Chapter 260 - 131: Subduing Si Rumeng

Chapter 260: Chapter 131: Subduing Si Rumeng

No, it was even more tyrannical.

Jiang Mu looked at her. "Now, do you finally believe your life is in my hands?"

Si Rumeng gritted her teeth, staring at Jiang Mu.

The fear in her eyes was gradually replaced by a wilder, more crazed defiance.

"So what if you’ve obtained this Magical Artifact?!

I, Si Rumeng, will never submit to a lapdog of the Demon-slaying Bureau like you!

If you have the guts, kill me!

You hypocritical, disgusting things... Just looking at you is defiling! You want me to be your dog? In your dreams! Pah!"

She cursed as she struggled to get up. Despite the excruciating pain racking her body, she refused to lower her head.

Jiang Mu remained expressionless.

’This Demon’s resistance was to be expected.’

’She was defiant even toward the far more powerful Black Mountain, secretly scheming to escape its control. Why would she ever submit so easily to a mere Fourth Realm cultivator like him?’

"Since you won’t do this the easy way, don’t blame me for getting rough."

Jiang Mu wasted no more words. Demonic Qi surged from his hand, pouring into the Buddha Lamp.

In an instant, the Buddha Lamp flared with a brilliant light.

Catalyzed by the Demonic Qi, the once-sacred Magical Artifact revealed a ferocious side, directly activating three new restrictive Divine Abilities designed to target the Divine Souls of demons and ghosts.

"First, the Soul-Locking Roast!"

He levitated the Buddha Lamp above his right palm, brought the fingers of his left hand together like a sword, and swiped lightly through the lamp’s flame.

RATTLE—

Suddenly, the sound of dragging chains echoed out of thin air.

Several crimson chains, condensed entirely from Incense and Candle Power, materialized out of thin air and wrapped around Si Rumeng’s limbs.

"Ah!"

Si Rumeng cried out in alarm as she was violently yanked into the air.

She hung suspended in midair, spread-eagled.

Her long black dress tore during the struggle, revealing her long legs. Red marks formed on her pale ankles where the chains bit into her skin.

She struggled desperately, her demonic energy surging wildly, but she couldn’t budge the chains of Incense and Candle Power in the slightest.

With every struggle, the chains only bit deeper into her flesh.

"Let me go... you beast..."

Si Rumeng seethed, her phoenix eyes filled with hatred.

Unmoved, Jiang Mu activated the Buddha Lamp once more.

"Second, Soul-Burning Wax!"

The bean-sized point of light on the Buddha Lamp’s wick suddenly detached and flew out on its own.

It transformed in midair.

It became a burning red candle.

The candle hovered over Si Rumeng’s head and slowly tilted.

Drip.

Si Rumeng let out a pained shriek, her whole body trembling violently.

This was no ordinary wax, after all. It was Karmic Fire, capable of burning the soul itself. Had this been a common, low-level ghost, its soul would have long since been annihilated.

The instant the wax touched her skin, the area turned bright red.

As if it were actually on fire.

"Will you acknowledge me as your master now?" Jiang Mu asked.

Si Rumeng’s lips were white from the pain, yet she still sneered. "Acknowledge... Acknowledge a lapdog like you as my master...? I would rather have my soul annihilated..."

Drip... Drip...

A few more drops of wax fell.

Every drop was met with a horrific scream.

Jiang Mu’s expression was indifferent as he watched the woman struggling in agony. He asked coolly,

"I’ll ask you one more time: will you acknowledge me as your master?"

"In... your dreams!"

Si Rumeng was drenched in a cold sweat, her disheveled hair stuck to her face, yet she still snarled through gritted teeth,

"All of you from the Demon-slaying Bureau... you all deserve to die!"

"You all deserve to go to Hell!"

Even now, the hatred in her eyes had not diminished in the slightest. If anything, the pain only made it burn more fiercely.

Jiang Mu shook his head.

’Truly a stubborn one.’

’In that case, she leaves me no choice but to be merciless.’

"Third, the Soul-Beating Whip!"

Jiang Mu pointed a finger.

SWOOSH—

In the air around Si Rumeng, a dozen or so long, translucent whips suddenly materialized.

These whips were woven from a mixture of Incense and Candle Power and Demonic Qi.

As they whipped through the air, they let out a mournful howl, as if they could shatter the soul itself.

The next moment, the whips descended like a torrential rain!

The whips struck Si Rumeng’s body, leaving no physical wounds, but every lash landed squarely on her soul.

"Bastard... If you have the guts, just kill me..."

At first, the woman was still cursing, but her voice grew progressively weaker, turning into pained groans.

The lashing was relentless, and her suspended body flailed like a willow catkin in the wind.

Her disheveled white hair clung to her sweat-soaked cheeks, her red lips bitten raw and bleeding. The initial hatred and defiance in her phoenix eyes began to crumble, bit by bit, under the endless torment.

"Stop... stop..."

Her voice trembling, she finally forced a plea for mercy through her gritted teeth.

Jiang Mu paused his finger, and the whips came to a sudden halt.

Si Rumeng gasped in relief, hanging limply from the chains in utter exhaustion. Her chest heaved violently as sweat dripped from her chin.

She lifted her tear-blurred eyes, and her gaze toward Jiang Mu was incredibly complex.

There was hatred, fear, and humiliation...

And a trace of pleading.

"I... I submit..." she began with great difficulty, each word seemingly torn from her throat. "I acknowledge you... as master..."

She was no longer cursing, no longer defiant.

Under that storm of lashes, this once-unbeatable Tree Demon now trembled in midair like a helpless young woman.

With a wave of his hand, Jiang Mu dismissed the whips and chains.

THUD.

Si Rumeng fell to the ground, collapsing in a boneless heap.

She struggled to prop herself up, settling into a kneeling position on the ground. Her long black dress was splayed about in disarray, revealing the pale skin of her lower legs.

Her head was bowed, her white hair hanging down and obscuring her face, hiding her expression.

Only her faintly trembling shoulders gave away her emotions.

Jiang Mu retracted the Buddha Lamp and slowly walked over to her. He looked down at her from his superior height and said coolly,

"I know you haven’t truly submitted. This is just a temporary surrender.

But that’s fine. I don’t expect you to become utterly loyal to me overnight.