Chapter 26: The Great Tribulation of Three Fallen Creatures — The Sin of Eating
Chapter 26: The Great Tribulation of Three Fallen Creatures — The Sin of Eating
Backbone?
We fallen creatures are famous precisely for being unyielding — for having backbone!
The three fallen creatures were confident that when it came to backbone, they could hold firm without question.
"As for imprisoning you… hmph!" one of the Saints explained. "Do you really think the Immortal Senior sent you back just to imprison you? The Immortal Realm is fraught with danger at every turn — it's simply no place for ascenders to survive. We cannot leave the vicinity of the Chaos World Tree, or we would perish on the spot. Just look at the seniors around you and you'll understand."
Of course, the fallen creatures weren't about to accept that explanation.
They assumed it was all lies.
Su Ning watched the tiny figures in the Divine-Demon Garden. "These three fallen creatures seem awfully proud. They look like they'll be very hard to tame."
"Immortal Senior need not worry," said Abyss Devil Lord. "No matter how much backbone they have… starve them a few meals and they'll learn their lesson soon enough."
He had some experience in taming beasts.
"You think starving us a few times will make us submit? You're severely underestimating fallen creatures!" the Black Kylin scoffed.
We are undying and indestructible — we have long since achieved the Bigu state. You dare compare us to inferior creatures that need to eat?
It felt insulted.
The fallen creatures had very stubborn mouths.
Watching them remain utterly unmoved, Su Ning rubbed his temples.
To figure out how to tame a pet, Su Ning even went online to search for advice.
Query: How to get a pet tamed quickly.
Reply #1: Beat it!
Reply #2: Starve it!
Reply #3: Starve it AND beat it!
Reply #4: Beat it when it misbehaves, starve it when it doesn't follow commands.
Reply #5: Um… are there any female pets? Can I give them a physical examination?
Reply #6 (exasperated): That guy in reply #5… I've had my eye on you for a while now. I used to think you were a person — turns out you're not even that…
Reply #7: Exactly… that guy in reply #5 is definitely something else. Every time the OP posts a thread, he asks if there are any females… now he's not even leaving animals alone.
Reply #8: Lmao…
Su Ning shrugged.
He ignored the squabbling online.
A bunch of clowns.
Starving it is, then.
Feeding and caring for a creature depended entirely on the creature's attitude. With fallen creatures being this arrogant, continuing to fawn over them and offer them benefits would be no different from being a simp or a Spare tire when pursuing a girl — throwing yourself at someone who doesn't care, with no dignity whatsoever.
Su Ning… had no interest in being a simp.
"Then we'll just let you starve for now," Su Ning said with a nod.
"Hmph… starve away. If I ever submit, I'll believe whatever you say!" the Black Kylin declared.
Su Ning had no desire for a tiny animal to start believing in him.
What would that make him?
Some kind of little cult leader?
After a whole day of commotion, it was time for dinner.
Su Ning couldn't be bothered with the fallen creatures' vows and oaths.
He started cooking.
He'd recently come into a windfall.
His finances were comfortable.
So the house was well-stocked with food — especially high-protein staples like beef, chicken breast, eggs, and shrimp.
He cut three pounds of beef and boiled it, added five eggs, ten shrimp, and a variety of vegetables — lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes.
Several dishes came together nicely.
Lately, as his cultivation had grown, Su Ning's appetite had increased dramatically.
Once it was done, he carried the food into the vegetable garden to eat together with the Nine Great Saints.
He enjoyed sharing meals with the little figures.
Eating alone was genuinely a bit dull.
Seeing Su Ning arrive with food, the Nine Great Saints could barely contain themselves and immediately stepped forward:
"Many thanks for the Immortal Senior's generous gift…"
"Don't stand on ceremony — eat up!" Su Ning waved his hand, telling them not to fuss over formalities. Eating was what mattered.
"Yes."
All ten of them dug in heartily.
Meanwhile, off to the side, the three fallen creatures were so hungry their stomachs were practically touching their spines.
They truly hadn't anticipated that after entering the Immortal Realm, their Bigu ability would vanish entirely.
And there was nothing around to eat.
It was absolute torment.
Watching the food laid out before Su Ning and the Nine Great Saints — the mouthwatering colors, aromas, and flavors…
It was mesmerizing.
Gulp.
The Black Kylin swallowed its saliva.
Its stomach let out a long, rumbling growl.
Its face flushed with embarrassment…
Well, given that it was pitch black to begin with, it was hard to tell whether it was blushing or not.
But it was definitely mortified.
"Ahem, ahem…"
"Fellow Daoists… they are trying to shake our Dao hearts. We must not fall for it…" the Black Kylin dry-coughed.
That was what it said.
But the longing in its eyes… was utterly transparent.
It desperately wanted to leap onto the plate and devour every last scrap.
"That… that's absolutely right…"
"We… are… proud and mighty fallen creatures… how could we be swayed by a mere… trifling…"
Slurp…
The drool at the corner of the Black Dragon's mouth was practically forming a waterfall.
Still playing tough.
"How could we possibly… be swayed by a mere… trifling bit of food…"
"Though, come to think of it… that food looks incredibly nourishing… like a miraculous elixir. Just look — the Nine Great Saints are glowing while they eat…"
Six eyes stared with desperate longing.
If not for their iron will, they would have already lunged forward.
Su Ning caught their behavior out of the corner of his eye and laughed inwardly.
Still talking about willpower? Still talking about Dao hearts?
Look at yourselves — you can't even stop drooling!
"Keep enduring… let's see how long you can hold out," Su Ning thought with a quiet smile.
He found it amusing — so he slowed his eating pace just a little more.
Watch how I tame you.
It was the slowest meal he had ever eaten.
Every bite savored, every flavor relished.
For the three fallen creatures, however… it was a great tribulation — a torment of the highest order.
The Nine Great Saints couldn't eat much.
After just a few bites, they were already full.
It was simply too nourishing.
Any more and they might burst.
In the end, all the food went into Su Ning's stomach.
"Are you all done?" Su Ning asked.
"Yes, Senior, we're done."
"Full?" Su Ning asked.
"Full."
"Good… then I'll clear things away." Su Ning smiled.
He tidied up the dishes and utensils without leaving a single scrap behind.
Out of the corner of his eye, as he turned to leave with the dishes, he caught the three fallen creatures watching with pitiful, yearning eyes — like three little starving kittens.
They looked genuinely pathetic.
"If you want to eat, you can just say so," Su Ning said warmly, smiling at the Black Kylin and the others.
The three fallen creatures snapped back to their senses.
Their faces darkened immediately.
"Hmph, we will absolutely not eat a single thing from you!"
"Even if we starve to death!"
"Exactly!"
In truth, their resolve had already wavered — just a tiny bit.
But… the pride of the strong would not let them admit it.
"Ha ha…" Su Ning chuckled. "Fine… good backbone!"
This time, Su Ning truly didn't look back. He turned and walked away.
Whether intentionally or not, as he passed along the ridge between the fields, he tipped the remaining crumbs and scraps onto the soil to use as fertilizer.
The sight of it made the three fallen creatures' hearts seize up!!!
"What a waste…"
"What an absolute waste…"
They were beside themselves with anguish.
Those crumbs weren't even enough to get stuck in Su Ning's teeth — but for small folk like them, it would absolutely be enough to fill their bellies, and might even… trigger a breakthrough!
The three fallen creatures had figured it out: everything in the Immortal Realm was a treasure.
Otherwise, the Nine Great Saints couldn't possibly have progressed so quickly.
After watching Su Ning eat one meal, the three fallen creatures could sense that the aura of the Nine Great Saints had grown considerably stronger — the pressure they exuded had increased yet again!
Su Ning was in no hurry to tame them.
There was an old saying: a hasty man cannot eat hot tofu.
No matter — take it slow. He had all the time in the world.
After dinner, Su Ning sat cross-legged on the field ridge and began cultivating.
He completed two Circulation Cycles, and by then night had fallen.
Time to sleep.
The next morning… he once again carried fragrant, steaming food into the Divine-Demon Garden.
And the three fallen creatures, having gone hungry through another night, found that their digestive tracts… were staging a full-scale revolt.