The other Elders turned to the lead Elder once the door closed.
"Elder Vryn, what do you have in mind?" one of the Elder's asked.
They could tell that Elder Vryn had a reason for letting John go, as normally this trial would end in John's public execution.
Elder Vryn remained silent for a moment before addressing the room.
"Did you not hear the boy? He clearly stated that he slaughtered three Meridian Forging experts on his way back from the borderlands. There are hundreds of accounts to confirm these events, and so it's impossible to be fake" the Elder explained.
Regardless of the reasons, one of their disciples had shown absolutely shocking combat prowess. There had been other such cases in the past where on the brink of death, an incredible breakthrough occurred, propelling a cultivator to incredible heights.
"We have been brooding over what the Sect Leader has instructed all of us Elder's with. However, perhaps this is the opportunity we were waiting for," Elder Vryn explained.
"You mean…" one of the Elder's asked, his voice slightly surprised.
"I do. However, it will be up to Sect Leader Allfiend if he will be a suitable candidate," Elder Vryn replied. "This Execution Trial is now over. For now, all of you better keep what has transpired here a secret, at least until Sect Leader Allfiend makes his decision."
The Elder's in the room all nodded their heads, and quickly cleared the room. Elder Vryn remained for a moment longer before leaving the room as well. He took to the sky, and flew through the sect to the largest building in the entire sect, the Bloodfiend Citadel.
It stood just as tall as the Heavenly Lightning Palace, and was made of black and grey materials, making it quite foreboding. There were hundreds of guards posted outside, constantly roaming the grounds.
Elder Vryn walked through the massive open gates, and strode into the Bloodfiend Citadel. The inside was lit by various lightning formations, revealing a mostly lifeless interior. Unlike the Heavenly Lightning Palace, the Bloodfiend Citadel was mostly just for use by the Sect Leader, and was a symbol of his status and power.
A set of stairs at the back of the main lobby winded up high into the citadel, leading to the top floor thousands of yards above. Upon reaching the top floor, the Elder informed the two Heaven Tribulation guards of his purpose for visiting.
"Let him enter," a voice boomed through the closed doors.
The guards bowed their heads, and opened each side of the doors, allowing passage for Elder Vryn. Elder Vryn strode into the large chamber, which was mostly empty save for a large throne at the far end of the chamber.
The throne was incredibly ornate, lined with gold, jewels, and other furnishings. On the throne sat a middle aged man with long hair that flowed behind his shoulders. His face was sharp, and his hawk-like eyes stared straight at Elder Vryn, sending shivers down his spine. A slender beard flowed down and gathered to a sharp point beneath his chin.
"Sect Leader Allfiend," Elder Vryn spoke out as he bowed before the throne.
Sect Leader Allfiend stared down at the Elder beneath him with emotionless eyes.
"For what reason do you disturb me?" Sect Leader Allfiend spoke out, his deep voice booming within the chamber.
"Sect Leader Allfiend, I may have found a suitable candidate for you," Elder Vryn replied, head still bowed.
Allfiend's eyes narrowed as he heard this.
"Who?" his voice echoed throughout the chamber, as his eyes seemed to glow with a sinister light.
...
John quickly left the Punishment Hall grounds and returned to his lodgings. His mind still raced over everything that had happened.
'I still think I was let off too easily. I had been expecting to put in far more effort to convince them to let me live.'
John replayed the events over and over, but couldn't figure anything out from it.
'Maybe they realized the value of my talent,' John couldn't help but muse with a confident smile.
Regardless of the reason, he had managed to accomplish his first goal of the mission, which was to enter the Bloodfiend Sect and live through the Execution Trial. Now that this goal was accomplished, John was able to start on his true mission, which was to uncover what was going on within the Bloodfiend Sect.
John fell into his bed, exhausted from his recent journey, as well as his Execution Trial. While he had gotten out of it without a scratch, it was still extremely tense and exhausting. He fell deeply asleep, the first time having done so in quite some time.
…
Sunlight crept through the windows of John's house, waking him up early in the morning. John sat up on his bed and stretched deeply, before standing up and walking outside.
"What should I do today?" John mused, still waking up from his deep sleep.
Unlike the Heavenly Lightning Sect, there were not set classes and schedules in the Bloodfiend Sect. The disciples were mostly left to themselves, and could earn rewards and money by completing missions for the sect.
'I guess I'll check out the mission board.'
John started walking deeper into the sect, towards where the mission hall should be.
Gong!
A loud bell sounded out across the sect, alerting all within.
'A gong?'
John had no idea what the gong meant, but quickly saw disciples scurrying towards in a certain direction.
'Might as well follow the crowd.'
John followed the crowd of disciples, who seemed to have been kicked into a furor for whatever was going on. Following the crowd, John eventually arrived in front of an incredibly large martial arena.
The fighting platform itself was nearly a mile wide on each side, and was surrounded by a stadium that stretched hundreds of rows back. A large crowd of tens of thousands of disciples had already gathered inside. John entered the arena, and found a relatively empty area to sit in the stands, waiting for whatever was happening.
A loud buzz of heated discussions erupted within the stadium, as an Elder suddenly walked on stage. He addressed the crowd, his voice booming across the stadium.
"The monthly life and death battles have arrived."