The morning sun hung over the Azure Orchid Sect like a silent omen. Even from the outer terraces, disciples could feel an uncomfortable heaviness in the spiritual air—an oppressive, subtle pressure that made their skin prickle. Rumors had moved faster than messenger birds: the Crimson Lotus Clan's envoy had arrived last night, and their presence alone had shaken elders who once believed themselves unmovable.
Ye Tian, reborn and walking the Dao very few could comprehend, stood at the balcony of Ice Peak. A cool wind brushed past, carrying with it the faint scent of frost lotus—Elder Yushen's personal fragrance. He didn't turn immediately when she approached, but he felt her presence behind him, poised and elegant.
"Tian," Elder Yushen said softly, her voice like chilled silk, "the Sect Master has summoned you."
He raised a brow. "Me? For what reason?"
She stepped beside him, gaze drifting over the mist-covered mountains. "Because," she said with a hint of reluctant admiration, "the Crimson Lotus envoy asked for you by name."
Ye Tian chuckled lightly. "Already? I thought they'd at least pretend they didn't fear me."
"They do not fear you," she murmured. "That is the dangerous part. They want to measure you. Test you. Perhaps… claim you."
"Claim?" he repeated, amused. "What am I, a spiritual treasure?"
Her lips curved faintly. "To some women… perhaps."
There were implications in her tone that she didn't elaborate on—yet the faint flush in her cheeks betrayed her thoughts. Ye Tian let her silence linger for a moment, then turned.
"I'll meet them," he said. "But first… what are the elders planning?"
Her expression cooled again. "War is becoming inevitable. The Crimson Lotus Clan has been expanding aggressively. They've devoured two minor sects already."
Ye Tian's eyes sharpened. "And now they've come for us."
"No," Yushen said quietly. "They've come for you. Because the one who rose in Azure Orchid Peak overnight… the one who has women whispering through every courtyard… the one who broke the Heaven Vein Seal without help… is a threat they'd rather control than fight."
Ye Tian clicked his tongue. "Tch. Troublesome."
"Troublesome…" she muttered, "is an understatement."
Before they could continue, a disciple rushed up the icy steps, breathless.
"Elder Yushen! Senior Ye Tian! The Sect Master requests immediate presence—urgent!"
Yushen nodded, but before they left, she placed a hand lightly against Ye Tian's arm. It was meant to be a simple gesture of caution, but her fingertips lingered with a warmth that contradicted her cold aura.
"Be careful," she said softly.
Her concern was genuine. He felt the resonance of her Dao through the touch—restrained, protective, conflicted.
Ye Tian smiled reassuringly. "When have I ever caused trouble?"
She gave him a flat look. "Every single day since the moment you appeared in this sect."
He didn't deny it.
The Sect Assembly Hall
The air inside was tense. Elders sat with stiff postures, guards stood at full alert, and the Sect Master himself wore a deeply troubled expression. At the center of the hall, a woman in crimson robes waited calmly, a small smile playing across her lips.
She was stunning—mature, graceful, and exuding a dangerously alluring confidence. A true MILF cultivator with charm potent enough to sway even seasoned elders.
Her eyes sharpened when she saw Ye Tian.
"So," she whispered, "you are the reborn genius I've heard so much about."
Ye Tian stopped a few steps away. "And you are?"
"Lady Huarin," she replied, bowing elegantly. "Matriarch of the Crimson Lotus Clan's third branch."
Murmurs rippled through the hall.
A branch matriarch?
Sent personally?
That meant the Crimson Lotus was not merely negotiating—they were extending power.
Huarin's gaze remained fixed on Ye Tian. "I came for one purpose: to deliver an offer."
The Sect Master tensed. "This is Azure Orchid territory. State your business carefully, Lady Huarin."
She ignored him.
Her eyes kept drinking in Ye Tian.
"Join us," she said. "The Crimson Lotus Clan offers protection, resources, advancement, dual cultivation partners of high standing, and a position equal to a clan heir."
A ripple of shock traversed the room.
Ye Tian remained still.
"That's generous," he said casually. "Too generous."
Huarin smiled knowingly. "We cultivate the Dao of Desire. And desire, young man… is something you have mastered to terrifying perfection."
Elders shifted uncomfortably.
Yushen's brows drew together, her aura dipping toward frost.
Huarin continued, "Your presence has unsettled the heavens. Your dual cultivation resonance is unprecedented. You could elevate my entire branch—perhaps the entire clan—to new heights."
Her tone lowered.
"And I personally wish to guide you."
The atmosphere cracked like ice.
Yushen stepped forward sharply. "Our disciple is not someone you can simply—"
"Disciple?" Huarin laughed softly. "Is that what he is to you? I smell… attachment."
The temperature dropped.
Frost spread at Yushen's feet.
"Enough," the Sect Master commanded. "State the second purpose of your visit."
Huarin's expression shifted—her charm replaced with chilly authority.
"The Crimson Lotus Clan demands Azure Orchid to surrender their outer territories. Refusal will be considered a declaration of war."
The hall erupted in anger.
Ye Tian, however, smiled faintly.
"So you're here for diplomacy and threats," he said. "Quite efficient."
Huarin turned back to him.
"I hope you reconsider my offer, Ye Tian. Before your sect falls under fire."
"And if I don't?"
Her eyes glowed with a dangerous, intoxicating aura.
"Then you will soon watch the mountains burn."
After the Envoy Leaves
The hall emptied slowly, leaving only Ye Tian, the Sect Master, Yushen, and two elders.
"It seems," the Sect Master said gravely, "the Sect War Arc has begun."
He didn't say the words lightly.
Yushen looked at Ye Tian. "What will you do?"
Ye Tian's answer came calmly, almost lazily—but the determination beneath it was unmistakable.
"What I always do," he said. "I'll cultivate. I'll get stronger. And when war comes…"
He lifted his gaze toward the distant crimson banners flying in the valley below.
"…I'll make them regret stepping foot on my mountains."
Yushen exhaled, relief and worry blending. "Then we must prepare."
Ye Tian nodded.
But privately, in the depth of his eyes, a spark ignited—an ember destined to blaze across the continent.
Whatever the Crimson Lotus Clan believed…
They had no idea what kind of storm they had invited.