Chapter 2
Heavenly note sect.
Hundred Flowers Lake.
The Hundred Flowers Lake located at the highest point of the Heavenly Note Sect was a beauty to behold. There were hundreds of flowers in the lake, hence the name. The lake water was calm and clear. Occasionally, Spirit Beasts appeared from the lake and caused the surface to ripple.
There was a small island in the center, the Crimson Flower Pavilion. On this pavilion was a beautiful woman dressed in red. She touched the front of her dress and a trace of disgust flashed through her eyes.
A gentle breeze blew, and the flowers swayed. A woman wearing a delicate white dress landed on the pavilion. She looked at the woman dressed in red with admiration and respect.
“Sect Master, you’ve come out of your closed-door cultivation.”
The woman dressed in red moved slightly and looked behind her. She looked at the woman dressed in white. She was incredibly beautiful, but her eyes remained cold. The woman dressed in white lowered her head in fear.
“Baizhi, does no one remember the glory of Heavenly Note Sect anymore?”
The woman in red was the Sect Master of the Heavenly Note Sect, Hong Yuye.
Before she took over, the Heavenly Note Sect used to be a second-rate sect. It was only because of her that the Heavenly Note Sect had claimed the heights to become the topmost sect in the world.
On the very first day when she became the Sect Master of the Heavenly Note Sect, she launched a great war and subdued all the scattered forces around her. The Great War lasted for thirty years, and blood flowed like rivers.
In the last thirty years, the Heavenly Note Sect continued becoming stronger and stronger, and the resources increased. The name of the Heavenly Note Sect resounded in every direction.
After the great battle, Hong Yuye began to manage the operations of the sect. In just ten years, she distributed the resources evenly among the various offshoots, allowing the sect its own freedom and letting the Devil Sect operate on its own. She had then entered the closed-door cultivation and lived in seclusion for sixty years.
“Please Enlighten us, Sect Master.” Baizhi fearfully knelt on the ground.
Baizhi was one of the four guardian elders of the Heavenly Note Sect. She had gained the trust of the Heavenly Note Demoness and had taken over the management of the Heavenly Note Sect.
If the Heavenly Note Sect had somehow regressed in the recent years with no developments, she would be the one at fault. She was terrified.
Hong Yuye stared at Baizhi indifferently. She did not say a word. Aside from the sound of the gentle breeze blowing in the lake, there Baizhi’s unsteady breathing. Hong Yuye withdrew her unwavering gaze from Baizhi.
She had been in seclusion for sixty years. Everything should have gone smoothly, but at the critical moment… she was ambushed. It wasn’t a member of the demonic sect. The cultivation technique which was used to attack her was the Azure Mountain’s three pure parts. The method had been despicable, to say the least.
The woman had hidden toxins in her body. If she was killed, the toxins would have invaded everything around her. It would have been impossible to contain it. That was why Hong Yuye had gone to the nearest cliff, the Cliff of Broken Hearts.
That was how last night had come to pass.
That was a method she couldn’t defend against. Azure Mountain shouldn’t have used it.
“Have there been any unusual movements from other famous sects recently?” Hong Yuye asked calmly.
“No.” Baizhi shook her head. “Azure Mountain is the most reputable sect closest to us, but they’ve been busy with the DAO conference recently and don’t seem to have the time for anything else. Besides, Sect Master, you fought them before so they wouldn’t dare to do anything reckless.”
“Is that so?” Hong Yuye smiled.
Baizhi didn’t dare speak in fear.
“Keep the matter of me coming out of seclusion a secret for now. You can continue to take care of the Heavenly Note Sect for now. Also, investigate the disciples of our sect and see if we have any spies from other sects within our walls.”
“Yes. Understood,” said Baizhi quickly.
After a moment of pause, Hong Yuye asked, “Baizhi, you aren’t a spy for the other sects, are you?”
Baizhi touched her head to the ground and pleaded in fear. “Sect Master, how could Baizhi ever even think of such a thing?!”
Hong Yuye looked at Baizhi for a long time, then nodded and softly said, “You may leave.”
Baizhi stood up shakily, and turned around to leave. Just then she heard the Sect Master’s voice again.
“Have the sect’s information ready. Mark out the new developments. I want to see what you have achieved in recent years.”
“Yes, Sect Master,” said Baizhi and left the pavilion.
Watching Baizhi leave, Hong Yuye raised her hand slightly and pressed the back of her hands to her lips and coughed.
Sixty years ago, she had believed in Baizhi, and sixty years later, she still believed in her, but…
Only Baizhi knew where she was during her seclusion. When she was attacked, the first thought that came to her mind was that Baizhi had betrayed her. So far, she felt that Baizhi could still be of use.
Hong Yuya closed her eyes and remained in silence.
…
The Cliff of Broken Hearts.
Spirit herb garden.
Jiang Hao walked all the way to the entrance of the Spirit Herb Garden. He wanted to go in and collect some bubbles. It could increase his strength.
This place was quite far from where he lived. It was around the center of the valley. The whole of the Cliff of Broken Hearts was like a valley. A small stream flowed from one corner. That was where Jiang Hao’s house was situated. The place was quiet and peaceful, free from unwelcome people.
The Spirit Herb Garden was surrounded by a formation, and the entrance was guarded by two outer sect disciples. They were both at the fifth level of Lifeblood Refinement Realm, which was indeed impressive.
If anyone managed to reach the eighth level of Lifeblood Refinement Realm, they would be allowed to join the inner sect. He was at this stage.
But to secure the status of being an official inner sect disciple, he needed to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage. If, by some reason, anyone was not able to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage by the age of forty but was still a part of the inner sect, then it would be better to take on a mission and leave for a while.
Otherwise, they would be despised by fellow disciples and ostracized by others in the sect. Their cultivation resources would be snatched away, and they would never be able to rise up again.
These weren’t just speculations. He had seen it happen once before.
When he had just entered the inner sect and went to receive his resources, he had seen a forty-year-old man of the ninth level of Lifeblood Refinement Realm being ridiculed and robbed of his resources. Jiang Hao had felt sorry for him. He had given the man a medicinal pill when no one was round.
The man had been so shocked by this that he fell into despair. Jiang Hao never saw the man again.
He had heard that the missions weren’t easy, either. Nine out of ten people who went on a mission outside ended up dead.