“Is it true that cultivators, likely from the great sects, are going to head here, to our place?” a man asked his superior. He wore the black robe and red blood pattern unique to the Nether Lotus Sect. His hair was tied in a bun, secured by a small hairpin made from white bone. Concern twisted his features as he waited for an answer.

  The burly man in front of him, his superior, nodded gravely. “It is true.”

  “Then why are we still here?” he asked. The Nether Lotus Sect was a place where everyone was an enemy. It was no place to forge friendships. Yet, he had known his superior for years and knew that the man, while not his friend, at least had some honor. It was a rare quality for a demonic cultivator.

  “The answer is obvious. This place is important. We cannot abandon it just like that. If we did, the communications using our relay would be delayed, and we would be at fault for failing such a simple, straightforward function.”

  “True,” the man nodded. “But you and I both know that there’s no way we can hold off cultivators from the great sects. Even their Lock Opening cultivators could kill you, a Core Splitting cultivator. There’s a reason they are called ‘great.’ To imply that we could defend this place from them is the height of foolishness. Surely, those in the Nether Palace know this.”

  The superior pressed his lips together, his annoyance evident. "Do you think you're the only smart one here? Do you think I haven’t thought about it? Do you think I didn’t ask my own superior the same question? That's the answer I received from him."

  He was about to ask if reinforcements had been requested when the man's glare made it clear that they had. If he could think of it, his superior could too.

  The man, Luo Ying, clenched his fist. "It's as if they're trying to get us killed on purpose."

  Since his superior had already received an answer, they had no choice but to follow orders and defend this place, even if it meant dying for it. If they tried to flee, they would be branded traitors and executed. Luo Ying sometimes found the Nether Lotus Sect confusing. It granted its disciples autonomy to pursue their desires, yet at times, it demanded the swiftness and precision of demonic cultivators under the strictest discipline.

  Their location was far from the Nether Palace. However, the ambient qi was thick here, and some even suspected a little dragon vein ran deep under the ocean, which made this place perfect for a communication relay formation. Before, the Han clan had been their support and backup, but since their demise at the hands of the Young Master, the communication division had been forced to put more effort into maintaining communication across the vast area.

  Luo Ying talked with his superior a bit more. They were located on one of the three towers within the small island. The tower looked like a sword with its tip piercing the ground. There were three rooms at the top of the tower, and they were currently in the highest, most luxurious one, because it had a wide and tall window.

  Through the window, the bleak ocean and the dark sky stretched out before him. Occasional lightning flashed blue, but its sound could not reach them. In total, three similar towers stood inside the fort, creating a triangle formation maximized to receive and send signals across great distances.

  The island itself was small, less than a kilometer wide, with only a fort surrounding the three sword-like towers. The fort’s color was red. It was made from red brick suffused with blood, which made the building more durable and a great conduit for qi. All in all, the island was important, and the underground level, where a giant array formation received and sent signals, was quite sophisticated. Even those from the vassal sects or nations below the Purple Moon Sect likely did not have the knowledge to build this formation. Luo Ying knew it was thanks to their backer, that elusive elder from the Purple Moon Sect.

  In total, there were thirty cultivators here. Only three of them were at the Core Splitting realm, but since this was an important place, the fort was mounted with dozens of spirit cannons and a durable defensive barrier. Despite that, Luo Ying knew this place was doomed.

  His superior spoke. “We can only pray that the information is wrong, that there are no cultivators from a great sect specifically targeting us.”

  Luo Ying grimaced.

  “You know, you could just go,” his superior continued. “Unlike us, you have options. You’re not a criminal, nor have you committed a great crime. You’re merely a grave robber, and even then, you only robbed a single grave. If you conceal the fact that you’re practicing a demonic path, you’re good to go. Hell, compared to us, you’re actually a nice person. I swear on my honor that if I survive this whole ordeal, I will tell people that you’re dead.”

  Luo Ying wanted to reject the idea; after all, running away alone was risky. However, he pinched his chin and thought about it carefully. Running away, while risky, was better than waiting here to be killed. If the Nether Lotus Sect survived—and the chance was there, if the rumor about the Patriarch being an immortal was true—he would likely be hunted as a traitor. However, if his superior truly would lie for him, then it was a good deal.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Luo Ying sharpened his eyes. “What is your price?”

  The burly man smiled. “Would you believe me if I told you that I’m doing this from the goodness of my heart?”

  Luo Ying scoffed. “Would you believe a crocodile if it opened its mouth and told you that it only wanted you to take a pearl that was stuck between its teeth?”

  The man laughed. “Good one. Yes, there’s a price. But it’s not something hard. I want you to go to a certain place and send a letter to…someone.” For a moment, a hint of sorrow touched his eyes.

  “Who?”

  “My sister,” he answered. He then told Luo Ying about his past, that the reason he had joined the Nether Lotus Sect was because he needed to hide from his own clan for killing several elders who had tried to rape his sister. Luo Ying, of course, listened to it with a healthy dose of skepticism, knowing that the man hid many important things in his tale. In the end, though, he agreed.

  “Then, I will prepare my pack,” Luo Ying said.

  His superior nodded. “Hurry. If the information is not wrong, the great sect will come here riding a flying ship. It’s capable of moving with great speed; however, they are moving toward us at a measured pace. Two days at most, one day at minimum. You still have time.”

  Luo Ying turned and left the control room, descending the stairs hurriedly. The time was tight, but one day was good enough. Considering his…pack was quite big, he needed a little time to prepare.

  However, when he was halfway down, a tremor suddenly rocked the tower.

  “Earthquake?” Luo Ying muttered. His heart beat faster, and a bad premonition filled his stomach. When another tremor rocked the tower, strong enough to make dust fall around him, his heart skipped a beat. He immediately cycled his qi and moved as fast as he could. When he arrived outside, he looked up to see the tops of the towers exploding in a huge cloud of dust. His eyes widened.

  “Enemy attack!” someone shouted, and men began to prepare the cannons lining the wall, pointing them upward.

  Luo Ying expected a flying ship to hover above the fortress. What he saw, however, was nothing like that. Instead, high in the air, a shark hung in the sky. Its size was not massive, but the aura it emitted was terrifying. It pressed down on the entire island and made the hairs on his back stand up. Luo Ying could not gauge its realm or whether it was a spirit beast, but he knew for certain that the shark belonged to someone.

  At that thought, a rumble echoed from underground. A jet of water split the ground, extending dozens of meters into the air. It moved with such ferocity that everyone in its path was sliced in two. One of the towers was in its way and the structure split before it crumbled into dust. Not only that, but the men on the wall, those in charge of activating and aiming the cannons, died rapidly one by one. Some died because a hole suddenly appeared in their head; some had their heads or bodies explode; some were paralyzed with ropes of electricity before being bitten by the shark.

  Luo Ying’s heart beat crazily. In that moment, he knew fighting these enemies was a futile endeavor. He ran as hard as he could, his feet pushing him forward as he moved between the falling remains of people and buildings. His aim was a hidden room inside the fort.

  Luo Ying moved through the corridors as fast as he could. From everywhere, the sounds of death and destruction echoed. He wondered who was attacking them. Logic stated that it was the cultivators from the flying ship. Perhaps they had decided not to ride the ship and instead moved silently with their own power. Yet, the more he thought, the less certain he was. There was a chance that the attackers were not affiliated with the flying ship. He had heard rumors, after all, about an individual who hunted people from their sect.

  Soon, Luo Ying arrived at his destination. It was his superior’s room. Once he reached the door, he pushed his palm against a specific brick and cycled qi in a specific pattern. Luo Ying had spied on his superior long enough.

  The door opened. Inside, it was a bare room with only a small bed, some shelves, and a chest for belongings. Luo Ying hurriedly slammed his fist into the wall, activating another mechanism to open a hidden panel. Screens suddenly lit up. To the side of the main screen, a jade slip rested inside a formation carved on a turtle shell, and to the right were writing utensils. With the knowledge given by the elder of the Purple Moon Sect, their sect had made a leap in technology, one of which was the ability to back up information in a jade slip, as well as emergency communication using connected papers.

  Luo Ying hurriedly grabbed the jade slips, scrolls, and books from behind and to the side of the main screen.

  “If I cannot win a fight, then I won’t fight. I will negotiate,” he muttered. With this information, he should have a bargaining chip to ask for mercy.

  As he held the jade slip in his trembling hand, he realized that the tremors, the shouts, and the sounds of death and destruction had suddenly stopped.

  "There’s no way everyone is already dead, right?" It had not even been a minute!

  Luo Ying began to sweat as he turned around, trying to think of a plan. But a man stood in front of him. His red robes were drenched in blood, and the white mask with slits for eyes looked at Luo Ying menacingly. Luo Ying’s heart leaped into his throat. An intense, ferocious killing intent slammed into him, and he fell backward, his teeth chattering and his body trembling. At that moment, Luo Ying knew he was dead. The jade slip and scrolls he had held now lay on the floor between them. Luo Ying looked at the jade slip, then at the man. Fighting the fear paralyzing him, he rose to his feet. With trembling legs, he began to run, hoping the enemy would be interested in the jade and not him

  As he came out of the room and ran straight toward his own, he expected his head to be severed from his neck. But when he looked behind, he saw the man following him at a measured pace, like a lion stalking a limping gazelle that would sooner or later succumb to its wounds and be devoured.

  Luo Ying did not stop. There was one thing more important to him than his own life.

  3 4 patrons? If you enjoy the daily chapters, please consider joining them to .