"Grand Elder Rivno, we have lost many disciples this time."
At the highest peak of the Fiend Devouring Sect, under the vast stretch of a star-speckled sky, Sect Master Hinjo kneeled. His tone carried no grief, no hesitation—just cold, emotionless precision.
"Celis has entered the Azure World. Ris is dead. Fyr is in the Incandescent Caves. Karo and Brune are dead. Many other core disciples... gone."
Despite the list of names—each one a fallen warrior, each one a loss to the sect—Hinjo's expression did not waver.
He was merely making a report. Nothing more.
"That is unfortunate." The voice was calm, steady. Floating effortlessly beneath the heavens, Grand Elder Rivno remained undisturbed, as though the fates of those disciples had never held weight to begin with. "Call back the Veilborn Fiends."
Hinjo's head snapped up. "Now?" His voice carried a rare hint of shock. "Are you sure?"