The disciples gulped, exchanging nervous glances.
One of them stepped forward, his voice trembling slightly. "High Elder, we bring an urgent order from the Sect Patriarch."
Silence stretched for a long moment before a small slit opened in the door, revealing nothing but darkness within.
"Speak."
The disciple took a deep breath and delivered the message.
The air grew heavier with each passing second as High Elder Yannan processed the information.
Then, a low chuckle echoed from within the chamber.
"Lin Mu… how interesting."
The door slammed shut, and the aura faded as if it had never existed.
The disciples stood frozen in place, unsure of what would come next.
BOOM
The door opened with a bang, startling the disciples into stumbling back.
From the darkness emerged an old man dressed in black and dark green robes. His face was deeply wrinkled, and a single scar ran down his left eye, crossing over his crooked nose as if it had been broken multiple times.
A long earring hung from his right ear, appearing to be a human tooth.
An oppressive and nefarious aura exuded from him, making the disciples tremble in fear. Their hearts pounded wildly while their skin prickled with terror.
They had not seen the old man for a hundred years, and they had not missed him. In fact, they wished he would return to seclusion, but they knew that was impossible given the orders that had been issued.
’Heavens… just how strong is he? His aura makes it hard to even breathe,’ the disciples thought.
The disciples felt the old man’s gaze upon them, making them stiffen.
Sensing this, one of the disciples quickly moved with all his power.
"We pay our respects to High Elder Yannan!" the disciple greeted while bowing.
"We pay our respects to High Elder Yannan!" the other disciples echoed, knowing it would be dangerous to be slow.
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"Hmm…" The High Elder took his eyes off them and retracted his aura, allowing the disciples some respite.
The old man began to walk, and the disciples obediently followed behind him.
"Tell me what has happened in recent times," the High Elder ordered.
"The sect reopened its gates a while back, Elder, and we have expanded our businesses through a collaboration with the Teng Clan," one of the disciples reported.
"About time. I was wondering how long my senior brother would keep hiding," the High Elder replied.
Hearing his harsh and disrespectful words, the disciples were taken aback, but they didn’t dare to retort in any way.
"What else?" he asked.
"The sect has also secured a new Immortal Stone mine, Elder, which is currently being mined by the Teng Clan under our supervision," another disciple spoke up.
"Oh? Where is this new mine?" the High Elder asked, his tone laced with interest.
"It’s near Kennong River, High Elder, behind the old ruins," the disciple replied.
"Huh… to think there would be a mine there," the High Elder muttered to himself. "And why is it that we’re letting outsiders mine there?" he asked, his tone turning cold.
"The Teng Clan is doing it at zero labor cost while giving us seventy percent of the yield," the disciple replied.
"Just seventy percent?" The old man scoffed. "The Patriarch has gone soft," he said, making the disciples gulp.
"The Teng Clan has also contributed higher tributes to the sect this time around and has provided new deals for herbs. They are also willing to purchase pills from us at a higher margin," the disciple added.
But as soon as the disciple spoke, the atmosphere grew cold.
"Did I ask?" the High Elder questioned, making the disciple freeze.
"High Elder… I… I…" But the disciple had no words.
"Useless." The High Elder spat out.
He flicked his finger, sending out a single drop of water that fell onto the disciple’s head.
"ARGH!" The disciple screamed in pain as black lines started to spread across his face from the spot where the water drop had fallen.
The disciple collapsed, writhing in agony as the black lines extended over his entire body.
Seeing their fellow disciple in such a state, the others couldn’t help but feel terrified.
"Hmph!" After ten seconds, the High Elder waved his hand, relieving the disciple of his suffering.
The black lines faded, and the disciple simply fainted.
"You all have gotten weak. To think you can’t even last a minute," the High Elder barked.
The disciples had no words and could only endure the scolding. They knew that speaking now would only make things worse.
Thankfully for them, the elder began walking again, seemingly ignoring them.
The old man soon arrived at the main hall, where hundreds of disciples were going about their day.
THUD THUD THUD THUD
As soon as they saw the old man, they froze in place, dropping everything they were doing or carrying.
"WE PAY OUR RESPECTS TO HIGH ELDER YANNAN!" they all shouted in unison while bowing their heads.
It was clear that they still feared the man, even after a hundred years.
This was, after all, perhaps the most fearsome man in the sect, even more so than the Patriarch himself. At the very least, the Patriarch was reasonable and wouldn’t harm the disciples for small things. But the High Elder had no hesitation in doing so.
The High Elder paid no attention to their greetings and simply walked out of the Punishment Hall. The disciples followed him, but after a few minutes, they realized they weren’t heading toward the sect’s gates. Your next read is at Freewebnovel
"This isn’t the way to the sect’s gate. Where is the High Elder going?" they whispered among themselves.
"I don’t know. If you want to ask, you can," one disciple spoke.
"No way I’m doing that! I don’t want to die," another disciple said, fear evident in his voice.
They could only follow him silently until they reached a very special place in the sect.
"The Tribulation Platform?" The disciples were surprised. "Why is he here?"
They watched as the High Elder walked onto the platform before activating the array!