Chapter 713: Returning to the sect.

Chapter 713: Returning to the sect.

Once Yasenia returned to her sect, she was welcomed by the top figures, which consisted of the Sky and Astral elders. While there were supreme elders, all of them were from the maid groups.

Naturally, the news of what she did at the exit of the secret realm had already spread and reached the ears of these people, which explained their anxious expressions as they looked at her.

Other than them, Tengliu, Coraline, Wuria, and Gireila were also with them, accompanied by their respective entourages of top-level powerhouses.

Yasenia knew what they were worrying about but acted calm and ignorant of the situation. The maids and the rest of the people flew out of the warship, and Yasenia stored it back in her spatial ring.

"It is a pleasure to be welcomed by the elders and the Matriarchs."

During the last five and a half years, the number of experts entering her sect had been significant, so many top-rank experts were not related to any of the four primary races supporting her, meaning Lamia, Ember Phoenix, Harpy, and Lobster.

One Astral Elder, a dragon-kin that Yasenia's charisma had attracted into the sect, asked with a stern tone. "Sect Master, I understand that we need to appear strong. However, isn't it too much to go against the top powers of the Continent? What will you do if they band together and siege the sect?"

Yasenia was about to rush to meet Kaleina, but his words stopped her, annoying her. She took a deep breath and relaxed her expression, looking at him. "Are you saying that I should give up our treasures?"

The man nodded without a shred of doubt. "Different situations call for different solutions. Why would you prioritize treasures over the security of the entire sect? Even if you have the treasures, without a sect, they are meaningless."

Yasenia landed at the sect's entrance, her beautiful dress flowing behind her like clouds.

Looking around the nearly 190 Epoch Core people, she asked. "Who else thinks similarly to this elder?"

About eighteen people took a step forward and began speaking.

A middle-aged woman with wings spoke softly. "Sect Master, you are young, so you might not know. However, the number of powerhouses you saw today in the Secret Realm's entrance is just a small part of what each of those powers has."

Yasenia's age has already spread around, and people knew that she was younger than a century. The reason this information was known was to attract people with her potential and also not to be mistaken by a talentless cultivator.

After all, in their eyes, a cultivator with less than a century reaching the initial realms of the Epoch Core realm was nothing but a genius that appeared only once every millennium. However, if she were old and only at the initial levels of the Epoch Core realm, it would affect her reputation. Remember that this information would've been uncovered just by being able to enter the Secret Realm.

However, while there were many benefits, the backlash of revealing this information is that many of the previously respectful elders looked at her as a more immature and rasher person, even when her decision-making had not only been maintained but also improved as her understanding of the Distancia Continent increased.

Yasenia looked at the eighteen people who stepped forward, speaking like seniors toward a junior while listing who knows how many reasons to tell her that her actions were "rash" and "thoughtless" and sneered inwardly.

"I understand your fears, but the Wolf Patriarch was already targeting us. I wanted to provoke him to action so that he could be killed during the conflict, leaving other powers with no reason to refute or criticize my actions. However, his patience was commendable, and he managed to swallow the insults. This doesn't mean anything, though, as we will eventually start a War with them."

One of the older beast humans who stepped forward sighed. "Aish, this is why youngsters are not prepared to lead strong powers."

Yasenia looked at them for a few seconds and smiled. "I see. I was too lenient during these last years, and now I'm seen as a soft and easy-to-bully person. While I'm glad that you are not fearful of putting your suggestions forward, you are dismissing all my actions based on my age."

Her words sounded soft, but the power behind them made a few people flinch.

With a laugh, she continued. "Since when was age important in the cultivation world? Age is but a number to measure a cultivator's talent. A 1,000-year-old in the Spiritual King realm will always lose to a 100-year-old in the Epoch Core realm. Likewise, an expert alchemist that can create Heaven-ranked pills will always be more valuable than an old cultivator that can only create Earth-ranked treasures."

After seeing their expressions stiffen, the dragoness looked at those eighteen people and ordered. "From now on, you will be demoted to inner-sect elders for ten years. If notice of you using your power to bully others because of your status reaches my ears, you will be directly expelled in the best-case scenario. I don't mind having discussions; however, be respectful toward the Sect Master who has created and set up every resource you currently use."

Then, she turned toward the rest of the people gathered and spoke. "From now on, limit Astral Sky Sect's activity to 4,000 kilometers around us. We are going to be targeted by the Continental Shadow, and if any person goes further than that, they might disappear without any notice. Also, there will be rules and items provided by the sect to allow people to see if assassins are lurking nearby and to block charm-related skills. Nine Silent Fang and Nine Peach Blossom sects are dangerous for normal people."

The dragoness commented. "For every one person from our sect they bother, we'll return it hundredfold. If they are shameless enough to send seniors to attack juniors, destroy a few of their secondary branches as a warning, leaving no one alive. We'll be reactive, but the reaction must be explosive and ruthless."

The dragoness turned toward Doriel and commanded. "Set up an information network and quick response team to provide safety to our disciples. Also, use strength to measure how far a person can go from the sect. They will have to create a formal petition for exploration beyond the ranks, and anybody violating any of the rules set up will be expelled from the sect."

Then, she turned toward Alaia and commented. "Strengthen the defensive formation in Astral Sky City; if they want to deal with us, they will have to cut off our human and item resources from the root. Astral Sky City is where 40% of our sect members come from, so targeting it is more than normal. Finally, create more strict requirements toward people that gain certain authority in the sect and increase punishment for disrupting peace and affecting the sect's morale or safety."

Even these women who would instill fear and respect in millions by mentioning their names were careful around the three-tailed fox girl.

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Angel: Why are people so afraid of parasites? Whenever I go to Kali's room, they are pretty cute, squirming around like silly things, and very colorful! Even when I poke them, they only make silly high-pitched sounds. They are very amusing.

The girls: ...

Yasenia: Cough, honey, is there no danger?

Kali: Don't worry, love. How could I allow little Angel to play with the dangerous ones? The ones I show Angel are the prettiest and least harmful ones.

Yasenia: Oh, I see. Then, there is no problem.

Evelyn: There are quite a lot of them!

Yasenia: Why? I trust Kali.

Evelyn: I- You- But... Sigh, you are right. Sorry, Kali, those things are just too dangerous, and I can't help but fear them.

Kali: Hahaha, don't worry, Evelyn. I'm aware that Angel's and Yasenia's reactions are unusual. Moreover, you are never afraid of nestling between my tails, and that's more than enough to show that you also trust me. After all, if you were afraid of parasites I control, you would never relax enough to fall asleep between my tails.

Evelyn: *Blushes* Cough. They are just so fluffy and comfortable that I forget about everything.

Cecile: Agreed.

Evelyn: Oh? Even you rest on them?

Cecile: After sparring with Kali.

Evelyn: ... I see. You two are pretty good friends.

Kali: We knew each other before knowing Yasenia, so yes. Thanks to her usual indifference, Cecile was one of the few people I could speak with back then.

Cecile: Hm. Your pills were affordable and very effective. A good deal.

Kali: Hahaha.

Author: Well, let's move on. I summon you!

Volfkami: Hello!

Andrea: Welcome.

Volfkami: Yasenia, when you get strong and skilled enough, do you plan on making trial spaces for the powers, sects, and clans that follow you to train them? Like "secret realms" made by you within your territory and for your people in order to keep a certain standard.

Yasenia: Yes. It's a standard thing to create in a clan or sect. However, an entry test and the systems in place are enough for now. For example, if you remember, we went on an excursion back in the Rita Academy toward the Cloud Layers. That's one sort of test that large powers usually have to filter people.

Volfkami: Right! Thanks for answering; I'll eagerly await what you come up with.

Yasenia: I'm still thinking about it, so I'm similarly looking forward to that day.

Author: And that's all for today. Bye-bye, dears.