It didn’t take long for some brave souls to dare to provoke him. The result of the taunts was disastrous: they all ended up on the brink of death, in such a critical state that, not even with expensive pills, could they recover in time to participate in the legendary event of the sect.
This scenario served as an excellent disguise, and the situation repeated itself throughout the day. They stayed under the enemy’s radar the whole time, just not seen for a brief moment after leaving prison.
With that, many simply assumed Raoni spent the day gathering herbs and never returned to the neutral faction. By the end of that day, the enemy disciples already feared him deeply.
The next day, the opposing faction changed tactics. Some disciples from the Phoenix Feather began to show up to prevent him from cultivating.
Technically, these disciples shouldn’t be tied to any faction. However, nobody was naive; many of these combat experts had been bought off by one side or another.
But... those disciples who relied on their fighting skills were nothing against Raoni. The strangest part was that he wasn’t using any techniques. It almost seemed like he didn’t know how to fight; he just swung his arms randomly. Yet, because of his lack of pattern, no one could predict or block his movements.
On the second day, the attacks came in large numbers. The numerical disadvantage was enormous, and Raoni ended up fleeing. But not before leaving all his opponents injured, half of them on the verge of death.
On the third day, Raoni made one disciple’s head explode just by probing around. Since the alchemists had powerful spirits, his soul would take time to be taken by the laws.
The unlucky chosen one was someone important. An Elder quickly sealed his soul in the body and, using a high-level medicinal pill, completely regenerated his head. This was the third largest sect of alchemists in the universe of the queen; in any other sect, this person would certainly have died.
As punishment for this act, Raoni spent four days as the emperor of the delinquent prison before being released. During that time, he felt the joy of having a powerful supporter.
In the blink of an eye, a week passed. Raoni was already a well-known figure among all the Elders and High Elders of the sect.
However, an unexpected event occurred.
An Elder appeared, urgently summoning Raoni to the center of the sect. Upon arrival, he faced a group of Elders and disciples, all glaring at him with fury.
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"Raoni, you killed my brother! According to the sect’s rules, I challenge you to a life-and-death battle!" roared a disciple with a dark expression.
Behind him, two men carried a body. It was someone Raoni barely remembered seeing the day before. Like the others, he had insulted Raoni and had been beaten to the point of no longer looking human.
The injuries were severe but clearly not fatal; they only caused ’a little’ pain. Now, however, that person’s soul had dissipated, and he was undoubtedly dead.
"He wasn’t dead yesterday. If he died today, it’s not my problem," Raoni sneered dryly.
This childish game was obvious. That disciple was killed so the challenger could have an excuse to attack him.
The challenger was an Empyrean Conqueror from the Phoenix Feather. He was at the first level of the Divine Origin Realm, and the intense fluctuations of fire around him indicated he was a formidable opponent, clearly selected to defeat Raoni.
The enemy faction had limits on the opponents they sent; otherwise, they would break serious sect rules. Their cultivation realm couldn’t surpass Raoni’s. Since someone of the same realm proved impossible to sell out, they had to appeal to someone stronger, so they needed a solid justification for the fight.
Raoni had already shown a wild and terrifying talent for physical combat, along with an abnormal resistance to the laws of fire—that was something the Elders had deduced since his first fight against the 99 Elders.
Resistance to fire laws? Someone several realms below? Any experienced cultivator would notice something strange about all this.
Alm and Bruno were using this to their advantage, like wolves playing with sheep. Those alchemists were completely ignorant about battles and too arrogant to even imagine that a young disciple could hide something even more terrifying.
Everyone claimed that the first Elders he defeated were mere alchemists with no combat skills. If Raoni faced a true cultivator in a life-and-death battle, especially someone with a higher cultivation level, the power he had demonstrated so far would be insignificant.
It was evident that they had prepared and armed that disciple to ensure he would be killed with a single blow. Raoni’s presence was already a significant threat to the opposing side, and they sacrificed a disciple to get rid of him.
"Hmph, his death is a result of the serious injuries you caused him. When we got back, his injuries worsened and got out of control. Do you think you can escape blame with just a few empty words? What a joke! Raoni, you killed my brother! This enmity must be avenged by me. I have already signed up for a life-and-death fight! Don’t be a coward and accept!"
"How ridiculous," Alm muttered. "Is that really all you can do? Use such a childish trick?"
First of all, ignoring the fact that Raoni wasn’t responsible for that disciple’s death, even if he were, the death didn’t occur immediately. That alone made it impossible to use the matter to punish him.
The Phoenix Cry Sect had numerous miraculous medicinal pills. As long as a person didn’t die instantly, it would be hard to die, even if they wanted to.
Moreover, Raoni had beaten him the day before. Could it be that if he died ten years later, it would still be Raoni’s fault? This whole scheme was a complete absurdity.
No matter what they tried, the allied radical faction had plenty of means to expose the flaws in this plot. They would demand an investigation and use all possible tactics to delay the process. In the end, without enough evidence, the matter would end up with no consequences.
Alm and Bruno simply ignored the challenger and went on their way, not even giving him a second glance.
***
That same night, the sect leader was reading a report with a serious and tense expression. Next to him, a High Elder, a woman he trusted deeply, waited patiently for him to finish reading and make a decision.
After a long silence, the leader let out a heavy sigh and said, "These events don’t seem to be connected."
"But everything is really strange. It all points to Vice Leader Baiaku being killed by a spiritual power far superior to his own," the High Elder stated gravely. "And, at the same time, that presence came to us... it’s too much of a coincidence. He’s connected to that other sect, it could be an attempt to weaken us."
"It is strange," the leader agreed, thoughtfully. "But I don’t think he would stoop so low as to attack from the shadows. And there’s no clear motive for the vice leader’s death."
"We can’t accuse him of anything," he continued after a deep sigh of concern. "Don’t forget, the heroes aren’t around, and the consequences of disrespecting him would be catastrophic. Just adjust the rules and make sure no one finds out that he was here."
The High Elder nodded respectfully. "Understood."
"There’s one more thing," the leader said, looking deeply into her eyes. "From today, you will be the new vice leader. I’m tired of the faction conflicts. You may not have as much prestige... but I trust you, and I love you, and my daughter does too. By the way, she’s fully accepted you. We can move forward..."
Before finishing, he suddenly stopped, narrowing his eyes as if sensing something unusual. He turned toward the window and saw black clouds forming on the horizon.
"Damn. Summon the High Elder council!"
***
Time passed quietly. Alm and Bruno were surprised; they had deliberately sought trouble among the disciples, but everyone had run away. Plus, the enemy faction hadn’t sent anyone to attack them.
’Have these bastards given up?’ Alm grumbled.
Bruno was equally surprised. Something unexpected and random must have happened; that was the only plausible explanation.
Then, an Elder appeared on the horizon and spotted Raoni; their eyes met, and from the symbol on his clothing, it was clear he was an ally.
"Raoni, bad news!" The Elder landed in front of him, speaking urgently and nervously.
"What is it?" Raoni asked dryly.
"Quick, come! Alci… he… he committed suicide."
"What?!" Alm and Bruno’s expressions changed immediately.
They rushed alongside the Elder and arrived at a secluded area where they found Alci. He was sitting on top of a small mountain with his eyes closed.
His body had a sickly purple hue, and the air around him was thick with a poisonous odor that made all the disciples and Elders stay away in fear.
Alm and Bruno moved forward without hesitation, coming directly in front of Alci. Placing a finger on his forehead, they searched for his soul... but it was too late. His soul had long since dissipated, completely corroded by the poison.