the abductions of female cultivators, and how to find them. What she had done—merely severing his limbs—was insignificant compared to the countless innocent women and children who had suffered at his hands. She looked quizzically at Zhu Cheng as he attempted to crawl out of the blood pool, "Are you so afraid? Have you never failed when inscribing gathering arrays into human bodies? Did those women bursting open frighten you?" She deliberately controlled his blood flow to keep him from losing consciousness too quickly, reviving him whenever he passed out. In an icy tone, she questioned him: "Did the women you hypnotized ever wake halfway through the inscription? Could they feel the pain of spiritual force etching into their bodies?" "That pain surely would have been far worse than what you’re enduring now," Xiang Shi Yan remarked as she crouched, once again lifting his head by the hair. "Why are you no longer laughing? Weren't you amused just a moment ago?" "Zhu Cheng, your evil deeds are countless. Like a leech, you’ve clung to your victims, imagining I'd let you live to preserve their reputation and safety. Enjoy sucking their blood, thinking that my incapacity pleases you," Xiang Shi Yan said. "The laws of the cultivation world turn a blind eye to your crimes, and the Thirteen Seats won't pursue you to maintain their so-called stability. The world’s fools think your family loyalty is a valid excuse..." "The laws won’t judge you, but I will; the Thirteen Seats won’t hold you accountable, but I will; even if the world pities you, I will not spare you." He looked at her with dulled eyes, as if unable to react to the world outside. Finding it mundane, Xiang Shi Yan released her grip, letting his face slam into the ground. Despite his pitiful look, she felt no joy from exacting vengeance. She detested blood and wounds, and even if the mess was her doing, it sickened her. The bloodiest act Xiang Shi Yan had committed in the past three hundred years was annihilating the Du Clan's main branch, but her motive then was merely to inquire about her birth father's whereabouts. Unexpectedly, her "Uncle" not only insulted her mother but also attempted to kill her. Her "Aunt" feigned surrender, colluding with two other uncles to attack her, and in the ensuing chaos, she had gone too far… She still regretted her impulsive actions. She always missed the chance for peace, and all that remained in her grasp were answers stained with blood. Weary, Xiang Shi Yan sighed, meeting Zhu Cheng's lifeless gaze. Did her torment make him feel any remorse? Or did he still believe his actions, done for the family's sake, made his death worthwhile? Pondering, Xiang Shi Yan seriously asked Zhu Cheng, "You don't think that by dying, you've left a path for your family's survival, do you?" His eyes flickered slightly. Xiang Shi Yan continued, "After your death, Zhu Yun will be the primary heir, and Jade Mountain will fully support her to become the head of the Zhu family. Although the divided family factions are hard to align, even if they unite, an unnamed cause is hard to rally behind. Could it be they are eliminating you to control the Zhu family, am I correct?" He stared blankly for a second or two, then glared fiercely at her, hoarsely shouting, "How dare you!" Recalling Zhu Yun's methods of reforming the Zhu family from the original story, Xiang Shi Yan lazily responded, "Once Zhu Yun becomes the head, she’ll abandon your methods entirely, finding new ways to save the Zhu family. You think snatching a heavenly spiritual root to improve your weak lineage was a good plan?" "She’ll open the Zhu family, absorbing talented rogue cultivators to strengthen her power, redistributing the family's resources based on skill and contribution, rather than bloodline. Happy now? Finally, there's hope for the Zhu family's declining talents. No one, except for the idiots in your prestigious clans, wastes effort nurturing hopeless cultivators." Xiang Shi Yan personally held no grudges against less talented cultivators, as she had accepted He He as her disciple without worrying about his aptitude. She felt slightly apologetic for her harsh words but smiled at Zhu Cheng's anger. "The sub-families won't regain any power and lack the ability to topple her. In one or two centuries, the paternal lineage of your Zhu family will be mostly extinct without the necessity to inherit. Your surname will soon become worthless. In years to come, when people mention this power, they won’t even remember it was once a family." Zhu Yun's methods were straightforward but provided the best solution to the decline of a family. Even as wise as she was, she couldn’t possibly have understood such intricate issues back when she was fourteen. The inherent exclusivity of family clans was their downfall. Many knew this but refused to abandon the convoluted systems created to favor their bloodlines over time. Abandoning the allocation of resources based on genetic proximity did not just mean providing leftovers to a few upper-level cultivators. It meant opening Zhu family resources to the outside, converting "tribute" to "recruitment." This not only quickly garnered power to ensure their security but also fostered cultivation more efficiently than the wasteful practice of investing in incapable heirs over promising outsiders. Witnessing the plain indifference in Xiang Shi Yan's eyes, Zhu Cheng suddenly struggled to catch his breath, uttering unintelligible cries towards her. Withdrawing the spiritual force that had been staunching his bleeding, Xiang Shi Yan concluded, "You aren’t some great savior of your family. It's you who doomed the Zhu family to collapse so swiftly." "You—destroyed the Zhu family." As blood poured from his wounds, the world turned dark, and his body grew cold. In Zhu Cheng’s last conscious moments, he deeply regretted manipulating Gong Ning and every decision he had ever made. Withdrawing the barrier she had placed around the courtyard walls, Xiang Shi Yan left no trace of her spiritual power at the scene. She had used non-attributed spirit stones and an ordinary, unenchanted sword when dismembering Zhu Cheng, ensuring no evidence could be linked back to her. Someone draped in a cloak stained with Zhu Cheng's blood left the Zhu estate, but it had nothing to do with Xiang Shi Yan, who was engaged in watching over the city walls with the heads of the Xu and Bai families. Author's Note: **Content Warning: This chapter contains some graphic descriptions; please choose to read at your discretion.** I didn't write in extreme detail, so hopefully, it's not too disturbing, but if it shocks or disgusts anyone, please don’t scold me QoQ Thank you to the little angels who voted or provided nourishment from 2022-03-29 35:25:22 to 2022-03-31 22:54:20~ Special thanks to the angels providing nourishment: Lantern Moon with 40 bottles; freedom with 10 bottles; Thank you all for your support, I will continue to work hard! No pop-up ads on our site. Permanent domain (xbanxia.com)