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(Hidden Mountain Range- Thirteenth Peak)

(Valley of Death)

Not much had changed since Xu Lu had been officially chosen as the successor to the Crimson Demon sect.

Yes, there were a few annoying flies that tried to curry favour with her, but Xu Lu was not a trusting and naïve person.

She had experienced far too many betrayals and could easily see the motives of the disciples that approached her with smiles on their faces.

Power… authority… a feeling of superiority.

But of the three the most common motivation was power. 

The disciples who came up to her wanted to leech off her status in the sect. They wanted to be in control and on the side of the strong.

But she did not let them.

Xu Lu had driven all of them away and spent most of her time isolated in an area of the sect called the valley of death.

This place was a massive ravine in the center of the mountain range that was completely barren and lifeless.

There were no plants, no animals… not even insects could be found in the soil. 

The valley had a strong odour of brimstone and sulphur as if a portal to hell lay somewhere beneath the dirt.

Standing here one would feel an immense pressure weigh down on their bodies as if the world itself was dragging them down into the ground.

Staying here for too long would cause hallucinations, hysteria, and a feeling of loss as if one\'s life was slowly slipping away from their fingertips.

Why was she in such a horrible place?

Well, it was for a simple reason. 

Cultivating in such a harsh environment accelerated the speed at which demonic qi travelled through the meridians of her body.

It also allowed Xu Lu to practise her swordsmanship with a handicap and work on improving her techniques.

Just because she was the successor did not mean that she no longer needed to practise. She had a goal in mind, and she could not afford to be complacent.

Return to the Holy Sword Sect and bring the sect leader and her former master Lei Ying to justice. 

It was a goal that required strength.

Breaking into the Holy Sword Sect\'s protected area would require her cultivation to be in the upper echelons of the void stage.

And she was not even close to reaching that level yet.

Xu Lu swung her blade over and over again. 

She practised simple slashes and basic techniques so many times that it had become second nature.

Many warriors made the mistake of learning complicated and flashy swordsmanship under the assumption that these techniques were more powerful.

They were wrong.

The basics may be boring, but they would keep you alive.

"Good form," a voice quietly praised.

Xu Lu glanced in the direction of the sound and saw Yang Xia staring at her quietly with a tranquil look on her face.

She had not even noticed when the sect leader of the Crimson Demon Sect had arrived which meant that the gap between them was not something that she could handle… at least not yet.

"Here," Yang Xia softly whispered as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small piece of parchment paper.

She walked over to the former saintess with no expression of discomfort on her face. 

It was as though the immense pressure felt when standing inside the Valley of Death was lighter than a feather.

Xu Lu lowered her sword with its tip facing the ground and took the piece of paper from the sect leader\'s outstretched palm.

Written down on the parchment paper was a demonic art technique that involved using one\'s blood to enhance the strength of their weapon.

A practitioner of this technique would be able to coat their weapon with their own blood or the blood of their enemies to launch deadly strikes using the scarlet liquid.

"Thank you," Xu Lu politely spoke as she nodded her head respectfully.

It was rare but Yang Xia would occasionally show up unexpectedly, drop off a technique and then disappear.

This relationship could hardly be called a strong bond between master and apprentice but honestly Xu Lu preferred it this way.

Yang Xia was kind to her… in her own way and she could sense that the sect leader felt reluctant to get closer than was necessary to teach the future successor of her clan.

Fair enough… Xu Lu was not going to force her teacher to like her. 

Hopefully with time their relationship could get a bit closer but if not… that was okay as well.

Today however was a bit different.

Xu Lu cut the top of her arm and used the technique outlined on the sheet to cover her weapon. 

Soon small spikes of blood erupted around the edges of her blade, and she could feel the demonic qi inside her body stir hungrily.

Blood Art- Weapon Augment!

Wave of Death!

Xu Lu swung her longsword in the direction of a large boulder and a wave of crimson energy erupted from the tip of her blade.

This wave easily sliced the boulder into two pieces which both harmlessly crashed to the ground with dull thumps.

Yang Xia stayed a bit longer than usual and watched Xu Lu as she continued to practise over and over again.

She understood why this young woman had been chosen as the saintess of the Holy Sword Sect. 

Her talent… it was monstrous. 

What would take geniuses months to learn, she accomplished in only days.

And more importantly. She had an attitude and drive to succeed. If her talent was not enough, Xu Lu was one of the hardest workers in the entire sect.

Many talented cultivators would never push themselves, but Xu Lu was different. If anything, she pushed herself too hard.

That was why she could not understand the inexplicable decision of the Holy Sword Sect to abandon such a valuable asset.

Yang Xia furrowed her brows as she thought about the news that she had recently heard. 

The once in a few centuries meeting between the heads of the righteous factions was going to be held in a couple of weeks.

And one piece of news had already begun to circulate. The saintess of the Holy Sword Sect had died in a cultivation accident.

This news left her feeling very confused. 

Why would the Holy Sword Sect declare Xu Lu as dead? 

If anything, they should have placed a bounty on her head and declared her as a traitor for joining the demonic side.

Even if they had no proof… a former saintess of a major cultivation sect knew far too many secrets to just leave the organisation alive.

Unless… they did not know that she escaped… wait…this was an opportunity.

A terrible smile spread across Yang Xia\'s face as an idea surfaced in her mind. How would the other sects react if the truth was revealed at the conference?

The former saintess of the Holy Sword Sect was now the successor of a large organisation of demonic cultivators.

That news would shock the cultivation world and ruin the reputation of one of the Crimson Demon sect\'s greatest enemies.

"Xu Lu…" Yang Xia walked up to the young woman who was still swinging her sword and launching waves of scarlet energy at the nearby rocks.

"How would you like to go on a small trip with me?"