Leona waved her hand, silencing the disciples.
"Thank you for the support, everyone," She said, "But don't get too excited. We may have won the battle, but the war is most certainly not over. The next time the enemy comes knocking on our doorsteps, we might not have Nova and her companions with us to help. Thus, we must start preparing for that day to come!"
"From now on, there will be mandatory training and sparring sessions every day! You will train in new techniques, and we will simulate large-scale battles like what you witnessed today! So prepare yourself! This training starts tomorrow at dawn!"
After saying that, Leona glided down and landed in front of Nova, signaling them to follow her.
Inside a large conference room, Nova, Leona, and a few Elders discussed the battle that had just taken place.
Leona crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing as she listened to Nova's report. Once Nova finished, Leona fell into deep thought.
"I see. So, they've even resorted to the use of poison, huh? Has the Toxic Blade Sect gotten involved as well?" Leona muttered, and as much as she wanted to deny that possibility, she couldn't. The evidence was right in front of her face, after all.
There was still a giant plume cloud of poison ruining the landscape not far outside the Sect.
"I apologize, Sect Master Leona, but I do not know the answer to that. It's no secret that the Crimson Slayer Sect doesn't generally use poison, as their cultivation techniques require others' blood to cultivate, but I think it's too early to jump to conclusions. The Toxic Blade Sect isn't the only place capable of making poison," Nova said, and Leona couldn't help but agree.
Poison-making was just another form of alchemy. In fact, there was a fine line between a poison and a healing pill! Even a failed healing pill could technically be considered poison since taking it would harm the body.
There were countless alchemists spread across the continent, many of whom aren't even associated with any of the main Sects, Orthodox or Unorthodox. There's also the Heaven-Defying Pill Sect, an Orthodox Sect known for its alchemy.
They could have gotten poison from anywhere, as most alchemists will do just about anything for resources.
'Though, for there to be such an abundance of it, plus the fact that they used an Array to make it stronger, tells me that they must've gotten their supply from an organization and not an individual.' Leona thought.
'I still think the Toxic Blade Sect is involved, but I'll leave that to Leader Aelina to figure out. It's enough for me to know that they are using poison so that we can prepare for it in the future.'
"Anyways, my fight with the Mortal Shedding Realm expert went about as expected. We fought for a while, but he ran away as soon as I was about to kill him. I left him with quite a few serious injuries, so it'll probably be a while before he recovers, but I was unable to finish the job." Leona said.
Nobody was surprised to hear that, as killing experts at that level wasn't easy. If they wanted to escape, there was very little anyone could do about it.
The meeting lasted for another half an hour before they dispersed, moving on to carry out their responsibilities. Just because the battle was over doesn't mean there's any time to rest.
Corpses needed looting, and the battlefield needed clearing. They could also gather some of the leftover poison and begin experimenting with it to devise an antidote.
Not to mention, Cyrus has probably already gotten word of his loss and might send another wave of enemies!
***
In a dimly lit room, Cyrus stared at the man in front of him in absolute silence.
The man before him was riddled with injuries. One of his arms was dangling loosely by his side as if it would fall off at any moment. Deep gashes ran along his entire body, coupled with holes that one could see straight through.
However, despite his injuries, he wasn't bleeding much. Dense amounts of Qi had wrapped around his wounds, preventing him from dying of blood loss.
Right now, the man hung his head low while facing Cyrus, ready to confront his wrath.
Only after a minute of silence passed did Cyrus finally speak up.
"...So, you lost."
It wasn't a question.
The man felt even more ashamed but nodded nonetheless.
"Yes, sir. I was no match for Leona. She was much stronger than the reports said. In fact, part of me felt like she was holding back on me despite the fact that I had landed numerous hits on her."
That's right! This was the man who had faced Leona not too long ago! As soon as he lost, he came running back to Cyrus, wanting to know their next move!
Although some might call him a coward, he knew his worth and was sure that Cyrus would agree with his decision.
Just like how Soul Transformation Realm disciples were the backbone of any major Sect, the Mortal Shedding Realm experts were like its protectors. All the disciples could die, but as long as those in the Divine Sea and Mortal Shedding Realms existed, the Sect would never truly die.
"...What about the army?" Cyrus asked, his fists clenched.
"This..." The man hung his head lower, "As I was... retreating... I noticed six women slaughtering our disciples like they were nothing. Although I didn't recognize some of them, I did see a woman with nine tails and a scythe wreaking havoc."
Cyrus' frown deepened. His aura leaked out, the air around him growing heavy.
The room shook from the force of his power, the walls creaking and groaning under the pressure. The Mortal Shedding Realm expert shrank back, fear etched on his face. He knew the Sect Master would be mad, but he didn't think he'd be this agitated!
Cyrus's eyes narrowed as he took a deep breath, trying to calm his raging emotions. He couldn't let his anger get the better of him. Not now...
"Dammit! It's that bitch again! Whenever there's a problem, how come she's always in the middle of it?!" He roared and slammed his fists on the table, turning it to dust.
Cyrus had half a mind to charge down there and send Mira to hell himself, but he forcibly stopped himself from doing so.
'If I get involved, then Aelina will surely know. I can also feel Sue Ming's subordinates watching my every move.'
Just the thought of those two women caused his heart to beat fiercely in his chest and his anger to nearly boil over. While those two women were opposites of one another, he hated them equally.
If he could, he would slap them both to death right here and now, but unfortunately, he wasn't strong enough. Not to mention, should he even attempt to touch Sue Ming, she would definitely remove his head without a second thought.
'That damn slut! It's all her fault I'm in this situation! If she just allowed me to kill Mira, I wouldn't have to put up with this crap!' Cyrus cursed Sue Ming again.
With his age and experience, he could see where this road was heading, and it wasn't toward the prosperity of his Sect.
No. He could foresee the thousands of years of effort he had put into the Sect crumbling in the hands of three women.
Yet, all he could do was sit back and watch it happen.
Knowing that caused his blood to boil. Veins popped in his forehead, and his whole body tensed up as if he were about to explode.
He was about to lose control of his emotions, but he circulated his cultivation technique, closed his eyes, and took a few deep breaths to calm down.
It took him a few moments, but he eventually reigned in his aura. Though, a frown was still etched on his face.
'No, it's not over yet. I refuse for this to be the end!' A crazed look appeared in his eyes, almost as if he was ready to do anything so long as it meant the continuation of the Sect.
"Call the Toxic Blade Sect Master over! I want to renegotiate the terms of our agreement!" Cyrus said as a plan slowly formulated in his mind.
A plan that the Faction Leader wouldn't like, but one he was willing to go through with anyways.
