In the recent past, what happened within the demon hunter organization could be described as crazily chaotic. For a well-organized combat group, the mass change in temperament of the highest echelon was not enough to cause large-scale chaos. But if all the elite combat groups in the upper echelons began to lose control, it proved to be a disaster. What was worse, they controlled the vital lifeline of the demon hunters, and that was enough to drag everyone into the whirlpool of chaos. White Flame had experienced all of it, but she still found it difficult to explain the incident to Hao Ren. There was jargon to explain and too many organizational secrets to consider. Besides, she had not been able to figure out many things herself. Therefore, she could only vaguely describe the incident.
As White Flame said, the anomaly occurred after Hasse returned from the Ancattero territory to the demon hunters’ headquarters. The supreme commanders usually acted in the beginning and treated the information that Hasse brought back seriously. However, in just a matter of a few days, the demon hunters in the upper echelons, who were called the Thirteen Sages experienced a change in temperament, one after the other. Then Hasse, who was a high-level cadre of the organization, was arrested without warning. Soon after, an insane clean-up operation began internally. Their initial goal seemed to be the demon hunters like Hasse who had doubts about their killing instinct, but soon, the attack expanded to a point where it became illogical. It finally evolved into a melee between the Council of Elders and the lower-rung demon hunters.
When White Flame finished, Hao Ren began to ask about the unfamiliar terms. “What’s the difference between the sages and the Council of Elders?”
White Flame answered respectfully, “The sages are the highest class of demon hunters. They’re the supreme commanders and founders of the demon hunter organization.”
“Founders of the demon hunter organization?” Hao Ren arched his eyebrows. “Are you saying that they’re all the Ancients who’ve lived from the early days of the Mythological Era to the present day?” he asked.
White Flame nodded and said, “Yes. Every sage is an ancient, almost as old as the Countess of the Crimson Moon.”
“Who are they exactly?” Lily asked curiously. “Sounds like there are many of them.”
“There are a total of 13 sages. Each of them’s very powerful, and they possess all the mysterious knowledge that’s been passed down from ancient times. One could say that they’re the most powerful and knowledgeable existence on this planet. But not many people have seen the sages in person. The sages are mysterious and usually reclusive, living on the upper level of the Netherrealm Clock Tower. They’ve never come out since the end of the Mythological Era.” White Flame looked fearful when she talked about the sages, as though they were of something beyond understanding and were an indescribable existence. “Apart from the Council of Elders, only the other lower-rung elders can meet the sages. Even then, the sages would wear masks and communicate with people through methods other than language. So, for the vast majority of demon hunters, the sages are almost a legend even though everyone knows that the sages are their leaders. Almost no one has had the opportunity to approach the sages. In most cases, the Council of Elders would convey the will of the sages to the people, and we’re the ones who execute the orders.”
Hao Ren was a little baffled. “Do they need to be so secretive that they have to wear masks while they meet their people? Even my boss isn’t as sick as them. Do they have a problem with their brains?”
White Flame quickly shook her head. “No, there’s a reason for that. It’s said that the sages were exposed to too much taboo knowledge during the long Mythological War, that the mysteries outside the mortal world distorted them. They made their faces look weird, and their voices carry negative energy, which would drag people into the abyss. And it’s said that the first of the sages, the ‘Unknown One’ is the most distorted. He shuts himself at the top of the Netherrealm Clock Tower in a secret chamber where there’s no communication with the outside world. No one has ever seen him for thousands of years, and the other twelve sages have rarely talked about him. There are even demon hunters who speculate that the Unknown One has died,” White Flame explained.
These creepy secrets were only known to insiders. Half-baked demon hunters like Nangong Wudi and Nangong Sanba knew nothing of it. Hao Ren found it obscure, and goosebumps began to rise all over his body. Such non-human contact was disturbing. “So, that’s how it is. It feels creepy. The Unknown One is the founder of the demon hunter organization. He might have died although I’m not sure. What does the Council of the Elders do?” he asked.
“They’re the most elite demon hunters, directly under the command of the sages. They’re usually stationed in Coldpath, the headquarters of the demon hunter organization. The Council of Elders has survived since the Mythological Era. They’re powerful fighters, and the leader of each battalion is an elder demon hunter. Masters like me are only regarded as small captains in their corps,” White Flame said, shaking her head. “Since the Middle Ages, the Council of Elders has never had a large-scale battle operation. Little did I expect that when they took up arms again, it was to fight their people,” White Flame said.
“Have the sages and Council of Elders gone mad?” Vivian asked very seriously. “What were the symptoms of their madness? Is this related to the Shade of Chaos, which we encountered before?”
The mass madness and random attack were somewhat similar to the symptoms caused by the Shade of Chaos. Both Vivian and Hao Ren suspected the same thing. However, White Flame shook her head and said, “I also suspected it, but it’s different from the madness caused by the Shade of Chaos. The sages and the Council of Elders have not lost their senses. According to the several high-level prisoners whom we’ve caught, they possess sound mind as well as logic, and they understand what they’re doing. But their… How should I put it? It seems that their entire worldview has completely changed. They’re extreme in the way they judge good and evil, and they can be obvious as well as meticulous in their ways to propagate their new worldview. This condition is obvious in the upper echelon. The so-called ‘rebels’ at the bottom of the hierarchy are instead, somewhat disoriented, but that’s still not the same as the symptoms of madness caused by the Shade of Chaos.”
“Meaning, it’s not so much as the influence of the Sin of the Divine Blood,” Vivian said softly and thoughtfully. “So, it’s something else that’s affected their minds. Do you have any idea?”
“Nope,” White Flame replied, shaking her head. She then reached under her cloak, took out a fine platinum box and handed it to Vivian. “But before the incident happened, a sage seemed to have some omen. He left me this item and wanted me to hand it over to the Countess of the Crimson Moon,” she said.
Vivian was shocked. “What? For me?”
White Flame nodded. “It’s for you.”
Vivian took the platinum box, and the corner of her mouth twitched as she began to mumble, “To tell you the truth, when a demon hunter commander asks you to pass something to a member of the Blood Clan, he must be insane then. Well, let me see. Is this not…”
As the platinum box popped open, she saw a blood-red crystal shaped like a drop of blood. It also looked like a gem, exuding a mesmerizing luster.
Hao Ren and Lily poked their heads next to her to take a gander at the thing. They were amazed. “A bloodstone?”
“Is this really what your sage handed to you?” Hao Ren turned to look into White Flame’s eyes. “Didn’t you say that only the elders could meet the sages?” he asked.
“It was Beetholis the Sage who gave it to my teacher. Soon after they met for the first time, Teacher was arrested, and this was placed in my custody,” White Flame explained. “I have no idea why the sage has such a thing.”
The curiosity on White Flame’s face looked genuine. She had utterly no idea why a commander of the demon hunters had contact with the ancestor of the Blood Clan. Hao Ren suddenly thought of the era of Vivian’s existence: she had been there, running around even before the demon hunters declared war on the deities of the unusual creatures. Considering her seniority and her age, it seemed to be the only explanation.
More importantly, the bloodstone was right before them now. Everyone knew the use of this crystal, and if Vivian wanted to find out what was going on, she only needed to do one thing.
She held the bloodstone and slowly put it close to her mouth. Hao Ren asked, “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“I’m sure this is my bloodstone,” Vivian said, nodding gently. “Since it’s my memory, it should be ready to wake my memories up. Don’t worry.”
Hao Ren’s brows were knitted together. He asked the MDT to get a medical pod ready—just in case. Meanwhile, Vivian had put the bloodstone into her mouth.
Watching what Vivian was doing, White Flame blinked. “Is this for real?”
