"This is simply bullying!"
"Heh."
Taking up the cup of clear wine with his right hand and raising his left hand-
"Youngster with absolute power you can bully anyone you desire."
Dao He Cang Yue speaks with a matter-of-fact tone while clenching his left hand into a fist and drinking right after.
"........."
Utterly speechless at the situation that is forced upon him Ao Tian Xue clenches his fists and bites down on his lips.
As Dao He Cang Yue opens his left hand Ao Tian Xue felt a powerful force of attraction dragging him forward and within the blink of an eye he had already appeared by the fox immortal's side with their hand placed over his head.
"Obediently do as I tell you to if you wish to live."
Although Dao He Cang Yue didn't apply any sort of pressure in his left hand Ao Tian Xue still felt as if something is trying to crush his head.
"Ah while you're here why don't I tell you what happens to those who offend me?"
"..."
Not daring to move an inch under the invisible pressure Ao Tian Xue sat perfectly still.
"All of it started with the woman who took me away from my lover. The moment she was about to give birth to my child I made my move to attack and drain her of all her cultivation base. Within a few short breaths' worth of time she was already nothing more than a dried corpse. Did you know how she looked while dying? Shock, surprise, astonishment, she was completely caught off guard and had even asked me why in her final moments. I have to say either my acting throughout the pass 184,000 years of pretending to be her husband was that good or she was simply just a moron to think that she could ever trust me."
"..."
The expression on Dao He Cang Yue's face can only be described as twisted with a light of cruelty emanating from his eyes.
"Don't. Worry. So. Long. As. You. Don't. Offend. Me. You. Won't. Have. To. Experience. What. That. Woman. Went. Through."
With every word said Dao He Cang Yue would gently pat Ao Tian Xue on the head to get his point across.
(This guy is definitely not a fox immortal! He's a genuine fox demon!)
The biggest difference between fox immortals and fox demons is their source of power.
For fox immortals it was immortal Qi and spirit energy while for fox demons it was demonic Qi with spirit energy.
However, this Dao He Cang Yue's behavior alone is already more than enough to brand him as a fox demon.
"Come, come, let's drink to the wonderful start of our partnership in burning the Great Tree down. Even though you are here as a spiritual body you can still taste this wine to a fair degree."
Seemingly in a merry mood Dao He Cang Yue drops his left hand and picks up a filled cup of clear wine to give to Ao Tian Xue.
"I-Indeed..."
Nervously Ao Tian Xue receives the cup and toasts with Dao He Cang Yue before also nervously gulping the wine down.
The taste of this wine is completely unknown to Ao Tian Xue as his sense of taste is completely overpowered by his sense of anxiety at having been threatened into this partnership by this fox demon.
"The mountain of money you can take back with you. As for the herbs... You're not really an alchemist so have these instead."
Several white bottles appeared by Ao Tian Xue's side.
"You'll find some pills to help you break into Foundation Establishment along with the ones that will aid you in preparing for Core Formation."
Receiving such pills would normally make anyone go wild with joy but Ao Tian Xue didn't even dare to pick them up. Physically these bottles shouldn't weigh a ton but due to the mental stress he is suffering from they will surely weigh quite a bit.
"And also take this with you."
Receiving a jade slip Ao Tian Xue looks to it.
"In it you'll find the method to head over to that world along with a cultivation technique that is suited to one of your meager talent. Other than that there's a magic array that I need you to setup. Basically all my current instructions are written in there. Once you complete all the things listed I'll give you new orders."
"..."
"That black fox you encounter in that world should be of great assistance to you. Her background is completely clean so you can trust her. Also time flows very differently between the Autumn Moon Mountain Range and that world. I can't say how big the time difference is so you'll have to find out yourself."
"..."
Absent-mindedly listening to Dao He Cang Yue's explanation Ao Tian Xue would give a nod at every interval.
"That's all you need to know for now. You can go home."
Giving a final nod Ao Tian Xue takes the pill bottles and moves closer to the mountain of gold.
The moment the white fox is in range of the gold pile Dao He Cang Yue waves his hand causing a complex magic circle to appear beneath the feet of the former.
Gradually Ao Tian Xue and the materialistic items vanished from the living room completely.
"..."
As soon as Ao Tian Xue's presence is gone completely Dao He Cang Yue begins to refill his cup.
He didn't tell the white fox the entire story of Zi Xiang as he doesn't know if Ao Tian Xue can be trusted or not. In fact there were even a few lies in his story.
As for the matter about the rune on Ao Tian Xue's chest it was another lie that he made up on the spot to create the impression that he is constantly watching his every movement.
This means to say Dao He Cang Yue didn't have any way to seal Ao Tian Xue's mouth.
"..."
An expression of seriousness with a hint of dread appears on Dao He Cang Yue's face as he gulps down his drink.
He had nearly lost his composure at the sight of the odd rune.
The moment Ao Tian Xue appeared in front of him he felt that something was odd about their spiritual body and having seen that rune it more or less confirmed his thoughts.
"A fox with ten bolts of lightning... Since time immemorial nine is treated as an auspicious number to have while ten is considered the number that represents perfection. Within this plane of heaven and earth there are numerous foxes but only one is fit to possess ten lightning bolts. This child's background might seem like nothing but then... Why the hell would a nameless nobody have the Xiū Luó Zhǔzǎi Mò Tiān Luó's (修罗主宰默天罗Meaning: Asura Monarch Mo Tian Luo) spiritual branding on them?"
Simply at the mentioning of this name causes a bead of cold sweat to roll down the side of Dao He Cang Yue's head.
Mo Tian Luo is none other than one of the ten Original Monarchs who has ruled over this plane of heaven and earth since time immemorial and is the absolute ruler of heaven's lightning. At the same time it was also him who had created the concept of tribulation.
Attempting to use someone related to one of the ten Original Monarchs is akin to playing with fire with a high likelihood of getting burned but to acquire Zi Xiang's sword Dao He Cang Yue is willing to brave the risks as he sees his encounter with Ao Tian Xue as an opportunity.
"...The next time he comes here I'll need to have figured out a way to hide that spiritual branding from prying eyes."
Only a moron would offend someone that is related to the ten Original Monarchs but for Half-Monarchs-
"I don't know if he possesses the secret to true monarch ascension but if he does and word of it gets out this child will definitely be hunted down to the ends of the earth and hope that he was never born."
