Chapter 240 Chapter 240: Night of pain
After gaining complete possession of the Ancient Pendant, Xu Shan took advantage of the time dilation effect within the inner realm of the pendant to absorb the newfound knowledge.
Although the Cat Spirit hadn't shared the complete inheritance, Xu Shan had received a vast expanse of knowledge. The inheritance contained the knowledge about the Demon Clan of the ancient time, including the cultivation methods that the Demons used to set their foundation.
Just the sheer principles used by the Demon Clan to set their foundations alone were vastly different from what human cultivators used. While the humans focused on their Spirits and the Celestial Aura, the Demons focused on their bloodline and their body.
After going through the information, Xu Shan finally understood why the Cat Spirit wasn't that hesitant about sharing this information. The strength of the Demon Clan mainly depended on how much of their ancestral bloodline they could awaken.
Only with sufficient bloodline awakening could they practise each level of Demonic Cultivation. Since Xu Shan didn't have the bloodline, it made all these methods useless for him. Even after learning them, he found no use of them.
The only useful thing he received was the understanding principles behind Demonic Cultivation, which was useful for him to understand his own heavenly laws to comprehend in the future. It was as if he had received a good reference point.
Xu Shan opened his eyes after going through all the information. Although a day had passed in the inner world, not even an hour had passed outside.
As Xu Shan opened his eyes, the Cat Spirit looked suspiciously. He had thought that Xu Shan was going to be angry after realising that this knowledge was useless, but to his surprise, the man before him appeared calm.
"You can't break your Heavenly Oath. Don't forget what you promised me!" The Cat Spirit reminded Xu Shan
Xu Shan only smiled in response. It wasn't the first time he had broken a Heavenly Oath. A Heavenly Oath was the last thing for him to be worried about. Still, he also didn't mind keeping up the promise as he had his own use for it.
"I suppose I have no choice but to fulfil my promise." He nodded. "As I promised, I won't kill him. And I'll allow him to learn from you."
The Cat Spirit didn't know why but it felt like something was wrong with Xu Shan's words, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.
Regardless, the Cat Spirit decided to continue with the plan. "Very well. I will wait for him to return."
With a flick of its tail, the Cat Spirit signalled the human to leave as it turned around, returning to the core of this inner world.
"I won't make you wait long." Xu Shan laughed as his figure also disappeared.
He appeared back in the real world. There were no signs of battle anymore, making him believe that the battle was long over.
He heard footsteps within the forest, coming towards his directions. Before long, he noticed Duan Mu, his body covered in wounds. Even for him, it was hard to take out the eight shadow hall members, all alone. Fortunately, he had succeeded.
Fresh blood dripped from his sword as he stepped out, exhausted yet his eyes gleaming with a scary calmness.
He stopped before Xu Shan, pointing his sword at him. "I did as you asked. Now, free my mother!"
"Not yet. Didn't I tell you I need two things from you before I can free her? The first thing was for you to kill them. As for the second..."
Duan Mu frowned, looking at Xu Shan in full seriousness, wondering what he was going to say next. However, before speaking his next words, Xu Shan disappeared, appearing behind Duan Mu.
Duan Mu felt his body freeze under heavy pressure. He couldn't even move an inch as he felt a hand over his head.
"As for the second, it's for you to return where you belong," Xu Shan said.
"Arghhh!" Duan Mu roared in pain, feeling his soul being ripped apart forcefully.
Throughout the night, the entire forest was filled with painful cries. It was to the point that even wild beasts didn't dare to come close to that area, instead only retreating in fear.
The screams only stopped in the morning as Duan Mu passed out, his face completely pale. He looked as if all his blood had dried, barely any left within his body.
"When I gave you that freedom, you shouldn't have taken advantage of my trust. Once you break my trust, you'll never get it back." Xu Shan spoke, looking at Duan Mu who had passed out.
"Then again, it was my mistake to give that trust to others. This time, I won't make that mistake. I wanted you to be my sword that would aim at my enemies. But you became a sword that aimed at me. This time, I'll truly mould you into a sword that will live for me and die for me!"
This time, he showed no mercy. He completely erased the free will within Duan Mu, something that he didn't even do with the Divine Empress.
Xu Shan's determination was fueled by his sense of betrayal. He believed that by stripping away Duan Mu's free will, he could ensure unwavering loyalty and prevent any future betrayal. However, he didn't just stop with the complete control of the young man's mind.
He further established his control by entrapping the soul of Duan Mu in a way that just a single thought of betrayal would lead the soul to be destroyed on its own. He went even one step farther by controlling the life and death of the boy with a single thought of his.
And as a last resort, he placed a seed of absolute trust in the boy's mind while erasing a lot of his memories. He made sure that even the Cat Spirit of the Demon Clan couldn't free the boy from his control, not repeating his old mistakes.
Once he finished, he opened a portal back to the Divine Empress' Palace. He stepped inside the portal. Duan Mu's body floated in the air, entering after him.
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦