"Master Wan, is Poison Maiden Tia’s peerless poison really that terrifying? Are people just making stuff up? I mean, even late-stage God-Venerables can’t escape it? I find that hard to believe!" an elder beside Master Wan asked, his voice full of doubt.
"Don’t underestimate Poison Maiden Tia. Back then, she was the Medicine Sovereign’s favorite disciple. Sure, she didn’t pick up much of his healing arts, but she mastered every poison technique he had. I heard the Medicine Sovereign himself once concocted a peerless poison, and it was refining that very poison that cost him his life."
Now that Tia Thorn has managed to refine it again, it’s not impossible. Besides, in the God Realm, aside from Heavenblade Sect, none of the Ten Great Powers can truly dominate; the rest are all about equal. Without absolute confidence, she wouldn’t dare go after Rainbow Court.
But now she’s bold enough to attack Rainbow Court out in the open—it means she really pulled it off. As for Drifting Cloud Guild, they’re just scared someone else will swoop in and snatch the prize, so they had to team up with Skysoar Sect. I’m telling you, even if Drifting Cloud Guild hadn’t joined, Skysoar Sect would’ve attacked Rainbow Court anyway. I know Tia Thorn’s style inside out," Master Wan said.
"So it looks like we really can’t afford to act rashly. One slip and we’ll be in huge trouble. Poison Maiden Tia’s poison is no joke. Master Wan, what’s your plan?" the elder pressed.
A few people were still gathered around Master Wan, all eyes on him. Stormtower’s true strength wasn’t that overwhelming—the main problem was that its members were scattered all over the God Realm. If something happened to Stormtower, it’d be nearly impossible to rally everyone at once. That was Master Wan’s biggest worry.
But if you really provoke Stormtower, it’s a nightmare. Their hidden assassins could take your life anytime, anywhere, and you’d never even know who did it. There’s just no way to guard against them.
"Let’s just wait and see how things play out. Watch what the other powers do. If Shadow Divine Palace gets involved, we can add fuel to the fire. Poison Maiden Tia’s peerless poison is fierce, but I bet she doesn’t have much of it. She’s dead set on taking down Rainbow Court, not us. Besides, she’s only mid God-Venerable. If we catch her off guard, we could take her down," Master Wan said.
Just then, Lena Zhong strode in. "Dad, I heard Skysoar Sect and Drifting Cloud Guild are about to attack Rainbow Court—is that true?" she asked, blunt and straight to the point.
"That’s right. The whole God Realm’s been buzzing about it for ages. What, you want to get involved? I’m not agreeing to that. You’d better give up on this idea right now," Master Wan said sternly to Lena Zhong. She was his precious jewel, and he knew her personality like the back of his hand.
Lena Zhong’s face froze for a moment, then she blurted out, "Dad, but Evan is still in Rainbow Court—I can’t help worrying about him!"
"I know how you feel about Evan, but this isn’t the right time for us to help Rainbow Court. Skysoar Sect and Drifting Cloud Guild are both powerful enemies. You really want to risk Stormtower getting dragged into danger?"
Besides, Evan is clever—if he’s in trouble, he’ll find a way out. Thirty years have passed; if I’m right, he’s probably already broken through to mid God-King. Honestly, he’s the fastest-rising cultivator I’ve ever seen—even more terrifying than Lord Frostbane was back in the day," Master Wan said, sighing.
Lena Zhong looked a bit disappointed, but she knew Master Wan wouldn’t budge. Charging into Rainbow Court with her current strength would be suicide—she might not even see Evan before getting killed. She wasn’t about to do something so reckless.
"So you’re really just going to stand by and not help? Let me make this clear, Dad—I’ll never marry anyone but Evan, not in this lifetime. You’d better think it over!" Lena Zhong shot back, stubborn as ever.
"He’s Rainbow Court’s son-in-law now, Zoe Rainveil’s man. How could you still hope to marry him? Lena, I know you truly like him, but some things just aren’t meant to be. You’re outstanding—you won’t lack for good suitors," Master Wan said, tamping down his anger for her sake.
"Dad, Evan told me himself he won’t marry Zoe Rainveil. When he left Rainbow Court, he told me to wait for him at Stormtower. If he really wanted to marry Zoe, he wouldn’t have postponed the wedding just to go into seclusion. There’s definitely something else going on—I trust him," Lena Zhong insisted.
Master Wan was genuinely surprised—he hadn’t considered that angle. Zoe Rainveil’s beauty was famous across the God Realm, and as Rainbow Court Mistress’s beloved daughter, marrying her meant gaining a powerful backing. Any young powerhouse would dream of her. For Evan Chu to turn her down, there had to be a secret. But what it was, he couldn’t guess.
"If that’s how it is, then we’ll just watch and wait. When the time comes, I’ll go to Rainbow Court myself. If Evan’s truly in danger, I’ll save him. But you have to stay in Stormtower—if you run off, I won’t interfere in his affairs again," Master Wan said.
With Master Wan’s promise, Lena Zhong finally felt at ease. "Dad, I’ll wait for you to bring me good news," she said, then quickly left the main hall.
Everyone stared in confusion at Lena Zhong’s retreating figure. An Elder asked, "Master Wan, are you really planning to go to Rainbow Court? This isn’t a joke!"
"Of course I’ll go—but not yet. Everyone, start preparing now. When the time is right, we’ll move. And begin gathering our members back, slowly. If anything unexpected happens, we’ll have the strength to handle it," Master Wan commanded.
The day flew by. The Drifting Cloud Guild Pavilion Master personally soared above Rainbow City, announcing in a booming voice that anyone who left could live, but those who stayed were doomed. His late-stage God-Venerable voice blanketed the entire city—even those inside Rainbow Court heard every word.
Rainbow Court’s people were protected by the sect-protection grand array—even if they wanted out, they couldn’t unless the array was broken. But most of Rainbow City’s residents bolted instantly; only about a tenth stayed behind—the elderly and the frail. Their lives or deaths meant little to the invaders.
After months of searching for Old Goldwing and Shadow with no luck, Rainbow Court Mistress Rainveil was utterly disheartened. Hearing that Skysoar Sect and Drifting Cloud Guild were about to attack Rainbow Court, her anxiety exploded—she raced back from the borderlands without hesitation.