Using the same light step and indifference, Zhuo Fan flew away, with the Four Scheming Demons cackling behind him.
Shui Ruohua had a dull gaze watching him leave, her heart thumping. [Who… is he?]
One Mystical Heaven Sect came over still shaking from fear, “Senior sister, he’s terrifying. At least he had no ill will towards us, or we’d be goners. “
“Yeah.”
Another disciple nodded, “To think Demon Scheming Sect has such a horrifying disciple with power beyond his cultivation. We best return and meet with our fellow disciples to warn them. On the off chance that any of us meet that kid, the first thing to do is to run!”
The others echoed his sentiments.
Shui Ruohua watched the skies, still out of sorts, oblivious to their talks, “Who is he? What is he to junior sister?”
“Senior sister!”
The cry woke her from her stupor to see a disciple panicking as he pointed at the Demon Soul Sect on the other side of the abyss, “H-Han Sanshao is getting up!”
Shui Ruohua saw Han Sanshao leaning on another disciple, watching her with malice.
Shui Ruohua held the herb tight, her heart on guard for any movement.
Though Han Sanshao just got his feet under him, as he looked at the scar just ahead of him, it filled him with fear and he gave up, shouting, “Let’s go!”
Han Sanshao’s team was soon gone.
Mystical Heaven Sect breathed easier. Though they wondered, “Han Sanshao has always been brutal in his ways, so how come he’s just letting us have the herb? Is the world ending?”
“Fool, isn’t it obvious? That freak from Demon Scheming Sect just warned him not to cross the line. So of course he won’t, not if he wants to keep his head.”
The others laughed.
But the same guy frowned still, “But, didn’t he just leave? What’s there to fear?”
“He might have left but his deterrence remained!”
Shui Ruohua sighed, “This is a clash of powerful men. You won’t understand. Yet this man’s simple words had Demon Scheming Sect’s third young master shaking in fear about crossing the line. Demon Scheming Sect now has an unapproachable man!”
The disciples recalled the man’s flick of the hand unleashing a gulf between the parties and their hearts sank.
[Will he become our enemy?]
Meanwhile, Zhuo Fan and the pygmy quartet rushed for Demon Scheming Sect. Violent Demon went before him saying, “Steward Zhuo, why did you save that lass? Did she catch your eye?”
“As if, I only wanted to know about Mystical Heaven Sect.” Zhuo Fan snorted.
Violent Demon nodded, “Then why did you let the prick from Demon Soul Sect go? It’s not like sir at all.”
“Are you calling me a born homicidal maniac?”
Glaring at the four, he continued, “He belongs to a great sect. One needs to think of the consequences before crossing the point of no return. Scaring him was enough. While I threatened with obliteration to keep it quiet, no secret stays hidden forever. Unless forced to, I will never go down this road.”
The four nodded, with Violent Demon giggling, “Steward Zhuo’s manner has always been flawless, considering every aspect, ha-ha-ha. No wonder sir caught Sect Leader’s eye, wanting you so bad.”
“Yep. yep…” His bros echoed, sucking up to the guy.
Zhuo Fan shook his head then frowned, “I just heard him say something about the middle three sects and lower three sects. What’s that all about?”
Ugh!
The four choked, then sighed as their glee made way for sadness.
Zhuo Fan was baffled.
Violent Demon finally opened his mouth, “Steward Zhuo, it’s best if you never mention it, or you’ll suffer so bad that not even Sect Leader could help.”
“What?” Zhuo Fan raised an eyebrow.
Violent Demon sighed, “The western lands have ten sects. Leaving the apex Double Dragon Manor aside, the rest are split into the superior, the middle and the lower three sects. The greater the power of a sect, the more pull and resources it has. Demon Soul Sect belongs to the middle three sects, while Demon Scheming Sect and Mystical Heaven Sect are from the lower three sects. So each time our disciples meet them, we all feel lacking and get picked on.”
“Yeah, and that time 60 years ago was the worst. In that fight, us four worked together and were even winning. Only for Scrooge Demon to break formation for some demonic treasure and we ended up losing instead. That’s why Sect Leader threw us in the Thunder Swarm Mountain for all these years. It could’ve even been a century!” Sly Demon turned to Scrooge Demon.
Scrooge Demon glared and barked, “Old third, I thought we said we’d never bring this up! Why are you talking about it, to pick a fight?”
Bam!
Scrooge Demon sucker punched Sly Demon, who punched back, of course, and it all degenerated into a scuffle, right there, in the air.
Zhuo Fan took it in stride as he asked, “Since Mystical Heaven Sect and us are in the lower three sects, weaker than them, what is Mystical Heaven Sect doing, still fighting over a herb?”
“He-he-he, Steward Zhuo, you don’t know but while we’re not up to Demon Soul Sect’s level, we are Tianyu’s three guardian sects, all brothers. Heaven Trailing Sect from the middle three sects, is our boss covering for us. So as long as nothing grave happens, the Demon Soul Sect wouldn’t openly challenge us two sects either or Heaven Trailing Sect will be bound to step in. As both are middle three sects, fighting each other would be the worst scenario.” Violent Demon grinned.
Zhuo Fan exclaimed inside.
He got it now, Demon Scheming Sect and Mystical Heaven Sect were Heaven Trailing Sect’s little bros, with the big bro keeping another middle three sect from swallowing them.
Everyone was one big happy family.
[When they went to mess with the Beast Taming Sect with the three elders’ souls, I bet all three of the sects participated.]
Or why the hell would the barren Quanrong hand over such a fertile stretch for Tuoba Tieshan and company?
[I reckon Beast Taming Sect felt the pressure of the three sects on it and had no choice in the matter. The Quanrong emperor saw the Beast Taming Sect agreeing so he added one more condition, to get Tuoba Tieshan back home as well.]
He had to get something out of this loss.
Thus, the three sects nabbed that fertile stretch of land.
[No wonder in the days of young Sanzi’s chaos around Tianyu, the empire’s three guardian sects passed the blame. They wanted nothing to do with it.] As long as the borders held, they didn’t give a flying hoot about Tianyu’s politics.
That had Zhuo Fan smiling.
[The sects extorted the empire of resources yet didn’t even raise a helping hand.]
[On the other hand, only their indifference led to the former emperor’s plan to work.]
Zhuo Fan sighed, following the four pygmies who were always fighting, ever quarreling. This was how the five flew to the Demon Scheming Sect…
Two weeks later, at dawn, five dots trailed the sky.
“Steward Zhuo, we’re here. That’s the entrance.” Violent Demon pointed at some dark spot in the woods below.
All Zhuo Fan saw was trees and more trees, oh and some random beasts as well.
It wasn’t hard to understand why. Demon Scheming Sect was hiding behind a barrier.
Whoosh~
The five figures landed before the trees, with the pygmies making some signs.
With fluctuations of space and the shouts of the four, the space in front of them twisted.
A mighty tall mountain appeared up ahead, with them at its foot. But this view rippled about like a pool of water.
Zhuo Fan knew it to be the entrance and waltzed right in.
He was now in a whole new world, with thick spiritual energy as much as ten times thicker than outside.
“A secluded sect indeed, and the perfect place to cultivate!” Zhuo Fan gasped.
Then, a voice with an attitude slammed into their ears.
“Who dares to breach Demon Scheming Sect’ entrance…”
