Very quickly they found a place to abandon the carriages and horses then went deep into a forest area where they found themselves by a mountain.
After walking for a while they found the entrance to their base and opened it.
They all found themselves in an underground passage that lead towards the mountain and continued beneath it.
They continued to walk deep into the passage where they found themselves near another ladder and the bottom of another hidden door or entrance to another room.
The leader of the group climbed up and unlocked it, he entered the room which looked to be partly made from the mountain area but it had been dug up or mined from the inside and then reinforced to prevent it from collapsing.
Inside was a long line of dead bodies which shows how often this base had been used compared to the others.
A large quantity of blood was stored within large jars and bottles ranging from different specified ages and descriptions about who it came from.
Many preferred to know of the source of the blood they were drinking because they feared catching a disease if they were so casually given the blood of a sick person or someone from the streets.
They much preferred the blood of those who were young and healthy but it did not hurt to occasionally enjoy the blood of some noble or rich family so long as they could target them and get away with it.
Many people were chained up and being slowly drained day after day while suffering physical and mental abuse from their captors.
The family entered the room and were quickly reunited with each other.
However it was not the reunion that they had hoped for or expected.
They were met with the sight of their children or grandchildren with a pale face and tied up.
They looked like they had not been treated very well and were not in good health.
The brother of the captive retired old man stepped forward and questioned. "What is going on?"
He was now feeling that something was wrong with what they had agreed and was panicking.
Many other arrived in the room and held the family down. "You honestly did not believe that we are like other places did you? How funny…"
The Blood Sect was never the place to be taken advantage of, they were cruel and merciless but the most stupid thing to do was to try and use them for their own gains.
The leader stepped forward and greeted the two children. "You wished for your children to join the sect but you do not know what that means…"
He placed two daggers on the ground near them with a cruel smirk on his lips. "Joining the sect means swearing complete loyalty to the sect and committing yourself to the master completely. There is no need for such things like family or relationships because they would only serve to bring our downfall."
The brother at the daggers in shock. "You.. you mean?!"
The leader laughed cynically. "Yes.. you recruits and recruiters get to live peacefully and blend into the world but the real members of the sect do not get to have such luxuries. Once you decide to join the sect, you must no longer have any family relations. So.. what you have asked for. Is your deaths."
Suddenly the family looked at their children or grandchildren on the ground as they were untied and picked up daggers with a look of fear in their eyes.
They wanted to run but couldn't.
They were still held down by many others who had far more strength than themselves.
The two pale looking children looked up and met their eyes.
The previous look of love and affection they held towards their parents and grandparents was replaced with desperation, hesitation and fear.
This was the situation that had been created from integrating with an evil group and wishing to gain something or profit from without knowing the true restrictions and cruelty within.
All they had been shown was the surface and never got to see the true depths.
Their ambitions to have a high ranking member of the sect from their family to assist them and do them favours was their own plan and dream but the sect had long prepared rules to stop these types of situations that would cause internal discord within the sect or expose various secrets of the sect.
They either accept orphans, new borns, children born from disciples or elders but they never accept those who have a family outside of the sect.
The only way to deal with that would be to have the family removed to prevent them being used by their family or leaking any information.
The mother of the children looked at the eyes of the men and women who had removed their masks and she knew that they had no way out.
She was smart enough to know that they had exposed their faces on purpose because they would be unable to identify them since they will not he leaving this place alive either way.
She looked kindly at her children and spoke softly to soothe them. "Calm down my children. I am sorry for putting you in this mess but now that it has happened, you cannot just retreat. Come forward, put that knife into us and let us all continue to accompany you."
She turned to the leader with a pleading look in her eyes and them kneeled with her forehead to the ground. "Please.. if you must make them kill us then please preserve our blood and give it to my children. I want to become their strength."
Her husband looked at her and shouted. "What are you even talking about?!"
She retorted. "We will die anyways, the least we can do is provide our children with a strong start within their sect before we leave them or do you think we can escape now.. how foolish."
The brother of the retired old man looked over to his wife and then his other family members with a look of despair.
He knew after hearing her words that they were destined to die today be it at the hands of his grandchildren or by those holding them down.
Since their family had been Blood Sect recruits for years and practiced the outer sects martial arts and qi arts, they have a much higher vitality than normal people and although they had managed to gather the blood of many victims whether it be from slaves, the poor or wanderers who passed through their town.
To go unnoticed for so long they had to be extra careful so although their strength did not grow as fast as the likes of Ki and her people who had captured many war prisoners and criminals, they still had enough bloody qi and vitality to match a second or first rate martial artist.
Rather than their blood be used by the disciples around her or simply be wasted as their blood is spilled during their deaths, the mother much preferred giving her children a fighting chance with what kind of life they had all thrown the children into.
Their blood should be more than enough for their children to survive if they are lucky enough.
The leader paused as he had guessed her thoughts.
A cruel glare appeared in his eyes as he brought a container forward. "Since you so willingly wish to sacrifice yourself, go ahead."
The husband looked at his wife and pleaded. "Don't.. do not do it.."
However she had a determined look in her eyes as she was released and willingly walked towards her two children who were still hesitating. "It is okay."
She took the knife from one of their hands and walked towards the container and lay on an elevated piece of wood above it so that her body did not fall into the container but she was still elevated over it.
The husband saw her actions and trembled. "No! Please!"
She took the knife and slip her throat and the blood sprayed and fell down into the container.
During her last passing moments she experienced many mixed emotions but among them was regret and a slither of hope that her children could survive.
If everyone was destined to die here today, she would try her best to provide her children with a path to live.
They had taken this path and become corrupted years ago and could not go back no matter what they did.
She had been silent as her husband continued to be more corrupted and eventually got pulled into it by him, the whole family had changed from a family who loved each other but had their own problems to one that were being corrupted together and committing horrible deeds to satisfy their lust for power.
She just hoped that the leader would accept her children and her children would not let her sacrifice and final words be in vain.
The leader looked at the trembling and crying children with an intimidating glance. "Did you head that? At least your mother had some balls on her, for your future she sacrificed herself willingly. So… what will you do? Will you stay there and continue to tremble in fear or will you act?"
He had been greatly amused by this play that was performed but as much as he respected the mothers devotion to her children, in his eyes it was all useless if the children were not ruthless enough to cut the blood ties that bind them.
If they make they wrong choice then he has no choice but to kill them right away.