Retired Old Man #5

Upon arrival near the base, Ki and the others waited for a while only to notice a strange atmosphere that was different from the previous one.

Upon hiding in the distance they witnessed several people head out of the base and went towards the city.

Rashida looked towards Ki and whispered. "What are they doing? Aren't they supposed to be staying inside the base all this time?"

Ki shook her head and replied in a cold tone of voice. "That would be the case unless it involved one of the rules of the sect or the possibility of information leaking. If they involved civilians in their plans then they may do some cleaning up of the recruits that had helped out. Either that or they are undergoing the procedures to enter the sect."

Rashida frowned. "Is there some sort of requirement to join them?"

Ki nodded as she kept looking towards their departing figures then back towards the closed entrance to the base. "Blood Sect disciples must have no connections to the outside world so if there are those who wish to join or know too much of what they shouldn't know… then they will have to choose between death or recruitment. Either choice will lead to the deaths of their family and perhaps their closest friends too but if they choose to enter the sect then they will have a chance to live on within the sect and receive similar treatment as the other disciples within."

Rashida looked disgusted upon hearing this. "How barbaric.."

Ki nodded as she agreed but then added. "As barbaric as they are… it is not without a purpose. They would not have lasted as long if such cruel measures were not taken to ensure there are no information leaks within the sect that could bring harm upon them."

The only reason why the headquarters was discovered in her previous life by the Martial Alliance was because some survivors had escaped her purge within the sect and leaked that information to them as an act of revenge.

The old man blood axe had also played a big part in that happening which eventually lead to her final struggle before her death.

Even if the methods of the sect seemed to be cruel they were effective for silencing witnesses, removing problematic elements within their sect but also controlling those within the sect or outside of it.

Those that wished to use the sect for their own goals would have to think twice after hearing about their methods.

Everyone continued to stay in hiding while waiting for their return because if an attack was lead on those within the base right now, it would only end up drawing further problems towards themselves.

If the group attacked and left behind the blood or bodies within the base, the returning people would be able to discover the traces of a battle and be cautious to enter the base.

If a battle is fought outside, it may draw further attention from someone passing by.

Ki did not wish for any interruptions but also did not want their actions to be exposed to others so it needed to all be handled within the base where the noise is cancelled out better and where there would be nobody to escape from.

The completion of her mission was important but so was not being discovered so they could achieve further successes.

The moment they were discovered was when they had to give up on the mission or risk being discovered and targeted by the Blood Sect whether it be through secret or open attacks.

Right now she or her family could not survive from such attacks and would be forced to go into hiding until they were.

As a result of that, many things she had built up over the years will be targeted and swallowed up by her families enemies or competitors but also the Blood Sect may also have an easier time infiltrating her organisations and businesses and turning her people against her.

By the time she is ready to face them all, it would already be too late and she would have a hard time putting back together what has either been destroyed or swallowed up by others.

As much as she could hurt them with all the information she had about them and the inner workings of the sect, she had not reached a stage where she could compete against them.

The old sect master is an old age but is still a Mystic realm powerhouse that could easily appear in a random place and cause lots of death and destruction before reinforcements from the Martial Alliance could arrive to attempt to save those lives.

The very whim of a Mystic realm powerhouse was a scary thing, upon making up their minds a large amount of people could be killed as they are just trying to keep to themselves and live their ordinary lives.

The group continued to wait for the return of the Blood Sect men and women until several carriages came by.

They were dragging many men, women, children and the elderly out of the carriage as they were tied up.

Upon knocking on the door, it was opened and a voice was heard from within. "You gathered them quickly. Was there any difficulty?"

The person leading them shrugged. "Not really, it was very easy to convince them to let us inside their homes after a little persuasion that we are friends of their family members or friends. The towns security is terrible so gaining entry was never an issue and we did not have to expose ourselves. One or two put up a struggle but we subdued and silenced those that did. Keeping them silent with threats and putting them on the carriages that they own was easy enough too."

The voice inside replied. "Are you sure you were not followed?"

He replied calmly. "I am sure."

The voice calmly stated. "Get them inside quickly and find a place to discard the horses and carriages. If you must do so then destroy them and set the horses free or kill them quickly."

They all began to take everyone inside while Ki and her group got into position.

A small group exited the base again to deal with the horses and carriages so they each got on the front of them to begin driving when suddenly the tip of a sword pierced through the carriage and pierced through their backs.

The four men and women looked down upon feeling the cold blades penetrate through their backs and exit through their front with a look of bewilderment in their eyes.

The ones that had their most important internal organs pierces died very quickly while two of them suffered a fatal enough wound that would result in death if not treated right away.

However as a Blood Sect disciple, their confidence was in their vitality and healing abilities so they both pushed themselves forward and loosened the blade from their bodies as they fell off the carriage.

However as they tried to struggle to their feet they were met with the sight of a pair of feet stood right before them before their deaths.

As they looked up, they witnessed the blurry outlines of Ki and Rashida who ended their lives.

Ki's sword swiftly cut the enemies throat while Rashida's scimitar removed the others head clean from their shoulders with one accurate swing.

Each cut perfectly demonstrated the differences between the two individual styles if combat, while Ki had precise movements with a mix of different elements It still had the aim to rend her opponents with her attacks while Rashida's movements were larger and used more force and momentum to allow powerful cutting power.