The Coronation Ceremony was magnificent. A royal path had been laid for the occasion. Tao Yu Xin advanced with a sovereign step, flanked by his vassals: the warrior with the great sword and the fighter in the distinctive outfit.
Around the esplanade, civilians and refugees from Beijing watched the procession. Their faces displayed a mixture of contempt, despair, and empty shock.
A sudden movement split the air.
A bottle flew and shattered at the Emperor's feet.
— "Wicked, wicked! You had no right to do this!"
The high-pitched voice resonated in the silence.
A little girl had stepped out of the ranks, breathing heavily, her fists clenched in rage.
— "You killed my big brother Wen and my friends!!! Go die!"
A grimace twisted Tao Yu Xin's face.
A shadow rose behind the little girl.
— "Brat!"
A titanic creature, resembling a grotesque old woman, stepped forward, its enormous fist ready to crush the child.
— "Please, spare her, Your Majesty! She's just a child!"
A feminine voice rang out from the crowd.
A nurse leapt forward and grabbed the little girl, pulling her into her arms to protect her.
The spiritual beast halted its movement abruptly.
The Emperor had moved forward, his cold gaze fixed on the nurse.
— "That's enough, Chen Fun."
A heavy silence descended.
Tao Yu Xin approached, his shadow engulfing the trembling woman.
— "What did you say, nurse?"
His voice, initially calm, became filled with overwhelming intimidation.
The nurse shivered.
Tao Yu Xin flashed a sadistic smile, leaning slightly towards her.
— "Would you give your life for her…?"
The nurse hesitated, a glint of defiance in her eyes.
— "Yes..."
But when she saw the cruel gleam in his eyes, her courage collapsed.
— "No..."
She tried to retreat, but brutal hands grabbed her by the hair.
— "Let her go! Let her go!!"
The little girl struck Tao with her tiny, desperate fists.
The Emperor merely flicked her away with contempt.
The little girl crashed to the ground, thrown more than a meter back.
The entire crowd held their breath, but no one dared to move. The helplessness was crushing.
The nurse, still crying, was forcibly taken to a luxurious room in the presidential palace.
As soon as she crossed the threshold, her face paled.
A harem of young women stood before her, their gazes empty and lifeless.
The Emperor approached, his shadow completely covering her.
— "No... STOP... Stop...!"
Her voice broke with despair.
Tao Yu Xin calmly placed his hand on her forehead.
— "Mental Arts: Subjugation of Will."
A shiver of horror coursed through her as she felt her mind shatter.
Her free will withered, replaced by pure and absolute submission.
A man approached silently.
Tiang, his most loyal alchemist, slid a scarlet pill between her trembling lips.
— "Master, does the alchemy pill work as planned?"
A sweet, dangerously seductive voice echoed.
A feminine figure emerged from the shadows.
A Shinobi, draped in a veil of darkness.
Tao Yu Xin observed the kneeling nurse, her eyes vacant, then said coldly:
— "She's not dead yet..."
His greedy gaze locked onto her.
— "Slave, from now on, you will train in the formation of your core."
The Shinobi recoiled.
— "Master, is that too much to ask from this human?! It takes at least a hundred years, even the best cultivators can't manage it!"
Even she, despite her talent, had only touched the basics...
Tao glanced at her sideways, a cruel smile on his lips.
— "Chin Fu..."
He leaned back against the backrest of his chair, fingers crossed before him.
— "Do you think it's with such latency that I'll reach the stage of Earthly Immortal?"
His tone had turned icy, sending a chill down the assassin's spine.
— "Let's imagine that Tiang becomes an immortal and ascends to the higher worlds..."
He closed his eyes for a moment, calculating.
— "Even with the help of the God of Malice, I wouldn't be able to defeat him..."
His cold and implacable gaze opened.
— "I must surpass him. Experiments are necessary."
A shiver of fear ran through Chin Fu.
— "What madness..." she thought.
Cultivation has more than ten stages… Unless one follows a demonic path, it's… unthinkable.
Tao fixed her with a murderous look.
A primal instinct for survival screamed at her not to ask any questions.
She vanished in a swirl of black mist, her voice echoing in the room:
— "Emperor, the emissaries from Tokyo request an audience."