40 The Chattel

I met with the Knight realm prisoners from the Air Nation. It shocked them when they saw me. The changelings had been dark elves for this expedition and then changed to their true form when they battled. Both looked drastically different from me. I was a devil.

I was tall, dark-skinned, with short horns, and cloth wraps around my eyes. I am a devilishly handsome young devil if I say so myself. Around me was the devilish aura created from my Devil qi.

I horrified the sphinx. I spoke to the lowly chattel in a deep voice. My devil delivery had to be perfect!

"I shall be your devil lord from now on. You have one choice, serve this devil lord, and save your culture. If you refuse, you will die a meaningless death. I would kill you and destroy your culture."

"I would wipe all traces of the sphinx race out of existence. However, if you join me your future generations will thank you for your sacrifices."

I placed a devil contract in front of them. It was a slavery contract courtesy of my understanding of the Contract Art. They would sign away their lives with this contract.

"But…" one had spoken up, but his head immediately rolled.

"You have no right to speak to the young lord," said Azon.

The air sphinx looked over their contracts. After touching them, they could understand the context in their very souls. Their mind, body, and souls and nine generations of descendants would forever belong to James Hudson if they signed this contract.

If they refused, they would meet the same fate as the one that spoke up. This contract left hope for the future sphinx race. After nine generations their decedents would be free. They were leaders of their society.

They knew best that the Tutan World was powerless to resist this foreign invader. The only choice was to sign the contract to save their culture. It was a new beginning for the sphinx race.

[22 Knight slaves contracted to host]

[Creating slave tribe Sphinx]

[Sphinx slave tribe added to Libra]

"We will serve you faithful young lord."

"You have made a fine choice. Now go round up the citizens of the Air Nation. Ensure them everything is fine and have a grand meeting in the capital scheduled in two weeks."

The newly enslaved air sphinx tried to resist but quickly carried out my will. As slaves they could only carry out tasks. The contract they signed had seeped into their very souls, overriding their free will. They belonged to me in mind, body, and soul.

Soon they would even think to serve me was at their behest. That was the power of a devil slave contract willingly signed. Devil slaves would have undying loyalty to their master. Their very thoughts serving their master's will. It was a much more tyrannical than a follower contract.

Two weeks passed, and the grand massacre began.

"How could you do this?"

"You're our protector!"

"Father why?"

Around the Tutan World rumors soon spread of Bloody Sunday. The leaders of the Air Nation had gone mad. They massacred the citizens in cold blood. Not even chicken or dog was spared.

Watching the grand scene unfold, I felt my understanding of Slaughter Dao grow. It felt so good. With every death I understood slaughter more. This was how a young noble should cultivate.

I captured the departing souls of the slaughtered within the Codex of Souls. Or rather, the Codex of Souls stole all my souls. Stupid greedy book. If I had an orb that could contain all these souls I wouldn't give it one drop.

The amount of resentment was breath-taking. It would take me a long time to cleanse all this resentment and make the souls usable. Watching the grand slaughter unfold before my very eyes, my understanding of the Slaughter Dao grew with no bottlenecks.

I slowly understood that slaughter is to cause death indiscriminately. To gain strength from slaughter, I must connect completely to the loss of life. I can see that one first gains the intent to kill. They then attack and commit murder. To cultivate slaughter, I must breed my killing intent or Slaughter qi.

I meditated and immersed himself more and more with understanding Slaughter Dao as the massacre reigned around the nation. Time slowly passed as a faint killing intent circled me.

Yes, this seems to be right. I think I have successfully broken into the Slaughter Dao! A faint red aura had surrounded James.

"Husband how could you kill me?"

"We choose you to protect us!"

"I loved you!"

"Good, kill them all! Let my understanding of the Slaughter Dao reach completion," James said.

"Yes, young lord!" the slaves replied.

More and more sphinx fell left and right. The Knight sphinx continuously tossed out air blades. The citizens' deaths were quick and painless. They attempted to resist, but their resistance was futile. All the powerful Knights of the Air Nation were under James' command.

I should create a technique to heighten my understanding of the Slaughter Dao. To create a technique with Slaughter qi I would have to move my illusionary killing intent into form.

The technique I want is one that can be supplemental in battle. Something that would strengthen me and weaken my foes. That way my mother couldn't beat me so badly next time we meet!

A shadow had formed in James' heart from his repeated beatings from his mother. Knowing he had to improve or suffer a vicious thrashing truly motivated him.

A 'Killing Aura' would be perfect for the technique I need.

'What do you know about aura techniques?' James queried the Aspects.

[Hey! Aura techniques use qi as the foundation encompassing the user with the properties of the qi.]

[Meow, Killing Intent is ethereal, so using it as a foundation for an aura will give you a hostile bloodthirsty aura that will have a mental effect on targets of the aura.]

A mental effect like the resentment weapon has a mental effect?

I brought out my Lokkar dagger and studied the aura it released intently. I held it in my hands and meditated over the evening as the slaughter of the air nation citizens continued…

Slowly but surely my aura changed, subtly influencing the surrounding area.

The auras of killing intent and soul deprivation merged as James heightened his understanding and immersed himself completely in the slaughter.

"So it's like that,"

I pondered more and more on the connection between me slaughtering these sphinxes and their souls leaving them entering the Codex.

My understanding of Soul and Slaughter finally made the last push into an entirely new level. I now had a subtle aura around me that would horrify any onlookers. It would grip at one's very soul!

[Soul Depravity and Killing Intent learned]

[New aura ability created. Please name this technique.]

"Name it Hollow Aura."

[New ability Hollow Aura added to Battle Arts.]

[Hollow Aura- Uses an understanding of Soul Dao and Slaughter Dao to create an ethereal aura that grips at the depths of one's soul and shows them an accurate picture of the slaughter the user has committed. Creates a suppressive effect on beings much weaker than what the user has slaughtered.]

[Congratulations quest 'Exterminate Tutan World' 25% complete]

[Library function unlocked- Allows the user to read and write information to the Codex library.]

[Reading is fundamental to a devil.]

[Slaughter Heart Scripture Volume 1 \u0026 2. added to James' library]

[Slaughter Heart Scripture Volume 2. (Mental Cultivation Technique)- Uses Slaughter qi as a lever and the heart as the fulcrum to cultivate a Devil Heart of Slaughter. The stronger your Heart of Slaughter becomes, the greater your devilry will become. Slaughter your foes and bathe in the blood of your enemies.]

[Create a path of blood and bones throughout the Myriad Realms.]

[Your Heart of Slaughter must become well known far and wide for you to become worthy to wield the Codex of Souls.]

[You may not pass on this scripture as it is a signature scripture of the Codex of Souls. Shambeel Kumbuku selflessly created this technique through the blood, sweat, and tears of whoever dared to cross his path!]

[Volume 2 includes a mental cultivation technique and accompanying skills usable until you reach the peak of Tier 2 cultivation. User should work diligently if he wishes to compile the complete collection of the Slaughter Heart Scripture]

[Zephyrs Spin x1 added]

[Zephyrs Spin- Get a random item or answer from the Codex of Souls]

[Meow, you finally got the library. That means you can store Scriptures \u0026 Arts in the Codex!]

[Hey! The Codex has many Scriptures \u0026 Arts in its collection.]

[Listen! Work hard to do its quests and the Libra organization will become unmatched]

I was ecstatic. I now had a Battle Skill! And I created it all on my lonesome from my understanding of the Slaughter Dao.

It only took a few days and the mass genocide of an entire nation. But what's the slaughter of an entire nation compared to my Dao comprehension?

~~~

All around the Tutan World the sphinxes were in an uproar. Fear gripping their hearts after they heard what happened to the Air Nation. The leaders of the Air Nation slaughtered the entire population. They seemed to have staked their allegiance with foreign invaders.

The leaders of the Air Nation slaughtered even their own families. They spared not a single soul in the Air Nation.

It astonished Wanfang when he received a report from his advisers. The Air Nation had committed full-on genocide! This isn't a battle of who would be in charge of the Tutan World, they are planning to destroy us all! The invaders spared only those at the pyramid building realm.

He quickly sent envoys to start peace talks. I will not place my head on the chopping block for these foolish Tutan World natives.

Wanfang was not that attached to the Tutan World. He was looking for a way back to Earth. He was not the destined hero in a web novel. He was only an ordinary transmigrator who wanted to live and return to his original world. Why would he put his life on the line for these savages?

If these dark elves came from some other World, then this was his first clue to returning to Earth. He was not so stupid as to die heroically for the citizens of the Earth Nation. He only ruled the Earth Nation because he was the strongest.

These invaders took less than a month to take over an entire nation and commit genocide against the population. He had read many web novels before. The invaders were probably from a stronger World. Especially if they were not even bothering to rule or even enslave the population.

Wanfang did not consider himself a protagonist. He had a bit of heroic aura, but he wasn't trying to die so soon after coming so far. The envoys returned with news. The leader of the elves said if he wanted to meet and discuss peace, he would have to come to the Air Nation's capital.

~~~

"Come, please come leaders of the Earth Nation. Fall right into my trap."

I was sneakily trying to lure out the leaders of the Earth Nation. Azon and his group of changelings couldn't go attack targets for me, but if I offend the Earth Nation leader and he does something stupid, then I win the battle without lifting a finger.

James was a spoiled young noble. James thought like any spoiled young noble on how to get around his mother's limitations!

If I can't take the battle to them, then let me bring them to me!