Despite his sinister aura, the sight of him could easily make an observer lose their mind, like a siren's hypnotic voice at sea. Bai Qingyue's looks were lethal enough to destroy a person and possess them entirely.

Luckily, the observer this time was none other than his father, and as such was immune to the charm that he also owned.

Bai Zhang itched to scold his son, yet he kept calm. He clasped his hands behind his back, and kept his tone casual as he spoke.

"Oh? Did your change of plan include stripping all my disciples of their robes in the marketplace? Or was it to shave all their heads?"

Bai Qingyue sneered in the arrogant manner only befitting a noble lord.

"I let them off easy in consideration for you, 'Father'. Otherwise, I would have already ended their miserable little lives," he said, still sneering. His words were chillingly cold, the temperature dropping along with his mood.

Bai Zhang took note of the layer of ice that had covered his home, cringing a little at the potential frost damage to his carefully crafted walls may soon be suffering from.

"Regardless of what they said," he retorted, managing to keep his tone calm and collected, "you cannot do as you please. I have worked hard to maintain this sect, and it has its own rules and regulations."

Bai Qingyue's graceful composure momentarily slipped as he scowled, slamming a fist down onto the armrest. He rose to his feet in an explosive movement as the expensive lacquered chair crumbled to dust.

"What rules? What regulations? Did you or your precious sect possess any rules or regulations when you tortured my wife?! That slight is more than enough reason for me to burn this entire world to a crisp!" Bai Qingyue bristled, and the pagoda shook with his anger. The floor cracked beneath him and the ever frosty air delved even deeper still.

Bai Zhang pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He despaired of what might become of his precious home by the end of the night – his son's ire had already destroyed a chair he had rather liked. Let us not even mention the current condition of the floor.

Bai Zhang had been raised learning about human moral conduct and the adequate degree of benevolence a god possessing destructive powers could utilize. And yet he was known to be terrible and cruel, uncaring of anything or anyone despite what he had been taught.

To this terrible and cruel god, it appeared as though his offspring had proven to be ten times worse.

To casually threaten the destruction of an entire world, with the trillions of life forms existing in it, was too much for Bai Zhang to even consider.

The union of Bai Qingyue and Li Meirong made much more sense to Bai Zhang now. It was no wonder that his daughter-in-law had the temperament she did, he thought to himself. Yin and Yang worked that way – one side balanced the other in order to create harmony.

Bai Qingyue dearly needed balance; of that, there was no doubt!

"Do not threaten your father, now. I have promised to assist you, and I shall, but I need this realm kept safe. I am… waiting for someone, and so I cannot leave this world," he told his son. "As for the misunderstanding with your wife, I regret my actions. I will begin to repair the damage done tomorrow, when I claim her as a personal disciple and you receive the post of martial arts instructor." Bai Zhang frowned a little, and then hastily added: "Just, please, keep your power at bay. If there are any issues, let your father handle them."

His persuasive argument appeared to have worked, on the surface at least. Bai Qingyue's bloodthirst receded, and he approached the balcony's edge to gaze quietly at the same white petals Bai Zhang had watched before.

Bai Qingyue did not accept his father's request, yet he did not reject it outright.

"I will need you to cooperate with me," he said. "Assuming everything goes well, I shall keep this realm intact."'For now,' he added silently. To Bai Qingyue, this world was a tiny anthill, which could be squashed at any given moment. If he could use it as leverage to get his way, he would not mind doing so.

Bai Zhang may be the father, but Bai Qingyue was the Sovereign Lord. This meant the decision to destroy worlds was in the latter's hands. A god, acting out of turn, could be punished by the Heavens, but it was within a Sovereign Lord's rights to exact punishment. The scope of such could, at times, include the extermination of entire planets.

While Bai Zhang had managed to coax his enraged son to be lenient, Bai Qingyue still had the authority to do as he pleased due to his status as a ruling god. Unfortunately, Bai Qingyue was not jesting. He could truly destroy this world in an instant, should he so desire.

In truth, Bai Zhang was bitter at having handed over half his power so easily to his volatile son. He fully expected to be exhorted again with the boy's new scheme.

"What is your new plan?" he asked dejectedly. Better to know now than to wait in dread.

Bai Qingyue's bright eyes caught the moonlight. Loose silver strands framed his ethereal facial features as he turned to his father, keeping his voice low as he explained his demands in great detail.

In pure disbelief, Bai Zhang stared blankly at his son. He almost facepalmed himself in frustration. There was truly no other reaction to his son's bizarre request.

Bai Zhang looked up to the skies, taking note of the luminous moon and its shape, which seemed, oddly enough, as though it were mocking him.

How in all the worlds could he go about helping his shameless son give the impression of a sincere, honest, humble and poor man?!