Poison God's Heritage

After I finished planting a Soul Shackling Rod into the heaven stage cultivator's head, several intricate tattoos appeared all over his body. These tattoos spread rapidly, weaving across his skin, applying the sealing effects of the rod and rendering him unable to move or use his cultivation.

Now, all he has is his almost infinite life, watching in horror as the world passes by ever so slowly, never ending. His eyes, once filled with pride and arrogance, now reflected pure dread and despair.

The same fate befell the others who accompanied him, with the sole exception of Dao Shen.

"Are you planning on killing them?" Tao Yang asked, her voice filled with curiosity, yet tinged with an undertone of dark excitement.

"No, that would be too easy of a way out for them," I replied, my voice cold and unwavering. "Automaton."

The automaton immediately arrived at my side, its mechanical form gleaming in the dim light. "Get some puppets to strip them and hang them at the gates of the imperial city for all to see. Even though a heaven stage cultivator is strong, they should not defy the laws of the heavenly order. One's presence in another's home should be by volition, not violation."

"As the master commands!" the automaton responded, its voice metallic and emotionless. Swiftly, it communicated the order to a few guard puppets. They hauled the cultivators away, cleaning up their belongings, of course, before taking them to the gates.

They will hang there, not living but not dying, for all to watch. Birds will nest in their bodies or even carve out their eyes. They will remain alive, scorched by the relentless sun and frozen by the bitter cold of the night, suffering every day, slowly wishing for death but never achieving it.

This is the price of crossing Du Shen.

Though Shen Bao had been lenient, Du Shen had always ruled with an iron fist. He would burn an entire planet to cinders for simply having one of his women slandered. Imagine what he would do to a man who dared to do worse.

Tao Yang smiled, realizing that I wasn't as lenient as she thought, nor as easygoing as I appeared. "You struck me as a pushover the first time I saw you," she said, her eyes glinting with newfound respect.

"Just because someone is nice doesn't mean he won't be ruthless. Though I don't actively seek to harm anyone, if harmed, I'll push back a hundred times worse. Let the whole world know the brutality of one who is nothing but poison. Not even the Red Sun is allowed to set them free, nor do I think he would ever do so," I said, my voice carrying the weight of my resolve.

Sooner than I expected, the explosions had massively reduced, and the sounds of gunfire were almost inaudible as they died down to a lull. The acrid smell of gunpowder lingered in the air, mixing with the metallic scent of blood, creating a nauseating atmosphere.

The night had just started, and the first fight had ended with us being victorious. But winning a battle is far from enough to win the entire war. The Rakshasa will soon come with more forces, and their fury will be unrelenting.

About a hundred or so cultivators soon arrived at the gate of the imperial city, fending off the walkers as they waited for me or someone of importance to arrive. Their faces were a mix of determination and fear, knowing that the real battle was yet to come.

Old Man Fu immediately came to my side to notify me of their presence, although I had already noticed them thanks to my undisturbed divine sense.

"They say they come by order of the blue sun to provide assistance and aid. Use them as you see fit, and they also brought some gifts," Old Fu said, his voice calm but urgent.

"Gifts? I have no use for any of that. I need metal, a lot of it," I replied, my mind already racing with plans and strategies.

"That is the gift," Old Fu clarified, a rare smile playing on his lips.

"Let them in, and have the rest remain on top of the walls. They are not to enter the city without explicit orders," I instructed.

Old Fu immediately left to relay the order, his movements swift and precise. Although I felt a bit embarrassed about asking an older man to do these chores, it was better than sending a puppet. It would relay a bad image. Old Fu was the strongest character in this city after Tao Yang, whose existence was known to only a few people.

"Shen Bao," Dao Shen spoke, breaking my train of thought. "What are your plans for the future? The whole Beyond is now aware of the Rakshasa, and they know that the only place attacked directly is yours."

"That will definitely ruin trade for a moment, but I can't help it. The problem I have is this damn rain that isn't stopping."

If the Sea of Demons were to return to its original flow, it would create chaos, disrupting trade routes. Wait, not really. I can make boats that navigate the sea water if it keeps pushing. Since there will be no way for normal cultivators to fly or swim in the Sea of Demons, I can easily monopolize sea routes with my specialized ships.

One should always find opportunity in the face of distress.

***

Not far from the imperial city was an open-mouth volcano, similar to the one Shen Bao had encountered that led him to the underworld of the Beyond, where monsters of all kinds live and even worse nightmares hide deep within.

In this almost endlessly large cave lay more secrets than anyone could recognize, and this is but the first level. On the second level, in the deepest part, was a large cave leading down to an open palace-like structure. Tens of thousands of human skulls littered the ground and adorned the external walls of the structure.

All these skulls had one thing in common: jade-green jewel-like crystals that refracted light from all over, giving the eerie impression that they were watching anyone who got closer.

These are the extracted eyes of the walkers. They serve a purpose known only to their master and creator.

The palace doors were wide open, and three peak Origin Shattering Cultivators rushed forward. They were bloodied and wounded, but their eyes gleamed with zealous excitement as they approached the main throne, where a man sat.

The man wore old, dilapidated black drabs, revealing only his pale, almost fleshless body. He resembled a mummified corpse that still moved, without a single hair on his body and not an ounce of blood running through his veins.

Yet his heart beat loudly as he saw the three disciples approach.

"Come, my disciples," he said, presenting his almost rotten arm to them.

They each kissed the man's arm and knelt, bowing so deeply that their heads touched the ground and their palms presented a ring each.

With a wave, the man collected all three rings and smiled as he examined their contents.

"You have worked hard," he said. "A hundred White Rakshasa corpses, a hundred Brutes, a hundred Silver Rakshasa, and a noble class of each type. Quite the effort you put into this ordeal."

"We have not been caught or noticed, your lordship," one of the disciples spoke, revealing her gender through her voice.

"Good, good. This will aid us greatly in what is to come," he replied.

"This isn't all, Master," the shortest of the three disciples spoke up. "I have this too," he said, producing a beast-holding bag.

This bag was extremely special, capable of holding living beings. It moved as whatever was inside tried to escape.

"Good," the corpse-like man said, standing up and grabbing the bag. He then pierced his own index finger with one of his long nails, forcing a small black droplet of blood to form, which he presented to his disciple, who sucked on it.

The aura of death and decay immediately engulfed the rewarded short man, empowering him beyond belief, enough to loosen the shackles and bottleneck of the Origin Shattering Realm.

"In less than a couple of years, you'll be able to walk under the sun as a heaven stage cultivator. Keep up the good work, my disciples," he said.

The other two felt slightly jealous but did not reveal it.

The leader then walked up to the nearest wall, which opened to reveal a massive, almost endless corridor with millions upon millions of walkers strapped tightly and sealed against the walls.

"Now that I have a sample of a creature that defies the heavens, I'll surely be able to unlock the third floor of this underworld. I'll prove to the Suns that even though I had fallen, I never died. They'll weep when they know there is another level of strength far greater than being a measly sun."

"For the Dead Sun!" the three disciples shouted in unison, "For our Death Lord Shi Situ!"