Stone ruptured as they flew through the air, shattering as they collided with the opposite wall. The sound was deafening, reverberating throughout the compound like a small centralized quake shaking through its foundations.

  A cloud of dust lingered, obscuring the view of the unfortunate bystanders roused away from their studies by the cacophony of sounds. Wood splinters scattered everywhere, the last remnants of a well-used bookcase, a now-empty vault of knowledge.

  "What's happening?!" many cried in shock, peeking out of their chambers into the long hallway behind Elder Guo's study.

  “Are we under attack?”

  As the thunderous sound echoed, many panicked, rushing away from the noise while others stood rooted in place, unsure of what to do. Despite the many attacks on the fortress, never had any of the four sects' compounds been breached. Still, a slight minority rushed forward, weapons and artifacts in hand, but also many poisonous means, ready to spill their content on any would-be invaders, all too eager to witness the fruit of their research. Still, they abruptly stopped when they noticed where the sound originated from.

  “Lock down the branch!” the white-bearded elder ordered, letting his divine sense carry his voice in all directions as he stood before the massive stone door. “Capture all unauthorized personnel! Kill all those who resist!”

  Like a well-trained army, green-robed disciples flooded the halls, scattering in all directions. Their gazes were firm with resolve and a slight murderous intent laced with anticipation. They smiled slightly, clutching their many concoctions, anticipating the opportunity to use them.

  The white-haired elder remained in place, watching the door closely. While the formation remained, its strength was weak—much weaker than it should have been. The runes flickered with dying light, barely holding on under the strain. The barrier was unstable, creating irregular waves on its surface, which died as they crashed into each other and disappeared.

  As he stood guard, another individual with similar strength stood opposite him, facing the massive breach alongside two others. All three also wore green robes, yet their linings were different colours. Two were red, and another was silver.

  She was a woman of small stature, half of her face hidden behind a mask. Her long green hair fell to her shoulders, yet a single strand of grey split them in two on her right side. She didn't look that old, maybe in her early forties, yet her deep cultivation spoke of her seniority. Also, the looks of respect from the two individuals next to her were dead give-away.

  “Stay on your guard!” she said in a hoarse voice, almost grating. Yet, the two thought none of it, only looking at her more fervently. "Whoever is responsible may still be within. Do not let them through under any circumstances."

  Her gaze was fixed on the lingering dust cloud, awaiting its descent. Despite her strength, she remained still, using her divine sense to scan within. Yet, she couldn't help but frown as she realized the chamber was empty. There were no traces of Elder Guo or the supposed invaders.

  For a split second, she began to second-guess herself. Had the invader managed to leave before she could arrive? The thought alone was preposterous. Who in this city could avoid both her and her fellow elder's pursuit, leaving no traces behind?

  An uncontrollable shiver ran down her spine, shaking her body slightly as her eyes opened wide. Fortunately, she managed to conceal it from her two aides. They remained none the wiser, executing her orders to perfection. Their hands remained stuck to their weapon, ready to unleash their full might at a moment's notice, while she began to panic slightly. She had no choice but to seek counsel.

  “Any clues on your end?" she said, projecting her voice to the other side of the chamber with her divine sense, allowing only the white-bearded elder to hear her. There was a slight quiver in her voice, almost as if she wished for the man to quell her doubts.

  “Nothing to report,” he replied in the same way. “It’s eerily quiet—too quiet.”

  “You don’t think...” she began, only to be interrupted almost immediately.

  "She may be brash, but even she wouldn't," he replied, confident in his answer. "Not now. Not after what happened. She wouldn't be foolish enough to antagonize us in this way. Not while her sect has suffered the most. Besides, this is not her style."

  "You're... right," she agreed, reflecting on all she knew about this individual.

  His words made sense, but she had a feeling she could not shake. If not her, who else possessed the strength to infiltrate this far into their stronghold while avoiding all detection? Not even the mysterious elder of the Purple Blossom Sect could claim such, not even with their strange means. Only that woman had the means to conceal herself from their divine senses using her domain.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  According to the Cult's guidelines, a Nascent Soul elder always remained within the research wing, using his divine sense to continuously scan for intruders or spies. This was Elder Guo's turn. How could they have slipped past his guard? Unless...

  Her eyes narrowed as she reached the worst conclusion. Despite her constant search, she saw no signs of the man himself, except for a small puddle of greenish-black blood and the several traces of poison use remaining within the room.

  While she didn't know the specific, she was acutely aware of which poison produced such a result. There was no doubt in her mind that this was Elder Guo's prized poison, which only those of the main branch could safely use.

  There were only two reasons for its presence here. Either Elder Guo used it in self-defence, or someone from the main branch had come here without their knowledge. It could only be one of the two.

  “Preposterous..." she muttered, the very thought vanishing.

  Elder Guo must have been fighting with someone, but who? Who would be daring enough to even reach him in his very chamber? Not to say forcing him to use this poison despite his condition. It must have been a fierce opponent, yet nothing remains. Neither from Elder Guo nor this mysterious opponent. How could this be? It’s almost as if he could survive this poison...

  The thought alone brought another shiver to her spine. While she wasn't privy to the details, she was intimately familiar with what poisons could do—her mask was proof of it. Furthermore, she had seen firsthand how it slowly killed Elder Guo, eating him from the inside. She couldn't conceive of anyone surviving such corrosion.

  “Do you have anything to report?” the white-bearded elder’s voice echoed in her mind, giving her slight comfort.

  At least she wasn't the only one dealing with this mess. She shared her doubts, only for the man to grow silent, slowly absorbing the news, his expression growing ever more sombre.

  Just as she inspected the chamber's interior, the man had done the same and reached the same verdict. The lack of any traces was unnerving. The barrier over the door still remained, eliminating this as a possible exit point. Undoubtedly, the intruder could have only left through the hole on the other side. Yet, the search using his divine sense had yielded nothing thus far. He could only wait for their disciples' sweep to conclude. Still, their news wasn't any better.

  "Elder!" a man said as he respectfully bowed to the white-bearded man. "No suspicious individuals were reported. Also, there were no traces of forced extraction or intrusion. As of now, we have no idea how this could even happen. Still, our search will continue unless you have further orders."

  A slight trace of sweat appeared on the man's forehead, even as he refused to rise. He could feel the temperature drop as waves of power crashed onto him, almost making him lose his balance. Yet, he remained utterly still, awaiting the storm to pass.

  The white elder's gaze was glacial; only a slight trace of fury slumbered within, prompting most of the surrounding disciples to take a few steps back. The curious onlookers, peeking from the confines of their own studies on each side of the hall, quickly returned to their own matters, too afraid to bear the brunt of it or even be witnesses. Only the bowing man remained, stoic under the pressure.

  After a long moment, the elder finally sighed, dismissing the man with his hand. Yet his gaze remained on the stone door and the quickly failing formation.

  “As you wish,” the man said as he rose, relief clear on his face. “We will begin a second sweep. We will not rest until whoever is responsible for this is found.”

  He began walking away, his pace almost a run. Yet, he could only take a few steps before a thunderous noise echoed, nearly as if a meteor had struck right next to them, shaking the compound again, the impact even stronger.

  The man turned, only to see the two magnificent stone doors shatter into a cloud of dust; not even their hinges remained, as they had been torn apart by the blow. As the noise died down, none uttered a sound, too shocked to respond. Only the white elder's footsteps broke the silence as he walked toward the now-opened gateway, his steps heavy with purpose.

  Within the chamber, his eyes darted all around, taking in the emptiness. The corrosive substance had ravaged the ground and walls, leaving them full of tiny indentations. Most of the furniture was gone, evaporated into smoke, leaving only the piece that supported a few half-eaten runes, barely pulsing with leftover power but on the verge of fizzling out.

  A large hole was on the back wall, and with a single sweep of the old elder’s sleeve, the lingering dust was pushed aside, revealing the masked elder standing on the other side, a concerned look in her eyes.

  Both entered the room, scanning all they could with their divine senses, yet there was nothing to find. All traces of the invader had been corroded to be nearly unrecognizable. The only clue as to his identity was a small puddle of putrid blood lingering on the floor. Yet, this could barely even be called blood.

  Even if they wished to use this to identify this intruder, they couldn’t. All information contained within had already been corrupted beyond belief. They didn’t even have to test it to know. They had already seen something similar, from Elder Guo, no less.

  “How could they have disappeared?” the female elder asked, slightly perturbed.

  Only a few seconds elapsed from the impact to her arrival. Besides, as did her counterpart, she had used her divine sense to scan her surroundings almost immediately. The compound was crawling with their disciples and various security measures. To think someone could escape from their grasp was inconceivable.

  “Have all our disciples within the city return at once!” the old elder barked, his voice threatening to shatter the very ceiling above their heads. “If any one of them are missing...”

  He didn't even have to finish his sentence, as all who heard him could imagine the rest. They gulped silently, wishing not to be the target of his ire, yet they soon scattered relaying his orders to all. Soon, only the two elders remained, but even they soon left, as there were no more clues to find. They each chose a sector of the compound to comb through, if only to validate the report they received for themselves.

  In a dark corner of the room, shielded from the light, Qin Yun remained entirely still. His heart had stopped, and his breath had died, as if a corpse, yet his eyes were wide open as he watched the two elders leave.

  Even as they faded away, he made no movements and merely waited. The device on his wrist pulsed at full power, creating an invisible barrier that resisted the divine senses constantly striking against it. It was hot to the touch, almost searing against his skin, yet Qin Yun uttered no sound.

  His skin was cold from the lack of blood flow, yet his mind was even colder, watching as they left. Elder Guo's unconscious body had disappeared, leaving only Qin Yun in the darkness, as if mice watching the cats miss every trace of his existence. Once he was finally alone, a small smile crept on his lips.