I Can't Stand Sharing You

Blind loyalty was a double-edged sword. Given to a wise ruler, it could become the foundation that led the nation to prosperity. But should officials and generals offer blind loyalty to a tyrant, then they'd directly be contributing to the collapse of their country.

Wen Tianhua served two kings, Zi Xian's father, then Zi Xian himself. Out of fear of his crushing cultivation base, the two didn't dare to misrule the nation, failing to realize that, even if they became tyrants, Wen Tianhua would still support them.

As for why the Grand Preceptor was showing such loyalty to the royal family, Huan Yi had yet to get that information. But with his experience in manipulating emotions and desires, the Demon Child suspected that Wen Tianhua was, somehow, trying to honor Zi Shou's maternal great-grandfather—the man that raised Tianhua with love and affection, despite knowing full well that he wasn't his son.

"I can…make the king do…whatever I want?" Zi Shou's brain stopped at this information, his eyes flashing with a mix of curiosity, excitement, and madness.

"Yes, from now on, your father will be your bitch. So just follow my orders to the letter. I will take care of the rest," Huan Yi said, causing Zi Shou's lips to stretch in a comical grin.

To refine those three Karmic Blood Talismans, Huan Yi not only relied on his bloodline, but also wasted 10 of his Blue Pills—a non-negligeable investment that guaranteed that each talisman carried enough Spiritual Power to overwhelm any Saint of the Extreme Plateau. Even the average Ninefold Transcendent human would have a hard time resisting their powers.

"Also, keep in mind that you will be able to choose whether those around you can sense the Karmic Flux flowing from the talismans, or not. Hide whatever you do to Zi Xian, but do not hesitate to let Wen Tianhua sense the Karmic Flux oozing from you. It will make him realize that an invincible entity is backing you. Once he becomes convinced of that, for the sake of the Yin Dynasty, he will not dare to antagonize you," Huan Yi explained, making Zi Shou realize that his new master had already planned for all possibilities.

Yes, the longer Zi Shou stayed by Huan Yi's side, the more determined he was to become the Demon Child's disciple. Deep down, Zi Shou was starting to yearn to be like Huan Yi, controlling the fate of an entire nation within the palm of his hand.

What was power? That was power!

"Senior Di, I will not fail you!" Still thinking that "Di Xin" was Huan Yi's name, Zi Shou said and banged his head on the floor. In that instant, an enigmatic light flashed in Huan Yi's eyes, and his face took a sinister look.

"Little man, I know you won't…" Huan Yi said, patting Zi Shou on the head like a master would his pet. The two then went through a couple more details, after which, Zi Shou left the Dream Mansion, preparing to ambush and take control of his father. Seven of Huan Yi's Spectral Shadows followed him, assisting in the ambush.

Meanwhile, Huan Yi too had work to do. But first…

The Demon Child stood up, following a long corridor that led to a ruby-colored door. Opening that door, Huan Yi stepped into the Red Chamber, a luxurious dual cultivation suite with vivid red decorations, blood fruits, wine, and intricate formation patterns that spread across the ground.

"Taotie…" Huan Yi said, and instantly, Taotie, who'd vanished since the events of the Wine Lake, appeared out of thin hair, falling on one knee.

"At your command, master," Taotie said in a somewhat flat and absent-minded tone.

For a moment, Huan Yi stayed silent, observing Taotie from head to toe. The scent of wine surrounded her, proof that she'd been drinking excessively. Her eyes also didn't show any of the bubbly energy that they usually carried.

"What's wrong? You've been brooding since I got acquainted with the girls of the Wine Lake. Don't tell me that you're jealous." Huan Yi directly asked, not beating around the bush.

"Master, although we've been separated for eons, I've been by your side for over one million years and haven't forgotten anything about you. You can't stand possessive women that try to keep you for themselves, so I would never dare to show you any sign of jealousy…which is why I hid myself, hoping that it would pass quickly." Though Taotie replied in a calm and level tone, the primeval demoness kept her head lowered, not daring to make eye contact.

"So, you are jealous. Why? You never used to. That was more Taowu's thing," intrigued by Taotie's reaction, Huan Yi asked. In that immemorial era when the Demon Child roamed the world with the Four Perils, he'd been with countless demonesses, goddesses and monstresses, many of which tried to keep him for themselves.

But without exception, Huan Yi made them all realize that any such attempt would result in him abandoning them without hesitation. For this reason, even Taowu, of the Four Perils, had to learn to control her jealousy so as not to lose the favors of her master. Always the most reliable of the Demon Child's subordinates, Taotie never caused that problem. Why was she now joining the ranks of those possessive women?

"It's just…master, we've been separated for so long that…when I realized that Taowu and the rest wouldn't be answering the call, I thought I would have some time to enjoy you for myself. Not forever, just some time. But it's only been a few days, and you've already gotten so many women to serve you.

I…don't want to become an afterthought and can't stand having to compete with mortals for your affection. But…don't worry master, I will never cause you troubles. No matter what happens, you are my life," Taotie poured out her feelings, making Huan Yi wonder if he'd not underestimated the Four Perils' capacity for change.

---

"We have to leave Linzi! If we don't…we're all going to die!" Meanwhile, as news of the massacres spread through Linzi, in the monstrous-beasts-populated districts, panic and chaos had become the norm. It couldn't be helped. The peace between humans and land monsters had always been a delicate affair held in balance by the handful of powerhouses that wholeheartedly hoped for the various races to live in harmony.

But now that the Wen clan needed a scapegoat for Zi Shou's crimes, it didn't spare any resources to convince the human population of Linzi City that, the monstrous beasts had joined hands with demons to divide the royal family and weaken the Yin Dynasty. It didn't help that the carnages that followed Zi Shou wherever he went didn't affect a single monstrous beast.

Only humans had died.

Now, even without orders, officers of the city guard had taken arms, some outright heading towards the monstrous beast districts to avenge humanity's losses!

With things as they currently were, it didn't take a genius to realize that, should the monstrous beasts not make a move, they were likely to get slaughtered to the last baby!

Alas…

"A horde of monstrous beast has appeared at the gates!"

It was too late.

"Impossible? How did they reach us so fast without alerting any of our scouts and watchtowers?"

"It's those damnable monstrous beasts! The traitors must have relied on their demonic allies to block our scouting network!"

"Yes! Besides demonism, what can explain the sudden appearance of a beast horde at our gates? Not only have those monsters slaughtered thousands of our people in broad daylight, but they've even brought enemy knives to our doors! If we don't get rid of them, we have no future!"

This was a load of horseshit. Any expert of Dharma Body cultivation or above could carry a large body of people across long distances in the blink of an eye. A Beast Horde that dared to attack one of the biggest cities of the Yin Dynasty likely had several experts of that level, perhaps even powerhouses of the Perfected Warrior realm, so for them to exceed the ability of the Yin Dynasty's scouting network was perfectly understandable.

But when people needed a scapegoat to blame for their problems, they often became irrational. The Wen clan understood that principle, and exploited it to spark the greatest public outrage in the history of the Yin Dynasty!

"Kill the monstrous beasts! Purge the nation!"

"Kill the monstrous beasts! Purge the nation!"

In a flash, tens of thousands of Linzi soldiers and warriors drew their weapons, rushing into the beast-populated districts to round up and slaughter all monstrous beast they could get their hands on!