Chapter 176: Cherish Your Blessings
"HAHAHA! HAHAHAHA! Immortal! I AM IMMORTAL!!!" Loud, boisterous laughter shook Night Flower City. Xue Jingzhao hovered in the sky, her arms spread wide, and her back arching as she relished in her lifetime achievement: Immortal Ascension. Tens of thousands of years of cultivation, scheming and betrayal, all led to this point. Not only had she crossed the first Human Tribulation, she barrelled through the second, third and fourth, now standing at the fourth-tribulation Human Immortal Realm.
Though in the Hengye clan, all elders were at least Earth Immortals, in the Taiyang clan, a Human Immortal cultivation base was enough to reach that status. Only the top elders of the Taiyang clan had Earth Immortal cultivation bases or above. So, from now on, Xue Jingzhao could face the elder council from an equal standpoint.
No one...no one...could look down on her again!
When Taiyang Yuan used her as a vulgar emissary to deliver his goodwill and invitation to the Immortal Ascension Grand Prix, Xue Jingzhao could never imagine that she'd actually luck on the opportunity to become an Immortal! Quality-wise, her Dao Foundation had nothing to envy to the majority of Sun Spirits, and while she couldn't afford to challenge the Earth Tribulation now, with time and preparations, she'd cross that threshold as well!
"The ancients didn't deceive me. A direct connection to a deity is by default an Immortal Destiny! Taiyang Yuan, thank you!" Jingzhao's laughter intensified. Her eyes swept the scene, seeking the looks of shock, awe and admiration of Night Flower City's citizens.
She found none of those. As a matter of fact, not a single person seemed to care for her Immortal Ascension!
"Say aah."
"Aah..." Still in his pavilion, Xinzi fed strawberries to his snakegirls. Their red lips parted to let the berries in, then closed on his fingers, sucking the tip and refusing to let go. To say nothing of marveling at Xue Jingzhao's accomplishments. They didn't even seem to notice her existence!
"Divine Lord, I am...Immortal!" Balling her fists in frustration, and trembling in indignation, Xue Jingzhao said.
Yes, the Hengye clan had benefited so much from their previous monarch's legendary feats that they'd long exceeded the Taiyang clan. But even here in the Hengye clan, Immortal Ascension was a resounding feat, commanding the elders' praise and applause! Why was no one applauding her?!
"Actually, you're not. Are you ageless? Yes. Is your body so resilient that below the Immortal Realm, only the freaks of freaks can injure you? Yes. Do you have startling regeneration abilities? Yes. But starting with your 129,600th birthday, you will start experiencing Life Tribulations—each deadlier than the previous one. They give you absolutely no benefit and will end your existence as soon as you fail to resist them. This...is why climbing the Immortal Realms as fast as possible is so important. True immortality is a privilege reserved for deities, devils, saints and entities above the Great Principle. You dear, will never reach that level," not bothering to glance at Xue Jingzhao, Xinzi said.
"You!"
"Also, don't get too conceited. You're just an Ice Spirit. The Taiyang are Sun Spirits. That, girl, is a mismatch made in Heaven. I wouldn't be surprised if even a one-tribulation Taiyang elder could beat you black and blue."
"Youuuu!" As the flames of rage welled up in her chest, Xue Jingzhao's bountiful chest bounced up and down. Her dagger eyes aimed at our monk, who still fed the snakegirls berries.
"With that said, I have to admit that it was impressive. The Human Tribulation that so often leads to Dao Collapse had absolutely no impact on your psyche. By reaching the fourth-tribulation Human Immortal Realm with such ease, you have proved your Dao and the 'correctness' of all your previous choices. I can't tell if this is a good or bad thing." Revealing the Path, Achieving Clarity and Proving the Dao. On the path to Immortal Ascension, only the Dao Revelation, Supreme Clarity and Human Immortal realms required true Dao comprehension and enlightenment.
When many more promising experts lost themselves to inner struggles and contradictions, in those realms, Xue Jingzhao had never faced any bottleneck, for from infancy to maturity, she'd always known what she wanted, and how she wanted it.
"Well, I guess we can say that, at the very least, you're consistent with yourself. I respect that," Xinzi said, kissed the two Night Flowers' foreheads, and freed his fingers from their tender lips. He then rose from his seat, turning towards the fuming Jingzhao, who now dropped from the sky. As before, a shroud prevented her from seeing Xinzi's face. If only she knew that, throughout Night Flower City, only she was unable to look at our monk, perhaps she'd stomp her feet and flip some tables.
"Naturally! I set foot on this road with a clear purpose: Immortality! I want to be immortal and will do anything to reach that stage!" By now, Jingzhao knew that attempting to hide her true thoughts from Xinzi was no different from courting humiliation. That being the case, she revealed her vicious self with absolutely no restraint.
"Fair, but Jingzhao, along the road, many of us lose the ability to cherish our blessings. Heck, I might be one of them—you definitely are, and it's unfortunate," Xinzi said, and walked towards Jingzhao, leaning in so that, while she couldn't see his face, his breath still grazed her forehead.
"Cherish your blessings, girl. The future is hard to predict; nightmares can strike at the most inopportune of times, and as so many have said before, you never know what you got until it is gone," Xinzi whispered in Jingzhao's ears, making her eyes stretch in confusion.
"Huh?" The Demon Slaying Hall Master couldn't understand why Xinzi spoke such words. Her eyes swept the two Night Flowers, who as she challenged harsh tribulations, enjoyed a moment of tenderness with the God-Monarch.
Why?!
Her beauty didn't lose to theirs, and the gap between her cultivation base and theirs made them look like malnourished vandals. Why then did they receive attention and care from the God-Monarch while she could only serve as a prime cum-dumpster?
The scenario was different, but in their face she saw the reflection of her dead sister: Xue Lin! Murderous instincts flashed in her eyes, but almost instantaneously, she suppressed them.
"Then again, I suppose this doesn't apply to you. Never mind. Follow me." Xinzi noticed Jingzhao's emotions, and for the imperceptible split of a second, his eyes chilled. The Hall Master sneered at the snakegirls, then turned towards Xinzi. Our monk tapped her shoulder, and the two vanished, reappearing in a dark but spacious underground room filled with a variety of strange and ominous items.
"This, Jingzhao, is where you will stay until I'm done with you. Then, you will return to the Solar Palace, and act as a direct link between My Divine Self and Taiyang Yuan. Here is the tool we will use to maintain the communication." Xinzi paused and stretched his hand out. One pink dog collar flew towards him, landing in his hand.
"I've fused my blood into it. Wear it, and wherever you stand in the Great Desolation World, I will not only be able to reach you, but also transmit my voice to the people around you."
"You can't possibly expect me to wear...this." On the dog collar, Jingzhao could see the words "All For My Master" written.
"You can refuse. But our cooperation will end here, and you will have to rely on yourself for any attempt to break through to higher realms. I hope the Taiyang clan will help you accumulate the resources you need to at least challenge the Earth Tribulation," Xinzi said, and the collar flew out of his hand, hovering before Jingzhao.
A few moments later, she had it tightly wrapped around her neck. Her cheeks flushed so red that they looked like an over-spanked kid's buttocks.
She didn't know his name, had never seen his face, but he'd already dumped liters of spunk in her womb and had her wear a collar dedicated to him. This was no longer in the realms of shame and humiliation. So long as she stood before Xinzi, Xue Jingzhao could never keep her head up.
Satisfied, Xinzi lifted up her chin, wrapped his arms around her waist, and as he pulled her towards him, one hand lifted up her skirt. The other hand sneaked under, clenching her firm and round butt.
"I knew you wouldn't disappoint me, because Jingzhao, from the moment you hopped on my meat, the whims of fate had you tied to my divine will.
From now on, and till death do us apart, you are my...bitch," Xinzi said, and trembling like a fawn in the clutches of a wild predator, Jingzhao swallowed her saliva. Her pulse quickened. Her thighs clenched together, a futile attempt to hide her cunt which turned wet and moister by the second.
The juice trickled down Jingzhao's clenched thighs, dripping on the ground and echoing....throughout the underground room.