There was nothing wrong with making use of everything that was available. That's how cultivation was like. If one wanted to move forward, one had to be shameless and grab every opportunity.

She knew that truth.

But still... She did not want to ally with that monster who killed her squad members. Her emotional state was not right, she could not be rational. She was being moved by her feelings.

She breathed in hard and breathed out, trying to calm her nerves.

She failed.

She hugged Baem tighter. He was the only one left... She did not want to lose him. And she did not want him to go down that path. She did not want him to become friends with a monster.

Baem patted her head a few times then he said: "I only plan to make use of them. Just because they consider me one of their own won't make me one"

She nodded while still grabbing him firmly. She knew he was being honest right now. She was simply unable to...

She lifted her head and her eyes, filled with tears, glanced at him. He was smiling at her. She said: "Don't leave me..."

He kissed her tenderly.

And from there, it escalated...

...

Meanwhile, outside, Nangua sat on a new throne in the back of the sect. There were twelve cultivators in black robes bound by his vines. He captured them earlier but had yet to kill them. After all, these people had only been doing surveillance from a distance. He was curious as to which faction they belonged to.

He sipped some pumpkin juice from a newly crafted cup and asked: "So, who are you people and what are you doing here?"

One of them screamed: "We will never tell you anything, Demon!"

He snapped a finger and the vines that bound this one began to infiltrate his body. They expanded within and grew from consuming his life. A few seconds of agony later and he was dead. Pumpkins were being grown from the extending vines, matured thanks to his life.

Nature gives birth to you and, in return, as you die, you give birth to nature.

He picked one of those pumpkins and turned it to juice before drinking it casually. Under the horrified eyes of the eleven people left. Once he was done savoring the taste, he stated: "Whoever answer my questions will be granted a clean death"

They answered.

He still killed them in the same way as the first one. As he walked away, he whispered to no one: "Death is never clean"

...

Jin and Ame left the underground chamber holding hands. Her tears dried long ago. She was still against the idea of allying with that monster but she decided to follow Jin. She...yeah...she loved him.

Was it the bridge effect? Maybe.

In any case, right now, she wanted nothing else but to stay with him. He did not stop her from glaring at the monster as soon as she saw it. She would forgive Jin for making this choice but it did not mean she would ever acknowledge this thing.

They proceeded to drag the corpses of their Squad in one spot. Then Nangua created a carriage and a few horses made of vines. They decided to pick the bodies of the five sect leaders too.

They then all got on one each and they began their journey back to the Capital.

...

They did not stop to rest on the way back.

...

Once they entered the Capital, they went straight for the Palace.

They met the first Squad Captain, Captain Harris, at the entrance. He was expecting them. The jovial expression soon disappeared from his face as he sensed what was within the carriage. He hurried them in.

"What happened?" he asked.

Ame answered him: "They were sacrificing mortals and their young disciples to create pills...Some of the members discovered it and things turned out badly. They were...stronger..."

Captain Harris acknowledged her words. He would need to hear a far more detailed report but this was not the time. For now, knowing that much was enough.

He ordered for some men to come and help. They took out the bodies and Captain Harris inspected them. Ame was trembling next to Jin. He held her hand firmly within his own. Nangua stood a few steps behind, guarding his Master.

Captain Harris frowned as he reached the corpse of Adom. Thunder sparks appeared around the old man's leg and he kicked the body as he stated: "Get up, you old coward!"

The current passed through the corpse and, surprisingly, Adom woke up. As he did, he fumbled around for a few moments, trying to regain his bearing. Before he could, Ame had jumped into him for a hug. She never expected that one of them was in fact still alive!

After the hug, she slapped him fiercely and angrily rebuked him: "I thought you all died!"

Adom's eyes were wide open. That slap truly hit home. He looked around himself and then at the bodies lined next to him. Lightning manifested around his palm and he slapped the corpse next to him.

Harkhem's body jolted awake. He screamed unconsciously: "I shall take you to hell with me!"

Adom slapped him again and stated: "Come to your senses, old fart!"

Harkhem felt that and got ready to counter that slap. Before he did, he realized the situation. He coughed a few times and stated: "Hm, hm, good morning everyone"

He got slapped again.

..

A few moments later, everyone learnt of what happened from Adom: "It's a simple trick using my elemental lightning. I placed us in a state of artificial death so that we did not get killed by that fearful woman..."

It was a cowardly way of surviving. But it worked.

Jin could not help but applaud within his mind. These old ones were very good at surviving indeed. He had not judged them wrongly on that part. Even Nangua had been unable to detect it...He looked at the two old men with curiosity all over his face.

Ame rejoiced that two survived.

...But reality was cruel: Everyone else was truly dead.