In cultivation, the harder a realm is to attain, the greater the gap between it and the one before. The difference between a True God and a Half-God is even wider than that between a Sovereign Profound Realm cultivator and one of the Divine Limit Realm.
The gap is so vast that nothing in existence can bridge it. A single thought from a True God is enough to erase even the strongest Divine Limit Realm practitioner, for one is a God while the other remains a mortal, no matter how proudly they call themselves Half-Gods.
Normally, if they did not restrain their aura, their presence alone would be enough to shake the soul of any mortal. When Yun Wuji entered the temple, Meng Kongchan had unknowingly released a trace of his aura. It was a subconscious act, perhaps driven by jealousy, envy, or even a buried sense of inferiority.
Why could this man enjoy the company of Hua Qingying, the woman he had longed for and pursued for so many years, yet failed to even hold a proper conversation with?
"You are also quite a... confident person, I see." Meng Kongchan's lips twitched at Yun Wuji's narcissistic words. If there was anything truly extraordinary about this man, it was his arrogance, the sheer audacity to speak in such a manner before a True God.
"Take a seat." He pointed to the chair closest to his throne and spoke calmly. At the same time, he carefully analyzed every micro expression, every hint of body language, and even Yun Wuji's aura. To his astonishment, this man showed no reaction to his subtle pressure at all.
'As expected of someone who defeated Qingying. He may be conceited, but it seems he truly is extraordinary.'
If he hadn't been fortunate enough to inherit the Dreamweaver's Divine Inheritance, he would never have been able to reach Yun Wuji's level, not even in a hundred lifetimes.
Yun Wuji sat down and leaned comfortably against the chair, his lips curling slightly as he wondered about Meng Xuanjue's reaction at that moment. Would she start preparing to escape, or kill the maid? No, she would not kill the maid right away. It would be far too suspicious if that particular maid were to suddenly vanish now. She would wait a few days or even weeks before making her move.
"Yun Wuji, you have been in my Kingdom for some time, yet I was unable to meet you these past few months," Meng Kongchan spoke in a light tone, a faint smile playing on his lips. "I hope you did not take it to heart."
"Nah, I don't mind at all. I'm sure you must have been very busy with many important matters," Yun Wuji said, sensing a wisp of soul power around him, trying to probe his own. He smiled calmly and added, "Your wife, the Empress, has done an excellent job hosting me during this time."
He ignored the force silently, trying to put him to sleep and, with a wide grin, added, "You have a great wife."
"..." Meng Xuanjue's cheek twitched faintly. Why did his words sound so ominous? For some reason, he felt uneasy whenever this man spoke about his Empress. What astonished him even more was that despite using nearly 20% of his power, this man remained completely unaffected.
He pushed aside the strange feeling stirred by Yun Wuji's words and focused on probing his soul. This time, he intended to be serious. His main reason for summoning Yun Wuji was to read his memories and uncover his secrets.
Why could this man rizz Hua Qingying so effortlessly?
While he, the great Dreamless Divine Regent, couldn't even get a single proper glance from her!
Others might think he was overthinking, that the two were merely disciple and master, but Meng Kongchan knew this was only the beginning. Hua Qingying was an aloof Immortal, looking down on the world free from mortal dust. She never allowed herself contact with anyone beyond what was necessary, with the sole exception of Hua Caili. Not even her blood brother could exchange more than a few dozen words with her in an entire year.
For her to take the initiative to get close to a man was unthinkable. Something strange was happening. He even felt that she must have been falling for him. No amount of skill, power, or cultivation could convince him that she was acting purely out of a desire to learn from him!
Even if that were the case, a hundred years would be enough for this pretty boy to seduce her.
He wanted to know his secret. How had this man managed to draw her to him?
His inner simp burned with fury and envy.
Ignoring Yun Wuji's rudeness, Meng Kongchan's eyes suddenly flashed with a strange light. Immediately after, Yun Wuji's smile froze, his expression stiffened, and his eyes went blank as if his soul had been stripped away.
Inside his soul sea, a foreign presence slipped in with ease. It was Meng Kongchan's soul, hovering briefly above before diving straight toward the core to read his memories.
'W-what... What... is... this?!!!!!!!!!'
He had moved only a short distance when the soul sea suddenly began to churn, and before him appeared a vast, immeasurable giant.
It was a powerful humanoid giant, formed of dense silver light. Its body was perfectly muscular, and long hair flowed down its back. The giant's face was expressionless, and its entire form radiated an intense silver glow, like a white sun. Yet its eyes were pitch black, so dark that they made Meng Kongchan think of the Abyss of Death.
Meng Kongchan's soul began to tremble at the unbelievable sight. The giant was so immense it seemed capable of holding up heaven and earth. No, it felt as if heaven and earth were insignificant before it. It was as vast as the universe itself, larger than even the entire Abyss. Compared to it, he was nothing more than a tiny grain of sand, no, infinitely smaller, so minuscule, so utterly insignificant.
"Meng Kongchan." The giant's voice boomed, shaking Meng Kongchan's soul like a small flame in the wind. "Do you understand how fucked you are?"
'Who is this freaking monster? How could someone possess such a terrifying soul?!!!! This is bad, I need to escape immediately!' Meng Kongchan desperately tried to calm his chaotic thoughts, hastily attempting to retract his soul back to his body.
However, how could Yun Wuji allow this to happen? How could he claim a new slave if he let his soul escape?
Stretching out his hand, Yun Wuji reached for him. Meng Kongchan tried to flee, but an inexplicably powerful force held him fast. Then, to his horror, the hand as vast as countless galaxies enclosed the tiny figure of him.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! Stop! Please, sto-!!!!!!" The moment he fell into the grip, Meng Kongchan felt a soul-shredding pain erupt from the depths of his being. He let out a heart-rending cry, pleading for mercy, but his scream was abruptly cut short.
"Pitiful guy. If you hadn't foolishly tried something like that, you wouldn't have ended up like this." Yun Wuji said in a low voice a few seconds later as he released Meng Kongchan's soul.
Meng Kongchan's soul remained the same, except far dimmer. In a flash, it silently vanished and returned to his body.
Yun Wuji blinked and returned to his senses. Before him, the Divine Regent, the highest authority in the Dreamweaver Kingdom of God, was prostrating on the floor. "Slave Meng Kongchan greets Master!"
"Master's might is unparalleled in this world. May your power reign for all eternity!"
His voice was loud, and from his tone it seemed as if he spoke from the very depths of his soul. His forehead was pressed firmly against the floor, without the slightest trace of reluctance or humiliation, as if this was the most natural thing he should be doing.
Yes, Meng Kongchan had become Yun Wuji's slave. Enslaving someone was normally impossible. Even if Yun Wuji's soul power were ten thousand times greater, he still would not have been able to achieve it.
The only way to enslave someone is to plant a Slave Imprint in their soul, and the victim must voluntarily accept it. Any form of resistance would make the process impossible.
However, Meng Kongchan made a fatal mistake out of overconfidence. He tried to invade Yun Wuji's soul, and the moment he entered Yun Wuji's soul sea, he declared his own doom.
Yun Wuji's soul was overwhelmingly powerful, so much so that it even terrified him. The moment the defenseless Meng Kongchan's soul entered, it was effortless for Yun Wuji to forcefully make him his slave.
"I originally didn't want to make you my slave. I only intended to give you the Limitless Agony Soul Mark, but who would have thought you'd actually try to invade my soul," Yun Wuji said as he stood, walking over to step on Meng Kongchan's head. "You were practically asking for it."
"Stupid fuck. You actually dared to try reading my memories!"
In the original plan, Yun Wuji had intended to go easy on Meng Kongchan. He was going to place the Limitless Agony Soul Mark to keep him in line and then leave him be. After all, he had just cucked him and felt a twinge of pity for the poor guy, who hadn't actually done anything wrong.
But who would have thought this guy would be so ignorant, so brazen, as to actually dare touch Yun Wuji's soul!
Aside from his loved ones, the second red line Yun Wuji would never tolerate was anyone touching his memories. Unless he willed it, he would never allow anyone, nor forgive anyone, for even thinking of reading them. And this stupid fuck had just done exactly that.
For daring to commit such an unforgivable act, Yun Wuji turned him into his pathetic slave.
"I deserve to die, Master!" Meng Kongchan didn't dare move a single finger as he pleaded for forgiveness. He despised his own stupidity to the core for ever daring to do such a thing.
He felt even angrier at himself than at Yun Wuji. If not for his desire to continue serving him, he would have killed himself out of sheer self-hatred. This was the terrifying power of the Slave Imprint. It made the master the sole and highest purpose of the slave's existence. Even their life and entire being became insignificant before their master.
"Get up. Follow me. Let's meet your wife," Yun Wuji said calmly as he removed his leg from Meng Kongchan's head.
"Yes, Master," Meng Kongchan replied, immediately standing and following behind Yun Wuji with his head bowed.
...
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