Beastmaster of the Ages

It sounded like something out of a horror tale. Tianming took a deep breath. "So what happens to me after the deed?"

"You'll die," she said with an innocent smile.

"Cool." It was as bad as he had expected.

"Haha, We're just joking. You won't die."

"Then what happens?"

"You'll turn into a woman and We'll turn into a man." She sounded serious.

"That's as good as dying!"

"Alright, jokes end here. Here's the truth."

"I'm listening."

"The ancestor wrote that there's a ninety percent chance you'll die. It depends on if you'll be able to endure it. At least there's a chance you'll survive. But not even We know how high that chance is. In fact, We rather like you and hope you'll live. That's why you should do your best to cultivate before the nova source pulse. Perhaps getting stronger will increase your chances."

"I see." Many thoughts occurred to him at that moment. First, she would be able to track him anywhere he went, so going back to the Flameyellow Continent was out of the question. Second, given the chances, it was no different from her trying to use his life to awaken her bane-ring. Not to mention, her words couldn't be fully trusted. For all he knew she was trying to give him a little bit of hope so he would peacefully cooperate. He wouldn't be fooled into thinking that she wasn't as cunning as she actually was just because she was beautiful and tempting.

There was no way he would cooperate with her. If push came to shove, he could use his ten godswords or the Prime Tower to escape danger. The question now was whether he wanted to completely turn against her. She was a madwoman. Despite how gentle she seemed, she wouldn't hesitate to completely crush him if she didn't get her way. No doubt, she was the one who personally nailed all those skeletons on the poles based on her ancestor's teachings. Turning against her would also make rescuing Ye Lingfeng much harder.

At the end of the day, even his options were determined by her. The only thing he could take advantage of was his slim chance of survival. The fact that she didn't stop him from cultivating or keep him imprisoned was probably a sign of her confidence in being able to track him down no matter what. He continued analyzing his deathly predicament.

"So what happens if I don't cooperate?"

"You will."

"How are you so certain?"

"We know that you want to save Ye Lingfeng, so We'll be sure to make use of that fact. Let's make a simple promise. If you do what We say, We'll pull Ye Lingfeng out when we're done, regardless of success or failure. That is, assuming he's still alive."

"Are you joking again? You would dare go against the celestial orderians' wishes?"

"If We become an octabane, why would We be afraid of doing so? Not only that, We can hide him from their eyes. He might even be of use to Us. We wouldn't squander such a useful weapon. Even if you end up losing your life to save him, We'll save and protect Ye Lingfeng at the end of the day. Isn't that the perfect deal?" She was confident that if she could control Tianming, she would also be able to control Ye Lingfeng. They were merely puny little men in her eyes. It was no wonder she came clean about Ye Lingfeng from the beginning; she had planned this long ago.

"Li Tianming, We can tell you're a person of passion. Given your personality, there's no way you'll give up on the chance to save Ye Lingfeng and benefit tens of millions of people at the cost of your life, right?" Slowly and methodically, she was reasoning her way through his mental defenses. "And even if you're unwilling, I have medicines I can use to make you cooperate. This isn't a fate you can escape. However, We don't want it to turn ugly, you see. It's a joyous affair, so We want to have fond memories of our union."

She didn't even give him an option to refuse. Like a praying mantis, she would devour her mate after the act. Tianming scoffed at the thought of a pleasant memory. Sovereign Xi was waiting for his answer, despite not needing it, since she could just force her way through. Still, she tried to make it better, more pleasant. Hardly a surprise for an obsessive perfectionist who bothered to line up every one of the three thousand skeletons in the blood lake down to the number of nails.

"It isn't even a choice at all. If being your plaything will allow me to save him, it sounds like I'm getting quite a good deal, right?"

"You really thought it through properly. The moment you decided to come to me was the moment your fate was decided."

"Then grant me one more condition then."

"Let's hear it, darling," she said with the playful air from before.

"Save Ye Lingfeng before you attempt your awakening," Tianming said.

"No can do. What if you mess things up for Us once your goal is achieved?"

"Didn't you say you had everything under control? How could I possibly mess it up?"

"We won't give up Our hold over anyone. All We can do is promise that We'll save Ye Lingfeng after the fact. Even if you're unwilling, resistance is futile."

He grit his teeth. "At the very least, hand me his blood."

There was no way she would give him both the rope and the blood. So, he should at least choose one. The blood could easily be lost or destroyed, while the rope was an artifact that was much stronger, after all.

"What would you do with it anyway?"

"I need some assurance. What if you throw it away after you get me to agree? At least if I have it, I can hope to survive the ten percent odds and reunite with my friend."

"Fine. We also hope you'll survive. That way, the two of you can be Our right and left hands while We rise to prominence." She tossed him the blood without hesitation. Since she still had the dimensional rope, there was nothing Tianming could do about it. The blood was a cheap price to pay to assure him.

"So we'll come back here on the day of the nova source pulse?"

"No, the place is above the lake at Grandfowl Water Palace. It'll take at most ten or so days. That's when you get to have the most beautiful woman in the Divine Moon Realm to yourself. Looking forward to it?"

"You're already five hundred... I'll think about you as a pickled cabbage to go with my porridge!"

"Now you're making Us mad," she said with puckered lips.

Tianming chuckled as he thought, you think I'm a mannequin that'll dance to the tug of your strings... but don't celebrate just yet.