Chapter 204: Goddess Bowing Down

Siming's icy eyes trembled, and her earlobes, faintly visible through strands of silver hair, glowed with an amber-red hue. Her left cheek was swollen; that night, she had slapped Shao Xiaoli, but circumstances were unpredictable, and now, as a prisoner, everything was being repaid to her tenfold, a hundredfold.

Like countless raindrops simultaneously splattering into a cauldron of boiling oil, the crowd below erupted with a crisp, whipping sound. Their fear dissipated, replaced by a feeling as if their livers and gallbladders were torn apart. Intense emotions surged forth like a thick浆液 (thick liquid), spreading hotly through their limbs, emanating a dazzling, burning sensation.

They watched in astonishment as the monstrous black serpent inexplicably bit its own tail and began to devour its body. They also watched as the exquisitely beautiful maiden, just like in the legends, stepped on her sword and flew through the air, appearing before the demoness and delivering powerful slaps to Siming’s flawless face.

The resounding slaps echoed endlessly through the city, utterly satisfying, and no matter how fervent the cheers, they could not drown out the sound.

Siming, whose lips were usually tightly pressed, could not help but let out groans of pain.

Everyone watched, witnessing the humiliation of the woman who resided in the Star Spirit Palace, subjected to public slaps.

"You will regret this…" Siming gritted her teeth, a few faint whimpers escaping her elegant nose.

Shao Xiaoli stopped slapping, observing Siming’s reddened cheeks, and flexed her wrist.

Even after several months, she still could not forget that night.

That night, when she and Ning Changjiu left the city, they were ambushed in the Snow Gorge, suffering countless cuts and spitting out so much blood that she even vomited fragments of her internal organs. Every day since, her rigorous sword practice had been for this very moment: to face Siming again without being like a lamb with bound hooves.

Siming could see the hatred in Shao Xiaoli’s eyes, a hatred that made Shao Xiaoli’s palm, now slightly red, tremble.

"Don't waste time," Ning Changjiu said, as he tangled with the black feather. His figure circled the golden cross, weaving through the sky above the city, while the shadow of the Sinful Sovereign, manifested from the black feather, buzzed tirelessly after him like a green-headed fly.

"Understood, Boss," Shao Xiaoli replied.

Her gaze quickly swept over Siming's exaggeratedly curvaceous figure, then she raised the whip high. The long whip, like a rearing snake, descended with a whooshing sound.

The air broke, and a faint popping sound echoed.

Then the whip fell, imbued with the essential sword techniques of the Heavenly Oracle Sword Scripture's upper volume, striking Siming's body fiercely.

The crack of the whip resounded abruptly, as short as a firecracker. The lash landed directly on the front of Siming’s snow-white dress. Her body instinctively tensed, her delicate collarbone retracting beneath her neck, becoming even more distinct, and the vibration from the whip made her snow-like dress sway up and down.

"You probably haven't had a proper beating since you were little, have you? Oh, right, you were born without a mother, so no one disciplined you. No wonder your upbringing is so poor." Shao Xiaoli spoke with a cold face, and with a flick of her wrist amidst her mockery, the snake-like whip rose again, arcing exaggeratedly between their bodies.

Siming retorted, "That night, I beat you like a stray dog. Now that a petty person like you has gained power, you look truly ugly and laughable! Humph…"

Shao Xiaoli said calmly, "Then I'll be your mother for once and properly discipline my disobedient little daughter."

The whip's shadow fell, striking Siming's white dress. The maiden's arm swung faster and faster. In an instant, it was as if an ink rain poured from a basin, and the snake-like whip tip touched Siming's body and darted away, swift as lightning. Beneath the snow-white clothing, her soft curves repeatedly indented and recovered, making her entire dress bounce with each impact.

This scene was like countless rain streaks lashing down upon a cold river in late winter, plunging into the water, causing turbulent waves that swallowed the snow. The mottled colors continuously rose and fell, rain streaks and river snow striking, devouring, and intertwining chaotically. The cries of pain were like the mournful night wails of dolphins beneath the river's surface.

Siming, who was countless years older, was mockingly called a daughter and beaten as if undergoing domestic punishment. The killing intent in her eyes intensified, but the condensed snow and wind within them intermittently broke and reformed under the lashing. Now suppressed by the Nail of Judgment, her body was no different from an ordinary woman’s. Though her snow-white dress was a Star Spirit Palace dharma robe, it could not deflect much of the force. She felt the genuine pain in her body, and low groans of agony involuntarily escaped her crimson lips.

"If you really can't bear it, you can scream. Mother will make you feel good," Shao Xiaoli taunted, her whip like a sword, continuously lashing Siming's body. Siming was nailed to the torture rack, forced to hold her arms outstretched, unable to resist.

Siming said coldly, "Enjoy your moment of triumph… When the Sinful Sovereign arrives, none of us will escape. Release me now, and I might still be able to help you!"

"You really don't learn from a beating, do you? Haven't you figured out your place? You are nothing but a lowly maidservant. I can scold you, beat you, let anyone humiliate you. That you're only enduring these painless whip lashes is already Boss's mercy towards you," Shao Xiaoli said, looking at her calmly.

On Siming’s body, pain mingled with an unsettling sensation, eroding her. Although her white robe was a dharma robe, under the fierce lashing, many areas became fuzzy with frayed threads. The already thin dress seemed to be mercilessly torn apart, lash by lash.

Shao Xiaoli looked at her clothing, then leaned in close and said, "You seem to like wearing clothes very much? And always several layers?"

A flicker of terror crossed Siming's eyes, but she replied, "When one cultivates to the peak of the Dao, external things are trivial. How would mortals like you understand?"

"Is that so?" Shao Xiaoli tilted her head and retorted. She directly reached out her hand, extending it towards Siming's front, settling on the snow-like mound that was too large for one hand to cover. She pressed down hard, sinking into it, then violently twisted. "Do you truly not care?"

Siming’s face visibly paled. She could tolerate being injured in battle, but how could she allow such an invasion, even if the other party was also a woman?

Siming's body trembled, and from beneath her red lips came her cold words again: "How is it? Are you incredibly envious now? A lowly mortal like you, no matter how naturally beautiful, can never approach true perfection. In normal times, you wouldn't even be fit to kneel and lick my feet… Ah!"

Her slender brows suddenly furrowed, her toes curled inward, and a bright red mark abruptly appeared on her snow-white foot.

"Where am I not worthy? Daughter, tell mother clearly?" Shao Xiaoli pinched harder with her fingers, and another shower of whips rained down.

The cold river churned with snow, and flowing winds stirred waves.

Siming's dignity and cold arrogance transformed into suppressed groans and whimpers, but she still kept her eyes slightly open. Within their millennia-old, unmelting icy gaze, there was an unyielding pride.

Hundreds of lashes were delivered in just over ten breaths.

Siming’s exposed wrists were covered in fine red whip marks, and her white dress had many rips, revealing a thin, cicada-wing-like moon-colored lining. Siming’s cheeks were even redder, her head hung limply, her eyelashes lowered. Her breathing became increasingly rapid yet faint, making her appear on the verge of death.

Shao Xiaoli knew Siming’s mind was beginning to struggle and waver. Recalling Ning Changjiu’s instructions, she proceeded to apply further psychological pressure.

"You also said that when the Sinful Sovereign comes, we will all die. Dying anyway, it's no big deal. But when will he come? An hour? A day? Or longer? During that time, I can make you endure endless humiliation for free. As I said before, this whip is merely Boss's mercy to you. If we really wanted to humiliate you, we have countless methods, we can play slowly."

Shao Xiaoli pointed below the city, smiling as she said to Siming, "Do you see the people down there? Do you see the way they're looking at you now? In the past, you were a goddess in the clouds, and they were mud on the ground. But now? You are a sheep whose clothes can be stripped bare at will, and below you are hundreds, thousands of hungry wolves. Actually, I'm very curious, with a divine official's perfect body, could it feed all those wolves?"

"Enough!" Siming shrieked, interrupting her. Shao Xiaoli's modulated voice echoed in her mind, making her already fragile spirit feel like swaying drizzle. She couldn't understand how this hateful girl had become like this in just a few months. Amidst her thoughts, she lowered her gaze slightly and saw the shadow entwined with black feathers, thinking that it must be the true power at play.

"Enough?" Shao Xiaoli said, "In the end, we all die. It's just that we die having had our fill, while you will suffer every kind of humiliation. Of course, you'll also never get a chance for revenge. But if you agree to our terms, then everything will be different. So, in a way, we are here to save you, we are your benefactors."

Siming stared at the black-haired, red-dressed maiden, watching these words come from her tender, small mouth. The continuous pain from her body felt like a chilling wind drilling into her bones.

"I cannot become anyone's slave." The snow and wind in Siming's eyes suddenly calmed. As if understanding something, she said, "You don't need to pretend. I know you need me too. You don't want to die, so you won't let me die either."

Shao Xiaoli frowned slightly, thinking that this woman was indeed stubborn. The moment the whipping stopped, she found time to breathe.

"If you're willing to be a slave, of course you won't die. But if you insist on dying after suffering days and nights of humiliation, then I can only feel regret," Shao Xiaoli said, tapping Siming’s flushed cheek with the whip. "Now, we are on the verge of death. Since we're going to die anyway, the latter offers a glimmer of hope for survival. It's all up to you to decide."

Siming’s lips suddenly curved into a somewhat desolate smile. "You have humiliated me to this extent, and now you want me to willingly become your sword? Do you think I would agree?"

Shao Xiaoli shook her head and said, "As I also said, this is just the beginning, at most it offsets our previous grievances. Afterwards, I will make you, this lotus born in ice and snow, experience the defilement of the mortal world."

"Did Ning Changjiu teach you all this?" Siming asked coldly.

Shao Xiaoli replied, "Hatred needs no teaching."

In Siming’s eyes, Shao Xiaoli raised the whip again. Though the whip had not yet fallen upon her, the pain already manifested like a phantom. She had to admit that she was indeed somewhat afraid of being lashed. This humiliation was a double agony of body and soul. Her body instinctively tensed a little, preparing to receive Shao Xiaoli’s whip again.

But Shao Xiaoli did not do so. She lightly flicked her hand, gripping the whip's tail as well. Then, with the bent long whip, she gently lifted the edge of Siming's skirt and probed underneath.

Siming's snow-white and slender legs immediately clamped together, and she couldn't help but shiver. "Stop it!"

Shao Xiaoli said, "I'll give you one last chance. I'll count to three. If you don't make a decision then, I'll strip you bare and let everyone in the city see Divine Official Siming's proud body covered in whip marks."

Siming felt the rough leather whip rubbing against her thigh, climbing higher, little by little…

Siming looked at the young girl in the red dress, who still had a childish air about her. What was her own status? How could she utter words of surrender to a mere girl?

Night gradually fell, which offered Siming some psychological comfort. At least, whatever happened here, the lowly commoners below the stage would not be able to see it.

But Shao Xiaoli seemed to read her thoughts. She grabbed her hand, took out a red rope, and flung it towards the stage. Several large red lanterns followed the rope, stopping precisely on the cross, illuminating Siming's face with a flush.

Shao Xiaoli smiled faintly and said, "Princess of the Night, these are the lights I've given you. Do you like them?"

Siming smiled tragically. She was extremely weak at that moment and didn’t want to say another word.

Shao Xiaoli looked at her face, gripped her jaw, and forced her to look up at herself. "Three."

She began to count down.

Siming remained indifferent.

"Two."

Shao Xiaoli spoke coldly, lowering another finger. In her heart, she was actually extremely nervous. If Siming truly developed suicidal thoughts, then Boss's task…

Siming's brows, however, were slightly furrowed, as if struggling with something in her mind.

"One…"

Shao Xiaoli stared intently at her, dragging out the word.

As the last echo faded, the frost-like killing intent in Siming’s eyes, beneath her eyelashes, instead grew fainter, like a sudden squall of snow. The humiliation and resentment, compressed to their extreme, did not burst forth like floodwaters breaking a dam; instead, they dissipated like dandelions blown away by the wind.

A sudden enlightenment arose in Siming’s state of mind.

Human emotions intertwined and twisted like seeds sprouting in darkness, breaking through the mind to blossom into flowers of sin. But her inherent, unextinguished divinity was also like a sacred seed. They stood in opposition, their vines entwined, black and white intertwined, reaching an extremely subtle balance.

Not only did Siming's spiritual core not shatter from this, but she gained from misfortune. Her Dao realm advanced further, and the small cracks in her mental state began to gradually mend, becoming spotless once more, as if returning to that beautiful woman in the night alley, unhurried, gentle, calm, and with restrained killing intent.

Shao Xiaoli saw her expression and knew something was wrong. Ning Changjiu also sensed the commotion here; his expression changed slightly, realizing Siming's Dao realm was about to advance.

Shao Xiaoli panicked a little. She raised her whip and furiously lashed Siming, trying to stop her.

But Siming's face became increasingly serene, as if she felt nothing from the whips.

The redness and swelling on her divine face disappeared, the whip marks on her skin faded, and a faint, ethereal divine aura enveloped her. Her graceful curves regained a beauty that transcended the mundane.

Just as her enlightenment was about to materialize into a substantive Dao realm, a clear laugh suddenly cut through the long night and entered Siming's ears.

"Indeed, it’s you, Xueci. Even after so many years, your talent still manages to surprise people."

Xueci was the original name given to her by the Divine Kingdom when she climbed out of the Abyss of Spirit Birth.

With her true name called out, Siming, lost in divine thought, instinctively opened her eyes slightly.

In the night sky, a one-horned chicken flapped its wings. On its back, Ye Chu, almost burnt to charcoal, faced her and smiled faintly.

He observed the slight confusion in Siming's eyes and continued, "What? After all these years, you can't remember who you are?"

Taking advantage of Siming’s momentary confusion, Ye Chu had already arrived before her. He extended a finger and touched Siming's glabella.

Siming's head of icy-white hair whipped backwards.

For a moment, a look of struggle appeared on her face.

The lines of destiny and time collided, and a crack suddenly appeared again in Siming's nascent Dao realm.

Like fine jade meeting impurity, like a clear mirror clouded with dust.

"Shut up!" Siming roared abruptly, spiritual energy surging.

Ye Chu, who had been touching her glabella, was thrown back along with Blood Feather Sovereign.

Ye Chu was extremely weak at that moment and could not resist. His body floated, then fell, caught by Blood Feather Sovereign, who had just regained balance.

Siming slammed her eyes shut. An unbearable pain resonated within her heart, a pain even greater than Ning Changjiu publicly taking her chastity.

She meditated strenuously, trying to recapture that feeling from before.

But many opportunities in the world are rare, occurring perhaps once in a thousand years.

One cannot step into the same river twice.

She could no longer find the two flowers in her mind.

She missed her chance for Dao completion.

"You… why…" Siming trembled all over, her wildly tangled hair hanging limply. Her figure on the cross looked fragile and desolate. She lifted her head slightly, her face deathly pale. "Why didn't you just kill me, instead of humiliating and deceiving me, giving me a glimmer of hope only to destroy it? Sui Chu, seven hundred years ago, did I ever treat you with disrespect? No matter how much we fought, we were still old acquaintances from the same Divine Kingdom! If my Dao realm had formed, I would have had a chance to take you with me!"

Sui Chu was his original name; this character for "Sui" he had now given to Chong Sui.

Ye Chu’s featureless face exuded a mysterious smile. "Xueci, even at this point, you still want to deceive me with these clumsy lies? Actually, a long time ago, I could distinguish the truth from falsehood in every word you said. That's what a Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart is, heh. I knew the truth of your words, but you didn't know that I knew."

Siming immediately recalled many things: how she had become his student, climbing step by step under his patronage. She had said many insincere, flattering words to Ye Chu, and at the time, she had perfectly hidden her expressions, making everyone believe in her sincerity. She had always thought that Ye Chu was unaware.

Now, Ye Chu's words brought back those numerous past events, undoubtedly adding another crack to her already unstable mental state.

Ye Chu saw her changing expression and pressed his advantage. "Actually, I know you still have a lingering heartache."

Siming knew she shouldn't speak, but in that first moment, she still couldn't resist asking, "How is that possible?"

Ye Chu sat on Blood Feather Sovereign's back, smiling faintly, and said, "Perhaps you yourself haven't noticed, but deep within your mind, there has always been a shadow, and you have been avoiding it."

After Siming was born from the Abyss of Spirit Birth, her path to the Great Dao had been smooth sailing, like a flawless white jade wall, without any imperfections. How could such a person have an indelible shadow in her spiritual core?

Ye Chu said, "At first, I didn't know where that shadow came from, until just now, when I saw your gaze fixed on Shao Xiaoli. In an instant, I understood the origin of that shadow: it came from seven hundred years ago, during the collapse of the Divine Kingdom."

Siming said indifferently, "The collapse of the Divine Kingdom was a significant blow to both of us, but when we were in the legendary realm, our spiritual cores were like primordial divine stones. Even if heaven and earth were destroyed and returned to chaos, how could that leave a mark on our Dao heart?"

Ye Chu shook his head and said, "It wasn't the collapse of the Divine Kingdom, but that you saw someone you shouldn't have seen. That person shattered your obsession."

Siming's brows furrowed deeply, as if something had dawned on her. The cracks in her Dao realm uncontrollably continued to widen.

Ye Chu continued, "You always believed yourself to be the most perfect woman in the world, and as for the other three female Divine Kingdom masters, we truly could never meet them… Apart from them, you are indeed the most perfect in the world. This is your unique, inviolable pride. But your pride was shattered seven hundred years ago."

Ye Chu looked up, as if lost in ethereal memories. He chuckled softly, "Although I can't remember what happened then, I can guess from the shadow in your spiritual core that the one who destroyed our Divine Kingdom was also a woman, a woman even more perfect than you. And unfortunately, you saw her true face back then."

"Perhaps you were ready to die then, willing to perish with the Divine Kingdom, or perhaps you felt fear, trembling beneath that person's sword. But either way, a shadow was left on your spiritual core. Even if we can't remember those events, your Dao heart won't lie," Ye Chu sighed. "Although I can't believe this conclusion myself, that person might indeed have been a woman, and she was more beautiful and more powerful than you. This is also the truth of why, despite possessing so many authorities, you still haven't achieved Dao enlightenment in seven hundred years."

Ye Chu's words were like a sudden awakening, startling Siming, who had been bewildered. She once again examined her spiritual core, and in its previously flawless depths, an extremely faint shadow abruptly appeared.

Her divine consciousness stared intently at this shadow, as if trying to glimpse something within it.

The light in Siming's eyes grew fainter and fainter. Her icy blue eyes returned to black, and every strand of her hanging hair exuded desperate coldness.

"How can such a person exist in this world?" she whispered.

Though she said this, everyone heard the lack of confidence in her words.

Ye Chu also sighed, "Our God Lord was beheaded, so what else isn't possible?"

Siming watched her completely dissipated enlightenment, observed the cracked state of her mind. She suddenly felt utterly despondent, as if everything she possessed had been stripped away. Shao Xiaoli's earlier lashing, by that teenage girl, resurfaced in her mind. She instinctively drew her legs tightly together.

When the vulnerability in her heart was once again exposed in such a brutal manner, those strange, uncharacteristic emotions surged forth, engulfing her.

And her lifelong arch-nemesis was right before her; that was the only person she was unwilling to concede to.

They had fought for seven hundred years…

Siming could accept being whipped by Shao Xiaoli, insulted by Ning Changjiu, but she absolutely refused to expose her vulnerability to Ye Chu's gaze.

But the more she resisted, the more her mind disintegrated.

"Are you here to mock me?" Siming smiled tragically, her eyes gently closing.

Ye Chu smiled and said, "Yes."

As he spoke, he looked at Shao Xiaoli and said, "It seems the Divine Official still hasn't learned her lesson."

Shao Xiaoli nodded and said, "I understand."

Siming knew that she would have to endure the humiliation of being whipped and tormented in front of the person she had fought her entire life. She also knew that after this, she would never be able to raise her head in front of Ye Chu again.

"Ning Changjiu!"

After a brief silence, Siming suddenly raised her head and screamed desperately at the white-clad youth who was entangled with the black feather, "Didn't you want to take me as your slave? Maidservants have always been private property since ancient times. Are you just going to stand by and watch me be humiliated by others?"

Ning Changjiu smiled faintly, once again using his authority over destiny to temporarily entangle the black feather with the black serpent, and then he flew to her on his sword.

He gently pressed down on Shao Xiaoli's wrist, which was about to swing the whip, and looked at Siming.

The strands of hair clinging to her cheeks, the blood seeping from the corners of her lips, her eyes filled with struggle and despair—all contributed to a beauty blooming amidst weakness and desolation.

"Are you willing to be a slave?" Ning Changjiu used his finger to lift her chin slightly, making her look him in the eye. "The lowest kind of slave who treats punishment as a reward and discipline as grace?"

"Of course." Ning Changjiu paused. "From now on, whether it's punishment or scolding, only I can touch you. If you still want to kill Ye Chu in the future, I can even help you. Of course, all of this is conditional on us surviving the Sinful Sovereign."

Siming said nothing, her eyes filled with unreadable emotions, but her body visibly softened.

She turned her head slightly, looking at Ye Chu, who looked like burnt wood.

At this moment, he was so weak, weaker than herself… If she could break free from this torture rack, killing him might only take an instant…

Her consciousness drifted slightly.

Siming recalled that story again; it was the sixth night.

Her seventh day was about to arrive.

"I…" she began hesitantly.

Ning Changjiu, however, interrupted her. He revealed a hint of a mocking smile. "A dignified Divine Official of the Divine Kingdom, truly willing to become a female slave?"

"Moreover, I don't really need a slave like you."

Saying this, he lowered the hand that had been holding her chin.

"You… what do you mean?" Siming tilted her head slightly, her expression confused.

"I am willing to give you a dignified choice," Ning Changjiu said, looking at her, enunciating each word carefully:

"Be my Spirit! Hand over your authority over time. If we cannot defeat the Sinful Sovereign, we will die together. If we can defeat him, I promise we will both live. Afterwards, I will not interfere in your grievances with each other. Similarly, I will also release you from the contract, restoring your freedom."

For a Divine Official of the Divine Kingdom to become someone else's Spirit was equally unimaginable, but it was infinitely better than being a lowly female slave.

Siming suddenly understood that this had been his intention from the beginning.

Her becoming his slave served no purpose other than to satisfy his desires; only by becoming his Spirit could he gain her abilities.

Yet, this was a demand she would have flatly refused at first. But now, she had even been willing to become a slave, and the other party had instead taken a step back. A glimmer of unexpected fortune involuntarily arose in her heart.

What a crude trick this was…

Siming finally understood, yet felt helpless.

She let out a soft sigh, which dispersed into the night around her.

"I am willing."

After a long pause, Siming lowered her head, her silver hair hiding her cheeks, and softly said.

All her murderous intent and unwillingness faded away. Every trace of the lingering red marks on her pale skin was proof of her surrender.