Liu Meng couldn't understand.Why would she have to wait an entire month before being allowed to deal with that traitorous servant?
Although she had never truly harbored thoughts of revenge, in front of Su Meier she had no choice but to act as if she were burning with hatred, desperate to retaliate at once. Only by doing so could she maintain the proper image of a disciple of the Demonic Sect and avoid arousing Su Meier's suspicions.
She lifted her head, letting just the right amount of urgency flicker across her eyes.
"Hehe…" Su Meier gazed at her and couldn't resist extending a slender jade-like finger to gently tap Liu Meng's forehead. "My dear disciple, do not be so impatient. Do you know what day it will be one month from now?"
Without waiting for a reply, Su Meier revealed the answer herself."One month from now will be the annual Sect Competition of our Grand Dao Heavenly Demonic Sect. That will be the best moment for you to strike."
Sect Competition?
The instant Liu Meng heard those words, she immediately understood.
Of course! This was the kind of unavoidable plot arc found in every cultivation story—A grand competition held to test the disciples' progress, where geniuses from every corner gathered on the stage under countless eyes to battle it out. No matter the process, the protagonist always managed to shine, defeating countless opponents and ultimately taking the crown.
Not only would there be rich rewards, but it was also the perfect chance to publicly slap the faces of arrogant rivals—and perhaps even encounter a few senior sisters or junior sisters, leading to romance and fortune…
But her wild thoughts were abruptly cut short by Su Meier's next words.
"Judging from your expression, do you perhaps think that this so-called Sect Competition is nothing more than letting you youngsters exchange a few blows on the stage, determine a ranking, and then distribute some harmless rewards?" Su Meier chuckled, seeing straight through her thoughts.
Moments later, her laughter faded, and her voice grew low and chilling."The so-called Sect Competition means that for the entire month, all restrictions normally imposed by the sect will be completely lifted."
"Any form of challenge, duel, or slaughter will be permitted! No matter what methods you use, no matter how many you kill or enslave, you will not be punished in the slightest."
"On the other hand, if you are weaker and end up being killed—or even refined into someone else's furnace—you'll have no one to blame but yourself."
"At that time, even I and my dear elder brother will be too busy settling our own accounts to care about the lives of you juniors. Whether you survive or not will depend solely on your own ability."
Liu Meng was stunned for a long while before she finally digested Su Meier's words.
So this… this was the so-called Sect Competition?
No—rather than a competition, it was nothing less than a month-long carnival of chaos.A sect-wide civil war without rules!
"Wh… why would you do this?" Liu Meng frowned, unable to comprehend. "Wouldn't this cause countless casualties within the sect? If things go on like this, how can the sect possibly continue to develop?"
"Develop?" Su Meier burst into laughter again. "Liu Meng, you seem to have forgotten—within the Demonic Sect, the one thing we have in abundance is people."
"A few useless wastes dying—what of it? Only those who can crawl out of this sea of blood alive are the true talents our sect requires."
"Besides," she walked slowly down from the high platform, her bare jade feet stepping on the cold stone floor, "do you really think the disciples of the various peaks and branches can live in harmony on ordinary days?"
"The cultivators of the Xuanyin Hall dream of capturing disciples from other branches to refine into their own servants. The ghoulish fiends of Luofeng City covet our souls, eager to bind us into their soul banners. The lunatics of the Blood Banquet Valley see everyone as food, wishing to devour flesh and bone alike. And those copper-stinking merchants of Sancai Workshop lust after the refined bodies of Blood Valley body-cultivators, regarding them as prime materials for forging artifacts."
"Since everyone harbors such dark desires, the sect simply set a rule. For eleven months of the year, internecine strife is forbidden, violators hunted down by the enforcers. But in the twelfth month… all rules are abolished! Anyone may strike anyone. Those who lack the strength to survive are nothing more than stepping stones, nourishment for others. Whether you live or die—depends solely on your ability."
After hearing this, an old, familiar sense of crisis welled up from deep within Liu Meng's chest.
One month!Only a single month remained.
After that, the entire Grand Dao Heavenly Demonic Sect would plunge into a month-long orgy of blood and slaughter.
And she, having only just become a formal disciple, was to be thrown into this cruel game of big fish devouring little fish, little fish devouring shrimp…?
This was simply far too unfair!
Perhaps sensing her unease, Su Meier stepped closer and offered a smile of comfort."You need not be overly nervous. Though cruel, the Sect Competition does have one restriction."
"Participants may only act against those who entered the sect in the same year. In other words, the only opponents you need to worry about are this year's new disciples. The senior disciples who've long since established themselves cannot touch you."
"It may still seem unfair to you… but isn't your extraordinary talent also a kind of unfairness to them?"
"To my knowledge, none of this year's recruits have broken through to Foundation Establishment. Most are just like you—not long past the fourth level of Qi Refinement, newly promoted to formal disciples."
"Do you really think everyone progresses as quickly as you, stepping so easily into the mid-stages of Qi Refinement?"
At these words, Liu Meng finally breathed a little easier.
So her opponents would only be peers.And those peers were not necessarily much stronger than her.
With her current cultivation, plus the unfathomable Soul Banner and the maids of her cave residence, as long as she remained cautious, her chances of surviving the competition were not hopeless.
At the same time, she suddenly realized the answer to a question that had puzzled her for so long.
Qin Shuang had once said that each year less than thirty percent of disciples survived.
She had assumed it was because of the treacherous hearts within the sect—that the fallen disciples were simply too naïve, ensnared by others' schemes.
But that alone could hardly explain a survival rate so low.
Now, she finally understood.The true reason was this brutal Sect Competition.
Under such a blood-soaked rule, only a rare handful—true dragons among men—could survive to the end.
A wave of unprecedented urgency crashed over her once again.
One month.Not too long, not too short.
Even though she wasn't lagging behind her peers in cultivation, she couldn't afford a shred of carelessness.
She had to prepare thoroughly in advance for any possible conflict.
After taking her leave from Su Meier, Liu Meng immediately returned to her cave.
She had to start laying her plans for the Sect Competition.
How could she survive it?Could she flee?
Impossible.The moment one broke through to the fourth level of Qi Refinement and became a formal disciple, the sect would bestow a disciple's token—cutting off any chance of defection.
But if she remained only at the early stages of Qi Refinement, she would be utterly powerless. Any random demonic cultivator could crush her like an insect.
There was only one way.To bide her time in the Demonic Sect, secretly growing stronger—stronger than everyone else—until she could stand above them.
Though things like Qin Yi joining the Blood Valley, Liu Ba maturing in Luofeng City, or refining blood-slaves for her true body… all these would take time.
Only one thing could be done immediately—
Contact Qin Shuang.
As her apparent ally, Qin Shuang's existence remained significant. Liu Meng wanted to ask her what plans she had for the Sect Competition… and more importantly, why she had never once mentioned it.
Was it because Qin Shuang truly didn't know?Or… had she deliberately hidden it from the start?
If it were the latter, then the alliance between them… might already be standing on shaky ground.