“We’ve wasted enough time fooling around, bowing down to others. It is time for the Demoness Sect to rise.”

  “Mistress?”

  “Yes, pet?”

  “Why… the name?” Song Ming said, swallowing mid-way, as though her body was struggling to keep down her Mistress’ earlier… gift.

  “Well, everyone seemed so insistent. I show up, and suddenly it’s ‘demon’ this, ‘demonic’ that… If that’s what everyone wants me to be, then I will embrace it. We will be the Demoness Sect, and we will show the world that you can’t just throw that word around as an insult.”

  Huang Su finally raised her head enough to be able to look up at Bianca, “That… Mistress-”

  “And you. After seeing what you’ve done, I am starting to doubt your loyalty. Come here,” the Demon Queen looked at Huang Su as though she was lesser than Song Ming, and yet again the Sect Master didn’t offer a proper rebuttal, “Accept my energy, and confirm that you’re still here to be helping me.”

  Although she hesitated for a moment, she still ended up holding out her hand, for Bianca to grasp. Almost inevitably, everyone ended up looking closely as Bianca accepted it, holding it tightly as crimson arcs fred up around her. Her energy focused onto her arm, and through it was channelled into the Sect Master’s body, making her grimace as the lightning cshed with her own energy. Unbeknownst to the others, however, she was attempting to speak with Bianca all the while.

  ‘Bianca, please, while I may be able to nullify this corruption eventually, I-’

  ‘You did this, Huang Su. You told me that you’d protect us, watch over us, ensure that everything would be fine, and yet you just watched as that disgusting man tried to rape my pet!’

  ‘I was trying to stop him, but I could not-’

  ‘A sixth realm Sect Master couldn’t stop a bastard that I killed in one stab? Don’t lie to me. Don’t you dare lie to me!’

  Both the flow of energy and her demonic aura intensified as she pulled the Sect Master in closer, looking her right in the eyes.

  ‘You insisted on ying low, you insisted on not using strength, you insisted on letting people walk over us… If you really act in my interests, then this bit of energy is nothing.’

  ‘But-’

  ‘It’ll barely affect you, right? You’ll just purge it eventually, right? You’ve been working on comprehending this corruption and sorting it out, right? If you told me the truth even once, then this shouldn’t be an issue at all for you. Just do what you promised… for once.’

  Huang Su had to grit her teeth to prevent herself from either speaking out, or expressing the pain building in her body. Although Bianca’s energy was indeed lesser in realm by far, it was awfully potent and destructive thanks to its owner’s emotional state. It burned as though it had reached the fourth realm, and the amount that Bianca was pouring out was likely going to leave her near-empty – but that meant that it could affect Huang Su to an extent.

  She could feel it doing exactly that. Slowly affecting her body, changing… something. Worming its way into her head, amplifying that strangeness that had crept up on her more and more as of te. An odd warmth filled her anywhere that the crimson surged, making her shudder.

  Luckily, Bianca’s energy eventually began to run out, prompting the Sect Mistress to release her grasp and step back, exhaling heavily.

  Xue Yaling watched the whole thing with a barely-hidden grin, although she kept herself in check enough to not earn Bianca’s ire.

  She had more or less concluded that Bianca had indeed affected the Phoenix Sect’s leader with her corruption before, but seeing this, seeing her energy definitively flowing into Huang Su’s body, clearly perceiving the slight impact it had on her… that confirmed it beyond a shadow of a doubt. The Sect Master was corrupted, perhaps only to a small degree, but it was a fact nonetheless.

  Not only did it mean that she could slowly be corrupted further, but it meant that the kitsune had an edge over that woman… albeit not yet. While she was corrupted in the same manner, she could only do so much, but if her theory worked out, if she was able to finalise her skill the way she intended, she would have the capability of ordering about a sixth realm expert. If she was especially fortunate, Huang Su would reach the next realm and remain under the demonic influence, in turn granting her and Bianca a seventh realm expert.

  ‘I hadn’t thought that things would go this way back when I decided to set out with her… and now, it seems like the regur side of her has been silenced, at least for now. Good,’ the kitsune thought, ‘I can’t know if it will return, like it has every prior time, but… I have a feeling that she will be different even if it does. After the kind of reaction she showed to Huang Su not helping her pet, she won’t go back to normal.’

  That worked in her favour, as the Demon Queen was far more amenable to the various ideas that the kitsune proposed than Bianca was normally, although she would be lying if she cimed that there was no downside.

  Regur Bianca was somewhat predictable, and this one…

  ‘She has the same basic drives and desires, I know that much, but there’s a lot that regur Bianca keeps bottled up, away from prying eyes. I will need to study her carefully until I’m able to be as safe around the Demon Queen as I was with regur Bianca,’ she hid any sign of her excitement when Bianca’s gaze nded upon her, trying to look inoffensive, not that she was sure how to do so.

  Who knew how exactly the Demon Queen wanted Xue Yaling and the others to be behaving, if even she herself did.

  As Bianca allowed the Demonic Tyrant to recover her energy, allowing her to focus again. She could feel the influence she had forced upon Huang Su, but it wasn’t enough – she knew that it wouldn’t stop the Sect Master from betraying her again in the future.

  She needed to find opportunities to influence her again… and luckily, she knew one way to do so easily.

  ‘When I tried to impregnate my pet, it sent out a burst of energy that deepened my corruption, so all I need to do is fuck a few more women… maybe a few dozen. We just need the Demoness Sect to get started,’ Bianca concluded, but there was that quiet, little voice in the back of her mind.

  ‘No, it wouldn’t be right to do that to people that need my help!’

  ‘Oh, shut it. Haven’t you seen how this goes? How this always goes? There’s no point to trying to be a saint, and instead we ought to be wiser. We give them power and sanctuary, and in return… I get to fuck them. What’s so bad about that?’

  ‘It’s wrong to take advantage of them!’

  ‘And do others not take advantage of you? It’s only fair for me to do the same,’ her louder voice seemed to shrug, finding her compints strange, ‘This time should’ve been the lesson to finally knock you out of this foolishness.’

  “So, Sect Mistress, what is it that we will be doing? What is our great pn for the world?”

  “The pn is very simple. We rush to the ruins of the Reaper’s Grave, take out anyone occupying it, then remake it into the seat of power for the Demoness Sect. Then, we find women that have been harmed, that have been spurned from pces they deserved, that have been abused, and bring them all in. Train them up, share an adaptation of my technique and skills, maybe… maybe even teach them my cock-summoning ability.”

  “Still not going to call it the proper name?”

  “Fuck that, it’s a terrible name. If you manage to make a technique that can match its capabilities, you’re free to name it something better,” Bianca shrugged, “There’s only a slight issue so far. Give me a map.”

  She said it to nobody in particur, but Huang Su was very quick to pull out a map and, using her energy, spread it out in the air in front of them, letting the whole group look on.

  “The Reaper’s Grave is right here, no? What’s immediately to the right of it?”

  Xue Yaling reached out and roughly indicated some borders on the map, “Here would be the Solitary Peak Sect, here would… ah shit.”

  “How far does the Exarch’s Domain spread here?”

  She couldn’t be sure what the exact location of the Exarch’s base of operations was, but she did know that the being had spread out its influence far enough to threaten the Dancer’s Abode and, as its main target, Long Shiyi’s Warband. Therefore, if she was to assume that the Exarch had spread out simirly in the other direction…

  “It would appear that the Reaper’s Grave is basically on the edge of its territory,” Bianca sighed, “We’re probably safe for as long as the Exarch is focused on Long Shiyi, but after that, chances are that we’ll need some strong walls.”

  “Or a good defensive array… Mistress,” Huang Su added, immediately looking down after the Demon Queen’s gaze nded on her.

  “Indeed. Still, if the Reaper’s Grave was once powerful, then it can be powerful once more. If that pce once stood tall and proud in this pce… then it can do so once more,” Bianca said with surety, “And we will be the ones to put it back on the map, albeit by a different name.”

  “That’s very brave, considering that Long Shiyi will probably fall…” the kitsune sighed, “Still, assuming you’re able to keep your cultivation going quickly, you might be able to stand up to some of his forces eventually, Sect Mistress.”

  “Thank you for the words of encouragement… don’t think that I don’t see what you’re doing, though.”

  “Hm? Whatever could you mean, Sect Mistress?”

  “If you want a hatefuck too, you just need to ask,” shrugged Bianca, managing to stun the kitsune into silence for once.

  Without that other voice slowing her down, forcing her to be meek and quiet, she could say whatever she wanted. With the kitsune pretending to be some loyal disciple of the Demoness Sect, it was only right for her to talk down to her and not indulge her nonsense.

  ‘Although it’s hard to deny that it offers some entertainment value…’ she thought as she looked away, before changing her mind and instead choosing to tease the kitsune further, “Well, do you? I can summon my cock again right here and now.”

  “That won’t be necessary, Bianca, I’ll stop while we’re in private like this. Though, when your sect ends up accepting disciples, wouldn’t you want me to address you by your title?” Xue Yaling managed to find a way to get out of it, and immediately pressed her advantage, “It would be ideal to set a good example for the future disciples, especially if all of us were to kneel down, remove our clothes, expose our breasts to-”

  “Don’t tempt me, you slut. I still have some butt plugs somewhere, I don’t mind ensuring your ass is left gaping.”

  “I’m just getting used to the new you, don’t mind me.”

  “You’ll get plenty of time to do that. Finish your work on the skill first.”

  “Yes, Sect Mistress.”

  She didn’t bother giving her a gre this time, finally returning her attention to the rest of their little group.

  “I hope everyone here used their time back at Heart’s Core Town well, because that’s all the preparation we’re going to get. We need to get to the Reaper’s Grave as soon as possible, before anyone has the chance to figure out where we’re going, which means that we start now,” she stated.

  “Uhm…”

  “What? Oh, right…” Bianca had to sigh as she looked over at the bcksmith.

  Han Rushu had gotten up, but her legs were wobbling, forcing her to lean on Jia Bo Xun to stand properly. Her pants were still torn – if she had repcements, she clearly hadn’t pulled them out yet – and thus cum leaked freely from her ass, some dripping down and the rest streaming down her leg.

  It was quite the look, one that Bianca enjoyed quite a bit, but it meant that she wasn’t quite in a globe-trotting state.

  “Fine, we get half an hour to rex first. If she still can’t walk after that, she’ll have to get carried,” Bianca concluded, “Song Ming, come with me, pying with your body sounds like an excellent way to pass the time.”

  East of the Heart Lake, Lao Ping counted the remaining coins with his one hand, putting them away into a pouch before sighing, loudly and without restraint.

  “Even the money from sparring with the restored arm is running out,” he sighed, putting the pouch aside and leaning back. Inevitably, his attention was drawn to his arm – or the absence in its pce, although the pain he felt certainly made it seem otherwise.

  With the demonic energy that had torn into him, he inevitably lost the limb, and now he felt broken, as though a vital part of him was removed – because it was, given the vital importance of an arm to a fighter like him. Nevertheless, the phantom sensations continued to keep him awake each and every night. He wished he had some way to be rid of it, on one hand, but on the other, it was a reminder of his folly.

  “I keep telling you that you shouldn’t move this much… the Codex has damaged your information, and you need to give yourself the proper amount of time to heal.”

  “I know, I know… but if we run out of money, we won’t be able to keep this little operation going.”

  He looked outside the tent, onto the many people logging away at metallic trees in the distance. On paper, they were workers, but in reality, most of them had come on the promise of a grand deed that they would be well compensated for.

  “Don’t you think we should drop it? You have suffered enough from the conflict, starting it once more will-”

  “I know, Jiang Song. I know. I had thought it best to stop then, to simply focus on this business, but… it doesn’t stop. No matter what I do, the pain…” he tried to hold his other arm, only to grasp air, “Even after the whole thing is gone, I still feel her crimson surging through me.”

  “Chances are, all that will happen is that you will lose your other arm, as well. Unless we have both a lead and the means by which to remain safe, we shouldn’t-”

  At that moment, a messenger ran up to the entrance to the tent, panting and gasping as he tried to catch his breath.

  “Boss, we’ve got some news!”

  “On that woman?”

  “Well… you’re the expert on her looks, so I’ll let you judge. Apparently, the Phoenix Sect’s leader was seen crossing the Heart Lake, and this woman was accompanying her,” the messenger held out a piece of paper while leaning on one of the supports of the tent, so Lao Ping gestured for Jiang Song to take it.

  His expression changed the moment that he saw the image, but nevertheless, he carried it over and let Lao Ping take a look.

  ‘Although the shades of her skin and hair seem different, there’s no doubt about the rest of it…’ he frowned, feeling the phantom pain grow stronger, “It’s her. I’m not sure why or how she had changed her looks, but the face is the same, complete with those eyes…”

  Jiang Song had no choice to admit it as well, “I had hoped she would remain unseen, for your sake, but it seems the heavens have other pns. In that case, we still require the means to take her on.”

  That seemed to excite the messenger, as he stood up straight and added to his report.

  “Ah, and on the way here, I ran into a man that wished to join you the moment he heard your plight!”

  Lao Ping narrowed his eyes, “Is that so? Did he come with you?”

  “Yes, he’s outside the camp. Should I bring him in?”

  “… Very well, I’ll see if he’s worth it.”

  The messenger nodded and backed away, before turning and sprinting out. It wasn’t long before he ended up returning, even more tired than before, with a man following behind him.

  Long bck hair and bck eyes, tall and refined, each stride made with purpose and a clear determination. A particur aura surrounded him, subtle yet striking in some sense, something that couldn’t quite be grasped with a single look. It was as though all of the air around him was his very own, his to wield, his to control, as if the earth made way for him.

  “This is him, boss. He says he is called Fang Zheng.”