The black-robed figure was none other than Rayna. Since she was the only one in the Battle Maiden Sect with Poison Qi and had also mastered the art of concealing her aura and many other complex techniques, she was perfect for the job.
In the Battle Maiden Sect, Rayna was held in high regard by Aelina due to her exceptional talent and willpower. However, she wasn't well known, both in and out of the Sect. Those who did know her were either her fellow disciples or six feet under.
When Aelina had presented her with the task of infiltrating the Toxic Blade Sect and making them suffer, she accepted without hesitation. Their conversation, shrouded in secrecy, showcased only one aspect clearly: Aelina and Rayna's mutual aspiration for the ruin of the Toxic Blade Sect, and for good reason.
Rayna's affiliation with the Battle Maiden Sect was not a tale of traditional discipleship. Her journey was one born out of pain, fueled by an undying thirst for vengeance. As a child, she had been subjected to unimaginable torment at the Venomous Serpent Sect, a mid-tier sect that aspired to mimic the infamous Toxic Blade Sect.
Initially enslaved by the Venomous Serpent Sect, Rayna had been used as a guinea pig for their depraved experiments. Her body was a canvas for novices who explored the craft by using their poorly made toxic concoctions on her.
Not long after, the Sect's leaders noticed her unique physical resilience to poison and introduced her to greater torments. The Sect's senior disciples, Elders, and even the Sect Master turned her into their personal petri dish, inflicting upon her potent mixtures and documenting their devastating effects.
Every moment of Rayna's existence in the Venomous Serpent Sect was a living hell, each second steeped in pain and despair. Hate consumed her like a smoldering fire, waiting for the right spark to ignite.
That spark came in the form of Aelina. Rayna had no prior knowledge of the powerful woman who had invaded her tortured life. Still, the unknown stranger's presence, who had infiltrated unbeknownst to everyone in the Sect, indicated her formidable strength.
The moment Aelina's gaze fell upon the frail, sickly girl submerged in a vat of toxic liquid, she exclaimed, "Mmhm. You're perfect!"
With a graceful extension of her hand towards Rayna, a serene smile adorned Aelina's face as she proposed, "Do you want to kill these guys?"
Rayna didn't even hesitate to nod. She wanted nothing more than to kill these fuckers! Rather, she wanted to torture them the same way they did to her!
Then, Aelina made an enticing offer, "How about coming back with me and joining my Sect? I promise I'll make you powerful enough to obtain your revenge."
Again, Rayna didn't hesitate to nod.
From that day forth, Rayna was no longer a pitiable test subject; she was a disciple of the Battle Maiden Sect. When she finally transcended into the Soul Transformation Realm, she exacted her revenge, fulfilling the promise made to her by Aelina and herself.
Now that she was given the opportunity to cause destruction within another poison-based Sect, how could she not take it?
She spent months after she infiltrated learning more about the Toxic Blade Sect, its layout, the number of members, techniques, and so on all so she could pull this off without any issues.
Pushing these thoughts out of her mind, Rayna moved silently through the chaos like a shadow, her movements barely discernable.
As she stealthily navigated the chaotic environment, she planted small Heaven-Grade explosives that her Sect had provided her with. With each explosive set, the fire grew more ferocious, the smoke denser, providing her with the perfect smokescreen.
With each passing minute, she grew closer to her final target. The success of her plan so far filled her with a sense of anticipation. She had already managed to steal most of the Sect's resources, and now she was on the verge of completing her mission flawlessly.
With the final explosive set, Rayna made a beeline for the exit. She knew that it wouldn't be long before the Elders realized the true extent of what was happening, and she needed to be out of the Toxic Blade Sect when that happened.
As she weaved through the smoke and flames, she felt a sudden wave of Soul Sense wash over her. Her heart pounded, her eyes scanning the surroundings for any signs of danger. Had they discovered her? But then, she heard the unmistakable sound of an explosion. She turned around just in time to see a massive inferno in the distance, exactly where she had planted the last explosive.
A slight smirk played on Rayna's lips as she realized that the diversion had worked perfectly. The Elders' Soul Senses were now focused on the explosion, providing her with the distraction needed to make her escape.
With the Toxic Blade Sect burning in the background, Rayna made her way toward the outskirts. With the successful execution of her plan within her grasp, she quickened her pace.
Rayna crossed the boundary of the Toxic Blade Sect and disappeared into the distance, leaving those searching for her non the wiser. While she was running, she took out a talisman from her Storage Ring and crushed it.
Back at the Toxic Blade Sect, the realization of their dire situation began to dawn upon the Elders. Their Sect was in ruins, their resources were stolen, and the perpetrator's identity was unknown, presumably a traitor. The beautifully orchestrated plan had played out right under their noses, leaving them helpless and enraged.
Elder Jaxon gritted his teeth, his fists clenched. "Contact the Sect Master! We still have to salvage this if he comes here now!" He roared. An Elder immediately responded to his order and began trying to message Dorian.
However, no matter what he did, Dorian never answered.
The Elder turned to Jaxon, his expression dark, as he said hesitantly, "...I think something happened to the Sect Master…"
"WHAT?!"
***
On the summit of the Battle Maiden Sect, Aelina and Dorian were sitting at a table, drinking tea in silence. The latter wanted nothing more than to leave, while the former just watched him sip his tea with an amused smile.
Suddenly, she felt a vibration in her pocket. She had to prevent her smile from widening as she knew exactly what that meant.
'Rayna's on her way back.' She chuckled inwardly.
Straightening her posture and taking a sip herself, Aelina broke the ice by asking, "So, Dorian, what brings you to my humble abode? Surely, you didn't come here to cause trouble, right?"
Dorian put down his cup and grumbled, "Why ask when you already know the answer?"
"Haaa… It's unfortunate, though." Aelina sighed.
"Hmmm? What is?"
"If you had attempted to break in, I would've had a good reason to retaliate." Aelina sighed again as if she were truly sad he didn't do anything.
"..." Dorian tensed up, not knowing how to respond to that.
However, Aelina just chuckled and waved her hand dismissively, "Hahaha~ It's just a joke~ No need to act all serious. If that really were the case, I wouldn't have stopped you."
Her words did nothing to calm him down. Dorian examined Aelina closely, even spreading his Divine Sense around her. He still couldn't determine if the person in front of him was the real Aelina or not. Even now, he couldn't tell.
'Either she has a cloning technique at an extremely high level, or this is the real woman.' He speculated. Regardless, he could only abandon the thought of attacking.
Even if the woman in front of him was a clone, she was still extremely strong. Not to mention, he was in her domain now.
"Is your Sect doing well, Dorian? Your disciples sure looked healthy as they were killing mine." Aelina asked nonchalantly, switching the subject.
"..." Again, he wasn't sure how to respond. After some thought, he just decided to say, "...Well, the beasts are more active lately, so my disciples have had plenty of opportunities to temper themselves."
"The beasts, huh? I've noticed that over here as well. However, they seem much more… how should I say? Orderly? Almost like someone is behind their movements."
"Huh? How so?" Dorian asked, now intrigued.
"Well… I just noticed quite a few of them digging around for herbs, treasures, and Spirit Stones before taking them deeper into the mountains." Aelina explained, even though half of it sounded like bullshit. Dorian tried to read if she was lying or not, but as per usual, he couldn't gain anything from her expression.
"Okay? But that could mean literally anything! Not necessarily that someone is controlling them."
"Maybe," She shrugged. "But it wouldn't hurt to stay alert. We can't allow those beasts Clans to take more territory away from us now that the Crimson Slayer Sect is gone!"
Dorian opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't find the words to refute her as she wasn't wrong. That was a very likely scenario. Still, he wondered why Aelina was even sharing this information with him.
'There's no way she would bring this up without reason. What is she trying to gain from this?'
Did she want him to focus on the Beast Clans? Or was this reverse psychology, and she really didn't want him to turn any attention toward them? Perhaps it was neither of those.
He couldn't tell.
'Ah! Fuck it! I'm just not going to think about this!' He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and continued his talk with Aelina.
The two chatted for a few minutes before the conversation reached its end.
Dorian stood up from the table and declared, "I need to get going now."
"It was a pleasure speaking with you, Dorian!" Aelina smiled and nodded, not bothered by his sudden departure.
"Let's never meet again." With that said, he walked out of the building and teleported far away from the mountain, flying toward his Sect. He didn't want to stay there a second longer.
"Fufufu~ That's one chess piece." Aelina leaned back in her chair and muttered. 'Now, I suppose it's time to merge the remnants of all my branch Sects here where I can begin the second step of my plan.'
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