Fenrir's Journey : I Shall Devour The Heavens!

With a powerhouse like Fenrir passing down 'judgment' upon them, there wasn't much the Heavenly Moon Sect could do to refute her. Wen Xiulan, under almost any other circumstance, would have never turned over her Cultivation technique to another. However, after witnessing how powerful Fenrir already was, it seemed rather senseless for her to treat it as something sacred. She had already dedicated decades of her life to supporting the Heavenly Moon Sect and, now that she had become the Sect Leader, Wen Xiulan didn't want to see it brought to ruin because of the foolishness of the deceased...Much like she had stated, Fenrir had absolutely no interest in seizing the Heavenly Moon Sect for herself. After getting a copy of Wen Xiulan's 'Sacred Heart of the Divine Phoenix', she moved to the top of the mountain where Geng Chao previously resided and went into her own seclusion. She did, however, promise to help protect the Sect and, should Wen Xiulan have any issues, Fenrir allowed her to bring the problem to her attention. In truth, her impression of Wen Xiulan wasn't that bad and, much like the women that surrounded her Master, Fenrir could tell she was a good person who cared for others...Contrary to what Fenrir's expectations may have led her to believe, Wen Xiulan had immediately taken decisive action in order to preserve order within the Heavenly Moon Sect. With some of their more opportunistic disciples choosing to flee after Geng Chao's death, she passed the order to detain them on sight should they reemerge. At the same time, excommunication orders for each member were issued within the circles of other Sects and, if it was found they were harboring former Heavenly Moon Sect members, Wen Xiulan promised divine retribution would descend upon them.Wen Xiulan was trying to manipulate information to make it appear as though their standing hadn't simply been reduced, but they had instead come under the protection of a more powerful force. It was impossible to prevent word of Geng Chao's and Tian Gengxin's death from spreading, meaning there would certainly be more than a few Sects who would seek trouble with them in the future. By putting on a strong front and taking decisive action, Wen Xiulan wanted to cause these forces to hesitate by making them believe the Sect wasn't weakened but had instead become much stronger.To emphasize this even further, one of Wen Xiulan's first decisions as Sect Leader was to change the Sect's name to the 'Devouring Moon Sect', with their emblem becoming a wolf's head with a crescent behind it. They had needed to update their Sect tokens so that the various runaways wouldn't be able to claim they were still members, causing their reputation to take a hit if they decided to exploit their former status. To prevent this possibility, Wen Xiulan sent out several messengers and servants to pass her decree to the smaller Sects while giving limited information about what exactly had happened...In Wen Xiulan's words, the former Grand Elder and the Sect Master had conspired against the student of a powerful Senior named Vahn Mason. As a result, the student had slaughtered both of them but, being a righteous practitioner, she and her Master had become Guest Elders and Protectors of the Devouring Moon Sect. Though Wen Xiulan felt a little cheap, using the name of Fenrir's dead Master to try and scare people, the fear of an unknown Senior who could raise a student capable of easily defeating a Golden Core Cultivator would cause them to exercise extreme caution...(Fenrir's Commentary: '??? Someone is saying good things about Master...???')

Unaware of the happenings of the outside world, Fenrir spent most of her time cooped up within the stone cavern where Geng Chao had resided. Previously, it had been a relatively spartan abode with very few furnishings since it was common for the surroundings to be affected while cultivating. Now, however, the cavern had become suffused with a dense Yin Elemental energy while every surface was covered in bluish-white ice. At the very center, hovering within the air in a seated lotus position, Fenrir could be seen with closed eyes, dense strands of devouring energy rising off her body like steam.Strangely, even when she completely shrouded herself with devouring energy, Fenrir noticed that the clothing she had produced with magic wasn't affected. If she ended up becoming naked while using the shroud, Fenrir would 'have' to kill everyone that saw her body. Now, while trying to comprehend the Sacred Heart of the Divine Phoenix, Fenrir was also trying to get an understanding of how to use this terrifying energy to her advantage.Fenrir knew it was possible for her to completely forgo cultivation, increasing her power without any upper limit, but this would put a heavy strain on her mentality. If her soul could not develop at the same rate as her strength, her mind would be affected until she became a crazed beast that knew nothing outside of devouring 'literally' everything. This wasn't the route Fenrir wanted to walk, even though it would be much easier since she wouldn't have to 'think' and feel lonely anymore...In order to make her Master proud, Fenrir was determined to increase the strength of her soul through cultivation, relying on her devouring energy only when the situation called for it. She was already very strong and, by mastering the Sacred Heart of the Divine Phoenix, which gave the user mastery over Ice and Yin Elemental energy, Fenrir knew she would become much stronger. However, recorded int he cultivation manual, there were also various warnings about mastering such a skill, even though the potential boons were immense...The Sacred Heart of the Divine Phoenix could only be cultivated by those with powerful Yin-type constitutions. As a result of this energy, the body and soul would become refined, even allowing a person to create a 'Phoenix Soul' within their Dantian, the place where Qi was supposed to be stored. Though Fenrir didn't have a Dantian, the vortex in her stomach served a similar purpose and, if she adapted the Sacred Heart of the Divine Phoenix properly, it shouldn't be impossible to develop her own Phoenix Soul. This would allow her to have both a physical and spiritual form which would allow her body to reform if it was destroyed...This wasn't without any downsides, however, even though the downsides could also be considered a boon under specific circumstances. Those that cultivated Yin, Ice, and Water Elementals Laws, having their bodies refined under these 'female' energies, would become inordinately beautiful as a result. It wasn't just on the surface either, as even their bones would come to possess a jade-like quality with a pseudo-transparent appearance like pristine ice crystals. Their skin would become fair like snow while even the hair on their bodies would become glossy, gaining a silky quality that would put the actual fabric to shame...As a result of these physical changes, those that cultivated techniques like the Sacred Heart of the Divine Phoenix would obviously draw a lot of attention to themselves. If they did not posses the strength to protect themselves, or lacked an environment that allowed them to grow without interference, the outcome of such individuals was usually terrible. This was because every male cultivator, especially those specializing in Yang Elemental techniques, would seek out females with such a constitution to receive the benefits from dual-cultivating with them. In the worst case scenario, instead of using methods like dual-cultivation, the females would be treated as a 'furnace', having their own strength sacrificed for the growth of those that used Yang Elemental cultivation techniques...Upon learning this information, Fenrir came to understand why so many of the girly men had been eying her with possessive and disgusting eyes. They wanted to use her as a furnace to increase their own strength, playing with her body as they pleased until she was no longer useful. This revelation caused Fenrir's heart and mind to become even colder as the resolve to kill anyone that harbored such intentions towards her was firmly rooted in both. Now, when she rose to prominence and became strong enough to force change in the world, Fenrir had an idea about the first thing that she would change. She knew it wasn't 'necessary' for such malicious and evil techniques to be used in order to increase a person's strength so she would completely destroy any Sect that made use of such techniques until even the memory of such techniques fades from history...(Fenrir's Commentary: 'Disgusting...!')

Upon devouring Geng Chao's Golden Core, Fenrir felt a rush of energy enter into her body that made her own power increase by nearly twenty percent. Since eating thousands of monster cores would have had a similar effect, this showed that Geng Chao had been significantly powerful. Now, however, all that remained was the upper body of an old man who was trying to use the remnant Qi within his body to try and avoid bleeding out. This didn't last long though as, upon realizing his Golden Core was completely destroyed, Geng Chao coughed up a mouthful of blood before the light completely faded from his eyes...With the death of their Supreme Elder, many of the Disciples of the Heavenly Moon Sect fell to their knees in disbelief while some, generally those who only joined the Sect for personal benefits, immediately ran away. Though the majority remained behind, this was only because their Palace Leader, Wen Xiulan, was still present. During the entire battle, she had watched from the side with a solemn expression on her face, never once stepping in to assist the Geng Chao during the battle. Many of them had seen her talking with the terrifying blue-haired girl previously and harbored some small hope that they would not be slaughtered indiscriminately.Since she had already killed the annoying man who had looked down on her so much, Fenrir's bloodlust had settled down quite a bit. The amount of energy contained in his Golden Core had almost completely rid her of the hunger she had felt and, like a person who just wanted to relax after a large meal, Fenrir slowly restrained her Devouring Energy until it was only a thin layer around her. She couldn't completely restrain it just yet and, with how it allowed her to absorb the energy in the air very quickly, Fenrir had no need to.Once she had finished reigning in her shroud, Fenrir turned to Wen Xiulan and said, "One thing I learned from watching my Master is that, if the system of power is broken, there is no need to keep it from falling apart. It is better to establish a new system that can better the lives of people instead of trying to keep a status quo that only benefits a few...the Cultivators of this world are arrogant and haughty, looking down on people as if they are beneath them. True power is something wielded to protect others, not keep them down because you are afraid they may one day overtake you...the only reason people even think that way is because the system itself is broken from the start..."Fenrir believed that it was the policies and practices of those at the peak of power that determined how those at the lower rungs of society would act. If those in power were greedy and cruel, using people for their own benefit without any remorse, then why would those beneath them act differently. Nobody wanted to be the one exploited so, in order to make sure they could grow fast enough to avoid that outcome, people would instead exploit others for their own growth. Fenrir had watched her Master help 'normal' people become very powerful in just a few short years. Though there were certainly advantages to be had, based on lineage and race, her Master had taught her that people were fundamentally without limits...so long as they had a genuine desire to grow stronger, and were able to manifest that with their intent, nothing was impossible...If the circumstances were different, Fenrir would have tried to fix things with the Heavenly Moon Sect as her foundation in this world. However, things were already too broken and, with the Heavenly Moon Sect lacking the power to even protect itself, Fenrir knew it would be better for 'everyone' if she started someplace else. Even so, she looked into Wen Xiulan's eyes and said, "In exchange for your Cultivation Technique, I will protect this place as a guardian until I have been able to master its use. You will be the new Sect Leader and I will have you remove the cancer that has rooted itself in this place...if Cultivators are going to act dignified, they should at least have dignity themselves..."Though she didn't regret defeating Geng Chao, Fenrir still recalled the words Wen Xiulan had spoken before the old man interrupted them. If she left things as they were, the few good people that were within the Heavenly Moon Sect would become victims to other Sects that wanted to seize their resources. Fenrir didn't think it was fair to the 'innocent' that their lives had been ruined because of the decisions of a few people. Though she wouldn't do something troubling like becoming their new leader, Fenrir would still protect this place, at least until she could get a better understanding of the world and master a Cultivation Technique...(Fenrir's Commentary: 'Even if it is ultimately unneeded, I still want to learn how Cultivation works...')

Chapter 67: Devouring Moon