Inside the Crimson Slayer Sect, Cyrus, the Sect Master, sat in his office holding a broken Life Tablet, which is essentially a jade slip with inscriptions on it that are tied to someone's life.
The Life Tablet in Cyrus' hands was tied to his disciple, Zander's, life and had just broken, signifying his death.
He stared at the Life Tablet for a few minutes, with no change in his expression. His eyes were as still as a lake, not showing any wrath or anger, as he had foreseen this situation as soon as Zander escaped the Sect.
'Sigh… If only I had stopped him back then, he might still be alive.' Cyrus thought while pinching the bridge of his nose.
However, he knew there was nothing he could do even if he captured Zander and brought him back to the Sect. His mind was already too far gone by that point, and if he didn't kill Mira soon, he'd lose his sanity and be completely useless.
"I guess it's my fault for choosing such a shitty disciple!" Cyrus cursed his bad luck, but the blame wasn't entirely on him.
Zander had never seen the true face of the Cultivation World until now. Most of his cultivation and battle experience was from killing and absorbing those weaker than him with overwhelming power, after all.
The Unorthodox Faction, their cultivation techniques, way of life, and teachings all cater to people who have no problem abusing the weak. There are several reasons for that, but the crux of the issue is that those who are part of the Unorthodox Faction are generally much weaker than others at the same stage.
It isn't so noticeable in the lower Realms when the difference between minor Realms isn't huge, to begin with, but things start to change after the Core Formation Realm.
The cultivation techniques of the Unorthodox Faction prioritize fast growth over everything else, but there's a price one must pay for this growth. Whether it be from the impure Qi they're absorbing or using up their lifespan to cultivate, there are consequences to this fast growth rate.
Generally, the quality of one's Qi takes a significant drop, lowering their battle prowess by several folds. But since most people who join the Unorthodox Factions are generally one of two people, untalented trash or psychopaths, this means nothing to them.
Being a Nascent Soul Realm expert with low-quality Qi and other issues with their foundation is still much better than being at the Foundation Realm or Core Formation Realm. If someone wanted to get stronger but didn't have the talent for it, the only place they could turn to is the Unorthodox Faction.
In fact, due to the practices of those from the Unorthodox Faction, they used to be called Demonic Sects, and it wasn't after thousands of years and many wars did the world as a whole decided to label those kinds of Sects as part of the Unorthodox Faction.
The Orthodox Factions, over time, realized that it was nearly impossible to completely eradicate these Sects and their cultivation techniques, as not everyone is talented, but everyone wants power.
That's why Cyrus could only blame himself in this situation for forgetting the fate of those who use Unorthodox Faction techniques.
"Quantity over quality, huh…."
Cyrus knew that Zander died at the Battle Maiden Sect, as that's the only place he would if he wanted to find the one who caused his mind to crumble.
"The Battle Maiden Sect again! It seems like all of my problems lately have been because of them! While it may be true that the natural order of things is for the strong to prey on the weak and stupid, both of which are traits of my late disciple, he was still MY disciple! I spent years training and pumping resources into him! Battle Maiden Sect, beware because I'm coming for you!" He declared before taking out a golden red talisman and injecting Qi into it.
"Yo~ Cyrus, what's up?" A cheerful manly voice came out of the talisman.
"I have something to discuss with you, Faction Head," Cyrus answered.
"Oho? Interesting! You never call me for these kinds of things! Let's hear it!"
***
On the other hand, in a hidden location in the mountains, numerous leaders of the Orthodox Faction appeared in a small courtyard to discuss the recent events surrounding the Battle Maiden Sect.
There were only 4 leaders out of the 7 top Orthodox Sects in the meeting.
At the head of the table, a tall, handsome man with lean but explosive muscles and a sharp aura sat with a longsword tied around his waist. His name is Alexander Pierce, and he's the leader of the Immortal Sword Sect.
To his right sat an elegant beauty with a refined aura, who looked more like a scholar than a cultivator, but nobody underestimated her power. Her name is Flora Lozano, and she's the Sect Master of the Profound Elements Sect.
To Alexander's left sat a man with a black cloak and a mask. He didn't reveal any aura, and his presence was concealed. In fact, if the other leaders weren't looking right at him, they would barely notice he was there! People called him the Ghost Reaper King, as he was the Sect Master of the Hidden Blade Sect.
Lastly, across from Alexander sat a large burly man who released an overbearing aura that seemed to want to destroy everything in its path. His name is Damon, and he's the Sect Leader of the Divine Weapons Sect.
Alexander started the meeting by saying, "Thank you for answering my call and agreeing to meet with me to talk about the Battle Maiden Sect's recent issues with all the beasts rampaging throughout their territory. I invited the Heaven-Defying Pill Sect and Yin-Yang Sect as well, but they didn't seem all that interested."
Damon snorted in disdain, "Hmph! Those pill fanatics and sex maniacs wouldn't be very helpful in sieging the Battle Maiden Sect's territory, anyways."
Flora then chimed in, "Now, now. Nobody said anything about sieging anyone's territory. If anything, I'm more inclined to help Aelina out. That is if she asks for it."
However, Damon didn't like that answer and yelled in her direction, "You'd actually assist them?! Don't you realize that this is a unique opportunity for us?! The Battle Maiden Sect sits on a mountain full of treasures, literally. Why would you not want to take advantage of this situation?!"
Flora glared at Damon and responded coldly, "My Sect is doing fine without needing a near-endless supply of high-ranking beasts, herbs, and ores! Plus, going to war with them would do me more harm than good," She then turned to the Ghost Reaper King and said, "Even you, Ghost Reaper, should know it's hardly worth attacking the Battle Maiden Sect."
The Ghost King Reaper silently nodded but didn't say anything!
However, Damon wasn't satisfied with that. He slammed his fists on the table and shouted, "While you might not have any ambition or desire to enter the Central Continent, I do! My Sect deserves to be the number one in the world, and the only way I see that being a possibility is my Sect obtains at least a portion of the Battle Maiden Sect's resources!"
Flora crossed her arms, looked at Alexander, and muttered, "You should first try becoming the Number One Sect on the continent before you dare think about entering the Central Continent."
"Bitch-!" Damon's veins popped, and his knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists and glared at Flora.
However, Alexander intervened before things got too out of hand.
"Alright. That's enough. I didn't invite you here to argue like children," He said calmly, "But I will say that I partially agree with Damon."
Flora scowled, and Damon smiled as Alexander continued.
"I'm sure you understand why. The mountain the Battle Maiden Sect resides on contains many natural resources, some of which can even help beings at our cultivation level. If we could obtain even a portion of those resources, our chances of entering the Central Continent would be much higher."
Everyone nodded, but Flora couldn't help but argue, "I understand what you're saying, but you should know that even with all those resources, the Battle Maiden Sect has still failed to make it into the Central Continent even once. Also, the number of beasts they have available to fight didn't come from nowhere. There's a reason why they have so many beasts to fight. I'm sure you can think of a few possibilities as to why this is the case."
"Heh! Those ignorant women don't even know how to make full use of the resources they're obtaining! That's also probably why they insist on cowering on their little mountain, afraid to go out into the world and make a name for themselves! If I had everything they had, my Sect would undoubtedly be Number One!" Damon declared, but the surroundings turned silent. Flora coldly glared at Damon while Alexander rubbed his head.
After a while, Alexander opened his mouth with a sigh, "Haa… Listen, I just said that I agreed with you more than Flora, Damon. I never said I accepted your proposal. You should know the Battle Maiden Sect is anything but weak. With Aelina still in charge, they are anything but so. Anyways, let's get into what I really wanted to talk about."
