Divine Convenience Store

Kang's chest heaved, his scorpion-tail whip trembling in his grip as the High Priest's words hung in the air. The Meadow's toxic haze swirled around him, but it felt suffocating now, as if the very land rejected his defiance. His Priests faltered behind him, their venomous assaults waning under the relentless pressure of the cultists' store-bought arsenal. Gao, still coiled and defiant, hissed through clenched teeth, his serpent construct reduced to smoldering ash. The Toad, Centipede, and Leech Venom Masters exchanged uneasy glances, their forces battered and their confidence crumbling.

"You dare speak of burial, old man?" Kang spat, his voice hoarse from the lingering sting of the infernal pepper dust. "The Conclave exists to keep your power in check. To prevent you from letting your personal decisions reign over our cult! Yet, you've sold our soul for trinkets! Trinkets that you used to kill our own people!"

Yet even as he spoke, his eyes darted to the cultists' glowing talismans and the unshaken resolve in their ranks.

The High Priest's grin didn't waver. "What? Have I denied your authority as Venom Masters? I am merely acting upon the guidance of the Great Poison Demon. You fools cannot accept the change in our direction and are pretending to be deaf. You're the reason your Priests and Acolytes are dying today.

Upon saying that, the old man's eyes landed on the other three Venom Masters hiding behind their ranks.

The Centipede Venom Master whose facial skin got ripped open by the infernal ghost pepper dust. The Toad Venom Master who had difficulty in moving as his skin oozed a viscous slime that burned the ground beneath him after getting hit by the brunt of one [Windstrike Talisman]. The Leech Venom Master whose blood-sucking mists had been scattered to nothingness, leaving her pale and trembling as her vitality waned.

Their forces were already in disarray, some had started running away only to be picked off by the Hunting Wasps and the Doom Spiders surrounding the Melting Meadow. In a short span of time, their traditional toxins had been proven no match against the store's unconventional power.

They had seen it all. Even mere Poison-bearers could kill Acolytes, existences that usually command them.

"Look around, Venom Masters. Your spores, your crawlers, your mists. They've all failed. The Divine Convenience Store's gifts have rewritten the battlefield and it is just a preview of what is to come if you embrace its convenience. You can cling to your pride and die here, or you can kneel and face the future. The Great Poison Demon has spoken through me. Will you defy him?"

Kang's whip twitched as his prosthetic arm and leg started hurting due to rage consuming him. However, the weight of the moment pressed down on him, keeping him stuck where he stood.

Gao's serpentine eyes flickered with doubt, his daggers lowering slightly as he glanced at the carnage around them.

The other Venom Masters remained silent, their resolve crumbling under the High Priest's unyielding gaze and the relentless advance of his forces.

Kang and Gao had known that the High Priest would never change his approach unless the Great Poison Demon ordered. They rallied the other Venom Masters ignorant of the store's power to finally replace the old man. They're confident that even if it was as powerful as the Xun claimed, they could just set up the battlefield that would favor them.

Alas, they had underestimated the 'convenience' that the High Priest started championing.

Above, the Hunting Wasps buzzed louder, their presence a subtle reminder of Xun and Huangfeng's neutrality. Or their opportunism.

Kang's gaze flicked upward, his jaw tightening as he realized the trap had closed around them. Retreat was no longer an option.

Eventually, the Toad Venom Master was the first to break. His massive frame slumped, the slime pooling around him hissing as it ate into the ground.

"Enough," He croaked, his voice barely audible. "I… I yield. My eyes must have been deceived to even believe in their cause. The Great Poison Demon's mouthpiece is the High Priest. Please forgive this Qingwa's transgression."

The Centipede Venom Master followed, his torn face twisting in pain as he dropped to one knee. "Indeed. We have been fooled by Gao and Kang. I submit. No more blood needs to spill today. We've already lost a lot."

The Leech Venom Master hesitated, her gaunt features pinched with fear, but she, too, knelt, her head bowing low. "For the Great Poison Demon… I surrender. But High Priest, the three of us have been deceived… You have to deal with the masterminds."

The three Venom Masters surrendered, but they all shifted the blame to Kang and Gao.

Naturally, anyone with a working brain could easily infer what exactly happened. These Venom Masters had been nursing their ambition for too long. They, too, believed that they could win. But now that they were faced with reality, they immediately washed their hands, acting like they were fools who could be deceived by the other two Venom Masters.

Gao's hiss was sharp, his body coiling tighter as he glared at his peers. "Cowards! You'd forsake our ways for this… this merchant's sorcery? And don't you dare put all the blame on us. You fucking traitors! I should've started with your heads!"

Amidst Gao's rageful hissing, Kang stood alone, staring up at the High Priest. Most of the members of his branch were dead. And those who remained were already wavering behind him.

The cultists pressed closer, the effects of the pills and talismans glowing faintly, ready to end the fight.

The High Priest raised a bony hand, halting their advance, his gaze locked on Kang. "Last chance, Scorpion, Serpent. Kneel or I'll make an example of you."

Ideally, the High Priest would've had their heads. Even those three who surrendered. But if he did, he would be playing towards what Xun was hoping to happen.

If a Venom Master died, the Conclave itself would appoint the new heads of their branch. With her Arachnid Branch and Huangfeng's Wasp Branch almost unscathed in this conflict, putting their own people as new Venom Masters would be easily done.

That's why letting the five rebellious Venom Masters retain their positions would keep the Conclave divided.

Still, he had to set an example. To keep the fires of fear burning in their hearts and minds.

The Meadow fell silent, save for the faint buzz of the Hunting Wasps and the distant growls of the Abyssal Hounds.

Kang's whip fell limp, his shoulders sagging as the fight drained out of him. With a bitter snarl, he drove the whip's tip into the ground and dropped to one knee. "I… yield. But mark my words, old man. This store will be our ruin."

Gao, seeing no path forward, followed suit, his daggers clattering to the ground as he knelt. "For now, I submit. But I'll watch you closely, High Priest."

The High Priest's grin widened as he floated down from above, his staff tapping the ground. "Wise choice. Convenience is no ruin. It's salvation. And today… sacrifices aren't enough. We need to set an example."

Upon saying that, her Nascent Soul Stage's pressure spread across the entire meadow before his spiritual energy pulsed from the tip of his staff, activating a summoning spell that snaked towards the kneeling Venom Masters.

A large scorpion, snake, frog, centipede and leech emerged from behind them.

The large scorpion cut the remaining organic limbs of Kang.

The serpent sank its fangs into Gao's shoulder. Its venom coursed through his veins, leaving him writhing in agony.

The frog's tongue lashed out, wrapping around the Toad Venom Master's limbs and pinning him in a humiliating bind as corrosive slime burned his skin and fatty residue, leaving him skinny and almost skeletal.

The centipede coiled around its namesake, its countless legs piercing shallowly into his flesh, drawing thin streams of blood, leaving him full of holes.

The leech latched onto the Leech Venom Master's neck, sapping her strength until she slumped forward, barely conscious, her skin turning from healthy to extremely pale.

Screams and gasps rippled through the Meadow as the cultists and recruits watched, their fervor tempered by the brutal display.

The High Priest's constructs weren't meant to kill. They're only there to maim and mark. Each Venom Master bore the shame of their rebellion, their bodies scarred as a permanent reminder of their failure.

After that, the High Priest's voice cut through the haze, "Let this be etched into your souls. Defy the Great Poison Demon's will, and you'll beg for death before I grant it. You live to serve, to spread the store's convenience. Fail again and no talisman will save you."

—

Inside the main temple, Venom Master Xun, who was still stirring her cauldron, stopped as she sensed the presence of her Priest arriving.

"Result?" She muttered as she reached for her Viewing Jade.

"The High Priest spared all of them but marked them for their defiance," The Priest reported, his voice tinged with awe and unease. "Venom Masters Kang and Gao are crippled, the others humiliated. The Conclave's rebellion is broken."

Xun's lips curled into a faint smile and then sneered, "Spared yet scarred. Clever yet disappointing. The High Priest didn't play according to my wishes. Prepare the temple for his arrival. Ensure the Arachnid Branch shows proper deference. On the surface, at least."

Dismissing the Priest, Xun's fingers began dancing over the surface of the artifact as she posted a new thread.