Rather than retreat, Jared and Flaxseed melted into the outer shadows of Crimson Coil Sect’s domain, staking out a narrow ledge that overlooked the sect’s crimson-tiled walls.

They understood that only the master could unveil the truth of the massacre that had wiped out an entire clan years before.

Day after day the sentry lines thickened, traps hummed to life, and the mountain’s very air began to taste of iron, as though the sect sharpened itself for war.

Patience became their armor. They watched. They waited. Then, one dawn, power rippled from the summit like thunder underwater. Serpentcoil Mountain shook.

Flaxseed’s eyes ignited. “The sect leader is out! Our moment has arrived!”

Jared nodded, though a crease cut across his brow. “He‘s broken through to the advanced-phase of Divine Transformation Stage. Stronger than before. We tread lightly.”

Keeping to gullies and broken stone, they slipped past patrols, following that roaring aura toward the peak.