Silence. Absolute, deafening silence enveloped the Council of Elders chamber. The Core Disciple’s faces had already turned ashen, and Yao Shen had stopped trying to make sense of the chaotic, jumbled cloud of emotions enveloping them. Well of course, besides one exception. Shadow was sure to have heard of Yao Shen’s outlandish desires to unite the Azlak Plains under one banner, but her face remained impassive— not once had she asked a single question about his plans, from the beginning to the end.

Finally, one of the Elders could take it no longer.

“Outrageous!” Wenyan Ren, Patriarch of the Ren Family, Elder of the Forging Hall, roared angrily, his fist slamming upon the Eocava wood table with a loud bang. The table quivered under the pressure, but the Eocava Tree was a Nascent Soul level resource— a casual blow from the Ren Patriarch was not enough to cause any real damage. Surely enough, the table’s surface stabilized a few seconds later, but the Ren Patriarch’s rash actions allowed Yao Shen to get a glimpse of the dark obsidian armor he wore under his Earthen robes— The Earthflame Guardian, a Pseudo Soul Emperor defensive artifact that had great resistances to the elements of Earth, Fire and Wind, it’s robust exterior offering supreme protection against even Peak Nascent Soul blades.

Of course, Yao Shen had already detected the armor with a sweep of his divine sense earlier on, and he had not been surprised in the slightest. Each of the legacy family heads had arrived only after thorough preparations— carrying one Pseudo Soul Emperor level artifact upon their person, barring only one exception: Zhou Hui.

“Now, now, Brother Wenyan, let us not be so brash,” A soft, gentle voice interjected before Yao Shen had the opportunity to respond, preventing the situation from escalating any further. Meili Zhu, Matriarch of the Zhu Family and Elder of the Skyless Hall, turned to gaze in Yao Shen’s direction, offering him an apologetic smile as she bobbed her head downward to show deference to his authority.

Yao Shen’s expression remained inscrutable as he observed her coy act, paying close attention to the black feathered fan in her left hand that she used to conceal the lower half of her face— Meili Zhu liked to play the part of a shy, young mortal maiden in public, her short black hair, dark brown eyes, slender, fit body and flawless skin preserved through the use of vitality pills made her look like a woman in her mid-thirties, even though her actual age had crossed three hundred years. Every Elder had picked up their fair share of eccentricities across their long lifespans, but Yao Shen found Meili’s act too targeted and deliberate to be attributed as such. It reminded him of those ‘public relation’ firms back on Earth, cleaning up a celebrity’s image and perception among the populace for a hefty price.

As if such trivialities would let them forget that she was Meili Zhu, Master of the Faceless and Major Practitioner of the Dao of Darkness. The black fan she held in her left hand was a Pseudo Soul Emperor offensive artifact, each feather’s spine concealing a needle bearing such sharpness that it could puncture through his body instantly—Soul Emperor or not. The master artifact let her control the feathers at will, the connection forged through the artifact spirit and not easily detectable, let alone shattered. Had the art of blending true poisons not been lost to time, Yao Shen would not call it an exaggeration to say that Meili Zhu was capable of assassinating Early Stage Soul Emperors with ease.

“Patriarch Yao,” she finally decided to continue speaking, since Yao Shen had shown no indication that he was going to respond. “When I heard of your desire to unify the Azlak Plains, I will admit that I was quite enthralled by the idea. However, at the time, I had believed that your promises to the Divine Mountain Sect and the Sacred Flame Place were part of a greater scheme, that this little one could not see through. Now that you have professed a desire to act upon the creation of this….,” Meili Zhu paused, as she once again reflected upon the mysterious name Yao Shen had chosen, but her mind came up blank.

“.....Modern Sect, as you have termed it. I must ask you, Patriarch Yao. What is it that prompted such an unconventional decision?” Meili Zhu chose her words carefully, not wishing to antagonize him unless absolutely necessary.

“Indeed!” An aged man dressed in jade green robes lightly thumped the table in agreement, his actions attracting the attention of other elders. He was Zhiquang Yi, Patriarch of the Yi Family and Elder of the Alchemy Hall, the second elder who had crossed the three hundred year old mark among those present.

“Aye,” the next one to thump in agreement was Wenyan Ren.

“As the one who proposed the motion, I am inclined to agree,” Meili Zhu once again dipped her head slightly as an apology, after which she proceeded to lightly tap the table with her free hand. By rephrasing her question as a motion, she had invoked the authority of the Council and wished to use its power to compel Yao Shen to give her an answer instead of evading the question.

“I, Dongmei Xue, Matriarch of the Xue Family and Elder of the Healing Hall, agree.”

“I, Liewei Hu, Patriarch of the Hu Family and Elder of the Wind Distribution Hall, agree.”

“I, Jie Tang, Patriarch of the Tang Family and Elder of the Divine Might Hall, agree.”

“I, Jiayi Song, Matriarch of the Song Family and Elder of the Skytree Dao Hall, agree.”

“Enough,” Yao Shen’s calm voice echoed out in the chamber. “The motion passes with a majority vote,” he acceded with grace, honoring the agreement he had with the Council.

“However,” Yao Shen added, and in that instant his human sight detected the spike of emotion, a small cloud of ‘concern’ forming around Meili Zhu before it dissipated in the next instant. The Nascent Soul cultivator had not lived three centuries for nothing, her instincts frighteningly sharp. “To answer your question, I must question Zhou Hui, Elder of the Enforcement Hall. Is that acceptable to the council?”

“Yes,” Wenyan Ren replied, and soon every member of the legacy family nodded in agreement, including Zhou Hui who seemed more curious than worried, and Meili Zhu, who was the last one to assent.

“Very well. Elder Zhou Hui, do you agree to truthfully answer all questions proposed to you before the Council of Elders?” Yao Shen asked, a serious expression on his face while he smiled inwardly— Meili Zhu was cautious, and her instincts had not failed her. But even then, she could think of no justification to deny such a simple request.

“I do,” Zhou Hui replied with composure, a burst of curiosity escaping past whatever measures he had prepared to isolate and contain his emotions.

“I will not stand on ceremony then. Your fellow legacy elders may not have come seeking conflict, but they stand sufficiently prepared for one. Zhou Hui, you instead, have effectively come unarmed. Why?” Yao Shen proposed the question, and immediately the gaze of everyone in the hall, including Wen Hui, his son, fell upon him.

Zhou Hui locked eyes with Yao Shen, his eyes shining bright with intelligence and wisdom, before he broke into a light, self-deprecating laugh.

“Yao Shen, as the Enforcement Hall Elder it is my sworn duty to root out any internal threats that threaten the stability of our Heavenly Sky Sect. As part of my duties, as I am sure all present in this hall are aware, I like to understand the capabilities and limitations of those who have the capability to threaten it. I believed that I understood the extent of your power, but I was….. gravely mistaken, and for that, I would like to apologize to all present— hubris and conceit prevented me from accurately assessing the situation, and it is a mistake that shall not be repeated twice,” Elder Zhou Hui explained, a certain gravitas in his voice that compelled attention, making him the center focus of the entire Council.

“And yet, you are willing to rely on that very same judgment to walk unarmed into a meeting that may end in conflict?” Yao Shen countered, his words lacking judgment or derision but instead, intrigue.

Zhou Hui smiled, and then answered, “Brother Yao, you have spent two hundred years of your life contributing to the glory of the Heavenly Sky Sect— such bonds are not so easily broken, and while you and I may have had our fair share of disagreements in our heyday— the sect itself has not mistreated you and neither have you ever given me a cause to doubt your loyalty. Unless every word, every action, every step you have taken in the last two hundred years was part of a larger deception, I do not believe that you are here to spill blood upon the sacred halls where your master had once presided.”

Yao Shen silently observed Zhou Hui, slightly moved by his impassioned words. Truly, his rival was not only powerful in his own right, but also an unparalleled orator that backed his words with actions— if Skyraiser was sheathed upon his waist they would hardly have had the same impact.

“You believe that I am acting in the best interests of the sect?” Yao Shen asked him without equivocation, and Zhou Hui would have to answer very carefully— if he answered in affirmative, then his relation with the other legacy families would sour, but if he answered with a denial then his earlier words would lose all credibility.

“I believe that you think you are acting in the best interests of the sect, Yao Shen, which is why I hold great curiosity with regards to your purported objectives,” Zhou Hui parried the verbal offensive without difficulty, as silence once again enveloped the hall.

“A final question then, Zhou Hui. As Elder of the Enforcement Hall, do you regulate the activities of the eight legacy families?” Yao Shen concluded with the question he had really wished to ask from the very beginning.

“No. As you are well aware, the rules of the enforcement hall state that the legacy families shall have the responsibility to regulate their own members,” Zhou Hui answered, his eyes narrowing in thought.

“Thank you, Zhou Hui. That will be all,” Yao Shen gave him a nod, and then pulled out a sheaf of bamboo papers from his spatial ring, gingerly placing them upon the table. The attention of the attendees congregated upon the papers, but as far as their divine sense could tell, there wasn’t anything special about them— they were just… a mundane, mortal resource.

“This,” Yao Shen gestured towards the sheaf of papers, before continuing, “is a list of all inner disciples that are not aligned with any house. Shadow, please choose any ten names at random from this list,” Yao Shen had all but needed to request, and Shadow stepped forward.

A minute later she recited ten names from memory, all selected from different pages in accordance with his instructions.

“Perfect. Thank you, Shadow. I need you to summon these disciples and bring them to the council meeting, can you do that?”

Shadow nodded.

“If anyone, and by that, I mean anyone at all, tries to impede your quest, then you are authorized to use my crest and authority to declare them a demonic sect spy and order their detention. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Patriarch,” She replied, as the shadows started enveloping her, forming a cloak around her back. She moved towards the exit, a portion of his divine sense splitting off and trailing her from behind to ensure her safety.

Now, all he needed to do was wait.

“Patriarch, may I know what the purpose of summoning these children is?” Meili Zhu asked, her facial expression inscrutable as ever, but Yao Shen could guess at her emotions—she did not like the direction this meeting was proceeding, that much he was certain of.

“You wanted an answer, did you not? You need only wait, and you shall have it.”