The Village Chief raised his brow and said calmly, "If the net breaks and the fish die, the Cult of the Heavenly Demon will suffer countless losses as well. Why force such a bitter confrontation? If our little band of old cripples causes your cult to lose so much yuanqi, the Imperial Preceptor will be delighted, and seize the chance to annex the Cult of the Heavenly Demon into the empire. What do you think?"
The Heavenly Demon Patriarch nodded, replying, "The Imperial Preceptor of Everpeace has always been searching for an opportunity to subdue our cult and make us submit to the imperial court. But with our Grand Fostering Heavenly Demon Sutra lost and the Holy Cult Master slain, the Cult of the Heavenly Demon is all but destroyed. If you insist on going your own way, the little village you protect will inevitably clash with my cult. Unfurl the flags!"
Beside him, the Enforcer Elder bowed and said, "Yes, Patriarch. Unfurl the flags!"
The Three Hundred and Sixty Hall Masters simultaneously produced large banners, each unfurling with a crisp snap. The flags billowed and spread wide, dancing in the wind.
Quinn Shepherd looked on, eyes wide, as the Three Hundred and Sixty flags grew larger and larger, each one spanning nearly an acre.
"Stow the flags," the Patriarch commanded.
The Enforcer Elder shouted, "Stow the flags!"
One by one, the massive flags were stowed away, their surfaces vanishing. Behind them, Quinn saw tens of thousands of cultivators standing silently, each as imposing as a spear—utterly silent, radiating a chilling sense of murderous discipline.
The Village Chief sighed, "The Cult of the Heavenly Demon's transmission flags truly live up to their reputation. With a single unfurl and stow, tens of thousands of cultivators can enter the Great Ruins at once. No wonder the Imperial Preceptor is so desperate to subdue the cult. If he mastered this art, the imperial armies could sweep the world and unify all nations."
The Patriarch sighed, "Without a Cult Master, our Cult of the Heavenly Demon is scattered like sand. These forty years have only made things harder for us, and I suspect the Imperial Preceptor will soon make his move. Like you, I am old and have few days left; all I hope for now is to find a truly extraordinary new Cult Master."
The Village Chief's eyes flickered. "So, the Cult Mistress who killed the old Cult Master on their wedding night is your best candidate?"
The Heavenly Demon Patriarch nodded, giving a wry smile. "Brother Dao, you know how rare it is to find a truly extraordinary and wise Cult Master. Though our Cult of the Heavenly Demon has many followers, few are fit to bear the title, and even fewer can match the Cult Mistress. With no other choice, we must seek out the Cult Mistress and bring her back to lead the sect."
The Village Chief glanced at Granny Sue, looking troubled. "I heard it was this Cult Mistress who killed your cult's Tyson Li, the Cult Master. Why would you want her as the new Cult Master instead of avenging the old one? Isn't the Cult Master's murder a great humiliation for your sect?"
The Heavenly Demon Patriarch's eyes gleamed, and he smiled. "Brother Dao, you forget—we are a demonic cult. Ordinary logic does not apply. If the new Cult Master kills the old one, it proves the new master is stronger, so naturally we support her!"
The Village Chief wore a strange expression, and beside him, Quinn Shepherd and Apothecary also looked baffled—was this really the Cult of the Heavenly Demon's rule?
"Granny Sue, is that really your sect's rule?" Apothecary asked.
Granny Sue nodded woodenly.
Apothecary couldn't help but ask, "If that's the rule, why didn't you stay in the Cult of the Heavenly Demon and become the new Cult Master after killing the old one?"
Granny Sue replied bitterly, "I killed him. I couldn't bear to stay in the Cult of the Heavenly Demon; if I did, my inner demons would only grow heavier."
Apothecary still found it hard to understand. To him, the Cult of the Heavenly Demon waiting forty years for the killer of their Cult Master to become the new master was already bizarre enough, but Granny Sue hiding from them made it even stranger.