"What?!"
"How did that happen?!"
"Sect Master, are you sure?!"
The round table erupted into commotion as Yu Yuria recounted her encounter with Xi Guru, now a Great Elder of the enemy sect, and his explosive prowess.
They had every reason to be nervous.
An Early Stage Nascent Soul Realm cultivator had been able to contend against Yu Yuria, who was currently at the peak of the Mid Stage Nascent Soul Realm.
She lost confidence in her ability to win. If the Great Elder is this powerful, how much more so the Grand Elder Gu and the Sect Master?
Is there any chance of victory when her Grand Elder is only at the peak of the Early Stage Nascent Soul Realm, while the two Great Elders are at the peak of the Late Stage Golden Core Realm, and the rest of the inner elders are at the peak of the Mid Stage Golden Core Realm?
The elderly woman, dressed in simple clothes, raised her hand to pacify the commotion.
"Sect Master, the situation is dire. We should send word to your friend. You're not alone in this battle. Inform Sect Master Jin Boqin," urged Grand Elder Ming.
Yu Yuria's face contorted. "Grand Elder Ming, I can't. We cannot. It will tarnish our sect's stature and my honor. I already gave my word to the previous Sect Master."
Yu Yuria recalled the confrontation between the previous sect masters of the two sects.
"Sect Master, your predecessor, and Jin Boqin's predecessors are long gone. It was in the past and just a foolish misunderstanding. How long are you going to ignore what's important right now?"
Yu Yuria gritted her teeth.
Grand Elder Ming's words were true. Their predecessors had been friends, but a scandal involving the daughter of one and the son of the other had caused a rift between them, leading to a brawl between the ill-tempered sect masters.
Nostalgia blooms in her exquisitely beautiful face.
She recalled when an old man haggardly dressed entered her Sect Master's temple along with Jin Boqin. "You witch! I came here to bring my daughter back and give her justice only to be given a baby! Where's your unscrupulous son? He needed a beating!"
The old man accused the Sect Master and demanded justice for his daughter, but was surprised to find a baby instead. The Sect Masters argued, and it was revealed that their children had escaped and had triplets.
It was actually hilarious but this event caused a rift between their sects.
The daughter and the son were the successors of their seat as Sect Master, both are geniuses and powerful cultivators.
But love happened.
Yu Yuria's reminiscences were interrupted by Grand Elder Ming. "The two previous sect masters were simply prideful. They were hurt when their children left them. That's all. Faced with the same situation, they will set aside their pride and help each other."
"I can't bring myself to send for them for another reason," Yu Yuria said.
Grand Elder Ming asked, "What could be the other reason?"
Yu Yuria became restless and bit her lower lip.
She then brought the Grand Elder to her chamber and confessed,
"Jin Boqin and I had a relationship in the past. Once, we saw each other with someone else."
Yu Yuria drooped her head down waiting to receive an earful only to see the elderly woman massaging her temple.
"You're not a child anymore! You can do what you want at your age! Both of you have already lived the equivalent of twenty lifetimes of an ordinary person! Go and talk to him now!"
"Yiie!"
Yu Yuria fled, and the Grand Elder shook her head.
She just activated the trinket she received from Fairy Xi Niu when the latter offered them to form a team to investigate the sudden fluctuation of Spiritual Qi in Mount Apo but she was too busy dealing with spirit mine issues.
The trinket flickered when her Spiritual Qi rushed on it.
"Greetings to Sect Master Yu Yuria." She heard a beguiling voice from another line.
Shortly after, the temple shook, and a suffocating aura weighed everyone down in the Three Head Snake Sect, causing even the trinket to disappear.
"Little Snake, I'm sorry, but our Sect Master has changed his mind. He can't wait until midnight. He wants your answer now," Great Elder Xi Guru's thunderous voice was heard.
Yu Yuria rose into the air, her powerful aura blanketed the surroundings.
"Ridiculous and reckless! You came here alone demanding to have the answer. Do you want to get yourself killed?"
Yu Yuria's loud voice calmed the hearts of the disciples and elders of the Sect.
"Who told you he was alone?" an old man with a benign smile said as he flew over. "Rejecting my Sect Master's offer will cost you everything. There are a lot of opportunities and benefits awaiting you and all of your disciples."
Yu Yuria's eyes glinted with killing intent.
"Grand Elder Gu, you are known for your rationality and were praised by my predecessor. It is morally wrong to practice unconventional cultivation methods. Leaving your Sect would be the wisest decision."
"You were known as a killer, taking on jobs to kill both ordinary people and cultivators. You have no right to talk to me about morals. How many families have you destroyed? How many lives have you ruined?"
"Those kids and wives are better off without them."
Grand Elder Gu sighed and asked, "Are you sure about this?" He paused and looked around at the many disciples, both young and old, who were watching them. "
"Your decision will rob them of their lives. I'm here to help you."
Yu Yuria scoffed. "Help me? If you meant it, then kill that demonic cultivator!" She pointed at the Great Elder Xi Guru. The onlookers began murmuring upon hearing that Great Elder Xi Guru was a demonic cultivator.
The accused only smiled and licked his lower lip.
"Grand Elder Gu, give her corpse to me if we end up battling them. I would very much enjoy devouring every fiber of her being!"
"Silence!" Grand Elder Gu scowled at him.
"Is this your final decision?" Grand Elder Gu asked, seeking confirmation.
Yu Yuria remained silent, but her Nascent Soul Realm aura filled the air, causing the surroundings to become turbulent as dark clouds gathered and tornadoes began to form.
Great Elder Xi Guru laughed and also released his aura, causing a violent clash between the two forces.
The disciples nearby fled in fear of the overwhelming pressure.
"Stop it!" Grand Elder reprimanded Great Elder Xi Guru, his eyes filled with killing intent. "We are here for confirmation, not combat. Do you think you can survive this?"
Great Elder Xi Guru looked around and noticed dozens of arrays materializing on the mountain peaks, ready to attack.
Great Elder Xi Guru smirked and created a huge hand-shaped projection in the sky, blocking the sun.
"Start the array!" Grand Elder Ming ordered.
The array lit up and began firing at the giant palm descending on their Sect.
Grand Elder Gu was furious at Great Elder Xi Guru's recklessness.
"You fool!" he shouted, only to be taunted by the instigator of the battle.
"I'm not a fool! The Sect Master knew your weakness for this sect would cloud your judgment, so he sent me to do this! You will be punished for this once we're done here!"
Grand Elder Gu was left speechless, but his eyes were filled with a murderous glare.
He backed down and retreated to the side, causing Yu Yuria to heave a sigh of relief.
The earlier fight with the inner elder had already drained a massive amount of her Spiritual Qi. The thought of facing two Nascent Soul Realm cultivators with absurd regenerative abilities at the same time sent a shiver down her spine.
Now she can focus on eliminating Great Elder Xi Guru, but she remains vigilant against Grand Elder Gu's interest in the ongoing battle.
The array formation obliterated the giant palm formed by Great Elder Xi Guru.
Yu Yuria threw her treasured dagger filled with toxin at Great Elder Xi Guru, who dodged it.
However, the dagger changed direction in midair and aimed for his back. Great Elder Xi Guru quickly created a barrier to block the attack.
The elder charged at Yu Yuria as the array prepared for another attack.
Yu Yuria stood her ground, waiting for the elder to come within range.
As soon as the elder came within her range, she clapped her smooth hands and a gigantic lotus flower materialized, enveloping the great elder.
Great Elder Xi Guru paused, expecting something, but the lotus flower disintegrated and vanished.
He smirked and declared, "Failed? Now witness a real technique!" He spread his arms, and his Spiritual Qi exploded, summoning a massive pale dragon above his head.
The dragon's shadows covered the entire sect, dimming the surroundings.
Just in time, the dozen array began launching their second attack. The projectile charged toward the dragon.
Sensing the imminent attack, the dragon turned its head to the array and roared.
The trees and hills were torn from the ground as the array started to collapse.
The Great Elders and Inner Elders, who were controlling the array, spat out blood.
Grand Elder Ming began to condense her Spiritual Qi and a glittering barrier materialized blocking the dominating attack from the dragon.
Great Elder Xi Guru just simply waved his hand and the dragon hovered toward the elders and Grand Elder Ming.
He shifted his focus to Yu Yuria. Her alluring figure and stunning face captivated him, making him lick his lips.
"Now that the weak elders of your Sect have been dealt with, no one will interrupt our battle. Let's dance to our heart contents, shall we?"
Great Elder Gu waved his hand, creating a space quake and a wave of light that charged toward Yu Yuria. Unfazed, she raised her arm, causing the heavens to collapse into a lightning storm that rained down on the wave of light.
Two destructive forces annihilated each other, but the resulting blast wave was devastating.
Several mountains vanished, and half of the Sect was reduced to rubble.
On that fateful day, many disciples, both young and old, lost their lives.
The two Nascent Soul Realm cultivators unleashed their strongest attacks while flying above the clouds, causing space quakes, tornadoes, and storms.
Yu Yuria's face was indifferent but bleeding profusely, and her clothes were torn and her skin full of wounds.
In contrast, Great Elder Xi Guru remained unscathed.
Yu Yura stopped and clasped her wounded hands.
"You are strong, thanks to your unconventional method, but don't think you can overpower me!" she said.
As she unclasped her hand, lotus flowers bloomed around the Great Elder, who smiled. However, his smile vanished as his hand instinctively held his neck.
His face turned pale, then purple.
"W-w-w-a---h-ave… y-y-ou!" he stuttered as his lungs struggled for air.
Yu Yuria flicked her hands and all the wounds in her body started to heal.
I won't be foolish enough to tell you. Now suffer and die. I may not be able to defeat you in a prolonged battle, but I have many ways to kill you."
Her expression turned sinister. "And now for the main event."
Her aura exploded, and her Spiritual Qi surged.
As her Spiritual Qi reached the great elder, it melted his skin and flesh, but his body regenerated as it melted.
Yu Yuria momentarily forgot about Grand Elder Gu as her attention was fully focused on her current enemy.
She may not have won an all-out war, but if she can weaken the enemy's powerhouse, there's still a chance for them to win.
Elder Xi Guru could only shed tears as he was robbed of air and in too much pain to shout, as his flesh and skin spontaneously melted.
The dragon he conjured began to flicker and shrink, its dominating aura weakening.
Yu Yuria gritted her teeth and sweat covered her face.
Her Spiritual Qi drains much faster than the last time.
She was fully committed to the fight and was determined to see her enemy defeated.
Elder Gu Chin, weaker than Great Elder Xi Guru, died quickly and missed smelling his blood, while the latter's body melted and blood spurted out.
Yu Yuria frowned at the stench of her enemy's blood, almost losing focus. "I can sense his cultivation root deteriorating! Almost there!" she mumbled, shaking and trembling.
Stop!" A thunderous voice interrupted Yu Yuria's technique, weakening it. Grand Elder Gu had intervened.
"I'm almost there!" Yu Yuria turned to face the Grand Elder, prepared to confront a stronger opponent despite her weakened state.
"Stop this at once! You are not fit to fight. Give me Great Elder Xi Guru, and I will return your disciple Jie Qianzhie."