Chapter 648 - Envoy Diana (Patreon)

Very soon the Sect Master of Gold Digger Sect and the sect elders arrived at the main entrance. They hovered in the air at the same elevation as Anda, separated only by the sect’s grand barrier.

The sect master gritted his teeth when he saw the airship fleet, every vessel bearing the crest of the Leyan Family.

Even the Gold Digger Sect, which had stood for nearly a millennium, did not possess that many airships. Yet a small family that had been given the privilege of governing a territory had managed to afford fifteen of them in just over two decades.

The sheer difference in wealth was almost insulting. It made his stomach twist with envy and resentment.

His gaze then fell on the panda woman standing on one of the airships, the very figure whose image had inspired the panda motif of their family crest.

Anda Leyan.

The woman who had received the Deed of Sovereignty after her brilliant performance in the Alchemy Competition.

This was what he and many others truly believed had happened. The deed had never actually been given to her infamous Sex Fiend husband. In the eyes of people like him, she was the true power behind the Leyan Family’s sudden rise.

Although he had never interacted with this woman directly, the hatred he felt for her ran as deep as the hatred he felt for Layla. Layla had foiled so many of his underground business dealings over the years. Anda, however, represented something even more galling: a woman who had risen so quickly and so cleanly that her very existence felt like a personal affront.

Seeing the way she looked at him made his blood boil. It was as if she were looking at an ant.

That was right. She was looking at him the same way he had always looked at mortals.

This damn bitch! How dare she think she can look at me like that! Just you wait. Eventually everything you own will be mine. I will strip it all away and make you kneel!

The sect master swore the words silently in his mind, the heat of the vow burning deeper than before.

BOOM!

The ground shook again after Luna launched another flying slash at the barrier.

The sect master’s attention turned toward the large white cat who was now accumulating bloodline power into her claws once more.

He cursed inwardly at the powerful display. He was undoubtedly the strongest cultivator in the sect, yet in the end he was still only a late stage Nascent Soul Realm cultivator. He was no match for a General Level demonic beast.

He knew very well whose spirit beast this was.

The Fierce Lady of the South, Caterina Feline. She sat on the railing at the side of the deck, watching with quiet composure.

Dammit! That bitch Layla even brought this monster to deal with us!

He had not expected a woman of Caterina’s prestige and reputation to lower herself to do Layla’s bidding. Just because they were family now? The thought alone made his blood rise.

Even now he still could not understand why the women of the Leyan Family got along so well. He could understand those of lower status obeying Layla out of necessity, but Caterina? A City Lord in her own right, a figure who once stood among the powerful of the South, willingly standing here as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Were they all truly united because their husband was a sex fiend incarnate? There seemed to be no other way to explain this bizarre harmony between them. The idea that one man could bind such different women together so tightly was both absurd and infuriating. It felt like a mockery of everything he understood about power and loyalty.

For some reason that thought alone was enough to make the sect master’s hatred burn hotter.

“City Lord Layla!” The sect master’s voice boomed out through the night. “What is the meaning of this? You attack my sect and kill my sect members without reason! This is a violation of our continent’s law! Stop this at once!”

Since she had been singled out, Layla walked closer to the front edge of the deck.

“Sect Master Bagon! Stop feigning innocence! I know what you have done recently! Many have died because of your actions! We are in the middle of a crisis that could potentially threaten our existence, yet you took advantage of it to cause harm to the innocents. As the City Lord, I refuse to tolerate your heinous actions any longer! Surrender yourself now or the entire Gold Digger Sect will be razed to the ground!”

Using a voice amplifier artifact, Layla declared her intention loudly for everyone to hear. There was no softness in her voice, only cold, open fury.

“Preposterous! I don’t even know what you are talking about. What heinous actions? These are all baseless accusations! I have done none of that! You’re running your mouth with no evidence, City Lord Layla!” Sect Master Bagon argued fiercely, his voice rising with genuine rage.

“I have evidence of your crimes! To everyone in Gold Digger Sect, surrender peacefully and accept lighter sentences! If not, you will die without an easy death! And if you cooperate with me and provide further evidence and details of your sect master’s other heinous activities, we will reward you with even lower sentences!” Layla declared.

BOOM!

The sect shook once again, stronger than any of the previous attacks, as if the timing had been deliberate. The force of the strike sent a visible ripple through the barrier and left several of the watching disciples visibly unsettled. Whispers began to spread among those standing farther back. Some faces had already gone pale.

“Bullshit! Where is the evidence then? Show me!” Bagon retorted.

He was furious and cursed endlessly in his mind. He knew exactly what Layla was doing. She was trying to turn his own people against him, dangling the promise of lighter punishment while showing them just how easily the mountain could be shaken. That deliberate, heavier tremor had almost certainly made more than a few of them start weighing their own lives against loyalty to him.

“Hmph. I don’t need to show it to you. You either surrender now or die!” Layla said overbearingly.

“Chahahaha! You have shown your true colors, City Lord. You don’t have any proof for your accusations at all, yet you threaten to kill me and raze my sect. What a bold claim. All you’re doing is violating the law. I’ve already summoned the Envoy. Let’s see how you justify your aggression when they come.” Sect Master Bagon forced confidence into his voice, though a note of desperate hope clung to the words. The Envoy was his last real card. If they arrived in time, everything could still be turned around.

“Even if the Envoy comes, the result will be the same. Listen up, Gold Digger Sect! Your time will be up after half an hour. Hopefully you’ll make the right decision by then.” Layla warned them one last time before going silent.

“Hmph! Don’t listen to this crazy woman. We have done nothing wrong. When the Envoy arrives, she will be the one to suffer the consequences of her actions.” He continued denying the accusations, his voice growing sharper with every refusal.

Half an hour passed very quickly.

Layla raised her right hand high and ordered, “Bara Corps, position!”

All three thousand Bara Corps members who had been waiting on the decks of their respective airships immediately lined up and readied their weapons. Rows of figures stood in disciplined formation, the air around them shimmering as powerful Qi of various colors began circulating. The combined presence of so many cultivators pressed outward like a physical weight, filling the night with an oppressive, ready-to-strike aura.

“Damn! This bitch really has lost her mind! She really wants to attack our sect!” Sect Master Bagon cursed.

Is she truly committed to this even though it will implicate her as well? It’s just some unrelated people who died. Why does she care so much?

If it had only been the Bara Corps out there, he would have led his subordinates out himself and slaughtered them. Most of them were merely Core Formation Realm cultivators, after all. Even the newly ascended Nascent Soul ones did not frighten him.

The real problem was Caterina Feline and her General Level cat. The moment he stepped outside the barrier, he would be defeated almost instantly. That knowledge sat cold and heavy in his chest. For now he could only remain inside and wait, forced to hide behind the formation like a cornered animal.

“Destroy the barrier!” Layla ordered, her hand pointed forward.

The Gold Digger Sect members expected the Bara Corps to launch attacks at their grand barrier at once. Yet for some reason they did not move after the order. Instead, every one of them stood still, eyes fixed in a certain direction.

Confusion rippled through the watching disciples and elders. Why weren’t they attacking? Had the order been a bluff? Uneasy murmurs spread quickly along the barrier.

A few seconds later a source of light appeared in the distance, quickly growing brighter and larger.

“Someone’s coming! Could it be an Envoy has arrived?” Sect Master Bagon’s eyes brightened.

His question was answered a few moments later when the light stopped between the fleet and the barrier.

A stoic-looking woman with long, bushy hair appeared before everyone. The cape on her back flapped fiercely against the wind.

Her powerful Soul Formation Realm aura seeped through the barrier and was now felt clearly by the people inside.

She looked at the surrounding mountains where the Gold Digger Sect stood. Something about the place felt off. Caution settled quietly in her gaze as she studied the scene.

Looking at the black and blue uniform she wore, Sect Master Bagon immediately became elated.

Chahaha! Luck is truly in my favor! An Envoy has come much faster than I ever expected! Layla, you bitch! I’m going to make sure you regret coming here today. Everything is about to turn in my favor!

Ignoring the strange sensation for the moment, the Envoy turned toward the fleet. Her Qi intensified sharply and formed a large Soul Body around her. The imposing construct rose high into the night, its presence alone illuminating a wide stretch of the surrounding area and pressing outward with clear authority.

“I am the South Region Protector’s 25th Envoy, Diana Lance. Layla Leyan, City Lord of Bara City, what is the meaning of your aggression tonight? Under whose authority are you acting? Are you aware of our continent’s law?” She spoke with a loud and clear voice, each word carrying formal weight.

Her gaze then shifted toward Caterina at the back.

“City Lord Caterina. Why are you, a ruler of another territory, also participating in this matter? I hope to hear reasonable explanations for this. Your presence here requires justification.”

“Envoy Diana! This crazy woman wrongly accused us of heinous crimes and used this false justification to capture me and raze our sect! This is a blatant abuse of power! Please uphold justice for us!” Sect Master Bagon acted the part of a wronged victim with practiced desperation, his voice rising in appeal.

Inwardly he was overflowing with elation. Everything was unfolding exactly according to his plan. The Envoy had arrived, the accusations looked groundless, and Layla’s open aggression now stood exposed for all to see.

City Lord Layla, you have really made a big mistake tonight. Chahahaha! Everything is about to turn in my favor!

Meanwhile on the airship deck, Anda, who had not said anything since the show began, formed a small, cold smile on her face.

This sect master is truly a great actor. He played the victim very well. Even from here I can sense how elated he is. His joy at seeing our supposed misfortune is practically overflowing.

Hehehe. Now let’s proceed to the next act. The despair act.

Thanks to Sister Jade, we will soon have a shocking cameo in tonight’s show. I can’t wait to see the exact moment his expression collapses when everything comes crashing down all at once.

Anda watched in quiet anticipation, the smile never leaving her face.