Chapter 115: Albigensians Sect’s Choice

Within Albigensians Sect, the solemn tolling of the great sect bell shattered the silence, heralding an imminent crisis.

As the echoes rippled across the mountains, a radiant, majestic glow erupted into the sky, casting a dazzling brilliance over the heavens.

“The Light Grand Formation!?”

Countless disciples of Albigensians Sect lifted their heads, their expressions filled with shock and disbelief.

This was Albigensians Sect’s greatest defensive array, an ancient formation left behind by the sect’s founding patriarch—one with the power to suppress even a Level 4 cultivator.

Any enemy trapped within its boundaries, even those at the mid-Level 4 stage, would find escape nearly impossible.

For the grand formation to be fully activated…

There was no doubt—the presence aboard the celestial warship was powerful enough to threaten the very survival of Albigensians Sect.

“Interesting…”

A deep, indifferent voice resonated from the warship above.

“A near-Level 5 killing formation? A shame… it is incomplete. Lacking even a single Level 4 cultivator to command it…”

“If there were even one Level 4 expert anchoring the array, I might have spared a thought before acting.”

A robed figure slowly stepped out from the grand palace atop the warship.

His long crimson robes rippled with a chilling aura, his true appearance obscured in shadow.

This was none other than the Blood-Robed Cultivator—Elder Withered Wood of the Velmorian Sect.

A high-ranking elder, feared throughout Aragon State.

Standing at the bow, he unleashed an overwhelming pressure—the raw might of a late-Level 4 cultivator.

Behind him, seven Velmorian Sect elders at the Level 3 realm, along with nearly a hundred Level 2 cultivators, silently formed a deadly battle formation.

In a mere instant—the weight of their combined power crushed the aura of the Radiant Light Grand Formation.

“Kneel before Elder Withered Wood of the Velmorian Sect!”

A handsome, purple-clad demonic cultivator, his aura at the Level 3 realm, called out across Albigensians Sect, his voice reverberating like rolling thunder.

There was no attempt to conceal their identities.

They hadn’t come to negotiate.

They had come to make Albigensians Sect submit—or to wipe them out entirely.

Hearing the name ‘Withered Wood’, the hearts of Albigensians Sect’s disciples and elders turned cold.

The reputation of Elder Withered Wood was well-known across Aragon State.

A century ago, one of his concubines had been killed by a mid-Level 4 cultivator.

In retaliation, Withered Wood had stormed into Aragon State alone—slaughtering tens of thousands across multiple cities, nearly sparking a full-scale war between Aragon State and the neighboring Velmora State.

In the end, it had taken the direct intervention of the Eight Kings to bring the massacre to an end.

But Elder Withered Wood had never truly cared about the death of his concubine.

He had merely used it as an excuse—an opportunity to assert his dominance and reap rewards.

And now…

Facing such a notorious demonic cultivator, Albigensians Sect’s chances of survival were grim.

If they could not repel him, their entire lineage might be erased from existence.

After all, Elder Withered Wood had exterminated entire sects before.

Whoosh!

From the depths of Albigensians Sect’s forbidden ground, four figures shot into the sky, streaking through the air as blazing arcs of spiritual light.

Four Level 3 realm cultivators—Albigensians Sect’s Grand Elders and its strongest warriors.

Leading them was Grandmaster Severus, a powerful cultivator on the verge of Level 4.

A faint trace of Level 4 energy flickered around him, indicating that he stood just one step away from breaking through.

If their enemy had been a mere early or mid-Level 4 expert, they might have stood a chance—especially with the sect’s defensive array backing them.

But Elder Withered Wood was late-Level 4.

And he had brought seven Level 3 experts and an army of Level 2 cultivators.

This level of strength—Albigensians Sect could not withstand it.

Currently, within the entire sect, there were barely twenty or thirty Level 2 cultivators left.

Most of Albigensians Sect’s capable fighters had already been sent to the frontlines, as King Pyrelis prepared to wage war against King Marrius.

At this moment, Albigensians Sect was at its weakest.

“Greetings, honored elder.”

Despite knowing the odds were against them, Grandmaster Severus remained composed, his voice steady.

Grandmaster Severus understood all too well—if they fought head-on, they might be able to slay a few of the Velmorian Sect’s Level 3 realm cultivators, along with some Level 2 disciples.

At best, with the Radiant Light Grand Formation, they could inflict some injuries upon Elder Withered Wood.

But as for themselves?

Certain death.

The disparity in power between early, mid, and late-Level 4 cultivators was immense.

And Elder Withered Wood was no ordinary late-Level 4 expert.

He had spent centuries tempering his cultivation, standing on the very threshold of Level 4 Perfection.

At any moment, he could attempt a breakthrough to the Level 5 realm.

Even if he failed to reach that level, achieving Level 4 Perfection alone would make him a dominant force within the demonic factions of Mist Province.

This was an existence they could not resist.

Seeing Grandmaster Severus’s hesitance, Elder Withered Wood slowly turned his gaze upon him.

In that instant, a vast and oppressive spiritual will descended like a tidal wave, crushing down upon Grandmaster Severus’s very soul.

“I shall grant you a choice…”

“Swallow this Gu parasite and pledge eternal allegiance to my Velmorian Sect.”

“Or, of course… you may refuse.”

His voice was eerily calm, but the weight of his spiritual presence was suffocating.

Even with his cultivation nearing Level 4, Grandmaster Severus felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

Before Elder Withered Wood, he was nothing but a lamb before a tiger.

If not for the Radiant Light Grand Formation and the protective legacies within Albigensians Sect, one strike from Withered Wood would have already ended his life.

To submit to the demonic path was an unthinkable betrayal.

It would mean standing in direct opposition to the allied righteous sects of Aragon State.

Should he take this step, there would be no turning back.

Yet, if he refused—

Albigensians Sect would be wiped out, and his own life would be forfeit.

Behind Grandmaster Severus, the three remaining Level 3 elders of Albigensians Sect stood in turmoil.

Their hearts wavered.

They had cultivated for centuries, finally stepping into the ranks of high-level cultivators.

As Level 3 realm experts, they possessed lifespans of nearly a thousand years.

With the right opportunities, each of them had a chance—however slim—of reaching the Level 4 stage.

They did not want to die here.

Swallowing Elder Withered Wood’s parasitic Gu pill would mean a lifetime of servitude.

But…

Perhaps one day, they could regain their freedom.

“Senior, I am willing to submit!”

The silence shattered.

A Level 3 elder of Albigensians Sect, one who had only recently advanced to the realm, stepped forward and bowed deeply.

“From this day forward, I shall follow you without question, ready to sacrifice my life at your command!”

His words rang through the sect.

Since they had no chance of winning, why hesitate?

By surrendering first, he might even secure greater rewards from the Velmorian Sect.

“I… will also submit.”

A second voice followed.

Then—

“However, I beseech you, Senior… allow Albigensians Sect to establish a foothold within Velmora State.”

It was Grandmaster Severus himself who spoke.

His voice was heavy with resignation, but he had made his choice.

Even if they had to abandon Aragon State, if they could relocate their sect, at least he could retain his title—his authority over disciples and offerings.

Even in exile, he could still live as a revered master.