Slave mark

Fang Yuan rented a room at the village inn, which cost him a few copper coins. Unlike the multi-story buildings found in the capital and other cities, this inn had a simple structure. Behind the main building, there was a large courtyard with several basic rooms containing beds and minimal facilities, forming the inn.

Fang Yuan rented the last room and entered.

The room was about thirty square meters, appearing simple and rudimentary: a wooden bed, a few pots, a small dusty rug, and an old, battered wooden wardrobe. A small window was embedded in the wall, letting in light and air.

He closed the window, drew the curtain, and locked the door. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he prepared himself.

Now in a meditative state, he sought to gain spiritual consciousness through an alternative method, as he lacked cultivation.

Fang Yuan was a zombie and had no ability to cultivate. However, he had discovered a method to acquire this consciousness. He entered his immortal aperture and brought out the Eternal Inheritance Gu.

"I hope this works…"

Suddenly, an aura of the Titan trapped within the inheritance Gu surged, enveloping Fang Yuan like a violent storm.

"Bai Mo! You deranged bastard! How dare you deceive me!"

The Titan roared with immense anger. Although it lacked a physical form, Fang Yuan could distinctly feel its presence.

"My old friend, I kept my promise. You are now free."

The Titan snarled, "Free? Trapped in this hellish Gu world counts as freedom?!"

Bai Mo smirked. "Everything comes at a cost. The price of your freedom is this. Now, after centuries, you can rebuild your will and return to the world. Eventually, you may either possess a body or obtain one with the owner's consent."

The Titan sneered. "Bai Mo, you're not one to act out of kindness. What do you want from me?"

Bai Mo, having anticipated this, replied, "My friend, you know better than anyone the limitations of my body as a semi-immortal zombie. Until now, I've concealed my identity and survived countless dangers with these constraints. But to prove I'm not a zombie, I need something no zombie can attain: spiritual consciousness."

The Titan laughed. "Haha! Now I see! You planned all along for me to become your spiritual consciousness!"

Then, in a calmer tone, it added, "But Bai Mo, why would I cooperate with you? Trust is the cornerstone of any deal, and I don't trust you. Besides, you have no means to subdue me."

By Mo laughed. "You sound too confident. Don't forget, this is my immortal aperture. I can do whatever I want here."

With a gesture, he suppressed the Titan's aura and began shaping it carefully. The Titan, now fallen to the ground, roared in fury, "What do you try to do?!"

Bai Mo laughed and unveiled a shroud of deathly energy. A green island with a large tree at its center appeared.

The Titan looked more closely, and its eyes widened in shock. "Elin?! My daughter?! No!!!"

Bai Mo smiled faintly and said, "Go kill her."

A phantom, born of the black deathly aura at Bai Mo's command, raced toward the green island, letting out a piercing scream. The Titan, horrified, watched helplessly as it screamed alongside its daughter:

"Nooooo!"

Boom!

The phantom shattered upon striking the protective barrier around the island, dispersing into black mist.

Fang Yuan, elated, said, "What do you think will happen if I send two phantoms?"

He then summoned two more phantoms and sent them toward the island.

Boom! Boom!

He laughed. "Oh no! Seems like I'll have to try harder! Hahaha!"

Moments later, eight phantoms emerged from the black mist and charged at the barrier like lunatics.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

"Hahaha! Your daughter is truly remarkable, Titan! She's incredibly talented!"

Bai Mo shouted with excitement, "Let's try twenty phantoms!"

Boom! Boom!

The sounds of explosions mingled with the daughter's screams and the Titan's anguished cries echoed through the space.

"More! More! Entertain me!"

He yelled, "A hundred phantoms!"

Boom! Boom!!! Booooom!!!!

"Two hundred!!!"

Boom! Boom! Boooooom!!!! Boooooooom!!!!

"Three hundred!!!!"

Boooooom! Boooooooooooooooooom!!!

The barrier cracked more and more as countless phantoms emerged from the dark abyss and attacked it.

The Titan, now desperate, screamed, "If anything happens to Elin, I'll kill you, Bai Mo! I swear I'll destroy you! I ..."

Boom!!!

The barrier finally shattered, and the girl was thrown against the tree trunk by the explosion's force. Before the first phantom could enter the green area, the Titan fell to its knees, weeping and pleading before Bai Mo.

"Please! Leave my daughter alone! I'll do whatever you want, just don't hurt Elin!"

Bai Mo kicked him aside.

The phantoms swarmed toward Elin, surrounding her. Bai Mo sneered and summoned ten more phantoms.

The phantoms held the Titan down, forcing its eyes open.

"Watch closely, Titan!"

One phantom turned its hand into a steel blade and sliced Elin's abdomen open. The impact was so strong it lifted her off the ground, slamming her into the cave ceiling.

Elin, unconscious, fell to the ground.

Another phantom struck her skull with its palm, the sound of cracking bones echoing throughout the space.

The Titan, screaming in agony, begged Bai Mo:

"Venerable Heavenly True Demon! I was wrong! Please punish me, but spare my daughter! She's just a child! Please!"

The phantoms continued to butcher Elin until Bai Mo signaled them to stop. The phantoms vanished.

Bai Mo coldly said, "You have ten seconds to accept the Slave Mark and become my servant. This time I'll overlook your insolence. But if you disappoint me again..."

The Titan, frantically banging its head against the ground, repeated, "Yes, master! Yes, master!"

Ultimately, it accepted the Slave Mark and, through dark magic, transformed into a phantom. However, due to its immense power, it appeared different from the others, resembling an aged servant in its eighties.

Bai Mo commanded, "Go to your daughter. By tomorrow, I want ten eternal green grapes from you. You're responsible for tending to and feeding my Gu. If anything happens to them, you won't escape my wrath!"

"Yes, master!"

The Titan disappeared, reappearing next to his daughter. While piecing her mangled body together, he cried uncontrollably:

"Forgive your foolish father, Elin! It's all my fault!"

Bai Mo smirked and exited his immortal aperture.

As he opened his eyes, he noticed a stranger standing outside his door.