The Azure Sky Sect's main hall stood in deep silence beneath drifting layers of incense smoke.
Massive stone pillars rose upward into the shadowed ceiling, while pale spiritual flames burned steadily along the walls, casting a faint, wavering glow across the gathered elders seated in a wide circular formation.
The atmosphere was heavy.
Not hostile.
But undeniably solemn.
At the head of the hall, Sect Leader Yuan sat calmly upon an elevated stone throne overlooking the assembly below. His expression remained unreadable as earlier discussions—territorial disputes, resource allocations, and disciple evaluations—gradually reached their conclusion.
Then—
one of the seated elders slowly opened his eyes.
"Regarding Elder Han's death…"
The hall immediately fell silent.
Several gazes shifted toward the speaker.
Elder Qiu.
An older man with narrow eyes and silver-threaded robes.
He folded his sleeves calmly.
"I have gathered additional information."
That single sentence caused the atmosphere within the hall to tighten almost imperceptibly.
Because Elder Han's death had already become one of the sect's most troubling recent matters.
A Core Formation elder—killed.
And worse—
by an unknown beast.
Sect Leader Yuan finally spoke from above.
"Continue."
Elder Qiu gave a slight nod.
"A few years ago…"
"…within the territory bordering the Azure Serpent Sect…"
"…there were reports concerning an unidentified beast."
Several elders frowned faintly.
Elder Qiu continued evenly.
"In a city called White Hollow…"
"…rumors began circulating about what the locals referred to as the White Scale Demon."
Several elders exchanged glances.
The name alone sounded crude.
Like something born from frightened villagers exaggerating what they had witnessed.
Elder Qiu remained composed.
"At first, these reports were dismissed as exaggerations."
"It is not unusual for spirit beasts to occasionally attack mortal settlements."
"But…"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"The Li Clan that governed White Hollow City was annihilated."
Silence fell.
Elder Qiu continued without pause.
"All Foundation Establishment cultivators within the clan were killed."
One elder immediately frowned.
"…A rogue beast capable of wiping out multiple Foundation Establishment cultivators?"
Another elder let out a quiet, dismissive scoff.
"Rumors tend to grow with every retelling."
But Elder Qiu did not react.
He simply continued.
"A few days later…"
"…Jinshi City suffered the same fate."
Now the atmosphere in the hall shifted noticeably.
Several elders straightened.
Because Jinshi City was not some insignificant backwater settlement.
It was a major cultivation city jointly controlled by three separate clans.
Elder Qiu's voice remained steady.
"All three ruling clans were attacked within a single night."
"Every Foundation Establishment cultivator was killed."
A brief pause.
"One among each clan was reportedly at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment."
The hall went still.
Even Sect Leader Yuan's gaze sharpened faintly.
An elder spoke slowly.
"…Impossible."
Another immediately added,
"If the beast was truly only at early Foundation Establishment at that time, such combat capability defies reason."
Elder Qiu nodded once.
"That was also my initial conclusion."
He paused briefly.
"However…"
"The descriptions match Elder Han's encounter almost perfectly."
Now several expressions subtly changed.
Elder Qiu continued calmly.
"White scales."
"Multiple elemental affinities."
"Extreme speed."
"And most importantly…"
His gaze lowered slightly.
"…the ability to evade divine sense perception."
The hall grew noticeably quieter.
Because that final detail was what made Elder Han's death especially unsettling.
A creature capable of hiding from divine sense was not normal.
Not even remotely.
One elder muttered under his breath,
"…Just like the surviving disciples reported…"
Another elder frowned deeply.
"But how could a spirit beast possess multiple elemental affinities?"
"Even among rare spirit beasts, controlling more than one or two elements is uncommon."
Elder Qiu slowly clasped his hands behind his back.
"I once thought the same."
"Which is why I continued my investigation."
His gaze swept slowly across the hall.
"And what I discovered afterward made this matter significantly more complicated."
Several elders narrowed their eyes.
Elder Qiu spoke more deliberately now.
"The Li Clan of White Hollow…"
"…was not an ordinary cultivation clan."
A pause.
"They were descendants of Elder Lianhua of the Azure Sky Sect."
A ripple immediately spread through the hall.
Several elders reacted visibly.
Because Elder Lianhua was not an unknown figure.
A Golden Core cultivator.
And one of the Azure Sky Sect's more infamous elders.
Sect Leader Yuan's fingers tapped once lightly against the armrest of his throne.
Elder Qiu continued.
"After the Li Clan was destroyed…"
"…the surviving members traveled to the Azure Sky Sect seeking Elder Lianhua's intervention."
An elder frowned.
"…And then?"
Elder Qiu answered immediately.
"This portion was confirmed by disciples of the Cloud River Sect."
"They personally encountered Elder Lianhua in White Hollow shortly afterward."
A pause.
"She reportedly instructed them to return to their sect…"
"…and informed them she would handle the beast personally."
Silence settled again.
This time heavier.
Because the implications were no longer simple.
If Elder Lianhua had personally intervened…
then what followed?
One elder finally spoke.
"…I recall faint rumors of this from years ago."
Another nodded slowly.
"Yes… I remember something as well."
"But the matter faded quickly."
Elder Qiu's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Yes."
"It disappeared."
A faint pause.
"And that…"
"…is precisely what concerns me."
Several elders fixed their attention on him.
Elder Qiu's voice lowered slightly.
"Because after Elder Lianhua pursued the creature…"
"…all information regarding the White Scale Demon abruptly ceased."
No one spoke immediately.
Then one elder muttered,
"…You suspect Elder Lianhua failed?"
The idea itself was absurd.
A Golden Core cultivator failing against a Foundation Establishment beast?
Impossible.
Yet—
Elder Qiu did not dismiss it.
Instead, he calmly replied,
"I believe…"
"…that whatever Elder Han encountered…"
"…is no ordinary spirit beast."
The hall remained silent beneath the pale spiritual flames.
And for the first time since Elder Han's death—
a subtle sense of unease began to spread across the Azure Sky Sect.
Elder Qiu slowly refolded his sleeves behind his back.
The hall remained quiet as every elder processed his words.
Then—
he continued calmly.
"However…"
"…even if all prior reports are accurate…"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…a creature at early Foundation Establishment surviving an encounter with Elder Lianhua should have been impossible."
Several elders nodded immediately.
Of course.
That alone defied logic.
The gap between Golden Core and Foundation Establishment was not merely one of strength.
It was absolute suppression.
One elder said coldly,
"If Elder Lianhua truly acted personally, the beast should have been eradicated instantly."
Another nodded.
"Unless all prior reports were exaggerated from the beginning."
Elder Qiu shook his head once.
"I considered that possibility."
A pause.
"But during my investigation…"
"…I uncovered something else."
The hall quieted once more.
Elder Qiu's voice dropped slightly.
"The last confirmed sighting of Elder Lianhua…"
"…was near the borderlands of demonic sect territory."
Several expressions shifted immediately.
One elder frowned sharply.
"The demonic sects?"
Elder Qiu nodded.
"She was reportedly seen meeting face-to-face with a Golden Core cultivator from one of the demonic sect factions."
A ripple spread through the chamber.
Another elder narrowed his eyes.
"…Was there a conflict?"
Elder Qiu answered calmly.
"No."
"And that is precisely what is unusual."
The hall grew even quieter.
"There were no signs of battle."
"No injuries."
"No destruction."
"Nothing."
A pause.
"After that…"
"…all traces of the White Scale Demon vanished completely."
Silence deepened further.
Then one elder slowly spoke.
"…You believe the beast is connected to the demonic sects."
Elder Qiu did not answer immediately.
Instead, he said evenly,
"That possibility cannot be ignored."
Another elder immediately objected.
"A spirit beast cooperating with human cultivators?"
"That is absurd."
But Elder Qiu's expression remained steady.
"Is it?"
He turned slightly.
"This creature already displays abilities beyond ordinary spirit beasts."
"Multiple elemental affinities."
"Unnatural intelligence."
"Concealment from divine sense."
"Combat strength far exceeding its realm."
A pause.
"And now…"
"…the possible disappearance of Elder Lianhua shortly after pursuing it."
No one interrupted.
Because regardless of how unlikely it seemed—
the pattern could no longer be easily dismissed.
One elder muttered grimly,
"If the demonic sects truly obtained control over such a creature…"
"…then this situation becomes extremely dangerous."
Another frowned deeply.
"But that still does not explain Elder Han."
Elder Qiu slowly turned back toward the center of the hall.
"That…"
"…is the true issue."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Because if the beast Elder Han encountered…"
"…and the White Scale Demon from years ago are the same entity…"
He paused.
Then continued clearly.
"…then in less than four years…"
"…it advanced from early Foundation Establishment…"
"…to Core Formation."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
For a moment—
even the spiritual flames along the walls seemed to flicker more faintly.
Several elders simply stared, as though their minds refused to accept what they had just heard.
Then finally—
one elder spoke hoarsely.
"…Impossible."
Another immediately followed.
"That level of progression defies natural law."
A third elder frowned deeply.
"If I recall correctly…"
"…it has not even been that long since the White Hollow incident."
Elder Qiu nodded slowly.
"It has been less than four years."
The words settled like a weight.
Unease spread visibly now.
Not curiosity.
Not speculation.
Fear.
Because cultivation followed order.
Limits.
Balance.
Even heaven-defying geniuses required decades to cross major realms.
Yet this creature—
if it was truly the same—
had broken that order entirely.
One elder shook his head repeatedly.
"No… it cannot be the same beast."
"…There must be a mistake."
Another quickly agreed.
"Yes. Similar traits do not confirm identity."
"White-scaled beasts are not unheard of."
"Multiple affinities could be coincidence."
The voices rose slightly, as if urgency could dispel the implication.
But Elder Qiu remained calm.
"I also considered that possibility."
A pause.
"However…"
His gaze swept slowly across the hall.
"The similarities are too precise."
"White scales."
"Multiple elemental affinities."
"Unnatural concealment abilities."
"And overwhelming combat strength disproportionate to its realm."
He folded his sleeves again.
"The probability of coincidence is extremely low."
Silence returned once more.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Several elders lowered their gazes, their thoughts visibly darkening.
Because if Elder Qiu was correct—
then they were no longer dealing with a dangerous spirit beast.
They were dealing with something evolving beyond all known limits.
Finally—
Sect Leader Yuan spoke from the elevated throne.
His voice was calm, but it echoed with unmistakable authority.
"Whether it is the same beast or not…"
"…the threat itself remains unchanged."
Every gaze shifted toward him.
His expression remained unreadable.
But his eyes had grown colder.
"A Core Formation-level threat capable of killing Elder Han cannot be ignored."
A pause.
"And if Elder Qiu's suspicions are correct…"
"…then allowing it further time to grow would be disastrous."
No one objected.
Because uncertainty itself had become the greatest danger.
Sect Leader Yuan leaned back slightly upon the stone throne.
"Increase all investigation efforts immediately."
"Dispatch disciples to surrounding territories."
"Any reports involving white-scaled spirit beasts are to be delivered directly to this hall."
His gaze sharpened.
"And if the creature is located…"
A brief silence followed.
Then his voice turned ice-cold.
"…it is to be eliminated before it grows any further."
Silence filled the chamber once again.
But this time—
no one resisted.
Because deep down, they all understood the same truth.
If such a creature truly possessed the ability to evolve at that terrifying pace—
then waiting any longer might eventually give birth to something even the Azure Sky Sect could no longer contain.