Chapter 499 - 498- An Important change

During the past few weeks, there had been many changes taking place within the sect.

The most important and currently the most rampant change was the arrival of the strongest genius from the Sect Alliance, a young man who hailed from the Broken Abyss Sect.

Sen Shin.

At a young age, Sen Shin had already managed to open one hundred and fifty Spirit Perforations. Even more astonishingly, despite being at the Peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm, he could manifest an overwhelming pressure equivalent to that of a cultivator possessing five balls of Spirit Fire without even revealing his full strength.

That alone would have been enough to make him a terrifying existence among his peers.

But that was not all.

The most peculiar thing about Sen Shin was the color of his Spirit Fires.

Unlike the fiery red flames normally produced by cultivators, his Spirit Fires burned with a deep, pitch-black color. They possessed an eerie quality that made them seem less like ordinary flames and more like the fires of the underworld itself.

Whenever they appeared, the surrounding spiritual energy would seem to distort slightly, as though even the air itself instinctively feared approaching them.

Not only that, but Sen Shin had also mastered an Ancient Emperor-level cultivation art that had been discovered and carefully hidden away by the Broken Abyss Sect.

The Demonic Raven Refines the Abyss.

It was an extremely overwhelming and overbearing cultivation art. The fiendish demonic bird it created possessed an almost terrifying vitality, resembling a life-devouring demon that could refine and devour everything it encountered.

The very same aura and presence had been detected by Grey when he encountered Sen Shin some time ago.

At the moment Sen Shin made his presence known within the sect, he was immediately challenged by several Core Disciples.

Among them were geniuses from the First Sequence, Second Sequence, Fourth Sequence, and several other groups. Their cultivation levels were all extremely impressive, with most of them already standing at the Peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm and showing faint signs that they were about to condense a Spirit Core.

They were naturally confident in their own strength.

After all, within the sect, their cultivation levels could only be described as outstanding.

However, confidence was one thing, while actual strength was another.

The disciples challenging Sen Shin believed that they could defeat him because, on the surface, he was only at the level of four balls of Spirit Fire.

They had overlooked the most important factors.

Sen Shin possessed one hundred and fifty Spirit Perforations.

His Spirit Fires were not ordinary.

And, most importantly, he possessed an Ancient Emperor-level cultivation art.

Such advantages were almost impossible to ignore.

One after another, the Core Disciples challenged him.

They fought him individually at first, but even when four or five elite disciples joined forces to besiege him, the outcome remained unchanged.

Sen Shin defeated every single one of them.

And he did so within the span of only a few breaths.

The battles were so short that many people barely had time to react before they had already ended.

The aftermath was even more shocking.

Several of the Core Disciples who had fought Sen Shin were left in an extremely weakened condition. Some had suffered injuries so severe that they were practically standing on death’s door.

The news quickly spread throughout the city.

Before long, almost everyone with even the slightest connection to the cultivation world had heard about the mysterious genius from the Broken Abyss Sect who had effortlessly crushed several elite disciples of the Sky Mist Sect.

However, while the public was busy discussing Sen Shin’s strength, Violet was quietly studying another report.

After storing the Divinity-Encased Intestine in a secure location, Violet brought out a Jade Slip containing reports compiled by the lower-ranking members of the Detective Agency Department.

She read through the information silently.

Several minutes passed.

Only after reaching the end of the report did she finally put the Jade Slip away.

A long sigh escaped her lips.

There was nothing particularly substantial about this disciple who had chosen to remain low-key within the sect until now.

Violet, along with several other intelligent elders and influential figures within the sect, had already known about Sen Shin’s existence before he made his appearance.

They simply had not expected his strength to be this overwhelming.

According to the reports, every single one of his battles had ended within twenty breaths.

He had not even activated his full Special Brilliance Form.

Instead, depending on the strength of his opponent, he would only manifest one or two Spirit Fires.

Yet even with such a restrained display of power, there was no one among those disciples capable of fighting him fairly.

"In all regards, any battle against him will lead to failure."

Violet’s brows furrowed slightly as she recalled the information.

"Even if he’s only at the Peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm, his black flames and Emperor-level cultivation art give him a massive advantage over anyone at the same level."

She paused.

"The only people who could stand against him or match him in strength are those who also possess Emperor-level cultivation arts."

A faint trace of helplessness appeared in her eyes.

"However, people like that are extremely difficult to find even in Lese County." She shook her head.

"Not to mention Kamui County."

The words left her lips slowly.

"For Sky Mist’s plan to work, we need to defeat a large number of their disciples. Moreover, after Sen Shin appeared, the morale of the other Heaven’s Chosen has already risen once more."

Violet’s expression became somewhat solemn.

"His presence has ignited a burning fire within the hearts of his fellow disciples and allies."

As she said this, Violet couldn’t help but recall some of the information she had read concerning Sen Shin’s history in Lese County.

It was said that the moment Sen Shin stepped into the Broken Abyss Sect, an extraordinary phenomenon occurred.

The gate of the Abyss Palace suddenly opened.

Immediately afterward, seven streams of multicolored light shot into the sky, illuminating the entire region and dyeing the heavens in seven different colors.

The phenomenon lasted for a considerable period of time.

And its meaning was something that the Broken Abyss Sect took extremely seriously.

Several millennia ago, before God descended upon the world and drowned it in terror, the Broken Abyss Sect had used this very phenomenon as a sign.

Whenever the multicolored light appeared after the opening of the Abyss Palace, it meant that someone with overwhelming potential had entered the sect.

Someone who possessed the potential to become an Emperor. Such a person would be given the title of Heavenly Star, or Heaven’s Blessed.

It was a title completely different from that of a Heaven’s Chosen. The status attached to it was far greater.

A Heaven’s Chosen might possess exceptional talent and be considered a future pillar of a sect.

But a Heavenly Star was someone the sect believed could potentially reach the pinnacle of the cultivation world.

After confirming that Sen Shin was truly the person responsible for the suspicious phenomenon, the Broken Abyss Sect immediately bestowed upon him the title of Blessed Star.

He was also granted a prominent position within the sect. Most astonishingly, he became the only personal disciple of the Sect Master.

Violet’s fingers tapped lightly against the armrest. Yet there was more.

A few years ago, the Broken Abyss Sect had discovered an ancient Emperor-level cultivation art that was believed to have been lost to the passage of time.

The cultivation art was extremely bizarre. Despite being an Emperor-level inheritance, no one within the Broken Abyss Sect had been able to successfully comprehend it.

Then Sen Shin was given an opportunity to try.

And he succeeded. Not only had he comprehended the ancient cultivation art, but he had also successfully obtained the inheritance of the Demonic Raven Refines the Abyss.

That single event caused Sen Shin’s fame and status within the Broken Abyss Sect to rise even further. The resources allocated to him increased dramatically.

With the support of the sect, his cultivation progressed at an astonishing speed. He easily broke through the Foundation Establishment Realm and soon began manifesting his Spirit Fires.

That was the information Violet had managed to gather. However, she could not determine how much of the story was true and how much had been exaggerated.

Stories surrounding geniuses were always prone to embellishment. But Violet had decided to take every word seriously.

After all, for a super sect such as the Broken Abyss Sect to bestow the title of Heavenly Star or Blessed Star upon someone, there had to be a reason. They would not casually grant such a title.

"If he hadn’t come this time..." Violet sighed.

"My plan of sneaking into their Magic Vessel and quietly reaching Lese County would have been much more plausible."

She threw away the unfinished apple in her hand with slight irritation. The apple landed several meters away. For a few seconds, she stared at it.

Then, as though she had suddenly remembered something, Violet reached into her storage bag and pulled out another apple.

She took a bite. Her expression remained calm. Sen Shin’s appearance had made her original plan significantly more difficult.

Perhaps even impossible. But Violet had never been someone who placed all her hopes on a single plan.

This was precisely why she had already prepared several contingency plans in case the first one capsized.

If they couldn’t sneak onto the Magic Vessel and silently travel toward Lese County, then they could only choose the more troublesome option.

They would have to barge in and make their presence known to all.

Violet’s eyes narrowed slightly.

That was why, several days ago, she had released the video of Grey using his Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird to fight against Kaein a few weeks earlier.

The video had caused quite a commotion.

Top analysts and knowledgeable cultivators immediately recognized the nature of the technique.

The Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird was an Emperor-level cultivation art.

And for several days after Grey’s departure, the entire sect had been thrown into chaos.

Whispers could be heard everywhere. Discussions broke out among disciples. Elders began exchanging information.

Some were shocked. Others were suspicious.

And a few were already trying to determine where Grey had obtained such an inheritance.

The reason was simple.

The appearance of the Soul Devouring Everlasting Bird meant that Sky Mist Sect possessed another person capable of wielding an Emperor-level cultivation art.

Previously, Sen Shin had been the most terrifying existence among the younger generation because of the Ancient Emperor-level cultivation art in his possession.

Now, there was another. Two cultivators. Two Emperor-level cultivation arts. And both were currently connected to the Sky Mist Sect.

Violet slowly bit into the apple again. Her eyes became increasingly profound.

"There are two cultivators with Emperor-level cultivation arts in Sky Mist Sect." She paused for a second.

"And that changes everything."