Tianyin Sect
Hundred Flowers Lake
Situated at the highest point of the Tianyin Sect, the lake resembles a celestial pool.
Wildflowers bloom in abundance around the lake, and its water is crystal clear and tranquil. Occasionally, spirit beasts surface, creating ripples that break the serenity.
At the lake's center stands an island, adorned with blooming flowers and crowned by a crimson pavilion.
Beneath the pavilion, a woman dressed in red sits, her brows slightly furrowed. Her icy gaze betrays disdain as she brushes her fingertips over the surface in front of her.
Whoosh!
A gentle breeze rustles through the flower fields.
A young woman in white, delicate and beautiful, lands gracefully before the pavilion. Her expression reveals both surprise and reverence as she addresses the woman within:
“Sect Leader, you’ve emerged from seclusion?”
The red-clad woman turns slightly to look at the visitor. Her breathtaking features momentarily captivate the young woman in white, yet the icy glare in her eyes drives her to lower her head in fear.
“Bai Zhi,” the red-clad woman’s voice is calm yet piercing. “Has everyone forgotten about the Tianyin Sect in recent years?”
This is Red Rain Leaf, the Sect Leader of the demonic Tianyin Sect.
Before she assumed leadership, the Tianyin Sect was merely a second-rate sect. Under her rule, however, it rose to prominence as a first-tier sect.
On her very first day as Sect Leader, she launched a campaign of conquest, subduing all surrounding factions in one decisive strike.
The war raged for thirty years, rivers ran red with blood, and the Tianyin Sect emerged stronger with each victory. The resources they acquired grew vast, and the name "Demonic Maiden of Tianyin" echoed across the land.
When the wars ended, Red Rain Leaf turned her focus inward, managing the sect with meticulous care. Within just ten years, she established a balanced system, setting the sect on a steady course and ensuring its self-sufficiency.
Afterward, she entered seclusion for sixty years.
“Please enlighten me, Sect Leader,” Bai Zhi knelt, trembling with fear.
Bai Zhi, one of the four Guardian Elders of the Tianyin Sect, had earned Red Rain Leaf’s trust and served as the acting head of the sect. If the sect’s reputation had indeed waned in recent years, it could only be due to her negligence.
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How could she not be terrified?
Red Rain Leaf stared at Bai Zhi, expressionless and silent.
The only sounds were the rustling wind and Bai Zhi’s unsteady breathing. After a while, Red Rain Leaf finally shifted her gaze.
Her sixty years of seclusion should have been uneventful. Yet, at the critical moment of her breakthrough... she was ambushed.
The attacker wasn’t from another demonic sect; their techniques were those of the righteous sect Azure Heaven Mountain and included despicable and underhanded methods.
Particularly troubling was the woman who carried hidden toxins within her body. Upon death, the toxins would spread indiscriminately, catching her off guard.
With the invasion of the toxins and the subsequent risk of qi deviation, she had no choice but to retreat to the base of the Broken Sentiment Cliff.
Thus came the events of last night.
Such insidious methods should not have belonged to Azure Heaven Mountain.
“Have there been any recent movements among the righteous sects?” Red Rain Leaf’s voice was elegant yet commanding.
“None at all,” Bai Zhi quickly replied. “Azure Heaven Mountain is the closest righteous sect, but they’ve been preoccupied with their Grand Dao Assembly. They wouldn’t have the resources to act against us.
Moreover, Sect Leader, your overwhelming power back then ensured they wouldn’t dare act recklessly.”
“Is that so?” Red Rain Leaf’s lips curled into a meaningful smile.
Seeing Bai Zhi’s hesitation, she continued:
“For now, my return shall remain a secret. You will continue managing the sect. Also, investigate the disciples and root out any spies from other factions.”
“Yes,” Bai Zhi responded hurriedly, not daring to ask further questions.
After a brief silence, Red Rain Leaf suddenly asked, “Bai Zhi, you’re not a spy from another sect, are you?”
Thud!
Bai Zhi prostrated herself on the ground, her voice trembling with fear:
“Sect Leader, how could I possibly dare?”
Red Rain Leaf gazed at her for a long time before nodding. In a softer tone, she said, “You may leave.”
Bai Zhi rose with trembling limbs and turned to depart, only to hear the Sect Leader’s voice again:
“Oh, and organize the sect’s records. Mark down the arrangements of recent years—I want to see what you’ve been up to.”
“Yes,” Bai Zhi replied, retreating from the island.
As Bai Zhi left, Red Rain Leaf raised her hand slightly, pressing her knuckles to her lips as she coughed twice.
Sixty years ago, she had trusted Bai Zhi. Sixty years later, she still trusted her.
Yet the location of her secluded cultivation had been known only to Bai Zhi. The ambush left her with an inescapable suspicion of betrayal.
For now, however, her assessment suggested Bai Zhi was still useful.
Red Rain Leaf closed her eyes slowly, and silence enveloped the surroundings.
Broken Sentiment CliffSpiritual Herb Garden
Jiang Hao arrived at the entrance of the Spiritual Herb Garden, intending to collect some floating orbs of energy to enhance his strength.
The garden lay at the center of the sect, quite a distance from his residence.
Broken Sentiment Cliff resembled a valley, with a small stream flowing out from a corner. Jiang Hao’s dwelling was near that corner—quiet and secluded.
The Spiritual Herb Garden was protected by formations, and its entrance was guarded by two outer disciples at the fifth stage of Qi Refinement—a decent level of cultivation.
Disciples who reached the eighth stage of Qi Refinement before the age of twenty could enter the inner sect. Jiang Hao had done just that.
Only upon reaching the Foundation Establishment stage could one secure their position in the inner sect. Those who failed to do so by the age of forty would face contempt, ostracization, and resource deprivation.
Years ago, Jiang Hao had witnessed such a case.
At the time, he had just entered the inner sect and saw a forty-year-old disciple at the ninth stage of Qi Refinement being mocked and stripped of resources.
Out of a naïve sense of kindness, Jiang Hao secretly gave the man a pill. The recipient had been so shocked that he doubted his own reality.
Jiang Hao never saw that man again. Rumor had it he took an assignment outside the sect and likely perished there.