How to be Persuasive

My ultimatum is very simple. Completely cease all the fighting and then gather at a designated location of my choosing within a specific timeframe. Failure to do so will not only result in death but most likely further mental torture until the mind ceases to exist, effectively reducing the physical body to nothing more than an empty shell for me to control at my leisure.

It is not quite the same as being dead, but it is a fate far worse than death for many people, considering that there are just so many things I can use their body for. For example, I can use their body to commit some of the most heinous crimes, bringing utter shame to their name as well as their clan and family.

This is like the least I can do for those I want to destroy so absolutely. I reserve the worst possible for people who I have considered to be my enemy. I have not had a true enemy for a long time. Not even when those assholes bothering my suicidal monologue at the summit.

Meh.

While not many people are that imaginative, they all understand one thing. For me to be able to attack their spirit and mind that easily means that I am already beyond the Spiritual Realm, and no one within the Valley of the Wind has ever met an expert of the Astral Realm.

The Astral Realm is more commonly known as the Realm of the Essence. It is the Realm right between the Spiritual Realm and the Soul Realm, and together they make up the Spiritual Phrase. While I think it should be called the Soul Phrase due to the formation of a Soul, but I am alone in that opinion.

It is not like I am the first person to discover these Realms, and as such, I do not have the privilege of naming them. Not really a big problem, but some Realms and their stages are quite obscure, and thus, it is hard to explain to an ignorance newb.

Anyway, Li Zhu is considered to be at the pinnacle Soul Realm – just one step away from reaching the Learned Realm, and since the others have assumed that I am currently a Learned Realm expert, I think I will keep up the illusion.

For now.

It is probably better than revealing my divinity. Everyone here will likely die from the shock alone, and besides, being mistaken as an expert of the Learned Realm is not that bad. It still allows me to demand outrageous things from everyone here.

Learned Realm expert can manipulate the elements and bending them to their will, and if they wanted to, they can permanent change the climate and weather of a region, but a great cost. Considering that Learned Realm expert are so far beyond Mortal and Martial Realm, no body within this region dare to defy or offend one unless they have a death wish.

A Learned Realm expert can crush Kingdoms and Empires without much effort. The very elements are at their command. Imagine a super volcano manifesting and erupting at the heart of an Empire. It is a cataclysmic event more than anything. How could mere mortals defy against such power?

The answer is simply, they cannot.

Likewise, no one within the Valley of the Wind can defy my will, whether they are outsiders, invading due to orders from their Elders and Sect Leaders, or disciples of the Sword Maiden Sect. None of them really needed to know who I am or what I am, only my ability to instantly kill them at my leisure. Sure, some might recognize me from my voice or looking up, but only a handful.

"Master," Li Zhu speaks up within my mindscape. She cannot remain still and watch and learn. "How… how are you able to do that?"

"You have much to learn, little bird, and if you listen and behave, I can promise you that one day, you will be become more than just a spirit."

I decide to answer her since I am not really doing anything particular other than watching and waiting for everyone to gather at where I have ordered them.

They are getting there slowly from what I can see from above. From what I can feel with my blanketing aura over the entire Valley of the Wind.

Kumo is waiting for my order on the ground. While she wants closer to me, none of the items she has grants her true flight capability. She can leap high into the air and glide, but that is not really flying.

"More than just a spirit? I do not understand," Li Zhu responses, not knowing what spirit can become once they have ascended to certain Realms. Considering that she is a natural spirit, she does not need to cultivate her Mortal and Martial Realm, but she should in order to actually gain a physical body.

Li Zhu probably does not know that. There is just so many things that she does not know but being an ignorance does not make her any less qualify to be in my harem. Everyone is ignorance from my point of view, honestly.

I just know a crazy amount of thing. Things that I should not even know. Even so, there is still so many things that I do not know. I barely scratch the surface about the Primordial, but I am going to take that as a challenge to expand my knowledge.

"Being born as a spirit is not any different than being born as a human, little bird," I answer. "The final destination is all the same, only the paths are different. You are born blessed into the Spiritual Realm unlike fragile humans who have to transcend their morality and earn their place amongst the spirits."

"I… I still do not understand," Li Zhu states. "Are you suggesting that I should learn from the humans?"

I let out a sigh. "Maybe you should. You have taken their form, didn't you? Do not tell me that you did so because every other spirit does."

Li Zhu remains silence, making me sigh once more.

"Just behave and watch in silence, little bird," I order her. "I will teach you everything that you needed to know eventually. There is no need to rush. You have lived for a billion years. You can live for another billion year without problem. At least, you will not be alone anymore."

"I'm not alone! I have friends! A lot of friends," Li Zhu calls out.

I smile. "I am sure that you do have a lot of friends, and I love to meet each one of them one day. Just to know each of them personally. Now. Do not make me repeat myself."

Li Zhu has said something further, but I decide to ignore her and focus my attention on a group at the edge of my spiritual aura. From their cultivation level, they are the survivors from before, and as they are so far out, they manage to avoid getting mind rape by my spiritual pressure.

They are also escaping, leaving the Valley of the Wind and their disciples or comrades behind to meet my judgement.

I am tempted to let them leave to inform their Sect Leader about what has happened here. Moon Jade Sect, Demon Sealing Pavilion, and Cleansing War Guild are the three offending Sects that have invaded Sword Maiden Sect due to the Heaven Tribulation against Zhao Liu.

I know where each of their Sect located, and I will repay the favor eventually. For now, I have far more interesting things to attend to.

"Little bird. How many people do you think is needed to deliver a message?" I question and reach out my hand to channel some spiritual energy. Hand gestures are not necessary, but it feels more natural to me. Mostly because I like to use my hands.

"Um… I think one?" Li Zhu answers.

I nod as I begin to mold and shape the spiritual energy into several missiles. It does not really take long for me to do so given my willpower. "And does that one need to be alive after delivering the message, little bird?"

Li Zhu takes a moment to answer since she is amazed that spiritual energy can be molded and shaped into whatever forms I desire. "No, master?"

"Yes, I think so to," I agree as the missiles rocket away. Since they are spiritual construct, they will not harm anyone physically, but the same cannot be said against spirits.

A person's spirit contains their will, their mind, and their consciousness. For their spirit to be destroyed or severely damaged then they will cease to be themselves. Attacking a person's spirit is also a way to bypass whatever physical defenses they might have.

Of course, a defensive-type Sacred Treasure can negate and defend against spiritual attacks as long as it is activated in time, and from the resulting explosions, I do not think it was activated in time.

Due to the purposely lower yield of one the missiles, a person manages to escape, but not unscathed, and judging from the amount of damage to their spirit, they will expire shortly after returning to their Sect.

That should be enough.

As for the rest, I send some mechanical drones to pick them up. I can create more spiritual constructs to do the same, but it will burn me out more. I can only make of Li Zhu's spiritual power a couple more times before I have to eject her from my body.

I will take a very long nap after that to recover. At least her spiritual power is not as devastating as my divine power due to the vast difference between them.

Since most of the people within the Valley of the Wind has gathered where I want them to, I think I'll head down soon.

And as I withdraw my spiritual aura from blanketing the whole area, I take notice that Xiao Hong and Long Yue are at where I had left them yesterday. The formation I have erected previously is preventing them from leaving that spot.

I decide to drop down there first. While I do, I give order to Kumo, as having her masquerading as Zhao Yao makes thing a lot easier. I do not need her to persuade Xiao Hong or Long Yue, as they are already mine. I do need her to persuade the Third and Fourth Elder of the Sect, however.

"What about the First Elder, master?" Kumo asks me through our blood connection. "She is known as Zhao Liu, Zhao Yao's younger sister. She is already suspicious of me."

"Do not worry about her. She will be missing for a few days," I answer as I land onto the ground. "Hello Hong-chan."

"Master," Xiao Hong greets respectfully. "I'd heard your voice in my mind, telling me to join the others, but I haven't been able to break through the formation you have erected."

"Yes, I know. That is why I am here," I assure her and then eye Long Yue. She is unable to do anything more than move her head due to me severing the tendons in her arms and legs. "As for you, Long Yue, are you ready to persuade me into patching you up?"

Long Yue tenses up. "I… Yes."

I sit on the log that I had previously a day ago. "Since we do have a bit of time, let me see some of your persuasive techniques, Long Yue. You can help her out, Hong-chan."

"And pay attention, little bird," I tell Li Zhu in my mindscape. "You will be able to learn a far better way to use your mouth."