Lady Chyou ascended the tower as she had many tis before.
She was feeling her age more the last few years but she was still the leader of the Heavenly Maiden Sect despite clear signs so factions were choosing new representatives to compete for her replacent.
She felt like her branch was falling apart despite how it might seem outside of it.
Despite the unifying incidents with the Fiends, the chaos that followed showed the self interests bubbling underneath the surface.
The Hellfire Sect had similar issues but they actively encouraged it.
The Wilds had always chosen their leaders by battle.
The last 3 centuries had seen an upheaval in all 3 supre sects overall.
Lady Chyou remained as before but now Hellfire had changed sect masters twice very quickly.
A demon had risen for a re 50 years before he was openly challenged due to evidence of using Fiend artifacts.
She never heard if they were true but given how many turned against him, it was likely very true.
The demoness that replaced him quickly solidified her position and that was when the once thought dead forr Emperor of the Demon Empire popped up on Yinande.
While Chyou did not have full details on many aspects of the lower world, the Demon Empire's demise brought a lot of details to her attention.
The forr Emperor Yor had been notable due to the seemingly lack of threat he posed compared to his daughter.
He made no secret of advising against her plans but also did not stop her.
Once they all ascended to the Floating Isles, the war was unleashed and even pulled so of her tier 1 Sky Realms down to deal with it.
Valkyrie's involvent also stunned her at the end and the break with the Moebius Sect that followed.
Up to that point, even she had looked forward to welcoming Lind Frey as a guest elder due to his abilities.
She sighed as she finally reached the eting room.
She looked to her counterparts' areas but they were empty as expected.
The call for the eting had not received a response but that was not unusual in and of itself.
The Wilds were often embroiled in combat and ca at the last mont while the demon's current attitude was very cold.
She actually missed the seductive minx from before, but it looked like the status she once held was becoming clear to the other 2 sects.
She still took her place on her throne and waited for anyone to show up.
Her attendants were not far behind her but their reactions upon seeing their master alone were shock and anger.
She wondered how many were sincere and knew her ti as leader of the branch had co to an end at that mont.
She was just a figurehead the various factions could use as a scapegoat if things went wrong.
Tears ford as she recalled her youth in the sect.
She had never sought to be the Vice-sect Master of the Floating Isles but had never been prouder when she achieved it.
She saw her wrinkled hand and hated the passage of ti at that mont.
She was full of regrets and anger at all the petty bickering that was tearing apart her beloved sect.
"You seem tired, Lady Chyou."
A voice broke the silence and made all the Maidens jump.
She recognized that voice, however, as it had been burned into her mind since that fateful day he revealed the rot hidden away.
She looked up to see a man in a black cloak with the hood pulled back as he sat in the lower seats.
His dirty blonde hair and dark green eyes were calm with full respect for her as he bowed low to her.
Her despondent state lightened a bit but she noted how so of the attendants sneered at him while others looked in awe at him.
She made a note of it.
"I did not hear you enter, Master Frey.
Or should I call you a fellow Daoist now?"
She was at peak tier 9 but his power was not far from her.
She had heard he was tier 8 but he had defeated a Star Tier when he was much weaker.
"I dare not claim to be at your level.
I may have struggled to cultivate 6 elents, but even I would have fallen with your kind of injury long ago."
So of the attendants froze but again Chyou noted a few that smirked at his words.
She waved it off as she was not surprised such an accomplished elixir master could evaluate her injuries.
Her Qi deviation had been in the service of the sect and it was a small miracle she could hold on to the peak of the Sky Realm.
"You don't need to flatter an old woman.
Your accomplishnts are not limited to your personal cultivation but an entire subset of cultivators most had abandoned are now highly desired."
It was true.
While most were in the Moebius Sect, his teachings still spread across the isles where various 6 elentals now joined other powers.
The 6 elentals were near invincible in their own cultivation realm as they could adapt to any other combination even with 5 elentals that were only missing a single elent.
The Heavenly Maiden Sect had quite a few as well but many were discriminated against since they were all ascenders.
The initially high numbers had reduced from what Chyou had heard.
All of it was possible thanks to this man's choice to share his discoveries and teach those that needed help.
"It is not flattery.
I have seen many such injuries that left cultivators crippled but you have not only endured but achieved a place of power.
Those are facts."
His eyes never left hers and she felt honest sincerity for the first ti in what felt like ages.
"Well, I would ask how you got in, but I suspect Romana let you co?"
She was one of the few Maidens she trusted as she was an old friend.
Also, despite her changes, she still was Romana.
"I simply asked her where you would be, she is still in the sect to my knowledge.
The formations here were disard.
I do not need to tell you why."
Lady Chyou felt old right then.
Her request for a eting was not only ignored but was now put to use by one of the factions.
The dark green eyes finally turned to the attendants and all of them shivered save a handful.
"If you are waiting for the won to help you, they are incapacitated but not dead.
I also think there should be a clarification.
The Moebius Sect was forgiven by Valkyrie, but not ."
It was true.
Despite being declared dead, Sect Master Valkyrie only forgave and honored the Moebius Sect for its contributions, but rely acknowledged Lind Frey.
Compared to her, Lord Baihu had actually been quite clear and generous in his praise.
So of the won that shivered now looked stunned but Chyou also looked like she aged decades in that mont.
So, it really was the end of her tenure.
"Do not give up, not yet."
Lind then floated into the air and all 6 elents filled the chamber as all the torches lit up.
The various arrays activated but that should have been impossible without the cipher!
Just how well planned out was the coup?
Before anyone could react, whips of pure elental energy ensnared all the attendants without exception.
So struggled but more than a few looked back at him calmly.
"I make no promises, Lady Chyou, but from what Romana has told , the current Heavenly Maiden Sect is rife with discord.
There are essentially 3 factions.
A faction to expel all ascenders and close down the lower world branches permanently."
His cold tone made it clear how he felt about that faction.
"A faction to overrun the arrogant Isle-born Maidens and suppress them so they can 'earn' their resources like everyone else."
Lind did not seem to like that faction much either but Chyou was confused.
She was aware of at least 5 factions, why was he saying there were only 3.
"The last faction is, essentially, those that want the status quo to remain as it is.
They simply have a disagreent on what that should be.
A part of it wants ascenders to be treated better while the other simply wants to keep things stable."
She nodded slowly as that matched up but it made her think there were still 5 factions.
He then looked at her and she felt her spine shiver.
There was a bottomless well of profound aura in those eyes.
It was like she was looking at a superior unlike a junior as he was.
"I do not like what the future will bring if the 3 factions fight it out after your death.
I do not like what will happen to the entire realm after it just settled from the previous chaos.
I prefer a different option but it will be much harder."
He then began to carve sigils into the very air.
They glowed with erald light before they beca impossible to separate as weavings around the room.
The feeling of Qi in the room changed.
It beca much denser than before as a mixing pot of silver and gold appeared in front of him.
It was an artifact but she had never seen anything like what her senses were telling her it was.
It was grade 6!
She looked at his badges but they were unchanged.
Where did he get it then?
They all looked on as powerful herbs and Heaven grade Qi stones began to appear.
They all shriveled instantly but as sweat began to cover his brow, a sudden pressure from above appeared.
Heaven was not pleased!
Lind only glanced up at it and seed to commune with it before the pressure vanished!
What had just happened?!
"That will cost
later."
Lind said sothing but she had no ti to ask about it as the purest water Qi she had ever seen slowly appeared in the pot.
It was not Sky Realm water Qi, but Star Tier!
The process slowed down as Lind seed to be sifting sothing carefully and Lady Chyou could just barely make out sothing in the air.
It was spirit Qi but it was far beyond anything she had seen.
She suspected what he was doing but held out no hope.
In her early days as Vice-Sect Master, the main branch had procured all treasures or pills they could find.
They even found an elixir but none of it helped.
She had extended her life a bit but her injury remained as it had always been.
After nearly 3 days, Lind finally used his erald flas on the pot that then distilled a single vial of sparkling elixir.
That distinction made all freeze.
That characteristic was unique to Heaven grade elixirs!
Lind was breathing heavily but smiled at his results.
He then floated over to Lady Chyou and presented the vial to her.
"It will hurt and likely use up all you have left at your current realm, but if it works, you will have more in the next.
It is up to you, Lady Chyou."
Her hands shook as she took the vial and for so reason, she had to know what happened.
"What about Heaven?"
Lind smiled as he looked up.
"It is not as bad as what I did for my disciple and there was a little wiggle room.
I will simply be facing a more difficult tribulation when I beco an Immortal."
He spoke so confidently but she suddenly saw it.
It was clear as day to her.
Erald eyes replaced the dark green but they were human.
His hair was now streaked with erald color and his skin was like diamonds.
He was looking up at a horrifyingly black sky as lightning danced all around him.
Chyou shook herself as the vision dispersed but he was simply back where he was.
She looked at the vial and hoped for the first ti since she was injured.
She hoped the future could be changed but it would be a hellish amount of work.
She smiled as she downed the vial and let it flow in her veins.
Pain started to burn in her ridians but she endured as she looked right at him.
He never moved and made it clear he would guard her.
It was strange.
All the issues between her sect and him, but he was the one that would guard her.
Even if she died, Chyou knew he would succeed.
The world was changing once again.
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