Li Tian's hand moved to Xue Liying's face, his fingers tracing the delicate line of her jaw.
His gaze locked with hers, a predatory glint in his eyes as he examined the proud features, now contorted with a mix of fury and fear.
Li Tian then lowered his hand, scratching lightly beneath her chin, the way one might tease a haughty cat rather than a submissive dog.
"Such a fierce little thing, aren't you?" he murmured, his voice a low purr.
"But even the fiercest beasts can be tamed."
Xue Liying's body trembled, not with fear, but with barely suppressed rage. "What have you done to me?" she demanded, her voice tight with barely controlled fury.
"Release me this instant, and perhaps I'll only cripple you instead of ending your miserable existence."
Li Tian smiled, enjoying the way her face twisted with rage.
Li Tian does not claim to be morally superior or that his actions are good. They are simply actions, like how cultivators kill without hesitation, claiming to represent 'justice'.
Li Tian follows his own will, which he holds above all else.
If he wants to kill, he kills. If he wants to torture, he tortures. There are no 'ifs' or 'buts', only his will.
"A good pet," he whispered, his voice a silken threat, "knows how to show its master proper respect. Don't you agree?"
Xue Liying's face paled. Her pride and anger were replaced by a cold dread as she comprehended the depths of his depravity.
Her breath hitched, and she stared at him, her voice trembling as she asked, "W-what are you saying?"
Li Tian's grin widened, a cruel glint in his eyes as he leaned closer.
"Lick my toes, doggie," he said, his voice a soft command, a challenge, a deliberate attempt to shatter her dignity.
"Y-you!" Xue Liying stammered, her voice a mix of defiance and despair. "Why would I ever do something so vile? Just leave me alone!" Her words were a plea, a desperate attempt to regain some control.
But to her horror, her body betrayed her. Her hands, as if guided by some unseen force, reached for Li Tian's boots. They were made of simple, coarse cloth, typical of what people wore in this world. With trembling fingers, she removed them, the rough fabric scraping against her delicate skin.
Her gaze was forced to lower, to his bare feet. They were calloused and dirty, the feet of a commoner, not someone worthy of her service. A wave of nausea washed over her as her body continued its betrayal.
Xue Liying was forced to kneel, her delicate fingers now tracing the rough skin of his feet, a stark contrast to the smooth texture of her own hands.
Then, the ultimate humiliation. Her head bent down, her tongue darting out, tentatively at first, then with a sickening obedience, across his toes. The taste was foul, salty and unclean, a stark contrast to the purity she strived for.
'Why?!' The scream echoed in her mind, a silent, desperate cry.
'Why am I doing this? How can I, Xue Liying, be reduced to such a degrading act?'
A crushing wave of self-loathing washed over her, a feeling of utter despair. It felt as if she was betraying her own soul.
Do I truly want to serve this… this filth? Me?
Her gaze, filled with a burning hatred, met Li Tian's. It was the gaze of a trapped animal, a proud spirit forced into submission. Yet, despite the inferno raging within her, her tongue continued its agonizing task, each lick a fresh torment, a new depth of degradation.
Li Tian, seeing the look in her eyes put his feet above her face and pressed down upon her head until it reached the cold, hard surface.
"I don't quite like the look in your eyes. Suit yourself." Li Tian mocked her, his feet pressing on her head.
Xue Liying was utterly humiliated. Pressed down like a mere slave, and Li Tian enjoyed this sensation.
Naturally, he wanted to train her slightly until she completely becomes obedient to him.
Li Tian could just say, 'From now on, you are my slave. If I give you a command, you will be forced to do it. You will also revere me as your god.'
But that situation already happened to Bai Mei and Li Tian got bored of her quite quickly.
"We are leaving the sect tomorrow, bitch. Make it so that no one is suspicious of you when you will be leaving the sect." Li Tian told her.
Being in the Truthful Sword Sect, Li Tian felt like he couldn't develop properly.
In order to obtain Points, he had to kill creatures. Whether they were Demonic Beasts or humans; he just had to kill.
Li Tian lifted his foot from Xue Liying's pretty face and she looked at him through her cold gaze.
...
At the foot of the mountain, where the Truthful Sword Sect's territory ended, Xue Liying prepared to depart.
In her hand, she clutched a mission scroll she had taken from the sect's assignment board. The mission itself was simple: eliminate a dozen Demonic Beasts that were terrorizing a village in the nearby Qingyun Empire.
A guard, his cultivation at the 9th Layer of Qi Condensation, stood at his post. He spotted the approaching Xue Liying. Her beauty was renowned throughout the outer sect.
"Senior Sister Xue!" He bowed deeply, his voice filled with respect.
As an outer disciple, he knew exactly who she was.
Among the thousand or so disciples in the outer sect, Xue Liying was like a magnificent Ice Phoenix, unique and far above the rest.
Her cultivation was so powerful that she could fight those at the Foundation Establishment realm, and she had even reached the legendary 10th Layer of Qi Condensation!
The truth was, the Qi Condensation realm had twelve layers.
However, the last three were incredibly difficult to achieve, each one harder than the one before. The 10th Layer was rare, and there were a few in the Inner Court who had reached it.
But the 11th and 12th Layers... those were considered mythical, almost impossible to attain.
Xue Liying nodded curtly at the guard. Despite her superior cultivation and status, a knot of nervousness tightened in her stomach.
It was not the guard that made her anxious.
It was the large, heavy basket she carried on her back.
Li Tian had ordered her to leave the sect without a trace, and this was his plan.
Li Tian was hiding inside the basket.
It was a risky plan, one that could get her into a lot of trouble, but she knew that she had no choice.
She had to obey.