Reverend Ecstasy

'Zhen'er, who do you think is the most frightening character of your Yanzhou Province?'

'I don't find any one of them to be particularly frightening.'

'Fair. Then what about the most intriguing?'

'Since you're asking me, you probably have a name in mind, so just spit it out.'

'Alright, alright, it's your sect master: Guang Fanghu.'

'...'

'I knew that my little brother couldn't be this clueless. True, on the surface, Yanzhou has no shortage of cultivators that could execute Guang Fanghu in one blow. Yet only he has managed to comprehend a Dao Glimpse in the Nascent Soul Realm. The effect on his battle-prowess might not be alarming, but as Divine Spirits, you and I both know the implications of that feat.'

'A Dao Glimpse isn't just the minimum requirement to reach Dao Revelation, it's first and foremost, the proof of the cultivator's connection to the Grand Dao.'

'Right, and for that reason, Dao Glimpses require an appropriate balance of bloodline, talent, experience and cultivation. Humans find that realm so difficult to reach because, on an innate level, their bloodlines and souls have no strong connection to the Grand Dao. But when even the sons and daughters of the Hengye clan have trouble establishing their Dao Glimpse before the early stage of Divine Transformation, that Guang Fanghu managed to do it in the Nascent Soul realm? Just because of his love for his daughter? I find that hard to believe.

Young, Guang Fanghu sublimated his talent to become a match for his beloved Zi Yao. Then later in life, he does the same to become his daughter's guardian. It's almost as if he can become as gifted as the situation needs him to be. A strange trait...for a mortal.'

'...'

'Hence why I say that the man is frightening. Who knows what existence hides behind that so-called yang patriarch. Every step of the way, you have to be wary of him.'

'Don't worry, big brother, I never planned to let him escape my scrutiny.'

Xinzi would never forget the brief mental exchange that he had with Baxian before leaving the Evernight Palace. His eyes pierced through Guang Fanghu, unscrupulously listening to the reactions, emotions and desires that the patriarch's heart kept concealed.

"Hehe, Xinzi, thank you for not corrupting my soul. Since you want me to cooperate, for Ling'er's sake, I will not hesitate," Guang Fanghu said. The former yang patriarch didn't like kneeling—much less kowtowing. Both went against his fiery Dao Heart, forcing him to suppress the bellicose nature that enabled him to challenge adversity time and time again. Thankfully, he could justify his current actions by telling himself that by doing this for his daughter and sect, he still fulfilled his Sheltering Light Dao.

"Father-in-law, I know that you hate me for what I've done to your clans and sect."

"I wouldn't d..."

"No need to pretend otherwise, that's perfectly reasonable. If you didn't loathe me for destroying your forefather's accomplishments, you wouldn't be Guang Fanghu. But fear not. I love Dong Ling way too much to let her sect go up in flames.

We will rebuild the White Immortal Sect in the Xihai Prefecture's Nameless Sword Mountain. The sect's headquarters might have been destroyed, but in truth, the losses are negligible. All the resources are still with me, over 90% of the disciples, including the Dong and Zi clansmen, have avoided death and become members of my Xin clan. Now equipped with bloodlines and potential that can rival the best of Divine Spirits, they're destined to stand at the top of this world.

The Nameless Sword Mountain is also a much better territory than the White Immortal Sect's mountain range. They've managed to keep their secrets hidden from you, but alas, I am me. Now, we only need a good story to explain these changes, and you'll help me with that. Agreed?"

"A...agreed." Guang Fanghu nodded, not daring to lift his eyes.

Xinzi snapped his fingers, and in a whirlwind of radiant light, two White-Winged Demons appeared beside him.

Both were previous Dong clan inner disciples, so Guang Fanghu recognized them immediately. Yet, as he stared at them, he couldn't process the changes that they'd gone through. The mystical Dao Chants alone were enough to convince the former yang patriarch that these disciples' current potential wasn't something a practitioner of his level could fathom.

"Do you want growth as well? You only have one word to say, and I will give you the supreme skill that enabled all sect disciples to ascend to this state."

"Thanks, but no. I might not become immortal in this life, but I will pursue my own way." The answer came automatically, almost as if engraved in Guang Fanghu's DNA. Impressed, Xinzi nodded at the former yang patriarch, his desire to figure out Guang Fanghu's secrets increasing by the second.

"Now, about the play..." Sweeping the audience, Xinzi told each actor the role he expected them to play, and as this went on, our monk sent Tusha a mental message

'Tusha, this must stay between you, Xue Yuanshao, and me. I need you to reproduce the same Yellow Spring Array that the Ghost King Hall of the Eternal Night Dynasty uses to control the Reincarnation Cycle of all Endless Sea lives.

Starting with the Gorge of Thousand Stones, all the way to Burning Spear Supercity, we will slowly expand it till it covers the whole of Yanzhou, then spread it further...to the entire Eastern Continent. The yellow spring's spread must follow our land conquests so that by the time we take over the Four Continents, I can just strip the Ghost King Hall of their Command Seal to control the Reincarnation Cycle of all Great Desolation World lives.'

'An array of that magnitude...will cost an astronomical quantity of energy. And if exposed, half this world will crusade against us. That war will be no better than what the Celestial Hall faced—no, it will be one hundred times worse. Abbot, are you sure about this one?' Though being entrusted with a project of that magnitude filled Tusha with excitement, the Infernal Nun wasn't so greedy for attention and merit that she'd ignore Xinzi's safety.

'Hence why I say that it must remain our secret. In fact, your current cultivation base and Soul Force aren't enough to lead this project. You will need manpower. First, we will ship the beasts and Blood Spirits in the Ice-Fire cave to this place, convert the beasts into White-Winged Demons, and the spirits into Sanguine Reincarnations. They will become your subordinates, and assist you in the development of that array.

The gorge has been altered to produce its own mineral supply of Blood Stones. These stones will enable the most ordinary of mortals to become mighty body refiners. The Bloodstone Cult will use them to establish a Soul Trade. My Vetala Heart will stay behind as the Bloodstone Patriarch to handle the logistics of the Soul Trade, feeding you 25% of the souls we earn to speed up your growth. It is more suitable than the Klesha for this line of work. Xue Yuanshao will also help.

On top of that, I came with 3,000 Soul Nurturing Divine Pills refined by my true body. Five hundred will go to you. Only when your Soul Force returns to the Immortal level can we guarantee the smooth development of this project," Xinzi said.

By setting aside one of his Demon Hearts, Xinzi would lose a chunk of his battle prowess. But in consideration of all he'd gain through the Bloodstone Patriarch, the loss was entirely tolerable.

"Let's go. You will rehearse your roles as we wait for our strays. I expect nothing less than a flawless performance," Xinzi said. A whirlwind of colorful rays formed around the troops, breaking them all into light particles as they raced towards the location of our monk's next scam.