Inside the Nine Heaven Sword Sect,The Elder Hall.
Deep within the heart of the sect lay the Elder Hall, a place where the air itself felt heavy with the weight of centuries. Cold drafts swirled around waves of unnatural heat, creating a suffocating pressure that forced any common disciple to their knees. The walls, carved from obsidian spiritual stone, pulsed with the faint, rhythmic glow of ancient runes.
Five figures sat upon elevated thrones, their auras radiating like suns.
At the lower end sat,Elder Yao Chenyi, Head of the Alchemy Hall,a man whose presence smelled of medicinal herbs and scorched earth. Next was Elder Han Yue, the grim Guardian of the Sword Pavilion. Beside him sat,Elder Wei Rulong, the master of External Affairs, and Elder Mu Qingshan, whose eyes seemed to pierce through the very soul of anyone he looked upon.
But above them all, seated on a throne of jagged spirit-jade, was Elder Jian Cangfeng. As an Early Stage Nascent Soul cultivator and the acting Vice Sect Master, his presence was like a mountain looming over a valley.
The silence in the hall was absolute until Yao Chenyi broke it.
"Our Sect Master ascended over a hundred years ago," he began, his voice echoing like stone on stone. "Since then, we have known peace. But peace breeds complacency, and trouble is finally stirring."
"Trouble?" Elder Wei Rulong scoffed, his voice dripping with arrogance. "Who in this realm is foolish enough to invite the wrath of the Nine Heaven Sword Sect?"
Yao Chenyi didn't smile. "Two days ago, the sensors at the edge of the Forbidden Forest screamed. A rare treasure,one of immense power,is about to manifest."
The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly. Avarice and curiosity flickered in the eyes of the powerful men.
"A treasure?" Elder Han Yue's hand tightened on the hilt of his blade. "It has been decades. Could it be... that treasure? The one mentioned in the founding scrolls?"
"The signs align," Yao Chenyi replied.
All eyes turned toward the Nascent Soul expert, Jian Cangfeng. He leaned back, resting his cheek against his palm, looking bored yet dangerous. "An opportunity like this cannot be ignored," he said calmly. "But we cannot leave the sect unguarded. Only one elder shall depart."
Elder Han Yue stood up, his sword-intent flaring for a brief second. "I will go."
"He looked at him first, Huh,Very well," Yao Chenyi nodded. "But you will take Li Tianjian the seventh General and his personal guard with you."
Han Yue's brow furrowed. "Is that necessary? A General of the sect for a forest trek?"
"If we have felt the tremors, the other sects have as well," Yao Chenyi warned. "This will not be a simple retrieval. It will be a bloodbath."
Outside the Elder Hall
As Elder Han Yue stepped into the sunlight, a figure in pristine white robes knelt by the entrance, head bowed in perfect submission.
"Disciple Su Qingmei greets Master."
Han Yue stopped, his cold eyes softening just a fraction. Su Qingmei was his pride, the only one with the talent to truly inherit his mantle. "What is it, my disciple? Speak."
Su Qingmei raised his head, his face a mask of calm determination. "Master... I have received reports of a village in the Forbidden Forest containing strange artifacts. I wish to lead a small group there to investigate."
Han Yue studied him for a long moment. He didn't know about the village, but he knew about the forest. This could be the trial he needs to finally break his bottleneck, the Elder thought.
"You may go," Han Yue said.
Su Qingmei's eyes lit up with a rare flash of excitement, but his Master wasn't finished.
"However," Han Yue continued, his voice dropping an octave, "you will not go alone. You will ride with me. A treasure is about to be born in that forest, Qingmei. The village can wait,but the fate of the sect cannot."
Su Qingmei's expression turned deathly serious. He understood immediately. This was no longer about the village