CHAPTER 63: PEAK-STAGE NASCENT SOUL?!

Mie Lin didn’t answer right away. Only a flicker of coldness appeared in her eyes.

To outsiders, this might have seemed like a mere shift in status or face. But those familiar with the inner workings of the Evil Alliance understood just how vast the gap between the founding sects and the first-rate sects truly was.

The three founding sects didn’t just hold prestige—they possessed real power.

Each year, the alliance’s core resources—whether spirit stones, rare materials, or relics harvested from forbidden zones—were first distributed to the three founding sects. Only after their share was settled would the remainder be divided among the five first-rate sects.

They had priority in selecting disciples during the Alliance-wide Evil Trials, which drew thousands of rogue cultivators hoping to join a major sect. They also held veto power over major decisions, such as the approval of sect wars, research into forbidden techniques, and cross-realm operations.

More importantly, the Evil Dragon City itself—constructed atop the corpse of a fallen divine beast—was divided into three main territories. The central region, which lay over the beast’s core bones and the richest spiritual marrow veins, belonged solely to the founding sects. It held the densest death qi, cultivating there could shave decades off a breakthrough.

Though the city had grown into a vast fortress of the Evil Dao—home to tens of thousands of cultivators, black markets, and pavilions where spirit contracts were traded like grain—it remained, at its heart, the creation of the Three Founding Sects.

For five millennia, control over the city’s formation array, the tax flow from its black markets, and the enforcement authority of its elite guards—the Black Dragon Enforcers—had been equally shared by Shadowclaw Sect, Bone Forging Sect, and Crimson Lotus Cult.

At the center of it all was the Triumvirate Seal, an ancient formation etched into the very foundation of the city. It regulated everything: suppression of violent qi, surveillance of teleportation arrays, even the neutralization of divine sense above certain thresholds. This seal could only function with the cooperation of all three founding sects.

If Shadowclaw were demoted to first-rate status, they would lose their share of the seal—along with jurisdiction over their inner city territory, influence over city affairs, and protection of sacred grounds.

Worse still, their ancestral tombs—buried beneath the city’s east peak—would fall under foreign control.

Generations of sect leaders were interred there, Some of those old monsters hadn’t truly died. They slumbered, half-awake, their souls bound to the land.

If outsiders gained control of those grounds...

Without control over the city’s lifeblood, Shadowclaw’s influence would collapse, their outer disciples would defect, and their enemies would begin to encroach on their territory—both within Evil Dragon City and beyond.

No matter what promises the alliance gave afterward, they’d be forced to relocate to one of the outer rings of Evil Dragon City—lands long stripped of value, overrun with petty sects and opportunistic poison refiners.

Mie Lin was fully aware of this.

The others might see her calm expression and think she was stalling. But in truth, she was weighing every angle—silently.

This wasn’t just about face. It was about survival.

She hadn’t anticipated the seven sects would be so relentless in their effort to remove Shadowclaw from the ranks of the Three Founding Sects.

Across the table, Jing Shan looked at her with a strange expression. "Elder Mie Lin, this isn’t personal. It’s about structure. The Evil Alliance should reflect real strength. A founding seat should mean something."

Mo Nian from Spirit Corpse Valley gave a faint smile. "It’s not about disrespect. But if the foundation weakens, everything built on it will eventually collapse. Sometimes, pruning is necessary."

Lady Yao Qing set down her cup and met her gaze with concern. "You’ve always been a realist, Mie Lin. Surely you understand. Titles without strength lose their meaning."

Mie Lin’s eyes swept across the room—seven so-called allies cloaked in polite words and hidden threats.

"I see. Then I’ll be just as direct."

She rose slightly, voice steady but cold. "You speak of strength, merit, evolution... But tell me, how many of you would even exist if the Evil Dragon Lord hadn’t rallied the Shadowclaw Sect during the Great Sect Purge? How many of your ancestors survived only because they took shelter under our wings?"

Han Yu chuckled, his fingers tapping the table lazily. "That was five thousand years ago. We’re not here to talk about the past. We’re talking about now."

A murmur came from Madam Rong Shui of the Blood Sacrifice Palace. "To be blunt, your sect hasn’t made much noise in decades."

Mie Lin gave a quiet laugh, rising to her feet with deliberate calm.

"Then say what you really mean. You want to fracture the alliance. You think removing one of the pillars will raise your own status."

Mo Nian’s smile remained, but his eyes had gone cold. "No one’s talking about exile. We’re just... rebalancing things."

Mie Lin looked at each of them in turn. Her gaze was sharp, unwavering.

"Balance, is it? Then let’s test it."

She lifted a hand without a word.

A wave of invisible force surged out like a rising tide. In that instant, the atmosphere within the hall shifted drastically. The air grew heavy, and an oppressive pressure descended, sweeping across the gathered cultivators like a stormfront.

The expressions of all present changed.

Peak-stage Nascent Soul?!

The five mid-stage cultivators instinctively stepped back, their faces draining of color. Even Han Yu and Fairy Yao Qing, both seasoned experts at the late-stage, narrowed their eyes in astonishment.

A breakthrough...?

When had it happened?

Lady Yao Qing recovered first. Her lips curled into a faint smile. "Congratulations, Sister Mie. But that doesn’t solve the issue. Power is one thing. What you still lack... is a Half-Step Heavenly Tribulation cultivator."

Han Yu waved a hand dismissively, though his gaze sharpened. "Impressive as your progress is, Elder Mie Lin, you know the real concern. Without someone at the tribulation threshold, your seat remains in question."

Mie Lin’s gaze cut through him. "We have one."

Han Yu’s fingers froze mid-tap. "...You’re saying Shadowclaw has someone at that level?"

Her tone didn’t change. "Must I repeat myself?"

Lady Yao Qing’s brow furrowed. "Who? I’ve heard nothing of this."

"Sect Master Li Fang."

Her words were plain, but they landed like thunder.

The room fell silent.

Wu Tong of Thousand Poisons Hall straightened sharply. "That’s impossible! He was ambushed and killed by the Azure Dragon Sect years ago."

Mie Lin tilted her head slightly, almost mocking. "Are you sure?"

Mo Nian’s eyes narrowed. "So... the rumors were true?"

"What rumors?" Daoist Hei Ming from Evil Ghost Sect looked around with unease.

Madam Rong Shui lowered her voice. "That Li Fang didn’t really die."

Wu Tong leaned forward, clearly agitated. "Explain."

"They say he was cultivating a second Nascent Soul."

"Absurd!" Wu Tong scoffed,"That technique’s been extinct for over a thousand years!"

Jing Shan frowned. "And even if it wasn’t, the resources needed for it are long gone."

Lady Yao Qing’s expression turned serious. "So what are you saying? That the one who died was... a fake?"

Mie Lin glanced sideways at her. "Not a fake. A second nascent soul."

Yao Qing inhaled slowly. "That’s... insane."

"He’s alive....and he’s stepped into the Half-Step Tribulation Realm."

One by one, the first-tier sect representatives began shifting in their seats. The air around the table had changed.

Jing Shan forced a polite smile. "Well... if that’s true, then congratulations are in order."

Mo Nian let out a soft laugh. "It would be an honor to meet Sect Master Li Fang again."

Daoist Hei Ming cupped his hands with a stiff nod. "We would all welcome the chance to witness his strength."