Lian's eyes gleamed once again as he looked at the fallen patriarch before him. The patriarch, unable to resist, felt his soul invaded by Lian. The patriarch's mind was ruthlessly sifted through, his memories exposed and meticulously examined. Several minutes of intense mental contact passed until the patriarch finally fell unconscious, completely subdued by Lian's power.
As the patriarch fell unconscious, Lian cast a penetrating glance filled with doubt and greed before making a hand gesture, causing the formation to glow and bringing the six people waiting outside to his side. Among them, Saya felt scared by their sudden appearance and averted her gaze, lowering her head in a mix of fear and shame, while her body trembled slightly in the imposing presence of Lian.
Next, Lian cautiously approached the unconscious group and placed a shining liquid in their mouths. "They will wake up soon, don't worry," Lian said to Saya, misinterpreting her previous reaction.
He then turned and headed towards a distant location. Concentrating his Qi amidst the debris, Lian conjured a powerful gust of wind, sweeping everything around and revealing a hidden room on the lower floor.
Inside the room, there was only a bed where a woman in her early twenties lay in a comatose state. Lian approached slowly, his eyes shining intensely as he carefully observed the woman's memories.
After an hour of intense searching through the woman's comatose memories, Lian concluded his process carefully, avoiding causing further harm to her weakened soul. During this time, the rest of the group had awakened, and their bodies completely healed and recovered from any previous injuries.
Upon opening his eyes, Lian immediately met Riria's fixed gaze. Anticipating her reaction, he let out a frustrated sigh and shared with everyone what he had discovered.
During a past battle against demons, the Purplecloud clan stumbled upon a terrifying demonic artifact in the forest. It was a black lotus, and even the most powerful cultivator in the clan couldn't get too close to it, realizing that it was beyond their capabilities.
By a twist of fate, a slave elf who was present showed a distinct reaction compared to the others. It seemed that the black energy emanating from the lotus was being absorbed by him, and unlike the others, he wasn't rapidly dying.
Without hesitation or showing any compassion, they threw the elf together with the others and waited to see what would happen. That was when they witnessed the birth of a black elf. These elves were different from the others as they could easily cultivate with black Qi and ascend to the most powerful realms.
Since they were slaves, they would never rebel, and there was an infinite supply of elves available to be used. Thus, the power and domination of the clan would never diminish, making them increasingly stronger.
The Enchant Clan was merely subordinate but useful. In exchange for some benefits and a few black elves, they helped protect the black lotus and took care of the entire process of creating new black soldiers. Until one day, something peculiar happened.
Artemis, the patriarch's daughter, was the name of the woman lying down. Anri, a particular black slave elf of the patriarch, became her personal guardian in the shadows because life in the forest, surrounded by demonic beasts and demons, was extremely dangerous.
One day, when Artemis was cultivating, she witnessed how the black elves were created. Being a kind young woman with a compassionate heart, she couldn't simply ignore that situation.
Not knowing exactly what she could do, she tried to escape, but Anri, who had protected her since the day she was born, remained by her side and sheltered her in the forest. The patriarch's only orders were to protect her.
He had lived a life of oppression and pain, never expecting a human to care about the elves. Deciding to show her all the suffering and pain that the elves endured, he revealed more about the reality to Artemis.
As they spent more time together, deeper feelings blossomed between them. Artemis fell in love with Anri's gentle heart and wounded soul, while he was enchanted by Artemis's unwavering courage and kindness.
However, Artemis's father found them in the forest and, realizing his daughter's passion for the black elf, gave the order for him to be killed. Anri, experiencing happiness for the first time in his painful life, wished to live at all costs.
Artemis, a talented soul cultivator, decided to remove the slavery seal, using her own life as fuel in exchange for that power. Her only wish was for him to be free and able to live.
Holding Artemis's nearly lifeless body, the black elf, consumed by extreme hatred, awakened a mysterious power from the black lotus and merged with it, becoming a complete demon with terrifying power.
At the cost of dozens of enslaved black elf lives, the patriarch managed to escape with his daughter, as Anri didn't yet have full control over his power.
Lian was extremely surprised by the emergence of the black lotus. It was something rare even in the Divine Plane, and he definitely desired to possess that artifact. However, the lotus had already been absorbed, leaving him frustrated.
In the Divine Plane, there were a few stories of black elves who, by their own will and in the face of powerful black power, chose to corrupt their lineage. It was a difficult task to accomplish, but an elf could transform into a complete demon. Anri was now that type of demon.
From Lian's perspective, the story of this demon with Artemis was just an extremely common and cliché romantic trigger, something he had witnessed thousands of times throughout the divine and mortal planes.
He quickly recounted everything and, upon finishing, saw the scene he had anticipated. All five young girls, including Saya, had moist eyes in silence. 'It's good to be young, isn't it?' He couldn't help but think.
Lian sighed once again, feeling helpless. All he wanted was to ignore it and kill that demon in order to try to absorb any trace of the black lotus. However, Lian would have to intervene in this relationship that was not his own. He then proceeded to help Artemis wake up from her coma.
All the surviving disciples were gathered, with nowhere to escape, trapped within the formation, and they obeyed without offering resistance.
Lian appeared before hundreds of people alongside Artemis. They all knew her, as she was the patriarch's daughter and the next leader of the clan. The news of her being in a coma had not been disclosed, so it wasn't really a surprise to see her awaken in front of them.
Lian began to speak, describing all the crimes and sufferings caused by the former patriarch and his advisors. Everyone listened in confusion. Some had heard or witnessed something within the forest but had no idea what was happening.
The vast majority quickly thought, "They were just slave elves." Lian perfectly understood the twisted mindset of these people. They were born and lived their whole lives believing that it was normal for elves to be enslaved and treated like garbage.
Lian let his oppressive aura manifest, emanating a haunting presence. With calmness and firmness, he directed his words to everyone, "Do you consider yourselves superior to other races just because you are stronger? Well, I am stronger than all of you here, and I wish to cause the worst and slowest death possible, where everyone will long for a death they have never experienced."
As Lian's aura of death intensified, a wave of profound fear swept over the attending cultivators. Hundreds of them trembled uncontrollably, their hearts racing and their eyes welling up with tears. The feeling of despair and anguish permeated the air as their souls were struck and distorted by Lian's powerful presence.
Those who once considered themselves powerful and superior now felt fragile and powerless in the face of Lian's terrifying aura. Their foundations were shaken, and the realization of their own insignificance overwhelmed them. Crying and sobbing echoed throughout the place, revealing the deep fear consuming them.
Artemis trembled by Lian's side but tried to stay strong while Lian spoke. "The heavens always repay karma. I can assure you all that even if I don't completely destroy this clan, it won't last much longer," Lian said, his aura still flowing intensely.
"I will give you the opportunity to repay part of this debt with the heavens. Only a few of you have survived, but you can rebuild over time," he continued.
"Artemis is becoming the Matriarch and leader of the clan today. In two days, we will confront the demons head-on."