CHAPTER 27: NEW SECT II

"Well, now that the oath binds us, there’s little point in secrets. I want the remaining fragments of the Great Void Art," he said, voice calm but earnest. "I only have the first three, but the path ends abruptly. I need the rest."

Tian Lei’s gaze sharpened, but after a pause, he nodded.

"Fine," he said. "Protect me. Back me up until I’m strong enough to stand on my own... and I’ll give you what you want."

Elder Haiyun gave a slow nod of agreement. "Very well."

But then he added with a wry grin, "That also means, whenever you’re out of the sect, I’ll be tailing you like a loyal shadow. Can’t have anyone laying a finger on my precious disciple now, can I?"

"you will be my disciple, this will be your identity even if its only in name" he added.

Tian Lei chuckled softly.

"Just don’t get in the way when I kill someone."

"Hoho! I like your spirit."

With the matter sealed by oath and mutual interest, the two finally stepped fully through the Void Gate, disappearing into the swirling black-purple rift.

***

A moment later, the scenery changed.

Azure skies. Towering jade-green mountains. Floating pavilions tethered to massive spirit veins, humming with Spirit energy. They had arrived at the core sect grounds of the Azure Feather Sect.

Tian Lei looked around, unimpressed but curious.

Elder Haiyun grinned. "Welcome to the real stage. The Azure Feather Sect is a King-Grade Sect, officially recognized by the Nine Heavens Court. Be careful where you step—politics here can kill faster than blades."

Tian Lei cracked a half-smile, his eyes sweeping over the countless palaces hanging between mountain peaks, connected by silver bridges and shimmering spirit barriers. The air here was thick with essence—rich enough to condense spirit qi with every breath.

"Anyway," Haiyun continued, adjusting his robes, "come with me. I need to introduce you to the Sect Master."

He turned, already forming another array beneath his feet. "Technically, I’m a Grand Elder, and I’ve never accepted a disciple before. So this will... raise some eyebrows."

Tian Lei nodded silently, storing that information. Grand Elder. Never taken a disciple. But now he’s making a move. Interesting.

The two soared into the air.

They flew toward the highest peak—a mountain so tall it pierced the heavens themselves. Its summit floated among gold-tinted clouds, cloaked in divine brilliance. Birds made of spirit light circled the perimeter, and formation rings shimmered like runes etched into the sky itself.

But only one of them was flying under his own power.

Elder Haiyun stood calmly in midair, one hand behind his back, while his other hand rested lightly on Tian Lei’s shoulder—channeling qi to carry the youth upward. A soft sphere of translucent spiritual force wrapped around Tian Lei like a barrier bubble, lifting him effortlessly through the sky.

"Your cultivation isn’t high enough to fly yet," the elder said with a slight smile. "But don’t worry, even dragons had to crawl once."

Tian Lei said nothing. The wind didn’t touch him—Haiyun’s qi shield was perfectly calibrated. Still, as they ascended, he felt it.

Pressure.

Not from speed, not from height—but from the density of heavenly energy surrounding the peak. It pressed down like invisible mountains on his bones, tested the resilience of his soul.

This wasn’t a peak for disciples.

Elder Haiyun chuckled as he noticed the faint twitch in Tian Lei’s brow.

"The pressure is good for cultivation. But most disciples can’t even survive halfway up without fainting. You’re still breathing. That’s rare."

Tian Lei’s eyes narrowed slightly. Within the qi cocoon, his body pulsed faintly with spirit light—adjusting, balancing, adapting.

He didn’t resist the pressure. He used it.

Elder Haiyun glanced at him sideways.

’Well, he is student of that senior how can he be normal’

The old man smirked.

’Either a genius... or a monster.’

They soon arrived at a floating palace made from radiant spirit jade and veined starlight ore. Massive cranes flapped lazily past its terraces, and upside-down divine trees hung from the clouds, their roots shimmering with celestial glow.

"This," Elder Haiyun said, his tone more formal now as they landed atop a spirit-glass platform, "is the Celestial Apex Hall. The Sect Master resides here."

As Haiyun withdrew the flying qi, Tian Lei’s feet touched down with a soft thud. He took a breath—calm, deliberate. His eyes swept over the divine scenery. His posture remained humble.

As they stepped past the shimmering spirit-veil guarding the Celestial Apex Hall, two silent guards dressed in indigo robes bearing phoenix-feather embroidery bowed respectfully.

"Grand Elder."

The guards didn’t even glance at Tian Lei—but their aura, laced with sharp vigilance, swept over him like invisible blades.

The hall they entered was vast, lined with floating lanterns that held glowing spirit flames—blue, violet, and silver. A celestial dome above them mirrored constellations that didn’t match the current sky. They weren’t stars—they were seals.

And at the center of this massive hall, raised atop a floating platform of cloudstone, was a velvet dais. Upon it sat a woman.

She wasn’t facing them.

She was calmly writing calligraphy on a scroll that looked like it was made from some kind of hide, her ink brush glowing with runes as it danced in delicate, deliberate strokes.

But even without her looking up—her presence hit Tian Lei like a wall of eternity.

Who... is that?

Elder Haiyun slowed his pace. His normally cheery face became respectful—borderline reverent.

As they reached the base of the platform, Elder Haiyun leaned sideways and whispered with rare gravity:

’Don’t look into her eyes. She’s suppressed her physical aura, but her soul still radiates. That’s the danger. Her physique—the Soul-Ensnaring Divine Body—can make anyone who meets her gaze... her puppet.’

He paused.

’Don’t worry. She doesn’t do it intentionally anymore. If it activates, she’ll release you. Probably.’

Tian Lei’s body stiffened slightly, instincts on full alert.

’What the hell kind of cursed, seductive physique is that?’

’This is an righteous sect right? not an hidden Demonic one?’ he couldn’t help but ask inwardly as he followed him to meet her.