Days after Dan and Charlotte"s disappearance from the Empire of Eternal Faith. Takemikazuchi and Natalie just arrived at the Wilderness Branch of the Black Wing Gang. Emerging from the Spatial Tunneling Formation Portal, numerous figures clad in a jet-black robe with a reddish hue at the middle of their backs could be seen standing before them.
Though the expressions of the figures could not be seen, the way that carried their bodies indicated their respect as all of them kneeled towards the direction of Takemikazuchi. Natalie glanced at Takemikazuchi and realized that the cheerful and vibrant old man, actually had such a deep secret behind him.
Void of the s.h.i.+ny and warm expression that he would suffuse back at the Empire of Eternal Faith, Takemikazuchi nodded his head and turned towards the man who stood before this entourage.
The man had his hands clasped together but he didn"t kneel. Lifting his head, he said, "Greetings to the Ancestor!" The men behind him also greeted and their thunderous voices formed a chorus which shook the entire hall.
Natalie was taken aback and staggered backward while Takemikazuchi waved his hands and dismissed the other members of the Gang which dissipated into the darkness. Natalie"s expression changed, each and everyone that she saw in her possessed a power capable enough of thoroughly erasing her existence. And Takemikazuchi, that was their Ancestor, Just how powerful is he? She inwardly thought.
"I have received the Ancestor"s orders," The man nodded and Takemikazuchi said, "We"ll talk about it later, first, give us a residence to stay in." Takemikazuchi turned to Natalie, "We"ll be staying here for a while, I"ll explain everything to you later so," He glanced at the sleeping Juliet in her arms, "Place her in bed first..."
Takemikazuchi then turned to the side and walked away. Leaving her and the man inside the dimly lit hall. The man, known as the current Patriarch of the Black Wing Gang couldn"t help but feel somewhat apprehensive towards this young woman.
With his senses, he noticed that Takemikazuchi"s eyes that stared at Natalie shone in a light of warmth and tenderness. Maintaining his calm, he suppressed his inner upheaval and respectfully approached Natalie before saying, "Mistress must be tired, please follow this humble one..."
Natalie stared at the respectful man and nodded her head. With his lead, she soon arrived before a luxurious mansion whose lavishness was only lower than the Imperial Palace of the Empire of Dawn. Calming her nerves, she entered the mansion upon the man"s instructions and was greeted by a fleet of maids which tended to her needs.
Instead of feeling happy, the care that she received made her apprehensive about the situation as she waited for Takemikazuchi"s arrival, looking somehow fidgety and nervous. With her cultivation at the lowest realm, even the maids in here could easily slap her to death.
Later on, Takemikazuchi finally arrived, opening the sliding door, he entered the room and sat directly before Natalie and said, "Since you"re that brat"s wife, I don"t think that there"s any use in hiding things from you since I bet that you know about it anyways..."
"Know?" Natalie knitted her eyebrows, "What do you mean, Senior? Is there some kind of a secret that I am supposed to know?" She asked and Takemikazuchi chuckled, "The more time you spend with that brat, the more you take on his att.i.tude." He waved his hands in dismissal, "Stop playing with me, you know about it, right?"
"The fact that I am a cultivator who walks on the demonic path..."
A cold wind swept past, Natalie"s expression turned pale as the air around Takemikazuchi drastically changed. A black mist enveloped his body and Natalie"s figure s.h.i.+vered in terror.
"Why do you look so pale? It"s not like it"s the first time that you saw someone who walks on the demonic path..." His aura retracted and Natalie mumbled, "What do you mean?" Takemikazuchi knitted his eyebrows, "Stop playing with me, aren"t you the wife of that brat? He walks on the same path as me, albeit his path is more treacherous..."
"The same path as Senior? Impossible! My husband isn"t a demonic cultivator! That cannot be..." One of the greatest enemies of humans of all time was those Demons. Legends say that those who belong to the demonic path were cruel and merciless creatures who treated the life of humans back then as livestock.
She shook her head, she wouldn"t believe that such a loving and gentle husband like Dan would be someone that walks on the demonic path.
Takemikazuchi cupped his chin with his right hand, "It seems like you"re having a misunderstanding, here..." Natalie lifted her head, "Misunderstanding?"
"Yeah," Takemikazuchi nodded his head and took a more comfortable posture before continuing, "The idea of demonic cultivators being extremely evil is embedded in your mind, in fact, that is not true." He sighed as a melancholic light filled his eyes, "Just because we walk on an unorthodox path, doesn"t mean that we"re completely evil. We only kill those who bar our path towards the peak, to live freely and unfettered, that"s the true mindset of a demonic cultivator..."
Natalie"s figure shook as the words that Takemikazuchi said, shook her to the very core. To live freely and without shackles, how good of an idea was that? She inwardly thought. Ever since she was born, she was shackled by the duty of that so-called arranged marriage that she had to escape, and ever since then, she didn"t achieve the freedom that she wanted.
She felt envious about the freedom that the demonic cultivators had.
"It looks like we"re quite similar," Takemikazuchi stared into her eyes, "From the looks of it, you also suffered, eh..." His mind fell into contemplation before saying, "But why are you saying that you do not know anything about that brat walking on the demonic path? He didn"t tell you anything about it?"
"The Cultivation Method that I and my husband cultivates is the Blessing of the Lightning G.o.d, he possesses the pure bloodline of the Lightning G.o.d while I, possessed a half-baked transplanted bloodline, how could someone who has the pure blood of the G.o.ds, walk on the demonic path?" Natalie asked, confusion evident in her expression.
"Hahaha," Takemikazuchi chuckled, "Do you really think that just because it is widely advertised that G.o.ds are on the righteous side, doesn"t mean that they cannot also be demons?"
"Wait, Senior...Could it be that..." Natalie"s expression flickered, she had a premonition in her mind that she didn"t dare to confirm.
Takemikazuchi nodded his head in satisfaction, "Indeed, that"s what I mean! Because of the fact that the Blessing of the Lightning G.o.d is the greatest nemesis of all Yin affiliated enemies, like demons, Dan and you could potentially become one of the strongest demon-slayers in this world!" He praised and Natalie"s expression looked indescribable, hanging her head low, she said,
"What senior said is really attractive. But I"m completely tired of everything, all I want to do is to live peacefully in this mundane world along with my daughter..." She said, but Takemikazuchi shook his head and retorted, "Idiot! If that"s what you wanted, then why did you bond with that brat! You knew that his fate will be riddled with dangers and blood, yet you still went close to him!"
His roar shook the entire room. Fortunately, the walls were fitted with Sound Isolating Formation so only Natalie heard what he said. Calming her nerves, she lifted her head and stared at Takemikazuchi, "I know that, I know that very well, in fact, Ancestor Lightning G.o.d told me about that when I received my transplanted bloodline, that Dan would be someone that would eventually reach the apex."
"I know that I am incompetent to be right by his side, but can"t I try? Can"t I try and do my best so that I can eventually stand with him at the peak?!"
Her strong words echoed like a thunderbolt, at this moment. The timid Natalie expressed her concerns in a determined and courageous manner, right in front of a Divine Soul Pract.i.tioner that was Takemikazuchi. Despite the difference in strength, she still suffused a brave front, but Takemikazuchi could see her faintly trembling hands as he sighed.
He lifted his head and gazed towards the skies, "Emily, if I am as courageous as this young woman, perhaps, my fate would be right by your side..." He inwardly thought but soon shook his head. The matters of the past should be buried in the past.
Staring at Natalie who maintained her brave front, Takemikazuchi chuckled and said, "Since you"re that adamant in staying with him, I"ll help you unlock that transplanted demonic bloodline of the Lightning G.o.d,"
Natalie"s expression changed, "Really? But how will you do it, Senior?" She became glad but she still has her suspicions in her mind, after all, the difference in their strength suggested that if Takemikazuchi used his Qi, her body may not be able to handle it.
"Let"s see," Takemikazuchi mumbled before taking a jade bottle filled with scarlet red pills, "Let"s improve your const.i.tution and cultivation for a bit," He hurled it at Natalie and the latter caught it in mid-air.
Staring at the crimson red pills, Natalie gulped a mouthful of saliva, the pills that she held was the pills given by Mathias to Dan, called the Tyrannical Strength Increasing Pills, according to Mathias, once consumed it would help improve the consumer"s physique and cultivation, but it would inflict extreme pain in the process.
"Hmm...Scared?" Takemikazuchi chuckled and Natalie revealed a bitter smile, "If there are other choices, I won"t do it but since there"s no other way than this, then I just have to do it..."
"That"s the spirit," The old man nodded his head and Natalie took a single pill from the jade bottle, "No, don"t take one, take two of it, since it would trigger the hidden effects," Takemikazuchi stopped her and Natalie"s expression became even more tragic as she took two pills and prepared to swallow it.
"Don"t worry, I"ll block all sounds from escaping. But be careful, you must prepare yourself for the worst," Takemikazuchi"s words were gentle but it contained a sharp warning towards what may happen. Nodding her head, a flash of determination surged within her eyes as she swallowed both of the pills at the same time.
Soon, the entire room became filled with ghastly screams of what sounded like a banshee.
Returning back to the current time, at the Empire of Eternal Faith, a slender figure wearing a silvery mask landed before a residence. Her movements looked graceful and void of waste as she intruded without making any noises. Staring at the lump of jet-black Qi on her palms, she entered the room and found the figure of a sleeping man whose face looked peaceful and serene.
The figure approached the man and pressed the jet-black Qi on his chest. Upon impact, the jet-black Qi dissipated inside the man"s body. Witnessing what happened, the figure sighed and glanced around before taking her mask off.
Staring at her husband, Natalie"s expression looked indescribable, she felt guilty about keeping such a secret from him. Although according to Takemikazuchi, Dan walked on the same demonic path, she didn"t want him to hate her for walking on the same path of carnage as him.
Everything that transpired, along with her path and Dan"s path should be a top-secret matter. Else, once everyone knows about it, they would be hunted and would never be peaceful once again.
Diving beside her husband, she tightly embraced his figure and mumbled. "Ah..." She exhaled and continued, "The things I do for love..."
Her eyes slowly closed and entered a deep slumber.