The Elders
Standing, staring, an old man with obtuse eyes sighed as a large collection of disciples stood in front of him. Faces varying from confusion to outright panic spread out from this crowd, yet the old man remained silent as the air whistled waves of pressure unto everyone.
"I am sure, and those who have already heard, I need to say no more! Leave this sect, Elders, Disciples, all who inhabit this plagued place."
His voice quaked into everyone's ears like the ring of bells, brimming with age and old power. Everyone remained silent as they gazed at the Sect Master's dwindling robes and the odd melancholy that shrouded him.
It was strange, no one erupted into discussion nor discord, they just accepted it. Maybe it was because of the way the sect built them, or maybe it was something inherent to them.
Respect, one might call it.
The Sect Master gave the group one last look and found that the Elders seemed to want to speak to him. Alas, he knew that this was pointless.
His face lit up with a smile, but no words came out as he turned around and took a slow stroll in the air. Aloof in the air. A scroll was in one hand, grasped tight with a trembling palm.
Cool, he may be, but the world seems to be collapsing in his eyes.
An echoing and distraught whoosh of thoughts, battering him every second. Terrifying deductions from a terrifying set of divinations, all rushing in his mind like it wanted to break him.
Yet, and through all this, he remained placid. He has done the deal for the sect, after all, so even if he dies, his sect will not. That deal, proposed with such great rewards, he just couldn't say no...
Nonetheless, greed comes and goes, and what it leaves is death. A world of death, and the only way to surmount such death is through power.
He found that the world seems to revolve around power. No matter the action, with power, it doesn't matter if it was wrong. The world is insidious in a way, but he has no one to blame.
A step at a time, he thought.
He won't force anyone to leave, but they wouldn't disobey. He knew it, of course.
He dwindled in these thoughts, and all until he was reminded once more of that day.
The deal, a deal that took the many edges of dignity out of him...
A snarly man, that bloke was to him. His robed posture was eery at the start, but he wouldn't dare ask him to leave.
Most of the memory of the deal was a blur, but he can always remember the distraught and hair-raising speech the man gave him.
A voice akin to the scrapes of chalk on a chalkboard; it roared in his mind.
"Sect Master, I come with a deal, you see. I know that your sect has been chosen to house the Heavenly Overseer's daughter!"
His smile was creaking, and his bristling arm lifted and revealed a blood-red orb. It expanded, and from the Sect Master's memory, a crimson world seethed within. This thing, it was a great treasure.
"Jejej, Sect Master, all he wants is the pleasure of this daughter's death. In fact, he asks for her skin to be strewn; her bones grated, and her organs placed in a jar for each! All while she remains alive, and all while her agony is as clear as day. For this, he will be within a disciple of yours, and you must have the sect bring her to her knees in trepidation! Maybe have an accident occur, maybe invoke despair. But, at the end of it all, for as long as he asks, she shall be dead with a face brimming with the pain He suffered all long ago! If you succeed, and the Overseer remains in the world in another land, then the Trapped Dragon Law of Slaughter shall be yours!"
The world of sects was a ruthless place, and to stand atop all you must remain on top. He was the strongest power within the sect, but this power only amounted to a measly 9th step.
A Peak Mid Mortal Dao Sect, nothing to scoff at.
Still, he wanted more...
*Haise..*
His face paled as he appeared before a peaceful garden. Birds chirped and flowers sparkled dew.
"To save myself, I do not know of a method... Using Wen Mian as a card against the Overseer isn't of great hope, considering that a beast is sitting next to her..."
His gaze shined an odd light as the crystalline grass gleamed under the sun.
"I didn't expect that guard to stop Chang Hui at such a time; why did I have to be out of the sect? Fate must really want me dead, heh... Yeah."
Regret was one of the few things he was feeling. Nonetheless, it was pointless to dwell on the past.
"Well, let's wait and see."
Everything he does is meaningless if the Heavenly Overseer returns, but if not, then that's a different story. It was just that this wasn't likely, as everything was way too coincidental; but, the Sect Master found it strange that nothing has happened yet.
'He should arrive soon.'
His thoughts raced as he continued to wait. The sect was already beginning to empty as the Elders gathered all the disciples, with the exception of Wen Mian. The Elders were in a rush, they could feel that a disaster was brewing.
He could go in desperation and try to kidnap Wen Mian; he could assemble the entire sect to do so, and win out of sheer numbers. Yet, that wouldn't be wise.
It's the case of sending those he has brought up to the malign jaws of unsuspecting death; if he has to die, then he will be the only one to do so.
...
...
...
"Hey, Wen Mian, the sect seems a little empty."
Staring outside, Li Wei spoke as he felt an odd emptiness shroud the lands. Wen Mian didn't seem to hear him as she continued to cultivate; she didn't care for trivial banter, for the goal to reach the 6th step was the only thing in her mind.
"Right..."
Li Wei gazed at her with a sigh as he looked around with flashes of confusion. His mind was still a bit messy, but he had at least recovered to a sane level.
It was just that he found the sect becoming barren to be a little disconcerting.
'I should take a look.'
He was tasked with guarding Wen Mian until Su Min escaped out of that void; thus, he felt the need to understand what was happening. This place was, after all, malignant in his eyes.
His feet bristled with fog as he made sure no one was nearby, and as he confirmed this, he took a swift step and disappeared from view. Wen Mian opened her eyes a tad as she watched him, and from this, she felt the air chill around her.
After all, being alone is scary for someone who had just experienced that sort of trauma.
*WHISTLE*
In the eyes of Li Wei, the world warped as he appeared in the sky a couple kilometres away. His white eyes were cold and his body eery, and through this, he caught sight of a great gathering of disciples and people who exuded an aura that felt troubling to an indiscernible degree.
"..."
Li Wei didn't know what to say as he watched them fly up into the sky, and as for those who couldn't do so used treasures or got helped by others. Nonetheless, Li Wei's presence itself was great, so everyone soon noticed his figure floating in the air.
It was strange, but in the disciples' eyes they seemed to see the world turn black around him, the sky rumble, and the air sharpen. Of course, this didn't actually happen.
It was just that this drenched each disciple in cold sweat; a sweat that made them freeze and unable to speak.
Everyone halted, and it was a shocking sight to behold.
The couple of Elders turned solemn as they stopped too and gazed at Li Wei with gloomy faces. They knew who this person was, and to see him turn up at such a time made them think of the worst possibilities.
'Has he come to kill us?'
It wasn't wrong to think of this, as they knew of the deal the Sect Master went through. It was a great thing when they heard of the reward, but they soon forgot about it as time went by.
They weren't involved in the thing, nor did they know what the deal entailed. All they knew was that the reward could set there sect to a whole new realm!
Nevertheless, they could clue in the details after what has occurred.
Although a guess, it was stupefying.
Thus, they didn't reject the idea of leaving. No matter the cause, they didn't want to die. It was just that they had a bad taste in their mouth.
Cowardly, Small, Shameful; they were leaving their Sect Master to dead!
Li Wei's figure seemed to represent the choice they would make.
They weren't notable people in the grand scheme of things, but they still felt a sense of pride. The feeling of being trampled on, they hated it!
A pause ensued as silence overtook the lands, and as this happened the Elder's reached a decision!
Three people emerged and gathered with similar eyes as they stood in unison. The first, a bearded man with a brutal atmosphere; next, a withered woman dressed in a black dress, smothered in deathly energy; finally, a mortal-looking boy with crimson eyes and a bloody aura.
They each represented a pillar in the sect, strength, death, and slaughter!
The soul elder was gone, so they were incomplete.
But, they were the elders of a peak mid sect.
"Hm?"
Li Wei's expression changed as he noticed this sudden transformation. He didn't expect everyone to pause and the elders to emerge. The light that blazed within their eyes was chilling, to say the least.
Though, Li Wei seemed to confirm something in his head as his shocked face relaxed into a placid expression that was even more chilling!
'So they are no longer hiding their intentions... This sect wants Wen Mian dead!'