'Those elders are always nagging and trying to turn me against their rivals. Tch. Too bad, I have other things to do.'
As she flicked her hair and turned to leave the Elders' Chamber, a mental message interrupted her mid-stride.
'Judah, before you go, I need you to go somewhere in the Elder Hall.'
'Where to?'
'A place you know well.'
'Sigh...' She struck a dejected pose. 'Really?!'
'Yes...'
'Fine. Am I in the lead, or are you?'
'I will take the lead. You will finish up in the back.'
'Ever since you made me the matriarch, there have always been so many eyes on me.'
'The crown is heavy. This is the price for the head that it rests upon.'
'Fine! Let us do this.'
There was clear unwillingness on Judah's face.
Judah began walking down the Elder Hall. Slowly, her aura began to change.
The subtle qi pressure continued to increase as she moved.
The steady sound of her heels clicking against the floor echoed throughout the hall.
Judah finally reached the door and stopped.
She took a deep breath, exhaling the negative emotions within her. Judah calmed herself down, and her aura finished transforming into something completely unrecognizable.
Judah's eyes were now completely white, while a look of serenity rested upon her face.
She was no longer an immature youth who had been thrust into a deadly game of wits.
She now possessed the attitude of an expert who had been through hell and returned to tell the tale.
Judah lifted her left hand and began knocking on the door.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Silence...
Then a voice, smooth like shea butter, answered.
"Come in."
The door slowly opened, and Judah slipped inside.
Judah walked through the doorway and entered a simple yet lavish room. Incense was burning in all four corners of the room, a habit of the occupant. Each had its own unique blend to promote clarity and better cultivation over long-term use.
Judah cleared her throat.
"Hello, Mother."
As the poised figure carrying both grace and authority turned to regard Judah, she noted the resemblance in their features, though the essence surrounding them was distinctly different.
This sophisticated woman possessed an innate allure capable of captivating any man in her vicinity. She had long, delicate white eyelashes, burgundy hair interwoven with subtle strands of white that cascaded to the middle of her back, where it was tied into a braid. She possessed alluring curves that many women would envy and a pair of twin peaks for her chest.
Her skin possessed a velvety smoothness, her complexion reminiscent of a weathered penny, while her eyes exuded the depth of the richest ruby.
She donned a fitted shirt with a few buttons left undone, a flowing skirt crafted from exquisite silk, and knee-high boots in a rich crimson hue.
This was Kyri Sunchaser, the esteemed former matriarch of the Sunchaser Clan.
"Haha... Child, how many times must I tell you? You are not my child. You are Sol. Not Judah."
"Well, you are not wrong. However, you are not right either. Upon my waking, both of us currently share this body. Even if I want to control it, I won't."
"And why is that?"
Judah slowly took a seat in front of Kyri, where a large, dark wooden table sat between them.
The table was solid and gave off a smooth yet unique blend of spices and herbs that could slowly promote faster enlightenment of the laws.
"Simply put, this body isn't strong enough to contain my raw power and my soul essence. Judah will help me find a better body or find someone who can create one for me. Either way, it is a win-win for us. And... you should know the secret of the Sunchaser Clan. So, I don't know why you are surprised by this."
Judah tilted her head to the side with a puzzled expression while gazing at Kyri.
"Is it truly a win-win? As you know, my Sunchaser Clan is currently engaged in a conflict with the Dragon and Phoenix Clans. In addition, many clans and tribes inside our country want us to make a move to secure the position of the new leading clan among the Big Three Clans."
Judah's eyes began to shine with a gleam of malice. The smile Judah displayed was one of mockery rather than pleasure.
"Don't be so blind that you miss the wolves in the bushes and the predators in the trees. The most important thing is staying neutral and gathering more powerful allies. This process ensures balance and strength. Plus, do you know who backs the Dragon or Phoenix Clans? And those smaller clans are weak and can be trampled on at any given moment."
"What about it? Are there True Emperors behind both the Dragon and Phoenix Clans? We must strike quickly and decisively to take advantage of the current situation. What the Sunchaser Clan lacks right now is power!"
Kyri creased her brows more intensely.
Judah's expression was filled with disappointment. Anyone observing this situation from the outside would likely find it humorous. However, they wouldn't be able to tell anyone, since they would no longer be a part of this world.
"Sigh. Really, Kyri? Do you think if they were just True Emperors, I would bother doing any of this? The short answer is no. And this is why you are no longer the matriarch of the Sunchaser Clan. It is because your rashness and tendency to act too quickly will cause the Sunchaser Clan to fall one of these days. All my hard work would go down in flames if that happens.
Sigh. I had higher hopes for you, Kyri. You are more capable than what you give off and appear to be. Let's take a break from this for now. I will return to my slumber. You can now speak with Judah if you so wish."
With no room to speak, Kyri simply watched as Judah's aura began changing back.
The aura surrounding Judah was pure and stainless, as though nothing in the world could make it dirty. As quickly as that aura disappeared, Judah's regular aura reappeared.
This aura was pure, but not as pure as the latter. It felt as though you could add a spot of blackness to it and make this once-beautiful princess fall.
Judah looked away from her mother and glanced at one of the incense burners.
"I see. You are using the Nine Yang Ying Miracle Incense. A natural treasure that can help comprehend the duality of the world."
"Hmm... You seem like you are learning well from Sol. Effortlessly naming a natural treasure so leisurely at that. Ha! Let me be clear. Just because I am humbled in front of Sol, that doesn't mean I will submit to you."
"WHY are you always like this?!"
"Like what?" Kyri asked with a fierce expression on her majestic face.
"Fine! Since we have cast away formalities and politeness, I won't be polite either. And I will definitely get to the point.
Yes, I have learned a few things from Sol. Like who those powers are that are trying to see how much it is going to take for us to move against either Night or Midnight.
Their backers are more terrifying than you think. And if we are not strong enough to weather the storm, then it is a foolish errand. I don't wish to see my poor little mother enslaved and used as a cauldron for men, having her Yin depleted and replaced with Yang."
These words lit a fire in Kyri's chest, and her eyes burned with the wild fury of the hottest forest fire.
She, the old matriarch of the Sunchaser Clan, would never let anyone speak to her with the mere temerity that Judah had just displayed.
With three slow nods, she looked at Judah coldly.
"Bet! Listen here, you little brat. Don't think I cannot crush your throat in this instant. Anywhere in this room, you are within my arm's reach. This room is designed to kill anyone who tries to make a move on me."
Kyri's energy slowly began to rise.
"I have killed countless cultivators for less. I don't care if you are Sol's container. I don't care if you are the current matriarch of this clan. So, keep playing around, and you will find out the price of messing with me, Kyri Sunchaser, the Royal Judicator.
Now get out of my room before I change my mind. And I will have one less family member in this world."
Every word was laced with a thick killing intent that most people would have suffocated under.
Judah had a calm face on the outside, but her heart was racing on the inside with fear and horror.
Unknown to Kyri, Sol had asked Judah to speak those words to see how she would react. And Kyri reacted exactly as Sol thought she would.
If someone had told Kyri that everything she had encountered was a test to see if she was fit to remain the leader of the clan, she would have responded accordingly.
At the current moment, the best she could be regarded as in the future was a very high-ranking captain with two legions to her name. Quite pitiful for someone of her stature, power, and prestige.
Yet, every action has its own ripple effects, and in the world of cultivators, the wrong decision can be fatal.
Judah gathered herself slowly before getting up and standing in front of Kyri. Looking carefully at Kyri's frosty face, she took a long, hard breath before letting it out.
Judah's face became calmer and firmer, filled with the will to surpass all other matriarchs in the Sunchaser Clan.
"Today, my plan was to see you later, but Sol had other plans in mind. Haha... I thought I would go over the arrangements and countermeasures regarding the Elder's movements. Figure out why the Elder is so interested in our lands. And why the Elder is trying to spread his influence so rapidly, as if he is planning a takeover..."
Judah paused, looking even harder at Kyri.
"However, since we have come this far, there is nothing left to speak about. I will send someone with the information, and you can make the arrangements to stop the Elder if you like. I will take my leave now."
Kyri's face became even frostier.
Knowing Judah's temperament, Kyri could tell there was no longer a familiar, warm bond in Judah's heart. Kyri had made her position clear on the issue.
If she regretted it, she could only move forward and could not retreat.
This is what made Kyri so deadly and predictable as well.
Judah moved to the door before exiting the room. She looked back at Kyri and spoke.
"The one who went on a mission for the Elder is from the Midnight Clan, and he will be the future figure that many will have to bow down to if he comes back from this mission."
Without saying another word or explaining the current events, Judah left the room.
A speechless Kyri could not believe that Judah had said that someone from the Midnight Clan would be the leading figure in the future.
Kyri had many other opinions, and those opinions were about other talents in the younger generation. She just didn't know who had left the Midnight Clan for a mission.
This was shocking to her.
Knowing how they operated, they would not do anything on a whim.
'Judah must know something that most of us do not know yet. So, what did you let that little brat take a glimpse at?'
She was still sitting in her seat.
The thoughts made her uncomfortable in her chair. Even though the old matriarch was stunning when mad, it could not take away the uncomfortable feeling in her chest.
Still, Kyri had a frosty and murderous air around her even as she pondered Judah's last comments.
What most cultivators would learn from this short exchange was that Judah's ruthlessness was hidden deep, like an arrow in the night.