The Poison Serpent Lady's presence in the sect created immediate upheaval.
Disciples whispered about the mysterious Immortal Emperor from the Demonic Continent. Elders debated whether hosting someone of her reputation was wise. And the sect's formations had to be constantly adjusted to accommodate her unique spiritual signature—void-aligned but with heavy poison element integration that caused normal protective arrays to react unpredictably.
"She's like having a tiger living in your house," Elder Yuan complained during a council meeting three days after Mei She's arrival. "Powerful, potentially useful, but constantly dangerous simply by existing."
"A tiger that knows where all the other tigers are hunting," Patriarch Cloud countered. "The intelligence she's provided about the three traitors is invaluable."
Lin Feng had reviewed Mei She's jade slips extensively. The information was disturbingly comprehensive:
The Blood Immortal Empress - Currently in deep cultivation on the Demonic Continent, consolidating her power after a recent advancement to Demi-God Level 6. She'd sent three agents to investigate the void signature: two at Sovereign Monarch Level 3, one at Immortal Emperor Level 2. Expected arrival at the Eastern Continent within two months.
The Eternal Light Lord - Leading the Celestial Supreme Palace from the Western Continent. More cautious than the Empress, he was gathering information before committing resources. But his intelligence network was extensive, and he'd certainly learned about Lin Feng by now. Timeline uncertain, but likely to act within six months.
The Inverse Karma Sage - The most mysterious of the three. Currently somewhere on the Forgotten Continent, his exact location and activities unknown even to Mei She's network. This made him the most dangerous—the enemy you couldn't see was worse than the one actively hunting you.
"Two months before the Empress's agents arrive," Lin Feng said during his private meeting with Yun Qingxue and the Patriarch. "That's our timeline for preparation."
"Two months to advance enough to survive Sovereign Monarch Level 3 opponents," Yun Qingxue said grimly. "Even together, we'd struggle against one. Against three?"
"We need allies," Patriarch Cloud said. "I can handle one Sovereign Monarch, possibly two if pressed. But if all three come simultaneously while other threats are active..." He shook his head. "We're overmatched."
"What about Mei She?" Lin Feng asked. "She's Immortal Emperor Level 6. Could she—"
"She can deter but not defeat multiple Sovereign Monarchs while also protecting you," the Patriarch interrupted. "And more importantly, I don't trust her enough to rely on her as our primary defense. She's an ally of convenience, not commitment."
"So we need more allies. Genuine ones."
"I've been reaching out to other sects," Patriarch Cloud admitted. "Calling in old favors, building new alliances. But it's delicate—showing too much concern makes us look weak, which invites opportunistic attacks. Not showing enough concern leaves us isolated when crisis arrives."
"Politics," Yun Qingxue said with distaste. "Even facing apocalyptic threats, we have to manage appearances."
"Especially then. Showing strength while asking for help is an art form." The Patriarch stood. "Which brings me to my next point. Lin Feng, it's time to make your existence and advancement more public. Not the full truth, but enough that other sects see you as a valuable rising talent rather than a mysterious threat."
"You want me to participate in inter-sect events?"
"Exactly. The Jade Lotus Tournament is in one month—a competition between sects of the Eastern Continent. Disciples at Divine Domain level and below compete in various trials. It's prestigious, well-attended, and the perfect venue to demonstrate your capabilities without revealing everything."
Lin Feng considered. Public demonstration meant attention—from potential allies and enemies alike. But it also meant legitimacy, political capital, and the chance to establish himself as more than just 'the Patriarch's mysterious disciple.'
"I'll do it. What are the tournament rules?"
"Combat trials, formation challenges, alchemy demonstrations—various tests of cultivation skill. You'd compete in the Divine Domain bracket." Patriarch Cloud's expression grew strategic. "Winning would be ideal but not necessary. Simply performing well against established sect disciples from across the continent would prove your worth."
"I'll train specifically for tournament scenarios."
"Good. Yun Qingxue will accompany you as part of our sect delegation—she competed three years ago and knows the format."
After the meeting, Lin Feng spent the afternoon reviewing tournament records in the Grand Library. The Jade Lotus Tournament had been held every five years for the past millennium, rotating between host sects. This year's host was the Azure Lotus Sect—neutral territory between major powers.
Previous winners at Divine Domain level included several who'd gone on to become Immortal Emperors. The competition was fierce, the participants were the best talents from dozens of sects, and the challenges were designed to test cultivators in ways normal training couldn't replicate.
A month to prepare. I need to refine my techniques, develop strategies that don't reveal my void cultivation's full nature, and learn to fight opponents whose styles I don't know.
A presence manifested beside him—Mei She, appearing without sound despite her significant spiritual signature.
"Researching the tournament? Wise. Though I should mention—the Blood Immortal Empress has agents who will likely attend. She uses public events to scout potential threats." The Poison Serpent Lady's serpentine eyes gleamed. "They'll be watching you specifically."
"You're saying the tournament is a trap."
"I'm saying the tournament is an opportunity—for you and for your enemies. How you navigate that determines whether you emerge stronger or dead." She settled into a chair across from him, her movements unsettlingly graceful. "Which is why I'm offering to help with your preparation."
"Help how?"
"I knew the Void Emperor for three centuries. I understand void cultivation at a level few living cultivators do. And I've spent the last hundred thousand years studying various combat styles and techniques." Mei She's smile was sharp. "I can teach you how to fight opponents who outmatch you—because the Void Emperor faced such opponents constantly and usually won."
"In exchange for?"
"In exchange for letting me study your void techniques closely. Not to steal—I can't use them anyway, my constitution is poison-based. But to understand. To see how the Void Emperor's research has evolved through you." Her expression grew more serious. "And because helping you survive serves my interests. If you die, the Inverse Void Dao dies with you. That would be a tragic waste of knowledge."
Lin Feng weighed the offer. Mei She was dangerous, amoral in many ways, and clearly had her own agenda. But she was also genuinely knowledgeable and powerful enough that her training would be invaluable.
"I'll need to discuss with the Patriarch—"
"Already did. He's approved, with the condition that I don't teach you anything 'excessively demonic or soul-corrupting.' His words." Mei She stood. "We start tomorrow at dawn. The training won't be gentle, but it will be effective. The Void Emperor survived three Demi-Gods' ambush for six hours before finally falling. That's the standard we're aiming for—making you impossible to kill quickly."
She departed, leaving Lin Feng with mixed feelings about this new training arrangement.
Through the Dao Thread: Mei She is going to train me.
I heard. I'm not sure if that's fortunate or terrifying. Yun Qingxue's mental voice was troubled. Be careful, Lin Feng. She's powerful but dangerous in subtle ways. Don't let her influence you toward her moral flexibility.
I'll stay alert. Besides, I have you as my moral compass.
Flattery. But accurate flattery, so I'll accept it.
Dawn arrived far too early. Lin Feng stood in a specialized training ground deep within the sect's mountain—an area reinforced specifically for powerful cultivators to spar without damaging surroundings.
Mei She was already there, looking far too alert for the hour.
"Excellent. Punctuality is important." She gestured to the arena floor. "We'll start simply. Attack me with your best technique. Don't hold back—I need to see your actual capabilities, not what you show others."
"You're Immortal Emperor Level 6. I'm Divine Domain Level 3. I can't hurt you."
"Correct. Which is exactly the power disparity you'll face when the Empress's agents arrive. So demonstrate how you'd fight someone vastly stronger."
Lin Feng activated his Divine Domain, manifesting the Eternal Void in a fifty-meter sphere around them. The darkness descended, silver stars appeared, and the Law of Liberation made reality negotiable within his space.
Then he struck—Void Step to close distance instantly, Spatial Rend to create cutting blades of nothing, and finally a technique he'd been developing: Void Anchor, attempting to lock Mei She's position by making the space around her resistant to movement.
She observed every technique with clinical interest, not bothering to defend—his attacks simply failed to affect her, the power disparity too vast.
"Interesting. Your domain is more refined than I expected—better control than the Void Emperor had at your level. Your techniques are clean, efficient. But your strategy is flawed." Mei She's voice carried through the void effortlessly. "You're fighting like someone trying to win. Against vastly superior opponents, you can't win. So what should you do instead?"
"Survive. Escape."
"Exactly. Your void techniques are perfect for that—spatial manipulation, reality disruption, making yourself difficult to pin down. But you're using them offensively when you should be using them defensively." She gestured, and suddenly Lin Feng felt crushing pressure—her spiritual energy pressing down despite his domain. "Lesson one: when outmatched, don't fight. Frustrate, delay, survive until help arrives or you can escape."
The pressure intensified. Lin Feng's domain wavered, the Eternal Void struggling to maintain coherence against Immortal Emperor Level 6 spiritual energy.
"Use your Law of Liberation," Mei She instructed. "Free yourself from the constraints I'm imposing. That's what your law is for—breaking rules, challenging limitations."
Lin Feng focused, channeling the Law of Liberation not to attack but to question the very premise of Mei She's pressure. Does gravity have to pull down? Does spiritual pressure have to suppress? In the void, all constraints are negotiable.
The pressure eased fractionally. Not gone, but reduced—enough to breathe, enough to think.
"Better! Now add movement. Don't stay in one place where I can focus pressure. Use Void Step constantly, make yourself a moving target that's harder to pin down."
The training continued for three hours, brutal and exhausting. Mei She would attack—not to hurt but to pressure, teaching Lin Feng to survive against overwhelming force. Each time he failed, she'd explain what he'd done wrong. Each time he succeeded, she'd increase the difficulty.
By the end, Lin Feng collapsed, exhausted but enlightened. His understanding of defensive void techniques had expanded dramatically.
"You learn quickly. That's good—you'll need every advantage." Mei She remained perfectly composed despite exerting Immortal Emperor level power for hours. "Tomorrow we work on perception. You need to sense attacks before they land, predict movements before they happen. After that, escape techniques. Then misdirection and illusion. By the tournament, you'll be extremely difficult to kill even if you can't win fights."
"That's... actually a good strategy."
"I've survived a hundred thousand years by being difficult to kill. It's more important than being strong." She paused at the training ground's exit. "One more thing—the Blood Immortal Empress's agents will likely try to capture rather than kill you initially. She wants to study how the Void Emperor's legacy manifests through an heir. Don't let them take you alive. Death is preferable to becoming her research subject."
The warning was delivered casually but with absolute sincerity.
"Understood."
After Mei She left, Lin Feng sat in exhausted meditation, processing what he'd learned. His cultivation style had been offense-focused—overwhelming opponents with void techniques. But against stronger enemies, that was suicide. Survival, evasion, frustration—these were the real skills he needed.
The Void Emperor fought three Demi-Gods for six hours. He didn't win, but six hours against impossible odds is a victory of its own kind.
Over the following weeks, a routine developed. Mornings with Mei She learning survival techniques. Afternoons with Yun Qingxue training coordination and combined tactics. Evenings with Patriarch Cloud refining cultivation and advancing toward Divine Domain Level 4.
Lin Feng's improvement was remarkable. Within two weeks, he could evade Sovereign Monarch level attacks consistently, create escape routes through spatial manipulation, and use his domain defensively to buy time rather than offensively seeking victory.
Yun Qingxue's training progressed similarly. Together, their coordination reached new heights—they could communicate through the Dao Thread with perfect clarity, coordinate domain usage without verbal signals, and cover each other's weaknesses intuitively.
"We're becoming properly dangerous," Yun Qingxue observed after one particularly successful sparring session. "Not to Sovereign Monarchs yet, but to anyone below that level."
"The tournament will test that. Opponents from across the continent, all of them Divine Domain elites."
"Are you nervous?"
"Terrified. But also excited." Lin Feng smiled. "For the first time, I'm not hiding. I'm going to compete openly, demonstrate what I can do. It feels... liberating."
"Liberation. Your law made manifest as philosophy."
"Maybe that's the point. Maybe cultivation laws reflect not just power but worldview."
Three weeks after Mei She's arrival, Fan Wu appeared with new intelligence.
"The Blood Immortal Empress's agents have been sighted on the eastern coast," he reported during a private meeting with Lin Feng, Yun Qingxue, and Patriarch Cloud. "Two Sovereign Monarchs and one Immortal Emperor, exactly as Mei She predicted. They're moving inland but slowly—gathering information, recruiting local support."
"How long until they reach us?"
"One month, maybe slightly more. They're being careful not to attract attention from other major powers." Fan Wu took a drink from his gourd. "But there's a complication. Elder Shadow has made contact with them. He's offering information about the sect's defenses in exchange for sanctuary and resources."
Patriarch Cloud's expression darkened. "Shadow knows our formation arrays, our contingency plans, our strategic vulnerabilities. That information in enemy hands..."
"Makes defense much harder," Lin Feng finished. "They'll know exactly where and how to strike."
"Which means we need to change our defensive strategy before they arrive," Yun Qingxue said. "Reconfigure formations, create new contingencies, make Shadow's knowledge obsolete."
"That takes time we don't have," Elder Yuan, who'd been called to the meeting, objected. "Reconfiguring sect defenses is a months-long process."
"Then we do what we can and prepare for the rest." Patriarch Cloud's voice carried finality. "Elder Feng will prioritize the most critical formations. Elder Yuan will organize defensive positions. And Lin Feng..." He looked directly at the young cultivator. "You'll attend the Jade Lotus Tournament as planned. Win or lose, we need allies. Make connections, demonstrate strength, convince other sects that protecting you serves their interests."
"Understood."
"One more thing," Fan Wu added. "Li Xian will be at the tournament. The Azure Sky Family is sending a delegation, and he's leading it. Apparently he's advanced to Divine Domain Level 3 since his expulsion—someone gave him resources to accelerate cultivation."
Through the Dao Thread, Lin Feng felt Yun Qingxue's spike of anxiety. Seeing Li Xian again, in public, while maintaining composure...
We'll face him together. You're not alone.
I know. But it doesn't make the prospect less unpleasant.
The meeting concluded with action items assigned and timelines established. One month until the tournament. One month until the Blood Immortal Empress's agents likely arrived. Thirty days to prepare for multiple convergent threats.
That evening, Lin Feng stood at his window watching the moons rise—once again in Trinity Mirror alignment. Fifth time in six weeks.
"You're troubled." Mei She's voice came from behind him—she'd appeared silently again.
"How do you do that? My spiritual sense should detect you."
"Poison techniques include suppression of spiritual signature. Useful for research and observation." She moved to stand beside him, following his gaze to the moons. "Trinity Mirrors. The heavens are definitely paying attention to you. Five alignments in six weeks is... unprecedented in my memory."
"What does it mean?"
"That your fate is being watched by forces beyond mortal comprehension. Could be the heavens themselves. Could be ascended powers. Could be the Void Emperor's lingering will." Mei She's expression was thoughtful. "Or all three. Significant cultivators attract attention. You're becoming very significant very quickly."
"I'd rather be insignificant and safe."
"Too late for that. You carry the Void Emperor's legacy, you've formed a Dao Companion bond, and you're advancing at a rate that makes even me jealous. You're going to reshape the cultivation world whether you want to or not." She paused. "The only question is whether you survive long enough to see it through."
"Encouraging."
"I don't do encouragement. I do honesty." Mei She turned to face him fully. "Lin Feng, in the coming months, you'll face choices that define who you become. The Void Emperor faced similar choices and chose isolation, paranoia, and ultimately died betrayed. You have a chance to choose differently. But those choices will be hard—choosing trust when caution seems wise, choosing openness when hiding seems safe, choosing love when power beckons."
"You sound like you're speaking from experience."
"I am. I've lived a hundred thousand years by making the safe choices—never trusting completely, never committing fully, always maintaining escape routes." Her serpentine eyes held unexpected melancholy. "I've survived. But I wonder sometimes if survival alone is enough. If living without connection is truly living at all."
"Is that why you're helping me? Because you see a chance to choose differently?"
"Perhaps. Or perhaps I'm just a lonely old monster trying to assuage guilt by helping someone who reminds me of a friend I failed to save." She smiled sadly. "Either way, use the next month well. Train, advance, build connections. Because when the Blood Immortal Empress's agents arrive, everything changes."
She departed, leaving Lin Feng with his thoughts and the ever-present Trinity Mirror watching from above.
Thirty days.
Thirty days to prepare for tournaments and invasions.
Thirty days before the gathering storm finally broke.
Lin Feng returned to cultivation, drawing on the void, feeling his power growing daily. Divine Domain Level 3 was solidifying. Level 4 was within reach—another few weeks of intensive cultivation.
But would it be enough?
The Void Emperor reached Demi-God and still died. I'm barely Divine Domain. How can I hope to survive what killed him?
Through the Dao Thread, Yun Qingxue's presence provided an answer without words: Because you're not alone.
Because love is stronger than isolation.
Because choosing connection despite danger is its own kind of power.
The moons reached their apex. The sect slept. And Lin Feng cultivated, preparing for battles he knew were coming.
One day at a time.
One breakthrough at a time.
One choice at a time.
Until he was strong enough to protect everyone he loved.
That was the goal.
Everything else was just strategy for reaching it.
END OF CHAPTER 22
TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 23: THE JADE LOTUS TOURNAMENT - PART 1