thebusnovel Chapter 95: Taken
Chapter 95: Taken
Seraph and Song returned to the Soul Peak, and on their way back, he finally noticed the tense atmosphere shrouding the sect.
’Is it really that bad?’
He thought to himself, but waited until they arrived at their abode.
Finally, when they entered the woman’s mansion, he realized that Sylvia, and a few other core disciples were gathered there, having a discussion.
"Seraph?"
Sylvia’s eyes brightened, and she couldn’t help but be genuinely happy that he had finally woken up.
"That’s alright."
Song silenced the chattering between the disciples, then looked around.
"Where is Elder Lan?"
A bald female disciple answered her. "She... went to check on the Sect Master."
Song sighed, causing Seraph to be confused.
"Did something happen to the Sect Master?"
Sylvia answered him. "The Sect Master disappeared around two months ago. Normally, he’d have retaliated against the Inferno Sect, but he hasn’t shown himself since then."
The bald disciple nodded and added to her words. "Honestly, that is exactly why those guys are so bold in attacking us. It’s like they want to erase us before the Sect Master can return."
Seraph was pleasantly surprised, and he smiled thinly.
"How many Peaks have they attacked so far?"
Song replied calmly. "All the Peaks except this Soul Peak. They’re afraid that they might disturb the Sect Master’s closed door cultivation in case he hadn’t actually disappeared."
He frowned. "Including Cloud Peak?"
"Yes. Those ones suffered the most. Almost a hundred disciples died."
Feeling frustrated, Seraph rubbed his eyelids tiredly.
"Why is the sect not uniting and attacking them? Why are we on the defensive?"
Another woman entered the room, her gaze settling on him as she answered.
"Because we don’t have the order from the Sect Master. He is the pinnacle of this sect and if we go to war without his permission..."
She didn’t finish, but Seraph felt his hair stand on end.
’Unsightly.’
He shook his head, instead focusing on the current situation.
"I need to visit the Winter Peak and know how they’re faring over there. Also, how is the situation with the beast tide?"
Sylvia leaned back into the cushion and answered.
"It hasn’t started yet. Though we can predict that it’ll occur in less than a month."
Seraph nodded, taking in the situation, then turned around to leave.
"Wait." Song stopped him, then dragged him upstairs, away from the others.
"What’s the matter, Elder?"
She looked troubled. "Actually, this attack seems like a carefully crafted plot."
Seraph’s brows rose. "Oh? It’s not just about the Sect Master’s disappearance?"
She nodded. "I think it’s related to the support that we gave Princess Shira."
This finally got Seraph alarmed. "You mean the Reapers are also behind this?"
Song nodded. "They must be aware that we have helped the princess, and know that we have an understanding of the situation at the palace."
Seraph nodded. That made sense. "So they’re using the conflict with the Inferno Sect to try and crush us, hm? Interesting."
Song wasn’t sharing his interest, though.
"Your cultivation. It dropped again."
Seraph stiffened briefly, then nodded. "You’re right. But I should be able to recover in a few months."
Song’s expression soured, and she covered her face with her hands.
"I feel bad. If not for my pathetic situation, you’d have reached the Core or Peak King Stage."
Seraph understood that she was feeling guilty, so he smiled and shrugged.
"It doesn’t really matter, believe me."
Despite his cultivation being at the Master Stage, he could easily resist the spiritual pressure of King Stage cultivators.
"No, it actually does. You..."
"Alright, fine." Seraph cut her off. "If you’re feeling guilty, give me enough spirit crystals to recover my cultivation."
Song blinked, her eyes brightening. "That’s right. If you cultivate fast enough, you can reach King Stage again."
Seraph looked at her weirdly, wondering where the woman who had made him uneasy during their first encounter.
"Well, you can prepare that. I’ll go see Ariana first."
Leaving the woman alone, he quickly left the mansion.
’Should I visit Left and Right first?’
They were closer to him, and he wouldn’t have to say a lot of things to them.
’Hmm. I’ll do that later. I’m feeling worried about Ariana. Is she alright?’
He didn’t doubt his instincts, and he was sure that something had happened while he was unconscious.
’Sylvia was acting weird too.’
Rubbing his face, he arrived at the base of the Winter Peak, surprised to find some outer court disciples guarding the place.
"Hm? They usually don’t do this."
Muttering to himself, he walked up to the disciples, attracting their attention.
"Who are you?"
Most of these outer court disciples didn’t recognize him, but one of them, who was from the same set as Seraph did.
"I-it’s you!"
The young man was surprised, looking at Seraph’s robes like he was dreaming. A Core Court Disciple?
"Excuse me. I have a few people to see here."
Saying that, he walked past them and headed straight up the mountain. Some wanted to stop him, but knowing that he was a core disciple, they didn’t dare to block his path.
Sighing, Seraph rapidly ascended the mountain and entered the inner court residential area.
There were several disciples moving around, all looking tensed and ready for war.
Seraph stopped one of them and asked. "Why is everyone so tense?"
The disciple looked at him like he was an alien, then swiftly answered.
"Didn’t you hear? Those Inferno bastards are approaching us at the moment. Soon, we’ll be under attack again."
Seraph frowned and released the disciple, heading straight to Ariana and Tamar’s house in the area.
He quickly found the place, knocked on the door, and stepped inside.
To his surprise, the place was empty, as if it hadn’t been touched in months.
Seraph’s face darkened. He stepped outside and grabbed a disciple who was passing by.
"Where are the girls living here?"
The disciple seemed bewildered, looking at him in confusion. Then, when he looked at the house Seraph was pointing at, his expression soured.
"They... they’ve been taken."