Temptation

While the trio had hidden in the cave to cultivate a month passed. It was a steady improvement for all, but their apparent absence in the Ling clan did not go unnoticed. Lingshi was among the most talented clan disciples of the older generation. While Lingyun and Linghua might have gone unnoticed by the disciples, the clan Matriarch as well as the senior elders were well aware of their significance.

Their plan had been to closely monitor their cultivation and be on standby to provide any resources needed but the three had disappeared barely before the allocation of resources had been finished and no one could find a trace of where they had gone.

The general assumption was that Elder Sun had taken them since his presence was there during the clan gathering and the elders let it go, but judging by how close the two were with Lingshi did that mean that Elder Sun had taken her too? That seemed unlikely to Matriach Ling so that made her ask where she had disappeared to.

Many elders' focus was instructing the juniors as they cultivated. There was also the manning of battle arrays and supervision of duelling matches since cultivation went hand in hand with actual battle experience.

In fact, some of the elders had the new duty of monitoring the ranking system that had sprung up as more and more disciples wanted to test their newfound power. It had begun when one relatively unknown disciple had seen a significant rise in his power and had defeated some older disciples. A few days later those who had been defeated asked for a rematch and the trend continued. With so many challenges and rematches going on the elders began a system that could keep track and the Ling Clan Challenge Mortal and Core Ranking was created.

At the top of the list was Yuze as might have been expected with Qifan and the gang following. There were a few stronger than Qifan of the same age as Yuze but were unlisted since they had yet to take part in the challenges.

From the Ranking the senior elders could clearly see that the decision to call back members of the clan was the correct decision. In just a month many unpolished gems had emerged and the cultivation of the know geniuses had either dipped or increased impressively. This was understandable since the new manuals called for some odd cultivation techniques but the truth was clear for all to see.

It was less impressive than what the elders had expected. This much growth was what the other powers in the region could expect but the Ling Clan was aiming for much higher. The Elders understood that this was also a test of worthiness by the Golden Tree Alliance. There were elders on standby to provide any materials needed and expend the clan's wealth to do so. This was an investment that would pay off in the future.

But that future seemed not so far off as many had thought. Word had come to the clan that people had ventured upon the Unseen Ocean and discovered an ancient holy land at the foot of a mountain that was encased in fire. As yet reports said that people were unable to venture forth since the fire in the mountain was not normal and could kill even a Great Earth Tree Realm Cultivator.

Matriarch Ling and the other elders were sitting in the elder's hall listening to reports from the Unseen Ocean. There had been a great debate about how the fact that the clan had not sent an envoy might make them look weak but elders and disciples were all needed in the clan at the moment.

Suddenly the air in the hall became heavier and the shadows grew longer. One of the shadows congealed into the shape of a young man with skin as dark as night. He was among the clan's hidden knives. They served as messengers and assassins when needed. They had been dispatched to the shores of the Unseen Ocean when word had first come to the clan.

"I greet the matriarch," a feminine voice said as he bowed to the matriarch and then the other elders. "I bring word."

"Proceed." the matriarch gestured.

"A few days ago, an expert appeared on the shore." he began, "He walked on the very air itself as if it was earth without using an artefact or treasure that I could see."

"How strong was he?" Lingfeng asked

"Incredible, I have never seen or met anyone like him before. "he began to recount.

The people at the shore were in their own camps minding their own business. Tensions were high in the air as the night before the Azure Cloud Sword Sect had attacked the Red Cloud Sword Sect. The two clans shared origins and had split apart from the same great sect before and their rivalry was a well-known thing.

Small skirmishes continued all night from different factions. Some took sides with either since they were allies while others just took the opportunity to attack some of their rivals.

Through all this, no one had noticed the solitary figure of an old man dressed in all-white robes floating above them in the air. While they fought a voice resounded throughout the area

"I command you all, kneel before your betters," All martial artists from the weakest to the strongest found themselves on their knees, unbidden as a strong domineering aura full of blood lust, rage and impatience overcame them. This was no party trick since some of the martial artists died on the spot as if their life had been drained from them.

"Spread the word, the treasure of the Sacred Flame belongs to whoever can claim it."

With this, he turned into a line of light that disappeared in the direction of the Unseen Ocean leaving all the people kneeling bewildered and feeling completely powerless.

Silence overcame the elder's hall as the dark-skinned knife finished his tale. This was clearly more than they had expected to hear. To any sane person, this sounded like a trap. The Unseen Ocean had gained its name because all who ventured there were never seen or heard from again.

And now a previously unknown holy land had appeared in the middle of the ocean with a raging volcano and supposedly a treasure was contained therein. The identity and strength of the expert were tempting enough since it could be interpreted as an old ancestor looking to pass on his legacy but on the other hand, he could be luring unwitting volunteers with dark intentions.

No doubt this thought was going through all the elder's minds and they knew that even if it seemed like a trap they would still have to dispatch some people to explore this holy land. They couldn't allow such power to fall in the hands of their rivals