Chapter 226: Chapter 225: Emissary from the Netherworld Empire

’So Merak Palace, now the Merak Sect, was actually founded by the Profound Celestial Spirit King. At first, Merak Palace accepted both men and women, but it seems the Profound Celestial Spirit King left at some point. I bet some conflict broke out, and in the end, all the male disciples were expelled.’

Yi Tianyun guessed that the Profound Celestial Spirit King had abandoned the matriarch of Merak Palace. In a fit of rage, she then expelled all male Cultivators, creating the situation they have today.

’Whether that’s true or not, I’ll have to go back and investigate who the first Palace Master was. If it was the Profound Celestial Spirit King, then the merger will be incredibly easy. Celestial Extreme Mansion may not have many people, but its territory is excellent and perfectly suited for cultivation.’

Every sect chooses a prime location for its headquarters, so there was no need to worry that the environment here was inferior to any other sect.

"Since you’re willing to merge, then I’m willing to serve as the Mansion Master!" Yi Tianyun said with a smile, quite satisfied with this outcome.

"But if that’s truly the case, I wonder why the Profound Celestial Spirit King went all the way to the Earth Realm Continent to establish another power?" 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

They shook their heads. There was much they didn’t know; they were merely speculating.

After settling the matter, Yi Tianyun began to familiarize himself with the state of Celestial Extreme Mansion. As for when to announce his appointment as the new Mansion Master to the entire sect, that would have to wait. The announcement would be made at least when he, the Mansion Master, could walk around freely again.

After all, an announcement under these circumstances would easily cause unrest among the disciples. Therefore, the matter was postponed, as there was no particular rush.

As Yi Tianyun learned more, he found that Celestial Extreme Mansion was truly in a wretched state; it might as well be called the Celestial Extreme Sect. Not only was it lacking members at the elder level, but aside from the somewhat decent Celestial Pattern Pavilion, the other Sect Pavilions were in terrible shape. Their membership was pitifully small, and they had next to no resources.

In some respects, it was even worse off than the Merak Sect, which just went to show how dire the Celestial Extreme Mansion’s situation was.

"It seems Celestial Extreme Mansion is in a rather awkward position..." Yi Tianyun said as he closed the book, which detailed the sect’s situation in all aspects. When he looked up at the Great Elder, the man looked thoroughly embarrassed.

"That is indeed the case. We haven’t had any new disciples join in a long time, and those who do join end up leaving shortly after. If it weren’t for the excellent environment here, I doubt anyone would bother joining at all... Alas, it is our responsibility that the sect has fallen into such a state." The Great Elder sighed.

"I’ve been to the Celestial Pattern Pavilion before, and the situation there is quite serious. Some of the disciples are incredibly arrogant and sow discord," Yi Tianyun said in a low voice. "I don’t oppose competition, but this isn’t constructive competition. These rotten apples must be removed. I would rather lower our standards and recruit disciples with slightly less talent than accept those spoiled brats from prominent families!"

"We’ve considered that before... but we have to think about the tributes they provide." The Great Elder’s face was a mask of embarrassment. Everyone knew Celestial Extreme Mansion’s predicament. Cracking down on them would mean a drastic reduction in tributes, which would be tantamount to cutting off their food supply.

"But doing so is like drinking poison to quench your thirst. Sooner or later, it will destroy the entire sect. I refuse to believe that a sect this large can’t even be self-sufficient! I think the main reason is that your standards are too high, resulting in too few new disciples. And even when you do get new disciples, they’re driven away by that trash!" Yi Tianyun said grimly. "Great Elder, you need to be decisive. Cut them loose. Get rid of that faction and keep the decent ones."

’It wasn’t that he was against recruiting disciples from prominent families; on the contrary, he would be happy to. But the ones joining these days were each more arrogant and tyrannical than the last. Recruiting them was simply courting death.’

After a moment of silence, the Great Elder nodded. "You are the Mansion Master now. We will do as you say."

"Good. I’m not the best at management, but where I come from, I have plenty of people who are skilled in administration and selecting disciples. We can’t relocate them here for now, but we must at least stabilize the situation. In the future, I will move everyone over and make this our main headquarters," Yi Tianyun said.

The Great Elder nodded. "Very well. Once you’re back on your feet, Mansion Master, we’ll make the announcement and begin a complete overhaul of Celestial Extreme Mansion."

Yi Tianyun nodded. ’This is for the best.’ He had been afraid they would be unwilling to change. If they waited, it would be like trying to save a tree whose trunk had already been devoured by insects; by then, it would be too late. There was still hope if they acted now, but any later would be too late.

Just as they were about to discuss other matters, a disciple walked in from outside and announced respectfully, "Great Elder, an envoy from the Netherworld Empire is here to pay a visit!"

"An envoy from the Netherworld Empire?"

Yi Tianyun and the Great Elder exchanged a look. The timing was impeccable; this visitor certainly hadn’t come with good intentions.

"Let’s go out," the Great Elder said with a nod, then led the way.

Upon entering the main hall, they saw a middle-aged man leisurely sipping tea. He didn’t rise to greet them when they appeared, but instead said with a smile, "You’re here."

’What an arrogant attitude. He’s acting like he owns the place, not like a visitor at all.’ His cultivation wasn’t low, either—seventh level of the Core Formation Stage. That was quite high for a mere messenger.

He might be called an envoy, but he was really just a glorified messenger.

"Ah, it is the King’s Envoy. Forgive me for not welcoming you sooner." The Great Elder was perfectly polite. Although they had just been ambushed by the Shadow Guards, some things were better left unsaid. The Netherworld Empire was a behemoth. So what if it attacked them? Could they possibly resist?

Celestial Extreme Mansion once had a Profound Celestial Spirit King, but that was ages ago. The Netherworld Empire, on the other hand, currently had experts at the Void Spirit Stage—a level that earned one the title of Spirit King. And they didn’t just have one; they had several!

Any one of them could easily annihilate a third-grade faction. That was true power.

"Mm, I’ve come this time to invite you to the Imperial Banquet." As he spoke, Wang Zhi produced an invitation and passed it over, adding with a faint smile, "Be sure to attend. I would hate to see you absent."

He remained seated, not bothering to stand up as he spoke, and he acted as if the recent incident was of no consequence. ’They must already know that their Shadow Guard here is dead,’ Yi Tianyun deduced. ’Otherwise, they wouldn’t have come to deliver the invitation in person.’

"We will be there," the Great Elder said as he accepted the invitation. He kept a smile on his face, looking for all the world like a man who had just been slapped but had to smile through the pain.

"Mm. As long as you attend, that’s all that matters." Wang Zhi finally stood up and swaggered out, not bothering to give them another glance.

Without a doubt, this banquet was going to be a perilous affair.