Meanwhile,
In the shadow of a jagged, obsidian peak that pierced the clouds like a black spear, the air was perpetually thick with the coppery tang of blood and the faint, sickly sweet scent of rotting lotuses.
This was the territory of the Heaven-Slaughtering Demonic Sect, a place where the weak were fodder and the strong feasted on the souls and blood of the weak. All hail Mother Nature.
Within a cavernous hall carved from the living rock, illuminated by the eerie green glow of ghost fire, a group of figures sat to discuss about Wang Family and the Dragon Court.
At the left seated, Bloodfiend Group—Xue Feng, Elder Gu.
At the right seated, Bloodmist Sect—Sect Master Venerable Bloodcrown, Elder Xue, and Elder Nan.
Meanwhile, at the head sat the Great Elder of Heaven-Slaughtering Demonic Sect—peerless beauty, crimson eyes, jade-like skin, cherry blossom-like lips. She wore a robe that seemed to be woven from shadows and blood, clinging to her curves like a second skin—Luo Shengxiu.
Right behind her stood, Liu Xiu, with a tattered robe and somewhat decent appearance, just the type that would get mocked wherever he went. However, he is the new Holy Son of the Demonic Sect, already reaching the absolute peak of the Golden Core realm, just a step away from the Soul Formation stage.
However, he still possesses "baby" eyes and "baby" face completely unsuitable for a demonic cultivator. It gave him the appearance of a fragile doll rather than a monster who could drain a lake of blood with a single thought.
"Speak," Luo Shengxiu commanded, her voice like the rustling of silk over gravestones. She didn't look at him; her crimson eyes were fixed on the flickering green flame in a bronze brazier before her.
Liu Xiu stepped forward, clasping his hands together in a gesture of respect that looked comical on his small frame.
"Honorable Elder... This old man wanted to take a mid-grade earth vein but the Wang Family has claimed it and they are now backed by some mysterious power called the Dragon Court. We can't fathom how deep the sea is but its resources are heaven-defying. The auction will begin on the upcoming lunar New Year, and here are Spirit Awakening Fruit, Spirit Upgrading Fruit, and many more treasures," Elder Xue said while keeping his head low, not daring to look at the beauty.
Luo Shengxiu's crimson eyes narrowed slightly, the green flame dancing in their depths reflecting a cold, calculated malice, like a cinematic scene while also showing the purity of her pupils, absolutely flawless. She tapped a long, fingernail painted the color of dried blood against the armrest of her dark jade throne. The sound was sharp, like a bone snapping.
"The Dragon Court... Someone dared use the name dragon, how interesting..." she repeated, her voice smooth yet laced with a venomous curiosity.
"Nevertheless, it's a name that reeks of ancient arrogance. To think a mere clan of Golden Core realm in the Azure Cloud region would dare to hoard an earth vein under the banner of such a power... It is either a death wish or a bluff of the highest order."
She leaned forward, the shadows clinging to her robe shifting like living serpents. However, since the Wang Family has auctioned off Spirit Awakening Fruit and Spirit Upgrading Fruit then the matter is utmost serious.
Just what kind of powerhouse is the Dragon Court?
"So, have you tried to test how deep the water is!? Don't tell me you didn't even have the courage to throw a stone?!" Her tone was cold, the aura of the Soul Emperor realm pressing down on the room, causing the ghost fires in the braziers to dim and flicker violently.
The air grew heavy, suffocating. Elder Xue and Elder Nan fell to their knees, their faces pale, sweat beading on their foreheads like cold dew. The pressure of a Soul Emperor was not something a mere Soul Formation, Soul Wandering, or even a Nascent Soul cultivator could withstand easily. Bloodcrown Venerable was sweating profusely.
"This subordinate dare... However, both the Li Family, a local family of the Golden Core realm, and the Zhao Family, a neighboring noble family dare not make a move against the Wang Family. This old man also tried to send a few women as maids to infiltra—"
"Useless," Luo Shengxiu interrupted, her voice soft yet carrying the weight of a judgment that could crush mountains.
"You rely on spies and schemes when you possess the strength to crush ants beneath your heel? The Demonic Path does not beg for information; it extracts it through pain and fear."
She stood up slowly, the movement fluid and predatory, like a leopard stretching before a hunt. Her robe, woven from shadows and blood, clung to her voluptuous figure, the dark fabric contrasting sharply with her pale, jade-like skin. She walked down the steps of the dais, her heels clicking on the cold stone, each sound echoing in the deathly silent hall.
"The Wang Family... and this so-called Dragon Court," she mused, stopping in front of the trembling elders. She reached out, her long, sharp fingernail grazing the chin of Elder Xue, drawing a thin line of blood. "If they possess treasures that can defy the heavens, then they are merely hoarding wealth that belongs to the strong. It is our duty... nay, our nature... to liberate it."
She turned her back to them, facing the vast, dark entrance of the hall where the wind howled like a mourning spirit.
Just then,
"Master... This disciple believes Elder Xue is reasonable, the demonic sect has just begun to stabilize after the Holy Succession, and I have killed 3 talented disciples including crippling one, taking a wrong step would be a disaster," Liu Xiu said, his voice soft and melodic, carrying a strange, childish lilt that belied the horrific words he had just spoken.
He stood there, his hands clasped behind his back, looking more like a delicate porcelain doll than the Holy Son of the Heaven-Slaughtering Demonic Sect. His features were soft, unblemished, and eerily perfect, with large, innocent eyes that seemed to hold the purity of a newborn lamb.
Yet, the air around him was stagnant, heavy with the scent of dried blood and decay that clung to his tattered robes. It was a dissonance that made the skin of the elders crawl—the face of an angel, the soul of a demon.
Luo Shengxiu paused, her crimson eyes narrowing as she glanced over her shoulder at the boy. A flicker of amusement crossed her lips, twisting her beautiful face into a mask of cruel mockery.
"Stabilize?" She laughed, a sound like crystal shattering. "Xiu'er, you worry too much about the ants scurrying below our feet. Stability is for the old and the dying. The young... the strong... they grow through chaos."
She turned fully, walking back toward him, her hips swaying with a hypnotic rhythm. She stopped inches from him, leaning down until her face was level with his. Her scent—heady, intoxicating, and dangerous—washed over him.
Sigh!
Liu Xiu sighed. These demonic cultivators were hot-headed, letting go of their intellect and morality, however, he was clear-headed. Someone who could hand over, Spirit Awakening Fruits to awaken a spirit root of mortals, and Spirit Upgrading Fruits that could enhance the quality of one's spirit root... This organization is easy.
"It seems the Wang Family lacks wealth that's why they are trying to auction the Spirit Awakening Fruit and Spirit Upgrade Fruit..." before he could say anything more, Elder Xue spoke again.
"Forgive me Holy Son... But the Wang Family doesn't lack wealth and they have more Spirit Awakening Fruit and maybe even Spirit Upgrade Fruit. They are hiring only mortal servants with 5 mid-grade spirit stones," added Elder Xue.
Venerable Bloodcrown, the Sect Master of the Bloodmist Sect, shifted uncomfortably in his seat. His face, usually a mask of haughty arrogance, was now pale. The offer of five mid-grade spirit stones to a mortal servant was not just generous; it was insanity. To a mortal family, that amount was a fortune that could last generations. To a rogue cultivator of the Foundation stage, it was a year's worth of resources, because most mines are controlled by powerful forces. He still can't fathom, why Dragon Court would choose the Wang Family as a vessel.
Liu Xiu's expression didn't change, but the air around him grew a few degrees colder. He turned his large, innocent eyes toward the trembling Elder Xue.
"Elder Xue," Liu Xiu said softly, his voice like the gentle breeze before a storm. "Are you telling me that a clan of Golden Core ants is throwing around wealth that rivals the Golden Buddha?! Absurd... 100 servants is 500 mid-grade stones a month, 200 servants is 1000 mid-grade stones a month, or 1 high-grade spirit stone."
Hmm... The backing of the Wang Family seems highly powerful. What kind of concept is this to throw away Spirit Awakening Fruits? Even their sect can't do this, the current Lord of the Sect is a peak Void-Refining cultivator, above Soul Emperor. Even someone like him can't produce a spirit-awakening fruit. What does this mean!?
"Could this Dragon Court be the power of the higher realm and not this realm, like let's think logically, this disciple thinks the power behind the Wang Family doesn't belong to this world but the higher world," Liu Xiu said, his voice calm, devoid of the tremors that shook the elders.
Everyone was frozen including Great Elder Luo Shengxiu.
The higher realm?!
Those four words carried a weight that could crush the souls of all cultivators in the Lower Realm. It was the ultimate dream, the final destination of every cultivator who walked the Dao. To ascend, to break the shackles of this mortal plane and step into the True Immortal World, was the only goal that mattered.
( In case you are wondering how it became four words then you are a rookie xianxia/Xiuxian/Xuanhuan reader. In the cultivation world it is: Jiǔ tiān shàng jiè... i.e Nine heavens upper realm)
But to imply that a power from the Higher Realm was already here, interfering in the affairs of ants... that was not a dream. That was a nightmare.
"Higher... Realm..." Luo Shengxiu whispered, her crimson eyes losing their focus for a fraction of a second. The arrogance that usually defined her posture cracked, revealing a sliver of primal fear.
If the Dragon Court truly originated from the Higher Realm, then their little squabble over an earth vein was akin to two termites fighting over a crumb of bread, unaware that the boot of a god was hovering above them, ready to stomp them into dust.
Liu Xiu, however, remained calm. His expression was as placid as a still lake, reflecting the terror in the room without absorbing any of it. He was the Holy Son, the future of the Demonic Path, and his mind was a fortress of logic that did not bow easily to fear.
"There is no need to be scared... If the power belongs to the upper realm, we need to crush them before they gain a strong foothold."
Words were spoken casually.
"Let's analyze it calmly... Why would someone capable of producing so many resources seek out the Wang Family when there are so many better options?! Think of a princess choosing to marry a farmer over scholars, ministers, young masters... Such things only happen in fiction, unless there is more to the story..."
A sinister smile appeared on his face.
"D-Does Holy Son suggest that the Wang Family has both powerful and useless backing?!" Elder Gu from the Blood Fiend Group asked, his voice trembling under the presence of the Soul Emperor realm powerhouse.
"Indeed. It seems the Wang Family possesses something to interact with the upper world, maybe a treasure, maybe something profound... Regardless, we must act as fast as possible."
As someone who possesses a dimensional-travelling ring, capable of moving between two different worlds, he believes the Wang Family has a treasure to receive items from the upper world. Hehe, such a fine treasure belongs to him and the women of the Wang Family also belong to him.
Obviously, his Master would always have a special place in his heart, others are just concubines. "Nevertheless, we should erase the Wang Family before they grow otherwise, the ones getting erased will be us..."
"Forgive me Young Daoist Liu but what if... Dragon court isn't from the upper realm?! Hastily attacking the Wang Family might be catastrophic..." Venerable Bloodcrown voiced his thoughts. It is indeed possible for the Wang Family to be backed by the upper realm but... Just but, what if it's not?! Won't they pay the price by losing their life?
"This old man Gu shares the same thoughts as Venerable Bloodcrown," Elder Gu said, of the Blood Fiend group.
"The Wang Family Patriarch is merely at the Sixth Stage of the Golden Core. Even with the backing of a mysterious power, their roots are shallow. If we strike with overwhelming force, like thunder tearing through a clear sky, we can crush them before their backers even realize a leaf has fallen."
He paused, looking around the dimly lit hall. "However, if this 'Dragon Court' is indeed a hidden dragon from the Upper Realm... We may be saved if we remove their foothold in this realm, but if they aren't then we can't escape our fate. Even Dragon court is from the upper realm, we can't be sure we will be unharmed after bashing their foot."
The monk thinks once and nods twice. Indeed.
The silence that followed was heavy, suffocating. The logic was sound, but the risk was astronomical. It was a gamble where the stakes were the lives of everyone in the room.
Liu Xiu's smile widened, a touch of innocence returning to his features, though his eyes remained dead pools of black.
"It's alright... We can send the Li Family as a decoy. I have cultivated some heart-controlling Gu. Your job is only to corrupt a few families with this, I will handle the next."
Liu Xiu had a sinister smirk. As long as he can control the Heart Controlling Gu from another dimension, no one can trace him.
Dragon court?! Let's see how deep the roots are.
***