Luo Chan's gaze lingered on the distant silhouette of the Qi Clan's compound, her lips curling into a smile so cold and sinister it seemed to leech the warmth from the very air. It was the look of a spider that had felt the first tremble of a fly in its web.
Beside her, the arrogant young envoy shuddered—a brief, involuntary spasm of fear—as he caught sight of that smile. Something like pity flashed in his eyes as he glanced toward the Qi Clan, as if already mourning the slaughter to come.
Her eyes narrowed to dagger-slits as she turned back to Fen Jeuchen, who remained bowed so low his forehead nearly brushed the scorched earth. "Is there any other… notable event tied to the Qi Clan?" she asked, her voice a silken thread over a blade. A sinister light glinted in the depths of her gaze, cold and calculating.
"No, Divine Envoy," Fen Jeuchen replied, his voice strained with forced calm. "After those two events, the Qi Clan withdrew entirely. They sealed their gates and recalled all outer disciples." His head remained lowered, so he did not see the cruel amusement in her eyes—but he felt it. A shiver racked his body. Every hair on his arms stood upright. Goosebumps spread like frost over his skin.
"Hmm," Luo Chan mused, her brow furrowing in mock thought. "Then explain the power structure within this city to me. Omit nothing."
"Of course, Goddess Luo." Confusion warred with fear in Fen Jeuchen's mind. Why would envoys of such unimaginable power care about the petty squabbles of a backwater city like Floating Cloud City? But he dared not question aloud. "Floating Cloud City is divided among four major powers, each dominating a region suited to their cultivation."
"My own Fen Clan ranks third. We occupy the western shores, where the ocean winds blow fierce and constant. We cultivate wind-based arts—the gales and tempests are our lifeblood."
"The Beast Flame Sect holds second rank. They do not harness ordinary fire, but beast flames—essences extracted from fire-attuned demonic creatures. They dwell in the eastern districts, where ember-fall and geothermal vents provide some sustenance, though it pales compared to…" He gestured vaguely toward the Scarlet Fall Forest.
Luo Chan cut him off, her voice sharp. "Why do they not claim this forest? Its energy dwarfs the east."
A bitter smile touched Fen Jeuchen's lips. "They tried, Divine One. But this land belonged to the Qi Clan even before the comet's fall. When the Qi's water-based constitutions began shifting to fire, they refused to relinquish it. A war seemed imminent—until the Qi Clan offered a compromise: the Beast Flame Sect could harness the outer regions of the forest. That concession alone propelled them from third rank to second."
"Third is the Sword Spirit Sect," Fen Jeuchen continued, his voice shifting to one of grudging respect. "They are ranked fourth, but do not mistake placement for weakness. They are masters of the sword—their disciples breathe and live by the blade. They occupy the northern region, where the elemental energy is balanced and flows smoothly—ideal for their cultivation, which requires clarity and focus above all. Their patriarch is said to have comprehended a wisp of true Sword Intent."
"And the Qi Clan?" Luo Chan's voice was like ice.
"They are ranked first," he said, his voice dropping into a tone dripping with bitterness and envy. "Only because their elders and patriarch cultivate in the heart of the Scarlet Fall Forest. Qi Lantian has reached the Nascent Soul Realm. The rest of us linger at its threshold. We cannot match him alone."
"But together?" Luo Chan's voice was a serpent's whisper—smooth and venomous.
"If the three sects joined forces… yes. We could break them. But no leader will spend the lives of their disciples for another's grudges."
"Not without incentive," Luo Chan purred, her eyes glinting with wicked insight. "Not without greed."
Fen Jeuchen looked up, confusion plain on his face. "Goddess…?"
"You need to offer them something they cannot refuse. Something that awakens not their honor, but their hunger."
She leaned closer, her voice dropping so only he could hear. "Spread a rumor. Tell them the Qi Clan is hiding a Demon Progenitor-grade Pure Eagle Beast Core. Say the white light ten years ago was the core's aura briefly escaping its seals."
Fen Jeuchen's eyes widened. A Pure Eagle Core—legendary. It was one of the few cores a human could absorb, granting pure, undiluted power. A Progenitor-grade core could elevate even a Nascent Soul expert.
"Do it quietly," Luo Chan warned, her tone leaving no room for error. "Let the whisper do the work. Let greed do the rest."
For a long moment, Fen Jeuchen stood motionless, bowed but vibrating with dark anticipation. When he finally spoke, his voice was thick with vengeful bliss. "Thank you, Goddess Luo. This lowly one… understands perfectly."
He remembered it then—the reason for his hatred. Twenty years earlier, his son—a prodigy of the Fen Clan—had been deliberately crippled by a Qi Clan disciple. The Qi Clan had not apologized. They had smiled.
Now, he would return that lesson in blood.
He turned to leave, but Luo Chan's voice froze him once more. "Wait. Should anyone question the source… tell them the envoys from the Divine Martial Continent confirmed it."
"Yes… yes!" he nearly shouted, already moving, his mind racing with plots and promises of ruin.
As he vanished into the haze, the elder finally stepped closer to Luo Chan. "Young Mistress, was that necessary? With our power, we could investigate the Qi Clan ourselves."
"And if what we seek is not a core—but the beast itself?" Luo Chan's voice was ice. "A creature capable of subjugating every beast in the region with a pulse of its aura? We would be walking into its lair blind."
She smiled again, and this time it was a thing of pure, ruthless calculation. "Let these local ants be our scouts. Let them provoke the beast—or reveal the truth. We will watch from the shadows. If it awakens in anger… they will bear its wrath. Not us."
The elder fell silent, a new wariness in his eyes as he regarded the young woman beside him. Her methods were merciless, her mind a labyrinth of traps. She was not just an envoy—she was a poison.
And the Qi Clan had just been fed the first drop.