Chapter 318: Sect Developments.
Sometime after Ying and Bing’s wedding... Inside a mansion, two young women happily chatted with their hands on their bellies. Despite no sign of anything strange about their stomachs, they would smile and gently rub their stomachs from time to time. It was as flat as a stomach could be! As Golden Serpent Sect members, it was of both no surprise and a real surprise that these women had beauty that could bewitch even old fossils. All disciples of the Golden Serpent Sect are considered evil martial artists since the Nine Swords Sect, and the Blossoming Water Palace call themselves righteous cultivators.
“Wasn’t that supposed to be Hu Tao’s job?” Jie asked.
“No. Jing said Hu Tao was to deal with external threats while I'm to deal with internal threats with Wen.” Wan Qing explained.
“Then why is Hu Tao so focused on that group?” Jie didn’t understand.
“He said he was getting payback or something. I think they wronged him somehow.” Wan Qing wasn’t too clear on the matter either. “Why? Are you worried about the father of your children coming to harm?” Wan Qing mocked in a joking manner.
Jie sighed with a smile on her face. “I’m not worried about that. I’m worried that he might go too far and disregard Jing’s orders to bring them back alive.” She explained. “Jing told me that they stole some important things from the sect before leaving. It wasn’t a high priority for them to retrieve the stolen items back but more important that they be punished for betraying the sect and trying to weaken us as well. I think leaving their fate up to Hu Tao is punishment enough, especially considering that they crossed him somehow.” Wan Qing reasoned.
“Well, Hu Tao will deal with it one way or another. No point of me senselessly worrying about it.” Jie shrugged.
“That’s the spirit, Junior Sister.” Wan Qing smiled.
“Jing has been a lot busier ever since she’s become the sect leader’s new disciple. I don’t think I've seen her face in nearly a year!” Jie tried to remember.
“You don’t know the half of it.” Wan Qing gave a helpless smile. “I’m pregnant, and she still hasn’t given me a break. She says it's for the sake of a better and more efficient sect. I have nothing to worry about since she could judge the health of my body better than I could.”
As the new head of the Punishment Hall, Wan Qing had to enforce the new rules put in place by Jing inside the sect, outside the sect, and even in alternate realms! If it weren’t for Wen’s competence and avatars, Wan Qing would’ve been dead on her feet one week into her new position. Somehow, Jing was able to make changes to the Golden Serpent Sect as a whole despite just being a brand-new disciple of the sect leader. In all of the Golden Serpent Sect’s history, this was the first time something like this has happened.
None of the previous disciples of the sect leader were ever given this much control over how the sect was run. In fact, they were not that different from core disciples. Sure, they were valuable as the sect leader’s only students. That position gave them a lot more priority over the core disciples in terms of treatment, resources, and status, but nothing on the level that Jing was given.
If the previous disciples of the sect leader were a stage above ordinary disciples, then Jing would be considered vice sect leader at this point. No one in the sect understood why the sect leader was showing so much favoritism to the little monster. Rumors spread like wildfire about this subject.
“She has to be a sex demon in disguise. Using her feminine wiles to mislead and take control of the sect leader’s mind and body.”
“Have you actually seen her? There’s no way a female demon would look that ugly on purpose.”
“I agree. Who would want to be with someone when their skin is almost as dark as shit?”
“Zhai Shang.”
“Don’t mention that spell-casting freak... No wonder he never showed interest in other girls when he has such freakish tastes.”
“Does Senior Sister really look that hideous?” A newly joined outer disciple questioned.
“No. She looks no different from you and me. Her skin is just darker than farmers who work all day in the sun. That’s all.”
“It’s inhuman! She’s a monster for sure to be that dark!”
“And you think our sect leader is weak enough to be bewitched by a monster?”
“I-!” Saying rude things about another disciple was different from saying them about the sect leader.
“Exactly. So just shut up and accept your own faults as a person rather than trying to convince others of nonsense.”
“I’ll kill you!” Fed up at being verbally defeated, the disciple pulled out his sword and attacked!
“Stupid fool.” The disciple pulled out his own sword and engaged.
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In an endless desert, a group of five traveled together. They all wore hooded robes that hid the shape of their bodies and most of their faces. Every now and then, they would frantically look around, frightened of something suddenly showing up. Eventually, one of them pulled back their hood and took a deep gulp from a waterskin.
“This fucking sucks.” Hong Long wiped his wet mouth.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t think of a better plan for us.” Meili apologized for the hundredth time.
“Come on, Leader! It’s not your fault Hu Tao somehow escaped from being sealed. Heaven’s Angels had an unstoppable growth in power and talent, and that they somehow captured the hearts of the core pillars of the sect. I mean, sometimes the heavens just aren’t on your side.” Yanyu tried to keep things optimistic.
“Not helping...” Xiao Hong muttered.
“Really? I don’t see how we could’ve stopped any of that stuff from happening, though.” Yanyu thought really hard.
“It’s not about if we could or couldn’t. Meili feels like it's her fault because she couldn’t stop it from happening. While it’s ridiculous that she feels responsible for something outside anyone’s control, it is understandable.” Xiao Hong replied.
“As long as we’re alive, there’ll be an opportunity to strike back in the future.” Bo Fai added.
“You’re right. I’m sorry for being dumb. We’ll get our chance to strike back in the future. Once we gather enough power in the Tian Kingdom, we’ll strike back and get our revenge for the sake of everyone who deserves peace from the tyranny and evil that people like Hu Tao and Heaven’s Angels stand for.” Meili vowed.
“Well, well, well, what a bunch of fucking heroes!” A familiar voice cackled from above.
All five cultivators recognized the voice instantly. They whipped out their weapons and were immediately ready to go all out. No signs of hesitation or holding back. Full power at the go because of the sound of this voice.
“It was a real bitch and a half finding you five pussy bitches in this big-ass desert.” Hu Tao sat on his blood-stained cloud and projected his voice with qi as he looked down on the five.
“Hu Tao...” Meili’s voice flowed with pure hatred.
“How can we even compete with that?” Yanyu whined at the unfairness of having a flying cloud.
“You know how many groups I killed trying to find you rats? So many, I almost forgot what my baby ordered me to do!” Hu Tao complained. “Slaves from the Tian Kingdom, people from Evergreen trying to flee into the Tian Kingdom, fun insane bastards using this place for training.” Hu Tao went on.
As Hu Tao casually chatted, the five prepared themselves for battle. All five were ready to unleash their strongest techniques at the slightest sign of movement from Hu Tao. It wasn’t the first time he’s caught them escaping the continent. It was actually the third time. Like how a cat plays with its prey, Hu Tao has been doing the same with them.
He’d slowly torture them in battle before just letting them go. They’d recover from their wounds, learn from their last battle, and continue fleeing. Then he’d show up again, do the same thing, and mock them all the way. It was at this point Meili realized they would have to rely on their last resort. Hu Tao was insane, but he wasn’t insane enough to cross the border that separated the Evergreen continent and the Tian Kingdom. Of course, Meili wasn’t entirely sure about that, just mostly sure.
That girl in charge of Hu Tao’s collar wouldn’t want a war with the Tian Kingdom. She’s yet to consolidate her power in the sect. There’s no way she would be willing to risk getting on bad terms with the Tian Kingdom. While the Evergreen continent is divided into three by the Three Great Sects, there is only the Tian Royal Family in the Tian Kingdom. Every family or sect is under their control.
Unless the Three Great Sects combine under one force, there is no way they could resist the Tian Kingdom. This is why Meili is trying to escape to the Tian Kingdom. If she and her allies can build a substantial force there and gain a backing from the Royal Family, they could get the revenge they always wanted. They could put into motion the dream that all of them shared. Making the world a place where good people are rewarded for being good, and villains are punished for being villains.