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Ashes Of Heaven Book 1 : Solar Calamity
Chapter 306: Disbanded Faction, Disheartened Damsel, And A Disgustingly Good Scheme

Chapter 306: Disbanded Faction, Disheartened Damsel, And A Disgustingly Good Scheme

On the outer ring island of Stardust Sect, a violent contest was storming through the barrack yards. Several injured disciples of the sect were engaged in fierce combat against foreign invaders. Several more were lying unconscious under heaps of recently destroyed cabins, bleeding profusely even as they received emergency medical care from their fellow disciples.

Shen Mi, the reluctant leader of the defending combatants, witnessed the last of her comrades fall under the domineering swordsmanship of their opposition. From the beginning, she had been able to see that their chances of any slim victory were low. Be it the difference in cultivation level or the gap in combat related skill, the defending disciples of Stardust Sect were far behind these invaders.

So she had never held the hope that the Phoenix faction's remaining members would be able to thwart the danger. Their last hope was actually not even present here. Her gaze repeatedly flickered beyond the barracks, towards the central ring island where Han Xuhan and Ning Xueshi had run off to. The embers of hope in her heart were there, though she couldn’t feel their warmth.

“Anyone else?” came an arrogant voice from ahead. Shen Mi looked away from the distant central tower and saw the speaker, a tall, strikingly handsome swordsman wearing a veiled hat and pitch-black, lightweight armor, approaching her confidently. Behind him, his bloodied opponent tried to stand up one last time, only to fall flat on his face, rousing the attention of the healers nearby.

Above the swordsman's head, blurs of pink light flashed like a ghost lantern. Sometimes it seemed to create broken images; sometimes it arranged itself into incomplete letters that hinted at words like Instinct, Attraction, and Beauty.

Knowing the implications, Shen Mi did her best not to become trapped under his soulshrine's aura. She kept her mind locked onto the young man's bloody sword, putting all her focus into coming up with a strategy for direct combat, step by step, enclosing her mind under the endeavour.

“You're the leader of the defense team, I've been told,” the swordsman said as he came to a stop several feet away, just close enough to let Shen Mi understand that she was within the reach of his blade.

“Why are you sitting here like a coward? Get up and take out your weapon. Don't embarrass your sect, fellow cultivator.”

Several groups of her fellow disciples from the crowd surrounding them laughed quietly. The invasion team members probably understood that Stardust Sect's disciple body was terribly divided at the moment. But they still seemed rather surprised at the lack of empathy.

Shen Mi could see the silent gesture of kindness in the leading swordsman's actions. Although he sounded arrogant, he was trying to give her a way out, an honorable defeat to help her hold her head high when they left as victors.

“She's injur-”

Someone from the crowd tried to defend her, only to be silenced by his peers. It truly puzzled Shen Mi. These disciples might have accumulated some dislike towards the Phoenix faction over the last eleven months since their recruitment. But she was holding the position of the faction leader for only a few months. And she hadn't snubbed anybody or let anyone suffer injustice with her decisions in this brief period. So why did so much hatred get directed towards her? Just because she represented her faction?

Shen Mi's way of life had always been positive. She preferred not to see the darkness in the hearts of people. This wasn't the first instance that she fell victim to malice because of her stubborn outlook. But today, the last crack in that outlook had appeared, shattering a part of her heart.

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The realization was like a cold nail sinking inside her flesh. This attitude of hers would not let her thrive in the world of cultivation. It might even lead to worse outcomes than the current plight.

The swordsman swung the obsidian handle of his sword in his grip and nudged Shen Mi with the tip, leaning forward rather defenselessly. “Pick up your weapon. Since you're injured, I will strike only for a symbolic victory. My sword does not tolerate an ugly contest.”

The flash of pink ink over his hair almost bore a hole into Shen Mi's focused mind. A strangely alluring silhouette appeared in her head, scattering her fast running thoughts. Gritting her teeth, Shen Mi looked down and shook her head violently, hoping to drive the mental image away.

“Impressive,” she heard him whisper. “Nowhere close to the first layer of Soul Reformation realm, yet your soul already shows the aura of a nascent soulshrine. Resisting the beauty of my sword is not easy for those below my realm. It is regrettable that you're not ready for a contest.”

“Brother Shan, this is no occasion to flirt around!” One of his team members yelled from the back impatiently. “The other sect is very proficient in discovering the keyshards. We can't let them hog everything!”

The young swordsman sighed and pulled his sword above their heads, holding the blade's tip towards the sky and wrapping both palms around the hilt in a textbook-accurate posture. The uniformity and fluidity in his movements left part of Shen Mi's mind mesmerized once again, much to her dismay.

“I do hope you will cherish this strike of mine for vengeance. I look forward to the day you're ready for a rematch.”

Shen Mi closed her eyes and prepared to see blood. A whistling noise cut through the muted background, and a sharp jolt of pain assaulted her ribs. Hearing the gasp of the crowd, she gingerly opened her eyes and saw the young man sheathe his sword as he walked away silently.

A massive gash had opened up on her upper chest, cutting deep into the tough bones. Had her senses not already been dulled from various medicines, she'd surely be rolling around screaming in pain. That would not look pretty, Shen Mi thought for a brief second, and immediately realized how deep his soulshrine had cut into her mind.

Perhaps this ghastly physical injury was not even his real strike. This would heal, and not even a scar would remain once she crossed the Physique Transformation realm. The effects of the swordsman's spiritual strike, on the other hand, would not disappear until she reached his level!

As the healer disciples gathered around her to administer medicine and healing techniques, Shen Mi stared at the sky blankly and listened to the joyful conversations from the crowd around them.

“With this utterly humiliating failure, we can drive the final nail into the coffin of Phoenix faction's power. It is evident that they do not possess the ability to retain their image even as a minor faction. Disbanding it officially is only a matter of time now.”

“That's right, that's right. Even the traditionalist Elders who voted against the idea can't stay persistent on their illogical decision now.”

“We should prepare for the next election! My Dragon Faction has been suppressed for too long, hahaha!”

“I wonder which faction will recruit Shen Mi and Ning Xueshi. They are the last decent cultivators of the Phoenix faction. Although they'll never truly be loyal to other factions, their future potential cannot be ignored...”

Shen Mi's injury became lighter under the healing techniques, but the light in her eyes dimmed as she realized that this was probably her last moment as a member of her faction.

“Xueshi, you idiot... Why didn't you listen to me...? What was the point of your sacrifice?” She muttered under her breath, waves of regret washing over her clouded heart.

At that moment, suddenly the sky in her eyes turned dark.

A hush fell across the island as all disciples, invaders, defenders, and audience alike looked upwards in tandem and felt their hearts contract violently!

Innumerable black chains were shrouding the sky like the tails of a seastorm, all seemingly summoned from the center of Stardust Sect's three-layered islands. Each of these chains seemed to have a unique color and element of attraction, giving off the same sensation Shen Mi had just felt while facing the swordsman's soulshrine, only a hundred times more intense!

“A dao domain?!” someone among the crowd yelled in fright.

“What's going on? Did any of the Elders lose their minds? Who are they attacking?!”

Everyone had the same question in their mind, and it was answered when a slightly unfamiliar voice echoed past them faintly.

“Disciples of Stardust Sect, hear and bear witness to Li Mingyu's mandate! With the goal of becoming the victors of this tournament, it is expedient to reshuffle the power structure and authority of the disciple body. Hence, from today forth, the Phoenix faction shall be stripped of its seal of authority!”

The sect master himself has appeared! And he had made his position clear! He was against the Phoenix faction as well!

Shen Mi felt her heart grow entirely numb as the uproar around her transformed into deafening cheers.

“In furtherance of this goal, the Phoenix faction shall be disbanded as it clearly cannot keep up with the responsibilities needed to be taken on as a major faction!”

The cheers rose higher, sending vibrations running through the floating island. Shen Mi covered her face to hide the tears stinging her eyes.

“To reduce the internal conflicts over the next election for the seal of authority, the Dragon, the Tiger, and the Turtle Faction are also hereby disbanded!”

...Wait, what?

Shen Mi choked on her own spit.

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