The Shadow Court's dungeon was different from the Zhao Clan's. It was clean. It was silent.
The iron cage sat in the center of the room.
Mo Tian stood before it. He had dismissed his subordinates. It was just him and the girl.
She crouched in the corner, growling low in her throat. The heavy iron collar around her neck hummed with suppression runes.
"You are hungry," Mo Tian said.
He didn't offer her bread or water. He reached into his storage ring and pulled out a fresh heart of a Rank 2 Spirit Tiger. It was still dripping.
He tossed it through the bars.
The girl pounced. She didn't use her hands. She tore into the meat with her teeth, devouring it raw. Blood smeared across her face.
"They call you a witch," Mo Tian said, watching her eat. "They think you are a beast."
She finished the heart in seconds. She looked up at him, licking her lips. She didn't speak, but her eyes asked: More?
"I can give you more," Mo Tian said. "I can give you oceans of blood. I can give you mountains of corpses."
He stepped closer to the bars.
"But first, you must know who holds the leash."
He raised his hand.
"System. Harem Integration: Force Pact."
[Target: Asura Host.] [Resistance: High.] [Recommendation: Subjugate via Combat or Blood Resonance.]
"Open the cage," Mo Tian commanded the air.
The lock clicked. The door swung open.
The girl didn't hesitate. She launched herself at him. She was fast—a blur of red killing intent. Her fingernails, long and jagged, aimed for his throat.
Mo Tian didn't dodge.
"Kneel."
He unleashed the full weight of the Blood Monarch.
It wasn't just pressure. It was a command written into the laws of blood itself. The blood in the girl's veins froze. It rebelled against her, forcing her muscles to lock.
"Gah!" She crashed to the floor, inches from his boots. She struggled, snarling, trying to force her body to move.
"You have the Asura Physique," Mo Tian said, looking down at her. "You were born to kill. But a sword without a wielder is just a piece of metal."
He crouched down, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look at him.
Her eyes were wild, defiant.
"My name is Mo Tian," he whispered. "I am the Villain Emperor. I am going to burn this world down. And I need someone to pile the bodies for me."
He bit his own thumb. A drop of his Perfect Villain Blood—black and gold—welled up.
He pressed his thumb against her forehead.
"Do you want to be a slave in a cage? Or do you want to be the Empress of Slaughter?"
The drop of blood seeped into her skin.
The girl's eyes widened. She felt the power in that drop. It was ancient. It was tyrannical. It was everything she craved.
Her struggle ceased.
"Blood..." she rasped. Her voice was unused, scratchy. "More... blood..."
"Serve me," Mo Tian said. "And you will drown in it."
The red light in her eyes shifted. The chaos receded, replaced by a sharp, focused loyalty. The Slave Seal placed by the auction house shattered, replaced by Mo Tian's Soul Contract.
[System Notification] [Harem Member Acquired: Xue Yao] [Class: Blood Empress (Awakening)] [Loyalty: 80% (Instinctive Submission to Blood Monarch)]
Mo Tian stood up. He waved his hand, shattering the iron chains on her wrists and ankles.
"Stand up, Xue Yao."
The girl stood. She was tall, taller than Yan Luo. Under the grime, her features were sharp and imperious.
"Xue... Yao..." She tested the name. She looked at her free hands. Then she looked at Mo Tian.
She dropped to one knee, lowering her head.
"Master."
Mo Tian smiled.
"Ghost One!" he called out.
The assassin entered. He looked at the girl, then at Mo Tian. He felt the terrifying aura radiating from her now that she was unchained.
"Take her," Mo Tian ordered. "Clean her up. Give her armor. Give her a sword. A big one."
He looked at Xue Yao.
"We have a mine to inspect tomorrow. And I hear the Iron Fist Sect is unhappy that we outbid them."
Xue Yao looked up. A cruel, beautiful smile spread across her blood-stained face.
"Kill?" she asked.
"Yes," Mo Tian nodded. "Kill."