--Soaring Cloud Sect, Council Auditorium.
"The Solitary Sword Sect is quite persistent in its desire to take us as a subordinate force." An elderly man spoke, his voice filled with untold worries. To his left, a middle-aged man with a heroic disposition with an aura of a concealed sword edge. To his right, an elderly woman with eyes as sharp as knives and hair as white as snow.
A middle-aged man with light blue hair stood before them as they sat up above on their pedestal. His attire was extraordinary and his aura contained a lofty air. On his back was a single broadsword fastened by an archaic belt with no scabbard. This middle-aged man was the representative for the Solitary Sword Sect. His qi cultivation was profound as he radiated an aura at the late-Origin Core Realm.
"Of course. I suggest you make your decision by today." The representative, Zhao Huoli, said forcefully. The two Grand Elders and Sect Leader of the Soaring Cloud Sect couldn't help but frown.
Due to the Yan Clan situation, the Soaring Cloud Sect lost their strongest ally - The Water Veil Sect. Not to mention, their former ally had risen to the status of a grand-tier force and killed their way into the Soaring Cloud Sect with vicious violence. They lost a good portion of their forces in the resistance and a Grand Elder level character.
They were truly in the hole of misfortune, one they dug themselves into.
The Solitary Sword Sect had helped them weather the storm by interfering with the Water Veil Sect's invasion, thereby allowing the Soaring Cloud Sect a temporary reprieve. However, the Solitary Sword Sect was not one to act out of good intentions and asked for a price - their loyalty. To officially become the subordinate of the Solitary Sword Sect would cause the Soaring Cloud Sect to lose their ability to develop outside of being an exceptional faction.
It was essentially the merging of powers, the weaker one will obviously crumble apart at its foundation as the larger one consumed it to strengthen itself. Their top talents, their legacies, their unique resources, their entire territory and more will be given up to reinforce the Solitary Sword Sect's position within the country.
The three upper-echelon members did not wish for this to happen. Unfortunately, they were given an ultimatum: To kneel in subservience or be left to await the Water Veil Sect's revenge. To any large force, these two choices felt like choosing between a thick red rope and a thick blue rope to tie around your neck.
"I'll be awaiting your decision." Zhao Huoli said before departing without dismissal. To him, these individuals were pathetic and useless. Due to a boy from an irrelevant clan and their overconfidence, they were left in a position where they essentially had no way out. They could choose to slowly tatter off by being assimilated by the Solitary Sword Sect or die under the Water Veil Sect's attacks.
After several minutes of silence, the Sect Leader spoke, "Our choices are limited. I believe...we have no choice." His words were spoken with a strong sense of weakness and defeat. He couldn't help but regret his inaction in the previous events. What should've been a small issue blew up to become the nail in their coffin.
The others around couldn't help but deeply sigh in helplessness. It seems the heavens truly did not want the Soaring Cloud Sect to exist under its brilliance any longer.
BANG!!
A young woman, about twenty years of age with average looks, barged into the Council Auditorium causing the doors to explode open. She was drenched in sweat, her breathing labored, and her eyes red with terror. Following behind her, Zhao Huoli had a solemn expression. The sudden intrusion caused the three upper-ranked members to rise from their seats and stare inquisitively.
"What is the meaning of this?" The Clan Leader inquired, his gaze growing a little irritated at the low-ranking member with the cultivation of the initial-Essence Formation Realm barging in unannounced. The other two Grand Elders maintained their silence, carefully awaiting for this situation to be explained.
"T-the...th-the!" The young woman tried to speak, but it was as if her lungs were caught in her throat.
Zhao Huoli decided to step forward, "Every last one of your members has lost consciousness." His words were solemn but had a strange calm to it. As a sword cultivator with his cultivation, he faced many life or death situations in his lifetime. His calm was embedded deep into his bones. In fact, it would an oddity if anything other than a heaven eclipsing palm were to shake his calm.
"What?! What are you talking about?" The Clan Leader questioned, obviously disbelieving of his words. He spread his qi-sense outwards and felt the qi signatures of everyone it swept to be docile as if in a state of unconsciousness. The Grand Elders took the same course of action, discovering the same issue, their minds reeling in shock.
"How? What is going on?"
The moment those words left his mouth, a handsome youth dressed in violet attire appeared outside the entrance of the auditorium. Behind him were two individuals, one who looked scrawny but intelligent and another who felt lofty but calm. The youth's eyes were similarly calm, but it contained traces of unyielding confidence and imperialistic flavor.
Their arrival caused all individuals present to turn their eyes towards them. Zhao Huoli could tell the situation wasn't favorable and as he wasn't a part of the Soaring Cloud Sect, he had no intention to offend individuals of unknown origin if it was avoidable. He took a step back towards the wall and conceded the way for these gentlemen.
The Clan Leader and Grand Elders saw his action and felt confused. "Who are you?" The Clan Leader asked, his hands holding a talisman ready to crush it at a moment's notice.
These three were obviously the trio, Yan Zaizen, Tao, and Bai Lufeng. Initially, Yan Zaizen had tasked Tao with gathering information about Han Genji's trial and execution. What he learned bothered him greatly. The entire upper-echelon of the Soaring Cloud Sect desired Han Genji's death, and they tortured him for two years for revenge. This left him in a dilemma.
What should he do?
His original intention was to kill those responsible, but if all the cultivators of a certain level were responsible, how could he rectify this situation? Both Tao and Bai Lufeng had their own suggestions. Tao, the cool-headed and intelligent one, wanted him to find specific individuals who personally took action, not including those who simply had ill-intent and eliminate only them. This was a slow process that could take quite a while.
Bai Lufeng, on the other way, said it simply, "It's a first-tier force, with your current abilities Young Lord Zai, you could level the entire sect with a thought." This was the fastest method and wouldn't take a long investigation. Initially, he leaned towards Tao's suggestion, because it'll simply be horrible to eradicate all those who weren't even remotely related to the situation.
So he made a decision.
Kill all members of the Upper Echelon regardless and kill those publicly advocating for Han Genji's death. After some more information gathering from Tao, he discovered who exactly these people were. As for the numerous individuals who were unconscious outside, that was simply Yan Zaizen's course of action to gain entry.
Soaring Cloud Sect truly was just a top-rank first-tier force. They didn't even have a half-step True Essence Cultivator. Their Grand Elders were at the late-Origin Core Realm, and the Sect Leader was the same. Only the Ancestral Elder was at the peak-Origin Core Realm. Therefore, he was already killed by Yan Zaizen to prevent any unforeseen issues. They had no defense against his level of soul cultivation and the speed at which his soul energy moved could make an initial-True Essence expert feel slow as a snail.
It took him less than two minutes to subdue the entire Soaring Cloud Sect from the gates. With his spiritual sense, nothing could escape his reach. As for the young woman who barged in, she was a member of the Yan Clan. It was only a coincidence that she ran to the council auditorium. Unsurprisingly, she didn't recognize Yan Zaizen at first sight. It made sense, at the time he was scrawny, average-looking, and weak.
Now, he was the exact opposite.
Not only the Ancestral Elder who lay dead in his quarters, but everyone who was related to Han Genji's execution was laying as a corpse. Only these three individuals were left untouched. As for Zhao Huoli? Yan Zaizen didn't even spare him a glance.
"Do you remember Han Genji?" Yan Zaizen asked. The others were shocked that Han Genji, a man executed a year ago, was now being brought forward. The myriad of reasons caused their minds to inwardly panic with fearful thoughts. Whoever this youth was, he was someone who could kill them with a single thought. They knew this from the feats outside. Even if it wasn't this youth specifically who was personally taking actions, the others beside him obviously stood in a subordinate position indicating his status.
The Clan Leader's face darkened with solemness, "I do. May I ask what's your relationship with him?" His words were soft and cautious, obviously afraid of coming off rude and unintentionally offending the other.
Yan Zaizen, however, didn't care about his actions. "Good. I am his disciple, and he's my Master. That year, when you killed his lover. That year, when you captured him. That year, when you publicly tortured him till his execution. I want you to know that your death, it'll be the offering for his peace in the afterlife. As his disciple, I will achieve this." When his words were spoken everyone was frozen in disbelief and shock.
WHAT?!
If Han Genji had a youth with the ability to achieve such a feat, why didn't he say so sooner? Why didn't he ask for help? This felt incomprehensible to them. "Wh-What are you talking about? How could...How could you be his disciple?" The woman with sharp eyes asked, her voice filled with trembling.
However, Yan Zaizen didn't even bother answering. "You can die quick and painlessly or you can die slow and very, very painfully. What's your choice?"