The island was actually quite small. Standing atop a high wall, Liu Xing could see the entirety of it. The landmass resembled a giant crater, with a tall wall circling almost the entire perimeter. The barrier stood perhaps thirty meters high; while a cultivator in the higher stages of the Lock Opening realm could cross it in a single jump, it remained an intimidating sight.

  Inside the circular wall lay not a city, but something akin to a small sect. The main building towered over everything, far taller even than the outer wall. It was a massive red pyramid with a wide base that tapered as it rose. However, countless windows, balconies, and canopies lined its walls, obscuring the distinct pyramid shape. It reminded him of the castle of the Twelve Sun Empire. He imagined that perhaps thousands of people could occupy it.

  Smaller buildings surrounded the central castle, spread evenly and connected by roads that all led to the main structure. From high up, the layout appeared symmetrical. There were buildings resembling apartment complexes on two sides, painted blue. Four pagodas stood around the pyramid, along with many smaller structures that looked like residential areas. Above, lightning flashed across the sky, and the sound of thunder never ceased. It was as if the heavens were trying to smite this place to the ground but lacked the power to do so.

  The more Liu Xing observed, the more certain he became that this had been a legitimate sect in the past. The pyramid was the center of everything. The past cultivators of this island must have conducted their daily activities there—the qi was quite dense in that area—while the outer buildings were likely for servants or outer disciples. However, instead of the people who rightfully belonged to this sect, the masters of this place were none other than the Nether Lotus Sect.

  Through the windows of the pyramid and along the streets, two distinct groups were visible. One group consisted of people wearing gray garments, their faces gaunt and sickly, with dark circles around their eyes. Most were mortals, while some were low-level cultivators between the first and second stages of the Lock Opening realm. They were busy tending gardens, sweeping streets, cleaning windows, and performing menial tasks.

  The other group was, of course, the Nether Lotus Sect. They walked along the streets, practiced on the training grounds strewn around the island, and went about their business. Some focused on their tasks, sparing no attention to the servants around them as if the laborers didn't even deserve a glance. Others openly laughed at and harassed the servants. Liu Xing narrowed his eyes. He fought the impulse to jump toward the nearest cultivator, who sat near a wall concocting some kind of elixir in a cauldron. He reined in the urge and observed further, deciding to walk along the wall that circled the island. Guards patrolled here and there, but they did not concern him.

  As he watched, he realized that while the Nether Lotus Sect controlled the island, it looked almost... normal. It was true that they were demonic cultivators; he saw several people practicing techniques with malevolent qi suffused by the smell of blood. Yet, they lived their daily lives like a normal sect. There was no murder in the open, no refining of pills from humans, no carnage, and no depravity. These demonic cultivators looked almost well-behaved. At first, a flicker of doubt crossed his eyes, but he soon shook his head. They wore the robes of the Nether Lotus Sect. They were clearly the enemy. He decided that even if they begged, pleaded, and cried, he would kill them all. There would be no mercy.

  Still, the atmosphere bothered him, so he moved toward the bustling area outside the wall. A small port sat there, with a lighthouse at its edge. Several ships were docking, and many groups of people wearing black and red robes began to converge on them. Seeing this, Liu Xing looked toward the sea. Indeed, dozens of ships and several groups flying on swords, fans, gourds, and other treasures—as well as those riding sea creatures—were approaching the port. It was as if Ye Xuanming had ordered them to come as soon as possible, and they were rushing to avoid angering him.

  Liu Xing leaned against a small tree near the port and realized his assessment was close to reality.

  Two groups touched down at the port and began to walk toward the main gate of the island, a giant double door made of iron directly facing the docks.

  "Was your group ordered to be back, too?" a demonic cultivator from one group asked the other.

  "Yes," one answered.

  "Do you know why?"

  "I know as much as you," the man said. "However, it is likely connected to those cultivators from the Great Sects."

  "Emergency meeting," another added, and people nodded at his words.

  Their conversation stopped for a moment, then a man spoke up. "Sometimes, I regret serving under our leader. He is one of the Six Elite Elders, but he's no fun." The man resting his hands behind his head. "He's too strict. We're demonic cultivators, after all. Others rampage as they desire. Yet here we are, acting like one of those lame righteous sects with discipline, diligence, and rules to follow. It's suffocating."

  "Hush your mouth," one replied. "Each of us was marked. He could hear us."

  "Bullshit, this is merely a lesser mark. Its function is to track us, and it works only within a certain radius."

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  "If you say so, then it's fine for you to become an example for us. Go and disobey our order and flee. Join another division. If you're safe for a month, no, a week, then we will follow you."

  The man grimaced. It was evident he did not actually want to do that.

  "I thought so. But it's true that Elder Wuji Sanren is peculiar. He operates within the established rules and boundaries. His view of the demonic path differs from that of others. However, his power is real. The Nether Lotus Sect exists because he established its rules. How else do you think demonic cultivators could form a sect without killing each other?"

  They walked briskly toward the gate. When they crossed the open threshold, Liu Xing followed, eavesdropping further.

  It seemed these people had been sent to various places on missions. Some were procuring herbs or ingredients for pills, some were sent to help other divisions, and some had even been sent to the Mirror Tide Empire on scouting missions. However, whether they had completed their missions or not, they were ordered to return. As time passed, more people arrived. At one point, several groups totaling almost eighty people arrived at the same time, making the little port incredibly busy.

  Truthfully, Liu Xing was curious about why these demonic cultivators had been recalled, but he had a guess.

  "Cultivators from the great sects, huh?" Liu Xing muttered, leaning against the wall and hugging Tide Walker while observing people entering the sect.

  It seemed they were truly in the Wild Tide Region, which was significant. If they were cultivators from the Purple Moon Sect, that would be normal because this region was their territory. However, they did not appear to be. It was strange that his own sect was absent.

  One thing was certain, though. Those from the great sects would not dare enter the Purple Moon Sect's territory without a good reason. He didn't know what kind of reason that would be, but Ye Xuanming needed his friends to be kidnapped. Why? Liu Xing didn't know. But the indications suggested that it was something so significant that the other great sects had decided to get involved.

  It must be something valuable. More than the Heaven Severing Pill.

  "I need to know," Liu Xing muttered.

  He was certain there were clues to Ye Xuanming’s plan within this island. He remembered that the people who kidnapped Fang Ruxue and the others were Elders, as was this Wuji Sanren. If anyone knew something about it within this island, it must be him.

  Deciding his course of action, Liu Xing walked alongside the people entering the sect proper. He remained invisible, but he decided not to feed Tide Walker with his qi. The shark had already regained consciousness, but it was still quite weak, and its appetite for his qi was huge. Liu Xing calmed the shark as he stopped feeding it. Inside his heart, he promised it a lot of qi later. After all, there were perhaps a thousand demonic cultivators here. A lot of them were still at the Lock Opening realm, but there were also many at the Core Splitting realm. Almost all of them possessed only two or three cores, perhaps four. So far, not a single one was close to the Sun Refining realm. Perhaps Wuji Sanren was at the peak of the Core Splitting realm, or perhaps those who were stronger were already inside.

  Liu Xing pressed his lips together as he steeled his heart. He would kill them all.

  As he walked around the sect, various rumors spread through the crowd. Liu Xing listened to them all. Some rumors concerned the war. Others concerned Ye Xuanming’s power and his supposed secret to immortality, which made him gnash his teeth. Liu Xing gathered as much information as he could by eavesdropping. The most interesting information, however, came when he approached the servants.

  It seemed this sect had more than just the pyramid; it also had an underground space. One section even held a dungeon where those with stronger cultivation, unique bloodlines, or specific cultivation methods were held until they were finally refined into pills. Two servants discussed it. One was old, and he said to the younger one, "Matters such as this are not ours to solve. Even if we know our true masters are below, only death awaits us." The younger one looked frustrated but eventually sighed and continued tending to a small orange tree.

  Liu Xing walked around the sect, trying to locate Wuji Sanren, when suddenly an announcement reverberated through the air.

  "Gather in the main plaza."

  The voice was calm and stern. The moment it sounded, all the demonic cultivators scrambled to the main plaza. Once there, everyone stood in order. Their rows and columns were neat, and Liu Xing stood at the back. His eyes focused on a person slowly descending from the sky.

  It was a man with long, flowing black hair. He wore robes similar to the others, but his were adorned with golden lines. He descended with his hands behind his back, chin held high, radiating a domineering aura that successfully suppressed all the disciples of the Nether Lotus Sect. When he landed, all the disciples knelt and spoke in unison. "Disciples greet the Great Elder Wuji Sanren!"

  Elder Wuji Sanren looked coldly over the crowd, swept his eyes across them, and nodded. "All of you are here. Good. Let's not waste time and come straight to the main point. The Nether Lotus Sect, our sect, is currently on the cusp of greatness. Our leader, the Patriarch of the Nether Lotus Sect, Ye Xuanming, has finally made a move. He successfully procured what he needed. However, it seems that those from the great sects have sharp ears, because they have come and intend to plunder us. I, and the Patriarch, do not want that. We built this sect from scratch. We will not fold in front of them. We have a chance to win. We will fight. We will win this war. We are just a step away from becoming one of the powers that control the world."

  He let his words settle. Liu Xing had the impression that he was trying to ignite the spirits of the disciples, but he could see they were not too excited. In fact, some of them grimaced.

  "We need to prepare. That is why the library I brought to this place will be open to anyone. The treasures that sat uselessly in the treasure room, you may take as you please. The pills gathering dust, you may consume. Every resource we have, we will use."

  At that, some disciples began to look excited. The prospect of gaining power was always alluring to cultivators.

  "To avoid the bloodshed that you will certainly spill to procure the best treasures and pills, I declare that every fight that occurs must follow a 'no kill' rule. Some of my direct disciples will become judges and referees for your fights. Some will even accommodate tournaments for the most valuable treasures. Rejoice, because at the end of this war, we will come out as the true winners!"

  keep the lights on.