Once the figure in red had vanished, people began to get up in a scattered fashion, whispering amongst themselves.

"So, why did you all kneel?"

"Oh? From your accent, you’re a local. Why did you kneel?"

"Er, I saw you all kneeling. It would’ve been awkward if I was the only one left standing."

"To be honest, I don’t know why we have to kneel for Rose, either. But everyone was doing it, and not kneeling made me nervous!"

...

"Bullshit. All the old-timers know you get hanged if you don’t kneel for Rose."

"Really? I heard they poke you to death with an iron rod."

"For real?"

...

After Rose left, the scene descended into chaos. Dust Sacrifice paid it no mind. ’Consumables need to stay lively,’ he thought. ’They taste better that way.’

COUGH COUGH...

The crowd gradually fell silent. When a Grandmaster spoke, no one dared to cause trouble.

"Di, work it out with the others. The first day of the high school term will be the time of our all-out assault. All those lovely students will be gathered together. We can take them down in one fell swoop and save ourselves the trouble. You’re familiar with the area, so draw up a plan."

Di Yunliang’s attitude was humble, his tone reverent.

"No problem. I will have a plan ready for your review."

Dust Sacrifice waved a dismissive hand. "Ah, you young people have sharp minds. Just handle it as you see fit. I’m just an old fossil. The future of the Sect rests on your shoulders!"

Di Yunliang bowed even lower, fawning, "You are the very sky of the Sect. Without your leadership, we would be lost."

"Hahaha... Di, these old bones of mine just want to lead you all out of here safely. Don’t flatter me. By the way... with great matters at hand, a little roughhousing is fine, but don’t let it damage our unity."

Di Yunliang’s heart clenched. He quickly replied, "You’re right. We were just fooling around. It won’t happen again."

He was inwardly furious. ’That bastard Cheng YuanYu is damn lucky. When Dust Sacrifice speaks, no one dares to disobey.’

A relieved smile spread across Cheng YuanYu’s face, which was still pressed to the ground. ’Saved!’

"Mm, that’s good."

Dust Sacrifice nodded with a smile, his eyes scanning the crowd. "Crippled Leg Six, I presume."

From the crowd, an old cripple leaning on a metal crutch took a step forward. "At your command, sir."

"How goes the refinement of the Life Soul Blood?"

"It will be ready in about two hours."

"Good. Once the refinement is complete, distribute it to everyone. Times are hard for us all. A boost in strength at this critical juncture will improve our chances later. Prepare yourselves. When we storm the county seat, you’ll have your hands full. There can be no mistakes."

Crippled Leg Six nodded repeatedly.

He held Crippled Leg Six in high regard. Ordinarily, he wouldn’t bother with such a minor figure, but far too many of their technical specialists had died during the Sect’s flight. The gap they left was now immense.

Dust Sacrifice swept his gaze over the crowd again and asked coldly:

"Where is Song Qidong?"

A lean, dark-skinned man from the crowd hurried two steps forward and fell to his knees.

"Lord Sacrifice, I am here."

Dust Sacrifice slowly walked up to him but made no move to help him up.

"Your men were all killed by that little pup. It’s bad enough you couldn’t save your own brothers, but you then tried to lead the enemy right to us, as if you were worried they might get lost.

You... What punishment do you deserve?"

Song Qidong’s face went pale. Prostrating himself on the ground, he stammered:

"I am entirely at your disposal, Lord Sacrifice..."

After a long silence, Dust Sacrifice’s raspy voice finally broke it.

"Get up. In the past, I would have thrown you into the Array to atone for your sins with your blood before the great Lord of Dark Ash. But these are special times. You will take our Level 2 brothers and, one hour before Di’s attack, launch a feint on the neighboring county. Divert any potential support. Understand?"

A bitter expression filled Song Qidong’s face.

"Yes!"

"Remember, you must sustain the attack for at least two hours and create significant chaos before you can withdraw. Do you understand?"

"Yes!"

Dust Sacrifice had given Song Qidong a suicide mission. He didn’t need to state the consequences of failure. The Bright God Sect was no place for mercy. If the mission failed, Dust Sacrifice had his own methods for punishment. Song Qidong would not dare to disobey.

However, the faces of the eight Level 2 cultists in the crowd turned deathly pale. No matter how bad things got, Song Qidong was still an Inner Qi Martial Artist and had a decent chance of survival. But a group of Level 2 grunts like them could be easily wiped out by the forces of any single county.

But as the lowest rung of the Sect, they wouldn’t dare refuse, even if it meant marching to their deaths.

"Good. Then it is settled."

Dust Sacrifice seemed a little tired. After he spoke, he vanished.

’My own faction within the Bright God Sect is on the verge of collapse. I’m not a fool. If I chose to flee now, no one could stop me. But what then?

The first rule of survival in the Bright God Sect is to never reveal weakness. Without my claws and teeth, I would be left vulnerable.

But... what if I could ascend to Level 8? If I could become a Shepherd, ruling over my own territory...

All I have to do is sacrifice the most promising students in all of Tianning County. The great Lord of Dark Ash would surely be pleased, and I could take another step forward...

Things at the Abyss are unstable lately, with the Yuan Mo clan showing signs of revolt. The Yu Kingdom’s internal forces are stretched thin. This means I can be bold... and take a very big bite...’

Rose clutched two crescent blades, her red robes fluttering, a dazed look on her face.

In her memory, the image of a sturdy little boy overlapped with Tao Lang’s form. She slowly closed her eyes.

"Big sister, can we escape...

Big sister, here’s a biscuit. I hid it. That bad uncle didn’t see...

Big sister, let’s run away. I have a feeling we can make it out...

Big sister, don’t leave me behind, WAAAH..."

Rose had a delicate, small face and stood just over five feet tall. Perched on a treetop, she swayed with the wind like a blood-red sprite.

The best age to begin cultivation as a Martial Artist is sixteen, when the skeleton is mostly developed. If one starts practicing martial arts too early, the body is subjected to immense pressure from Qi Blood, which can very likely stunt one’s growth. Rose, however, was baptized by the Illuminati at the age of ten and began her martial arts training then.

Her physical development had suffered irreversible consequences...

Rose gazed into the distance, in the direction of Tianning County.

"Lang...

You get to live in the real light. That’s so wonderful..."

She recalled the pink outfit, so completely at odds with Tao Lang’s usual style, and couldn’t help but smile. Pink had been her favorite color when she was little, and she used to always steal her mother’s makeup to dress Tao Lang up like a little pink-cheeked girl...

But twenty-year-old Tao Lang still dressed like he did back then. ’It looks so ugly,’ she thought, ’and so wonderful...’

In the darkness of the night, what seemed to be a tear slid down her cheek. Rose’s smile was brilliant and unrestrained.

Her laughter, carried on the wind, was both crazed and defiant.

Dust Sacrifice couldn’t help but frown.

’Who’s provoked her again? Oh well, I’ll tolerate it for now. One must show some respect for the main course, after all. A so-called Apostle? Nothing but an ingredient I’ve raised myself.’

In the shadows, Dust Sacrifice’s face twisted, his eyes bloodshot as drool trickled unceasingly from the corner of his mouth. This delicacy... he had cultivated it with care for fourteen years. It was time for the harvest...

Rose’s expression grew solemn as she vowed to herself.

’Lang, this time, I swear I won’t let any harm come to you!’