The Confederation Alliance was truly in an uproar, after all not only is the rakshasa's queen moving but so aliens arrived to their world without anyone noticing how. It was enough to invoke everyone's interest and it all focused on . Especially after revealing how futile their 'Bindings' were they're now facing sothing they didn't ever expect.
The shock on the faces around the table would've been amusing under any other circumstances, but I held back a smirk. Amusent aside, the situation was far from ideal. Here I was, deep in enemy territory with little to no chance of imdiate escape. If their attempts to destroy my dantian had succeeded, I'd be crippled. My unique constitution was the only thing that saved , and they were beginning to realize that. All eyes turned to the man called Don Ma, who was visibly irritated.
"What's going on here, Don Ma?" the elder barked, his authoritative voice slicing through the murmurs.
Don Ma, who radiated power and authority, gritted his teeth. "Elder, I don't understand it. I swear we broke his dantian. This shouldn't be possible—let block his Qi. I'll make sure he can't move."
"Is there truly a need for all this hostility?" I asked, my tone calm and asured.
"Quiet!" barked a man sowhere along the table, a nobody among nobodies.
The elder raised a hand to silence the outburst. "Hold on. The man has a point," he said, his gaze shifting to . "Speak, young man. Tell us your na, and where you co from."
I t his gaze evenly. "You may call Shen Bao. I am a cultivator from the Beyond," I said, letting my words settle over the room.
The mont I uttered "Beyond," an unmistakable wave of surprise washed over the council mbers. Each face registered shock, curiosity, and—most importantly—intrigue. Whispers flitted back and forth, the word "Beyond" echoed in different corners of the table as council mbers leaned toward one another, eyes glittering with barely suppressed excitent.
The elder leaned forward. "Are you lying?" His question wasn't accusing but rather seed driven by genuine interest.
I shrugged. "What purpose would lying to you serve? I ca through the vortex. I speak of what I know."
Silence filled the room as the elder digested this information. At last, he nodded thoughtfully. "The Beyond. A land that our records tell us is a paradox, a space that exists as both everything and nothing. Legends describe it as a world hidden by veils of mystery. Are you saying that the vortex we know of is a direct path to this so-called Beyond?"
I nodded, keeping my expression impassive. "It is. It's how I arrived here."
The tension in the room shifted, curiosity mingling with skepticism. A man seated to my right, his white robes embellished with delicate purple embroidery, leaned forward, studying with narrow eyes. The detailed coiling dragon embroidered on his robe glinted faintly, catching the dim light.
He spoke up. "Tell us, Shen Bao of the Beyond, why you would cross into the land of the Confederation. Surely it's not a simple journey for leisure."
I didn't hesitate. "Revenge."
Whispers burst from all around the table, eyebrows shot up, and I could see skepticism flash across several faces.
The man in white robes arched a brow, clearly intrigued. "And what, may I ask, would prompt you to take revenge in a foreign land?"
"Against the Rakshasa, or as you call them, the Fallen God's Race."
A wave of reactions followed my words. Faces twisted in shock, and a ripple of muttering rose around the room. A few council mbers exchanged glances, brows furrowed. The elder raised his hand once more, and the room quieted instantly under his command.
"We've seen increased activity from the Fallen God's Race, particularly with them sending legions into the vortex," he said, his voice low. "Many here believed they had launched a futile attempt at self-destruction. I take it they reached your Beyond?"
I inclined my head. "They did. But futile? No. They ca to conquer."
The elder's expression darkened. "So they brought ruin upon your Beyond?"
"Ruin?" I tilted my head, letting a slight smile slip. "Not quite. We routed them, down to the last rakshasa."
A disbelieving scoff erupted from my left, and a man wearing red robes slamd his fist on the table. His shout of indignation seed to echo around the chamber. "Lies!" he spat. "We are barely able to manage the Fallen God's Race here in the Confederation, and yet you claim that your people handled an army of them? What is this Beyond, a place of unending Sun Stages?"
I returned his heated stare calmly. "I have no reason to lie."
The elder's eyes narrowed, curiosity and suspicion warring in his expression. "Tell , Shen Bao, did you personally fight in this supposed war against the Rakshasa?"
"I did."
The man in red robes snarled. "Ridiculous! An Origin Stage cultivator taking on a Noble, let alone a Silver Rakshasa? He wouldn't survive a single encounter!"
"I won't ask you to believe , but you will see the truth soon enough," I replied, my tone even. "Do you not recall a Golden Capped Noble Rakshasa that returned from the vortex before my arrival?"
The elder's gaze sharpened. "There were indeed reports of such a sighting, yes. We assud it had been wounded by the vortex itself."
I raised a brow. "Do you honestly think that vortex would cause lacerating wounds? That it would simply cut off limbs and leave a rakshasa limping through space?"
The elder's frown deepened. Clearly, he had considered it impossible for the vortex to cause such precise damage. Rakshasa were sturdy enough to endure the brutal energy of the vortex. His silence spoke volus.
"I wish to challenge this man's claims," Don Ma interrupted, stepping forward with a glint of nace in his eyes. "There's a thod to discern the truth here—Soul Search!"
Before I could react, his hand ca down on my head with startling speed, his Qi pouring into my Sea of Consciousness, forcing his way in. For a split second, I thought he might succeed in shattering my mind, in laying bare my thoughts and secrets to everyone in this room.
Then I felt a shift within my Sea of Consciousness. Don Ma's invasion had woken sothing that lay dormant—the dark soul of Shen Mo. From deep within the starry void of my mindscape, a great, ominous shadow coiled forward, casting a shroud over my entire Sea of Consciousness. The darkness, almost sentient, spread across the spectral plane like oil, latching onto Don Ma's Qi with ferocity. Tendrils of obsidian wrapped around his ntal projection, and for the first ti, I saw a flash of terror in his eyes as Shen Mo's soul lood over him.
An agonized scream tore from Don Ma's lips as his consciousness was forcibly ejected back into reality. We returned to the council room simultaneously. He clutched his hand, and a vile blackness began to spread from his fingertips, twisting and snaking its way up his arm like a shadowy infection.
"What... what in the gods' na are you?" Don Ma gasped, his face pale as he stared at , horror in his eyes. The poisonous essence continued to creep up his hand, its insidious nature sapping his strength and spreading agony with every inch.
Another elder shifted uncomfortably in his seat, watching as Don Ma struggled to halt the advance. "This... poison?" he murmured, barely able to keep the astonishnt from his voice. "It's too strong, even for a Sun Stage!"
Don Ma gritted his teeth, the blackness consuming more of his hand despite his best efforts to channel Qi to resist it. "I'll sever it," he said through clenched teeth, reaching for a blade to cut off his own arm.
"There's no need," I interrupted, eting his gaze steadily. "I can remove it."
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"Stand down!" Don Ma barked, his pride forcing him to resist my offer even as the dark venom crept higher.
The elder raised his hand, silencing Don Ma's objections. "Let him," he commanded. "We've seen enough to know he's capable of far more than we expected. Besides, if he were to try anything, he'd face consequences."
I nodded and stepped forward, extending my hand toward Don Ma. "Show your arm."
Reluctantly, he held it out, his gaze fixed on , half-daring to try sothing else. I pressed two fingers to his palm, channeling my energy, and began drawing the poison back through his veins. Slowly, the darkness receded, sinking back into my own body, leaving his arm unblemished as if nothing had ever happened.
One of the council mbers shifted, his gaze scrutinizing . "Is this how you managed to defeat the Rakshasa?"
I t his eyes. "In part," I replied calmly.
The elder's eyes narrowed. "So when you speak of revenge... do you an to target the Broodmother herself?"
I inclined my head, my expression hardening. "Yes. She and her progeny have caused untold devastation. I intend to bring an end to it. But there's a problem—their immunity to Qi. My poisons work on almost everything, yet with the Broodmother, it's like throwing water at stone."
The elder exchanged a glance with several council mbers. "How could you possibly know so much about the Broodmother's nature?"
I gave a wry smile. "That's precisely why I'm here. Your council dragged here before I could test a poison I developed to overco just such obstacles." I shot Don Ma a pointed look. "It was rather inconvenient, to say the least."
Silence followed as the council absorbed the weight of my words. Each of them was likely coming to the sa realization—whether they trusted or not, they needed my knowledge.
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