Chapter 40: The Battle for the Black Desolation Sect

Away from the Demonic Beast Garden, outside that secret realm, the atmosphere in the inner sect of the Black Desolation Sect had grown extremely tense some time earlier.

The place that once appeared thriving now seemed almost deserted.

It wasn’t because the inner sect had suddenly been abandoned. Rather, every cultivator had returned to their own residence, keeping themselves as inconspicuous as possible.

The reason could be found in the sky.

There, dozens of cultivators had gathered.

The Sect Master, the Great Elder, three Peak Masters, and numerous elders. The highest-ranking cultivators of the Black Desolation Sect were practically all gathered in one place, clearly prepared to strike the moment their enemy appeared.

Just who could receive such treatment from the entire upper echelon of the sect?

The answer was revealed when the teleportation array suddenly lit up.

Three figures appeared within it.

Three women.

The one in the lead had long silver hair flowing freely behind her and a pair of mysterious purple eyes.

Ji Yue had made her entrance alongside her twin sister, Ji Yan, and her disciple, Luo Yunjin.

The moment she stepped out of the teleportation array, Ji Yue looked around.

More than ten of the strongest cultivators in the Black Desolation Sect were waiting for her.

Yet, instead of showing the slightest trace of surprise, her expression remained calm.

"If you’re wondering about your supporters, then give up," Han Wuchang, the Sect Master of the Black Desolation Sect, said. His voice was filled with ridicule. "They’re all in the Shadow Prison. Did you really think you could outsmart me?"

"Pfft... hahaha!"

Ji Yan, who was standing beside her sister, suddenly burst into laughter.

She couldn’t hold herself back any longer.

Ji Yue had been about to reprimand her for laughing at such a time, but after looking at the gathered cultivators, she too seemed unable to hold herself back.

She covered her mouth and softly laughed.

"Ha... haha. Yes, this really is funny."

The previously heavy atmosphere cracked under the twins’ laughter. Han Wuchang’s expression darkened.

He raised his hand.

"Attack!"

The cultivators around him immediately moved.

Some summoned their weapons and treasures, sending attacks toward the twins.

But others moved in a completely different direction.

Shen Lian and several other elders suddenly turned their weapons toward the people who had been standing beside them.

They attacked without hesitation.

Those elders had not been prepared for the betrayal. The weakest among them were struck immediately, and several were killed on the spot.

Before the survivors could even react, Shen Lian and the others had already moved.

They quickly repositioned themselves behind the Heavenly Twin Stars.

The entire exchange lasted only a moment.

Everyone had made only one move.

Yet the only casualties were on Han Wuchang’s side.

Ji Yue calmly looked at Han Wuchang.

"Han Wuchang, you may think that you captured our supporters, but that isn’t what happened."

Her voice remained gentle, almost as if she were patiently explaining something obvious to him.

"They weren’t our supporters. They were supporters of you, their Sect Master."

"To think you were naive enough to attack them simply because you suspected them of standing against you, without even bothering to confirm the truth..."

"I really didn’t expect you to be this foolish."

She sounded genuinely impressed by his stupidity.

"Insolent!" one of the remaining elders shouted. "You refuse to value the nurturing the sect has given you, and now you even stand against your own master?!"

Another elder immediately shouted, "You think your talent gives you the right to act however you please? Without the Black Desolation Sect, you would have nothing!"

"You’ve been given everything, yet you’ve turned your back on the sect the moment you became powerful enough!"

"Not only are you disrespecting your master, you’re willing to drag the entire sect into chaos just to satisfy your own selfish ambitions!"

One accusation followed another.

The elders who had been too afraid to attack after witnessing their own allies turn against them could only condemn the twins with words, hiding behind the authority of the sect and their supposed loyalty.

Unable to bear the noise any longer, Ji Yan suddenly punched forward. A fist of raging flame shot across the battlefield, forcing the loudmouths who lacked the courage to actually make a move to shut their mouths.

"Shut up, trash."

"What master?" Ji Yan sneered. "Did you lie so many times that you eventually started believing your own lie?"

She glanced at Han Wuchang with undisguised disgust.

"We have never been his disciples, and we never will be."

The twins had indeed never become disciples of the Sect Master.

The rumors that had spread throughout the sect, claiming that they had already been accepted as his disciples, were merely a way to pressure them into accepting him as their master for real.

In the end, they never did.

Han Wuchang had been perfectly willing to tolerate their arrogance. He could give them time to struggle and pretend that they still had a choice. The final outcome would not change either way.

But. Who could have expected those two little girls to mistake his patience for weakness simply because they had broken through a few stages in their cultivation?

Han Wuchang was furious.

He didn’t bother arguing with them any longer. Instead, he decided to make his move personally.

The pressure of an Embryo Realm cultivator suddenly spread across the battlefield, and the overwhelming aura immediately restored the confidence of some of the elders. Seeing their Sect Master finally take action, they too chose to stand on his side.

One Peak Master and a few elders, however, made a different decision. They retreated from the battlefield, choosing not to side with either party.

Then there was the Great Elder.

Standing behind Han Wuchang, he looked at the chaotic scene before him and shook his head.

How had a man this incompetent become the Sect Master?

He couldn’t help but lament the Black Desolation Sect’s misfortune.

Yet, no matter how incompetent Han Wuchang was, the Great Elder still chose to support him. With a sigh, he made his move against the twins as well.

The battlefield quickly became chaotic.

Cultivators clashed in every direction, and with so many people attacking and changing positions at once, it became difficult to tell friend from foe.

Ji Yue raised one hand, ready to activate the array formation and assist the others. But after taking a look at the battlefield, she decided there was no need.

She lowered her hand and simply watched.

"Ji Yan! Ji Yue!"

Even amid the chaos, Han Wuchang’s furious voice could still be heard clearly.

"The Black Desolation Sect nurtured you! I gave you everything you needed and even supported you wholeheartedly when you attacked the Crimson Flame Sect. I gave you countless opportunities, yet you still refused to acknowledge me as your master. And now you even intend to fight me for the position of Sect Master?"

His anger erupted with his voice.

"Since you have chosen this path, then face my wrath!"

Ji Yan had endured Han Wuchang’s disgusting, greedy gaze more than once whenever he looked at them.

She had wanted to kill him back then.

She had simply endured it.

Now, she no longer had any reason to.

"Han Wuchang, you didn’t support us because you thought highly of us," Ji Yan said, her voice carrying clear disgust. "You supported us because you were afraid that the precious materials you needed to break through the shackles of your shabby talent would die."

Her golden eyes narrowed.

"You wanted to take us as your disciples only because it would make it easier for you to refine us into a pill. At this point, who are you even trying to deceive?"

Ji Yan’s killing intent surged as she stared at Han Wuchang.

"Anyway, stop talking bullshit."

She clenched her fist, flames beginning to gather around it.

"Show me what you can do."