“So Nuya didn’t see the Frostbound Lord? They never met? Has he stayed absent all these years?”
Aksai asked, his curiosity deepening.
Haitin nodded, confirming. “That’s right. When Nuya’s mother returned, the Frostbound Sect was already fractured between two late-stage Foundation Building sect elders. The situation had deteriorated during her absence, and the sect was essentially split in two.”
Aksai frowned slightly, already picturing the chaos in his mind. “Nuya’s mother… she had a privileged position, right? But without the Frostbound Lord, I imagine that wasn’t enough.”
Haitin nodded gravely.
“Exactly. While she held some respect and status due to her past with the Frostbound Lord, she didn’t have the political clout or the raw power to influence the situation much.
A decade spent by the Frostbound Lord’s side might seem long by mortal standards, but for Foundation Building cultivators, it was hardly significant.
And let’s not forget that the Frostbound Lord himself was a Core Formation Lord with a lifespan of around 500 years. In that context, she couldn’t truly claim the legitimacy to take over his mantle, especially in his mysterious absence.”
Aksai leaned back, rubbing his chin. “So the two sect elders were fighting for control, but Nuya’s mother had her own influence, which was there but also kind of not there. I suppose she became somewhat powerless in the sect.”
Haitin nodded, smiling slightly at Aksai’s perceptiveness.
“Yes and no. She wasn’t entirely powerless. Although she couldn’t claim the Frostbound Lord’s seat, it wasn’t like she was alone. More than ten Foundation Building Experts supported her, all of them being the direct subordinates of the Frostbound Lord.
They still respected Nuya’s mother as Frosbound Lord’s wife and were loyal to her because of their ties to him. But her influence wasn’t enough to tilt the balance decisively in her favor. Even these 10 retainers weren’t in favor of Nuya’s mother taking charge of the sect affairs. And rightly so. She couldn’t have handled a major demonic sect on her own with the kind of individual and political might she had at the time.”
Aksai’s mind whirred with the possibilities, piecing the situation together. “It means she could neither go forward nor backward. So, Nuya’s mother became a thorn in the side of the two sect elders who were fighting for control of the sect?”
Haitin nodded.
“Precisely. She was caught in a precarious position. The two late-stage Foundation Building elders wanted full control over the sect’s affairs, and with Nuya’s mother standing in the way, she became an obstacle.
She had loyal supporters, but not enough to challenge them head-on. And to complicate things further, she had a newborn child to care for.”
Aksai’s eyebrows furrowed. “A good mother will always prioritize her child’s safety..”
“She did,” Haitin agreed. “Her power was divided. She had her daughter to protect, and the weight of Frostbound Lord’s legacy to uphold. The political game within the sect was brutal, and her enemies, those two elders, wouldn’t hesitate to use any means necessary to consolidate their power.”
Aksai imagined the pressure she must have faced. “Did they try to undermine her openly?”
“Not at first,” Haitin said.
“They couldn’t. She was still a sect elder, and any direct action against her could backfire politically. Plus, she still had the backing of the Frostbound Lord’s loyalists.
But, behind the scenes, they started working to isolate her. Slowly but surely, they chipped away at her support, undermining her allies, planting seeds of doubt about her leadership, and questioning her ability to protect the sect while raising a child.”
Aksai exhaled slowly. “A quiet war, then.”
Haitin nodded before continuing, his tone dropping slightly as the story grew heavier.
“That’s right. The two late-stage Foundation Building sect elders were ruthless. By that point, blood had already been spilled because of the internal conflict in the Frostbound Sect.
With the Frostbound Lord gone, a huge power vacuum had formed, and it began affecting the sect in dangerous ways. They simply couldn’t allow someone like Nuya’s mother—an ‘outsider’ and, in their eyes, a newbie—to manage the sect’s affairs.
“They viewed her as someone who would mess up everything. But at the same time, her mere presence was enough to challenge their authority. Even though she wasn’t actively seeking power, she still posed a threat because of her connection to the Frostbound Lord and the loyalty she commanded from his old subordinates.”
Aksai frowned. “So, what did they do? Couldn’t they just challenge her openly?”
Haitin shook his head.
“That would’ve been too risky. Even with their power, they couldn’t directly oppose her without risking a backlash from those loyal to her and the Frostbound Lord.
Instead, they came up with a clever plan. They decided to band together and accuse Nuya’s mother of being a spy—claiming that she was the reason for the Frostbound Lord’s disappearance. This type of lie can be deadly because it is mixed with truth.”
Aksai nodded. “Her almost extinct connection with the Purple River Sect.”
“Exactly,” Haitin replied.
“Of course, the other sect elders knew the charges were bogus. Nuya’s mother had devoted years of her life to the Frostbound Lord and had a child with him.
But these accusations weren’t meant to convince the higher-ups. They were aimed at the masses of the Frostbound Sect—its general members, the disciples, and even some of the elders’ direct subordinates. The idea was to shake her authority, to plant doubt in the minds of the rank-and-file members of the sect.”
Aksai replied. “Divide and conquer.”
“Yes,” Haitin agreed.
“With enough preparation and influence, the plan worked. The rumors spread, and soon enough, whispers began to circulate that Nuya’s mother had been a traitor all along.
Even though the charges were baseless, the damage was done. Her support crumbled, and she found herself increasingly isolated. Eventually, she was forced to leave the sect. The retainers of the Core Formation Lord could ensure her safety but they could not help her deal with such problems.
After all, the Frostbound Sect was still a major demonic sect. It couldn’t serve an authority to someone on a silver platter. An authority has to be earned even when it is given to someone through an inheritance. That’s the only way one could legitimize their position in a major demonic sect.”
Aksai sat forward, his expression serious. “And with no Frostbound Lord to defend her, she had nowhere to go.”
“Precisely,” Haitin continued. “With her support in the Frostbound Sect gone and no allies left to turn to, Nuya’s mother had no choice but to seek help from her old sect—the Purple River Sect. Though she had abandoned them to follow the Frostbound Lord, it was the only place she could think of where her daughter might be safe.”
Aksai leaned in closer, completely engrossed. “So she took Nuya back to the Purple River Sect?”
Haitin nodded.
“Yes, but it wasn’t a simple reunion. Despite being a former disciple, her decision to leave the Purple River Sect for the Frostbound Lord hadn’t been forgotten. The sect had its own problems to deal with and wasn’t exactly eager to take her back.
She had, in their eyes, betrayed them. But before she left for good, Nuya’s mother provided them with some crucial information about the Frostbound Sect as a way of justifying her daughter’s place there.”
Aksai’s eyes gleamed with curiosity. “She finally acted as a spy?”
“More or less,” Haitin said grimly.
“She had to. There was no other way for Nuya to be accepted into the Purple River Sect without something significant to offer. But after she did that, Nuya’s mother disappeared. No one knows where she went. Some say she retreated into obscurity, others think she might have perished. Some even say that she followed after the Frostbound Lord.
But she never came back. And with the Frostbound Lord still missing, there was no one to come forward and claim Nuya.”
“So Nuya ended up being raised by the Purple River Sect?” Aksai asked.
Haitin nodded.
“The Purple River Sect, as you might guess, was in a bit of a bind when Nuya arrived. They couldn’t just accept her as a disciple, even though she had every right to be there by blood.
She was the direct inheritor of the Frostbound Sect, one of the three major demonic sects. Taking her in could’ve caused trouble with both the demonic and righteous factions.
But at the same time, they couldn’t allow anything to happen to her either. After all, if the Frostbound Lord ever came back and found out that his daughter had suffered under their watch, it could’ve meant serious trouble for them.”
Aksai contemplated before speaking. “Let me guess. They just played it neutral?”
“No points for guessing but yes,” Haitin confirmed.
“The Purple River Sect decided to act neutral, pretending she was just an ordinary orphan allowed to stay within the sect’s territory. They didn’t make her a disciple, but they also didn’t cast her out. It was a delicate balance.
They had no desire to risk a conflict with the demonic faction, especially not with someone like the Frostbound Lord, who might return one day.
Plus, Nuya’s mother still had some distant relatives in the sect, and that helped. Those connections ensured that Nuya had a relatively peaceful childhood. She was cared for, but without any official ties to the sect.”