(Secret Headquarters Of The Crimson Demon Sect)
(Hidden Mountain Range- Temple Of Agar)
There was a tense moment of silence on the platform. A beautiful woman wearing a long and flowing robe stood silently by the entrance to the temple.
Her robe had been cut in several places to show off patches of her soft and delicate white skin that was unblemished by any scars or markings.
She possessed an otherworldly beauty with an aura of sexiness that made several disciples both male and female unable to look away from her direction.
Mo Qing.
Also known as the 'Witch of Pleasure'.
Normally she enjoyed chatting with her fellow elders and relaxing with a carefree attitude but today was different.
There was a sense of tension on her face.
It could be seen in the way that her eyebrows furrowed and the slight trembling of her fingertips.
Held inside her right hand was a high-class healing pill and its medical scent was so strong that one could smell the herbs from the bottom of the platform.
Mo Qing kept staring at the closed door where her apprentice had disappeared inside with numerous thoughts on her mind.
Why? Why did she do it?
The succession ceremony?
Please… Who would want to be the leader of this den of murderers, backstabbers, and psychopaths?
Mo Qing fidgeted and could not help glancing at the side of the platform where dozens of corpses lay in various states of decay.
The successor was not someone who showed mercy, but she was also not a mindless killer since several challengers had survived.
Mo Qing was not someone who believed in gods or higher powers, but she found herself pleading with any entity that would listen to make sure that her apprentice was okay.
BOOM!
A loud noise echoed through the nearby forest as the door that her apprentice had entered flew open and a large cloud of white mist escaped from its open maw.
A figure was thrown out and Mo Qing immediately rushed forward and caught her apprentice before she fell to the ground.
It did not look good.
Mo Qing's heart was in her throat as she saw the bruised and bloodied face of her apprentice.
Her nose was shattered, her forehead was cracked and as she lifted up parts of her robe, she discovered that Mei Ling's flesh was battered especially in the stomach and chest area.
Was she alive?
The powerful elder quickly placed two fingers on the side of her apprentice's neck and felt for a pulse.
Oh, thank the heavens…
Mo Qing took in a few deep breaths to calm herself down and then shoved the healing pill in her apprentice's mouth.
She then forced her to chew and swallow the medicine.
Soon the injuries on Mei Ling's body started to rapidly heal.
Part of the reason was the class of the healing pill and the other was that although the injuries looked nasty none of them were truly life-threatening.
It was all external damage.
Mei Ling groaned softly as her eyelids fluttered. She slowly opened her eyes and saw the face of her master looking down at her with a worried expression on her face.
"Are you okay? Do you feel strange anywhere?" Mo Qing asked with concern evident in her voice.
"Master? I… I'm alive?" Mei Ling responded in a daze.
"Yes… yes you are…" Mo Qing sobbed lightly as she pulled her apprentice in for a tight hug.
"Why did you do something so stupid? Never ever risk your life for such lunacy again! You hear me! Or I'm going to cut off our master-disciple ties."
Mei Ling nodded her head, and her master hugged her even tighter. She picked up her apprentice in her arms and flew off to the direction of her peak.
The succession ceremony would be over in a couple of hours, but Mo Qing had no interest in staying to find out if the woman who had violently beaten her beloved apprentice got confirmed as the successor.
She was worried that she would not be able to control herself from seducing the successor until she died a horrible and painful death with a smile of ecstasy on her face.
In the distance a young man looked at the departing back of the master and apprentice and fell into deep thought.
Guo Rui's hand drifted to the curved sword attached to his hip and a contemplative expression flashed across his face.
Mei Ling was the second strongest of the younger generation behind only himself. If she was left in such a state after the fight…
No… he could not afford to let doubts creep into his mind.
Guo Rui shook his head and scowled as dark emotions of hatred and jealousy continued to bubble up in his heart.
He should have been the next successor.
Not some random wild cultivator with no significant background who had appeared out of thin air.
He deserved it!
IT WAS HIS POSITION!
Guo Rui's clenched his fist so tightly that his fingernails pierced the underside of his palms. Thin droplets of blood leaked out from between his fingertips.
He strode forward with confidence while the female cultivators hanging by his side all cheered loudly with words of encouragement.
"You got this senior brother!"
"The position of successor was meant to be yours!"
"We'll be waiting for you! Come back to us as the victor!"
Guo Rui strode up the stone steps with his ponytail swaying ever so slightly from the back of his head.
He felt an overwhelming pressure slam down on his body, but he gritted his teeth and kept walking.
One footstep after the next. He could not afford to fail now… not when the end of the ceremony was in sight.
The false successor had been battling challengers for over two days now. Even if she had healed herself after every fight… she must be mentally exhausted.
With only a few hours left… it was now or never.
This was the best chance that he had to kill the bitch who had stolen the position that was rightfully his.
At the top of the stairs was a massive red obelisk.
The large structure was surrounded by an aura that made goosebumps appear on Guo Rui's arms as he approached it.
Its external appearance was unnaturally smooth and polished, and Guo Rui could see carvings around the bottom half of the structure that depicted demonic figures screaming in pain.
He stretched out his palm and tightly pressed it against the surface of the obelisk.
Screech!
The familiar sight of the door that led to the underground arena where the false successor was located slowly opened and a wave of whitish fog escaped the gap.
Guo Rui took his blade out of the sheath attached to his hip.
His weapon possessed a slender appearance and was an obsidian-black colour.
At the hilt were two entwined serpents, their scales were delicately crafted to look as realistic as possible.
Guo Rui took in a deep breath and the demonic qi inside his body circulated rapidly.
His emotions of jealousy mixed with envy and self-doubt were only amplified as he purposefully allowed himself to lose control.
It was time.
Guo Rui stepped inside the doorway and disappeared.
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