novelraw Chapter 920: Accepting The Offer
Chapter 920: Accepting The Offer
What Han Yu spoke of was not information that circulated freely. Even many high elders did not know that detail. The sect had learned of it through interrogation of captured orthodox disciples during their campaign, but that knowledge had been tightly controlled ever since.
Which made this... Concerning.
And most of all fascinating.
Lady Rot Rose leaned back slightly, her gaze never leaving him.
"How much do you know?" she asked.
Her tone was calm again, but beneath it lay a probing intent.
Han Yu did not hesitate.
"I know where it is," he said.
That answer made her eyes narrow slightly.
"In the Smoldering Caldera region," he continued, his voice steady. "A magma filled territory in the Central Continent. Highly volatile. Difficult to traverse."
He paused briefly.
"It is currently under the control of a certain Mist Eye Sect. An unorthodox faction there."
For the first time, Lady Rot Rose’s composure faltered, if only for a fraction of a second. Internally, her surprise deepened. That was precise. Far too precise to be a guess or rumor.
The Smoldering Caldera was indeed one of the most dangerous regions in the Central Continent, a place where magma rivers flowed like veins and the air itself could burn an unprepared cultivator alive. It was not a place one could casually explore.
And the Mist Eye Sect...
An unorthodox faction with its own secrets and methods, known for its peculiar techniques and elusive nature.
They had claimed that region long ago, and very few dared to challenge them within it.
The fact that Han Yu knew all of this...
Was unexpected.
But outwardly, Lady Rot Rose did not react.
She simply took another slow inhale from her pipe, allowing the smoke to veil her thoughts.
"And why," she asked after a moment, "do you want information about leaving the continent?"
Her gaze sharpened once more.
This was the true question.
Han Yu met her eyes without hesitation.
"Because I wish to fulfill what I promised the Patriarch," he said.
Lady Rot Rose remained silent.
Han Yu continued.
"When I was granted the position of Legacy Disciple, I vowed to bring the sect to greater heights," he said. "Not just preserve its current strength, but expand it."
His tone was calm, but carried a quiet conviction.
"The Magma Ancestor was not just powerful. He left behind secrets. Legacies that were never returned to the sect after his departure."
He paused, letting the words settle.
"If those can be recovered," he added, "then the sect can rise further."
His gaze did not waver.
"I wish to find a way to obtain them."
Silence followed.
Lady Rot Rose watched him carefully, her expression unreadable.
Within her mind, thoughts moved swiftly.
She considered his words.
His tone.
His intent.
And his history.
Ju Fan was a rising star. A Legacy Disciple whose growth had been nothing short of extraordinary. At first, many had believed him to be merely another ambitious cultivator seeking power and status.
But over time he had proven otherwise.
Yes, he was self serving, that was undeniable. But in the Slaughtered Moon Divine Blood Sect, that was the norm. Anyone who did not prioritize themselves was either a fool or already dead.
What mattered was not that he acted for his own benefit. What mattered was what he had done alongside it.
The mining puppets.
A solution to a long standing problem that had plagued the sect.
The breakthrough of the Second Kidney Peak head.
A contribution that strengthened one of the sect’s pillars.
He had even obtained the Freezing Abyss Glacial Art, which had been considered lost for a long time. While it was still within the sect, obtaining it from the Inheritance Stelea was a major achievement on its own.
Many had tried in the past, but no one had even come close to obtaining it anymore. And yet Ju Fan had managed to do that very thing.
And of course the Jiangshi.
An entire field revolutionized by his methods, bringing both power and wealth into the sect at an unprecedented scale.
He had gained immensely from all of this.
But so had the sect.
His actions had always walked that line.
Self interest intertwined with contribution.
It was... efficient.
And now he asked for information.
Not wealth.
Not protection.
Not political backing.
He could have asked for her direct support. He could have aligned himself with her faction, gaining immediate advantages. But he did not. Instead, he asked for something that required effort.
Something that would not grant immediate benefit, but held long term potential.
Lady Rot Rose tapped her pipe lightly against the edge of the lounger.
Her thoughts settled.
He was ambitious.
He was calculating.
But he was also... Consistent.
There was no clear sign that he wished to abandon the sect.
In fact, everything he had done suggested the opposite.
Why would someone with such wealth, influence, and authority want to leave?
It made no sense.
This place gave him everything.
Power.
Resources.
Freedom to grow.
There was no reason to discard it.
Her suspicion eased.
Not completely.
But enough.
A faint smile returned to her lips.
"You are an interesting one," she said softly.
Her eyes lingered on him, thoughtful now rather than probing.
"You do not ask for what others would."
Han Yu said nothing.
He simply waited.
Lady Rot Rose exhaled slowly, the red smoke drifting between them once more.
"Very well," she said.
Her tone carried a subtle finality.
"If you take this mission..."
She leaned slightly forward.
"I will give you the information you seek."
The air seemed to still.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
And in that silence... An agreement was formed.
One that carried weight far beyond simple words.
Han Yu inclined his head slightly.
"Then I will accept," he said.
But within his mind...
His thoughts were far from calm.
Because this mission was no longer just a task.
It was a path.
One that might finally lead him closer... To breaking the chains of the Blood Continent.