Chapter 646: Zephyrith. Acting High Profile.
While they walked, Tatyana asked. "By the way, Tengliu. You should've discovered if this secret realm inspects the soul or the body. Which one is it?"
Tengliu commented. "It measures the body, like all secret realms I know of. Have you ever entered one that measures the soul?"
Tatyana nodded. "Usually, high-level Secret Realms do that. If it measures the body, then it should ignore Valeria, Mirrory, and even my own soul levels."
Angel trotted to her side and grabbed her hand. "What would you have done if it measured the soul, Mommy Tatyana?"
Tatyana smiled. "Well, I have been preparing a few formations to fool it. Secret realms that appear in this continent should not be too high-level. After all, a secret realm can be created after reaching the Transcendence Realm."
Tengliu asked, curious. "Transcendence is the realm after Epoch Core, right?"
Tatyana shook her head. "For Body Cultivators, it is called Undying Monarch Body."
Tengliu rubbed her chin. "That sounds better."
Coraline also joined. "I think Transcendence sounds better, to be honest. Which one do you prefer, darling?"
Ebirah tilted her head cutely. "I don't know... Both sound really nice."
Suddenly, they heard a voice from the side. "Transcendence? I haven't heard of that before."
The female voice was mysterious and calm, with a hint of ethereal presence.
Coraline and Tengliu frowned, looking annoyed but with a wary look hidden in their eyes.
After following their gaze, our girls met with an albino wolfkin with beautiful and rare red eyes and silver hair. Her beauty was strangely transcendental, and the vibe around her was similar to Tengliu's, riddled with mystery and mystique.
Tatyana's eyes flashed with interest. 'it's rare to find others with red eyes.'
It was Coraline who called, her voice sounding cold. "Zephyrith."
The albino silver wolf smiled, her red-colored eyes flashing with deep intelligence. "Coraline, you have interesting guests." She then looked at Ebirah, and one of her silvery eyebrows rose. "Oh? Little girl, you've grown quite a lot. Far beyond... my expectations."
The strange tone in that last sentence was a clear indication that she had planned or foreseenother things. Zephyrith then looked at Yasenia's group and squinted. "It's probably because of you..."
The playful look in her eyes seemed to disappear as a strange aura flowed around her. 'Can you still hold against my Fate skills when I'm here in person~?'
Tatyana squinted and snapped her fingers. 'This cub is being a bit rude.'
With a hiss of pain, Zephyrith frowned and became startled. 'Huh? Someone snapped my Fate reading? Tengliu's fate attribute is strong, but it's still below mine, so it couldn't be her. Who was it!?'
Tengliu smirked. "Hey, Zephyrith, have you already opened your legs for Fu Lang Zu? You are in your mid-one-thousands and still a virgin."
Zephyrith looked calm and gave her a side-eye. "At least I don't open my legs to everyone I find pleasing to the eyes like a prostitute. Oh wait, you are worse than one since they, at least, get paid."
The girls looked at Tengliu, and their lips twitched while holding their laughter.
Tatyana laughed. "A bit more, and we'll have cooked chicken for dinner."
Tengliu rolled her eyes and complained. "So what if I have sex with people I find pleasing to the eye? I, at least, enjoy life."
Zephyrith looked at Tatyana and lifted her silvery eyebrow. "You are pretty gutsy for a human."
Tengliu's eyes flashed and sent a message to Yasenia mentally. Yasenia rolled her eyes, but she nodded.
Tengliu's lips arched and answered. "Right? How about you attack her and put her in place? She has been too arrogant lately."
Tatyana instantly knew what she was aiming at and became speechless. 'Do you think I'm stupid enough to fall for your silly schemes?'
The white harpy knew, but she was just having a bit of fun.
Zephyrith shook her head, something she expected. "Since you've said so, it seems that I can't underestimate her. Human, what is your name?"
Tatyana crossed her arms and answered flatly. "And why should I tell you my name?"
Zephyrith blinked, not expecting such a response. She asked, confused. "Do you know who I am?"
Tatyana answered. "The right-hand woman of Fu Lang Zu, the Patriarch of the [Steel Back Wolf] clan. Moreover, you are the strongest seer in this Continent. Not to mention, you are the second most coveted woman in the continent, right behind the Mermaid Queen."
Zephyrith's mind spun quickly, and her red eyes clashed with Tatyana's red eyes. "If you know that and you still dare to speak like that, you are truly not simple."
Tatyana smiled mockingly. "Isn't it obvious, child?"
Zephyrith squinted. "Even if you are not simple, the aura you give is that of a high-level Ethereal Soul realm."
With a mocking laugh and eyes filled with disdain, the Death Empress stated. "Then, try me."
Since there was no need to hide anymore, Tatyana started taking a more active role. She wouldn't just allow people to call her slave, look down on her, or offend her anymore to train and educate Yasenia.
Before, she would just let Yasenia deal with it and teach her while keeping a low profile. But those times were over.
The rest of the leaders present didn't answer and stood in their places, waiting to see how deep this new Astral Sky Sect's strength went.
However, Zephyrith suddenly spoke after she felt a strange premonition. "You will lose."
Everyone looked where she was looking, and to their surprise, her eyes were clearly locked on the Serpent Patriarch.
The man frowned, and he began reevaluating. He didn't act this way just because. He acted this way after a mental conversation with other leaders to test how deep the Astral Sky Sect waters were. Of course, his anger was real since Yasenia's disrespect was not something he would easily swallow.
While he pondered, Tatyana took a step forward, and her tone was chilling. "I wouldn't have cared if your attack was regulated, but you clearly wanted to cripple my little treasure."
Her cultivation aura was incomparable to every other person, with just an Ethereal Soul realm cultivation.
Yet, after a single moment, that changed.
Tatyana waved the long sleeve of her black dress, and the ground around her was covered with a massive linear formation that connected Tatyana, the maids, and the man.
All leaders were stunned as the intricate lines, runes, and energies flowing within the formation were something they'd never seen before.
Angel's extremely powerful memory about formations remembered a few combinations. 'This was part of Mommy Tatyana's summoning formation.' Angel pondered for a second. 'Hm... Oh, I remember Mommy Tatyana said that this was to allow a portion of her soul to descend... Wait.'
And thus, it descended.
Above the formation, a tiny thread of a blackish-green something appeared no longer than a finger. It was a minuscule strand of Tatyana's vast soul.
However...
BANG!
When Tatyana's soul strand appeared, the Patriarch's legs bent as if his bones had disappeared, and he slammed face-first onto the ground in a similar position as to how a subject would prostrate before a Sovereign.
The people around were stunned at the sudden events.
They couldn't sense anything because of the formation's isolating qualities, but the look of horror on the Patriarch's face was enough for them to imagine what kind of pressure he was bearing.
Tatyana asked Yasenia, her red eyes flashing with an inquiring and expectant light. "What will you do?"
Yasenia looked at the Patriarch coldly and sneered. "An eye for an eye."
Tatyana nodded, satisfied. "Good. Flora."
Flora appeared and kneeled before her. "At your command, Lady Tatyana."
"Give me the [Meridian Rotting Poison Pill]."
Flora gave the pill jar to her and then returned to her position.
Tatyana walked forward, her elegant black dress flowing around her ethereal being. "Listen here, you muddled-headed leaders."
A few scowled, but no one interrupted. "The quick raise of the Astral Sky Clan has made your alarms ring. However, there are three things you should know before you decide on doing something stupid."
Tatyana's steps were neither hurried nor slow, adding to her elegant bearing. "First, we are not a group that likes conquering or political power."
Tatyana's face was cold and indifferent, similar to her voice. "Second, even if you wanted to, stopping our rise to prominence is impossible."
Tatyana's voice was like a ruler stating a decree, inviolable and full of strength. "Third, the thing our power hates the most is disrespecting the Sect Master."
Her clicking high-heels were the only sound around besides her voice. Even at a low cultivation level, the innate aura of the Death Empress was vast and transcendental.
Tatyana arrived before the man kneeling on the ground and unable to stand up because of the strand of Tatyana's soul hovering above. "This is a warning to all of you."
She leaned down and lifted the chin of the man. They realized that his eyes were full of fear and desperation, as if he was about to fall into something worse than hell.
Without any mercy, Tatyana forcefully fed him the pill and released his chin, allowing the pressure to slam him again against the ground.
Tatyana looked around, and finally, her eyes landed on Zephyrith. The silver-furred wolf was looking at her with horror, her body shivering even if she didn't want to. Unlike others, her deep connection with Fate allowed this silver wolfkin to feel a sliver of Tatyana's true self. But even this minuscule part of Tatyana was enough to make the millennial wolf tremble in fear.
Without saying anything more, Tatyana returned to Yasenia's side, and the formation disappeared. Tatyana sighed in her mind. 'Sigh, it's a bit of a waste since I only have two of these... Well, I'll make more after the Secret Realm.'
While Tatyana's thoughts drifted, the fact that this fearsome woman returned to Yasenia's side and stood there formally made the rest feel as if Yasenia's true self had hidden behind a veil of mystery.
Even Coraline and Tengliu had their understanding turned upside down. The Patriarch who was suppressed so severely was not much weaker than them.
The Patriarch stood up and quickly flew away toward his camp. Then, they all saw the defensive formation activating, which made his actions look like he was running from the most horrifying predator.
Yasenia looked around one last time and smiled. "Nice to meet you."
Everyone's faces turned black, but nobody retorted.
After that event, nobody dared to mess with the Astral Sky Sect, and a few leaders came to make alliances and other deals.
The days were busy but calm. Then, after two weeks, Yasenia's group received an unexpected visit.