Right now, the young elites of every sect in Yunlin Prefecture were diligently improving, not daring to slacken in the slightest. It was certain that their sects’ resources would be allocated in their favor in due time.

....

Deep within Qianchuan Marsh, inside a hidden cave on a small island.

Water dripped with a steady beat. The damp rock walls were covered in dark moss, and a few dim, yellow oil lamps flickered, casting distorted, swaying shadows.

Several figures stood in silence, adding to the cave’s already oppressive and suffocating atmosphere.

If Chen Qing were here, he would have recognized one of them—it was Zuo Feng, the Demon Sect expert who had protected Zheng Hui and broken through the encirclement during the battle of Nine Waves Island.

His expression was somber now as he scanned the others in the cave.

Everyone present was a prominent figure from the Demon Sect’s Yunlin Sub-Pavilion. Their hands were all stained with blood, their crimes innumerable.

They barely spoke to one another. When their gazes did meet, they were filled with scrutiny and an almost imperceptible wariness.

There had been low murmurs of discussion in the cave as they exchanged news about recent developments and the situation in Yunlin Prefecture.

Suddenly, all sound ceased.

A figure clad in a wide black robe glided into the cave entrance without a sound.

His steps seemed unhurried, yet in an instant, he was in the center of the cave. His face, shrouded by a wide hood, was hidden in the shadows. A heart-stopping pressure spread out like a tide, causing everyone present to hold their breath and subconsciously straighten their backs.

You could hear a pin drop in the cave. The only sounds were the crackle of the oil lamps and the clear splash of dripping water.

The newcomer was none other than the man who had struck terror into the heart of Yunlin Prefecture for over a decade, yet whose true face few had ever seen: the Altar Master of the Demon Sect’s Sub-Pavilion—Heart Devourer!

He stood still. Though his eyes were not visible, his gaze seemed to sweep over everyone present. Each person felt an icy stare pass over them, like a viper’s tongue flicking against their skin, sending a shiver down their spine.

"Everyone is here."

A deep, impassive voice emerged from beneath the hood.

No one responded, but all lowered their heads slightly in a show of fearful respect.

"Those people in Yunlin Prefecture have been getting more and more brazen over the past two years."

Heart Devourer spoke slowly, his voice echoing in the cave. "Nine Waves Island is gone. The Zheng Family has fallen. Do they think our Holy Sect has no one left? That they can rest easy now?"

"They don’t realize that we lie in wait only to rip out our prey’s throat more viciously."

As his words faded, he gave a light flick of his sleeve.

An unseen force swept past, and a small, black Elixir Bottle materialized out of thin air in front of each person.

"These are Clear Heart Pills, newly bestowed by the Main Altar."

Heart Devourer’s voice rang out again. "They can calm the mind and focus the spirit, suppressing distracting thoughts. They are of some benefit, both in Cultivation and in battle."

Though a flicker of understanding passed through their eyes, they all silently reached out, took the Elixir Bottles, and stored them away. No one asked any questions; no one hesitated.

When the Main Altar bestowed pills, one simply accepted. There was no need to probe for a deeper meaning.

Once everyone had secured their Pills, the Heart-devouring Old Demon spoke again. "Gather your most capable subordinates. Muster as many as you can."

A jolt went through the crowd at his words.

’Gather our most capable subordinates?’

’A mobilization of this scale is no small skirmish!’

A palpable sense of bloodthirsty excitement began to spread quietly through the cave.

For those like them, who practiced Demon Skills, slaughter was the fastest shortcut to increasing their power.

For every expert they killed, their own Cultivation would advance.

It was just that in the past, this Altar Master, Heart Devourer, had always been conservative, strictly ordering them to remain in Concealment. Chafing under the combined pressure of the Four Great Sects, they had long been feeling stifled.

’And now, they were finally going to make a move!’

"Yes! As the Altar Master commands!"

Including Zuo Feng, everyone cupped their fists, bowed, and voiced their assent.

The Heart-devouring Old Demon’s gaze, hidden beneath his hood, seemed to slowly sweep over each of them once more.

He fell silent for a moment, then said, "Hu Mei!"

From the crowd, the voluptuous Hu Mei immediately bowed. "I am here."

"Did you, a few days ago, ambush and kill several Inner Sect disciples from the Earth Element Sect?"

The Heart-devouring Old Demon’s tone was as casual as if he were making small talk, but his words made the woman known as Blood Rakshasa turn deathly pale in an instant.

"Altar Master, I swear, I just happened to run into them..."

Blood Rakshasa’s voice trembled slightly.

"’Happened to’?"

The Heart-devouring Old Demon chuckled, a sound colder than the depths of winter. "I don’t care if it was by chance or on purpose. Clean up your mess and cover your tracks. You are forbidden from provoking the Earth Element Sect of Lin’an Prefecture for the time being. And you are especially forbidden from touching the disciples of those old men. If your recklessness ruins my grand plan..."

He left the sentence unfinished, but the icy threat plunged Blood Rakshasa into a freezing abyss.

"Yes! Yes! I obey! I will never dare to do so again!"

Blood Rakshasa replied hastily.

The Heart-devouring Old Demon’s hood turned slightly, as if looking toward another person. "Your ’Ten Thousand Insects Pit’ has been quite ’lively’ recently, hasn’t it? I hear the new Poisonous Man you refined cost you three of your best disciples just to bring it under control."

From a corner, a wizened old man, thin as a rail, quickly spoke up. "The Altar Master need not worry. It... it is already under control." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"As long as it’s under control."

The Heart-devouring Old Demon’s voice betrayed no emotion. "Let’s hope the next thing I hear isn’t that your Poisonous Man has turned on you and used you as nourishment."

The Poison Elder lowered his head, not daring to utter another word.

The Heart-devouring Old Demon slowly scanned the entire assembly once more. "Your recent activities, the skills you’ve been practicing, your little schemes on the side... I am aware of them all."

He paused, letting the chill of his words seep into their very bones.

"I may have overlooked such things in the past. But over the next three days, and during the operation that follows, should anyone feign compliance, act on their own, or leak the slightest whisper of our plans... do not blame me for personally ’clearing their heart and purifying their thoughts’ according to the laws of the Holy Sect."

"I trust you will all conduct yourselves accordingly."

A chill ran through everyone’s heart. They all bowed their heads, repeatedly murmuring that they wouldn’t dare.

Only one person, standing slightly toward the back, had a flicker of gravity pass through his downcast eyes as he bowed with the others.

.....