Chapter 130: Obstacles to Unification
Shi Hao said pensively, “Xiao Yan’s twin sister…”
Yue Yaotai replied, “Xiao Yan’s mother was my senior sister, but she left the demonic sects twenty years ago. Technically, leaving the demonic sects is considered betrayal.
“But at that time, there was constant infighting within the demonic sects. She was at the peak of the fifth rank, and the Moon Lotus Pavilion was embroiled in conflicts with other sects, so we didn’t have the resources to pursue her.”
Shi Hao said, “I heard Xiao Yan’s mother was your Pavilion Lord. Why would a Pavilion Lord defect?”
Yue Yaotai said, “She fell in love with a man from a Daoist sect, and he didn’t want her to remain in the demonic sects.”
Shi Hao was surprised… That’s it?
Of course, for someone in love, that reason was enough.
Yue Yaotai continued, “One night, over ten years ago, my senior sister returned to the Moon Lotus Pavilion, severely injured, with a young girl, about three years old. I wasn’t there at the time; it was Junior Sister Huan who met with her. My senior sister asked her to take care of the girl, while she returned to the East Sea to search for her younger daughter.”
“Normally, we wouldn’t care for the child of a defector. Sparing her life was already merciful. But Junior Sister Huan is kind-hearted, and my senior sister had always been good to her, so she took the girl in. My senior sister left, and shortly after, her body was found by the sea. We don’t know who killed her.”
“Although Xiao Yan was young at the time, she still remembered her younger sister. She’s been searching for her all these years. They’re twins, so her sister, if she’s still alive, should look just like her.
“But she hasn’t found anyone.”
Shi Hao said, “So she wanted to know if you have any information about her sister?”
Yue Yaotai said, “Xiao Yan always suspected we were hiding something from her. She asked me about it just now. I told her we don’t have any more information.”
Shi Hao’s mind raced, and he suddenly said, “But you do have some information, don’t you?”
He had learned the art of reading between the lines from the Holy Jade Immortal. Although Yue Yaotai’s words were technically true, she was still hiding something.
Yue Yaotai, inwardly impressed by the Young Master’s perceptiveness, bowed, “You’re right, Young Master. We don’t know if Xiao Yan’s sister is alive or dead, but we examined my senior sister’s body.
“Although she had many injuries, they were all inflicted before she returned to the Moon Lotus Pavilion. She was killed after she left. The cause of death was a crystal needle in her heart, a technique used by the Penglai Mirage Pavilion.”
Shi Hao asked, “Penglai Mirage Pavilion?”
Yue Yaotai said, “It’s an incredibly secretive sect, even more so than the Taisu Immortal Pavilion. They rarely appear in the martial world, and most people have never even heard of them. They’re neither Daoist nor demonic, their methods mysterious and unpredictable. We don’t know what kind of grudge my senior sister had against them.
“If Xiao Yan knew, she would definitely go after them, which would be disastrous. I didn’t tell her for her own good.”
“And although we don’t know what happened to her sister, considering the circumstances, her chances of survival were slim.”
Shi Hao nodded slowly, committing the name “Penglai Mirage Pavilion” to memory. He knew he couldn’t help Xu Xiaoyan with this, at least not now.
He said, “Call Xuan Feng Huanzhi and Sha Lingshan here. And bring the three canons of the Night Charm Demonic scriptures.”
Yue Yaotai replied, “Yes, Young Master.” The reunification of the three factions was inevitable.
She left the room.
An hour later, in a side hall of the manor, the three women – Xuan Feng Huanzhi, Yue Yaotai, and Sha Lingshan – each held a jade box.
Their faces were a mixture of excitement and anxiety.
After two hundred years of division, the Evil Lotus Sect would finally be reunited, their scriptures whole once more.
Shi Hao sat on a large chair, the Emerald Beauty standing on the table beside him.
The three women presented their jade boxes, and Shi Hao opened them, revealing three jade books.
The pages of each book were thin as cicada wings, made of an unknown material, incredibly delicate yet durable.
Shi Hao quickly flipped through them. They contained the martial arts techniques and cultivation methods of the Evil Lotus Sect.
He stacked the three books and placed them before the Emerald Beauty.
The Emerald Beauty extended its small hands towards the books and began chanting.
A demonic aura swirled around them, and the three books merged into one.
The three women then presented their respective sect’s registers, which Shi Hao examined. They contained lists of their members, their hidden bases, their assets, and other information.
After reviewing them, Shi Hao put them away and said, “From this day forward, the Evil Lotus Sect will have only one leader. Until the Sect Leader returns, I will act as her representative. You three will no longer call yourselves Sect Leaders. The Black Lotus Realm, the Moon Lotus Pavilion, and the Mirror Flower Water Moon Pavilion will retain their names but will be downgraded to branches, and you three will be their Branch Leaders.”
The three women knelt and bowed, “We obey, Young Master.”
Shi Hao said, “Strength is paramount in the martial world. Your priority now is to advance to the fourth rank. My understanding of the sect’s affairs is limited, and my focus is on cultivation.
“Choose one of you to temporarily manage the sect’s affairs, allowing the other two to focus on their cultivation.”
Xuan Feng Huanzhi said, “Grandmaster Shuiyue of the Mirror Flower Water Moon Pavilion is the most suitable candidate.”
Shi Hao looked at Yue Yaotai, who bowed, “I have no objections.”
The three factions had been feuding for so long, the animosity between the Black Lotus Realm and the Moon Lotus Pavilion particularly strong. The Mirror Flower Water Moon Pavilion, however, had remained relatively neutral.
Neither the Black Lotus Realm nor the Moon Lotus Pavilion trusted the other, and both Xuan Feng Huanzhi and Yue Yaotai knew this.
So they chose Grandmaster Shuiyue, the oldest and most respected member, who had been instrumental in persuading the three factions to cooperate and search for the Emerald Beauty.
Shi Hao said, “In that case, on behalf of the Sect Leader, I appoint Grandmaster Shuiyue as the sect’s Elder, responsible for managing its affairs.”
He then asked, “The Evil Lotus Sect has three cultivation paths. Which one do you each practice?”
Xuan Feng Huanzhi said, “I cultivate the Black Erosion path.”
Yue Yaotai said, “I cultivate the Lunar Divinity path.”
Sha Lingshan said, “I cultivate the Prismatic Illusion path.”
The Evil Lotus Sect had three distinct cultivation methods, each with its own unique rituals and demonic essences.
The Prismatic Illusion path began with the White Crystal Demonic Source, then progressed to the Pure Flame Demonic Source, the Azure Origin Demonic Source, the Blue Glass Demonic Source… This was also Shi Hao’s path.
This was the reason for the Evil Lotus Sect’s division into three factions.
Each faction possessed one of the three paths, their cultivation methods and rituals different, converging only after reaching the fourth rank.
Shi Hao had already guessed their respective paths based on their faction names, but he asked to confirm.
The three women had all reached the peak of the fifth rank, their progress stalled by the increasingly chaotic and unstable demonic energy within them. Forcibly attempting to advance through rituals would lead to demonic affliction. They needed the Demonic Lotus Heavenly Yin to purify their energies.
Shi Hao had received the Secret Canon from Su Mei. Since they practiced different paths, the methods for using the Demonic Lotus Heavenly Yin were also different.
Although the Secret Canon described these methods, the three women only knew they needed the Demonic Lotus Heavenly Yin to advance, not how to use it.
Shi Hao said, “Stay here tonight. I’ll use the Demonic Lotus Heavenly Yin to help you advance. After tomorrow, you can cultivate in seclusion.”
The three women, overjoyed, bowed again, “Thank you, Young Master!” They would be the first in three hundred years to reach the fourth rank within the Evil Lotus Sect.
“Oh, there’s one more thing,” Shi Hao stood up and paced before them, then coughed slightly, “It’s just… well…”
Xuan Feng Huanzhi and Yue Yaotai, unsure of what he was trying to say, looked at him, puzzled.
Sha Lingshan, the youngest and most perceptive of the three, smiled, “Don’t worry, Young Master. Although you’re a man, and we are women, you are our leader. Treat us as your concubines or servants, if you wish. We demonic cultivators aren’t bound by such conventions.”
“You are our Young Master, chosen by destiny to lead our sect. We are yours, in life and in death. And you’re helping us advance our cultivation. We are eternally grateful.”
Xuan Feng Huanzhi and Yue Yaotai suddenly understood… The Evil Lotus Sect’s inheritors had always been women.
Although they didn’t know how he would use the Demonic Lotus Heavenly Yin to help them, the fact that he was a man, and they were women, presented a… delicate situation.
For them, advancing to the fourth rank was paramount. They knelt again, their voices humble, urging him not to hesitate.
The Emerald Beauty, who had been silent, said, “Don’t worry, Young Master. It’s just a matter of touching them. Cultivation is more important than such trivial matters.”
Xuan Feng Huanzhi, Yue Yaotai, and Sha Lingshan thought, Touching us all over?
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