Linda and her people had found a place with monsters much stronger compared to the ones in St. Peter. They had chanced upon it after a recon mission. They had to run for their dear life after spotting a Demonic Beast at the Early Stage of the Oriole Realm.

But they had also found what looked like an Ancient Ruin where Demonic Beasts density was quite low. It was the perfect place to ambush Demonic Beasts one by one and fight without the risk of being ambushed by an entire group.

Linda had named it the Forbidden Grounds of the Hell Devouring Sect because the place had a higher density of energy without the downside of more monsters. Whatever the reason for such an oddity, it played perfectly into the hands of the higher echelons of the Hell Devouring Sect.

“Elders,” Linda said as soon as she finished packing for an entire week. “We are going fight for our life. I’ll be leading and making sure that no one dies, but we will fight and put our lives on the line. If we want to attain the ability to pierce the Heavens with our might, we need to test ourselves against real threats. We will pave the way for future generations of the Hell Devouring Sect.”

All three Elders now had tears in their eyes for the moving words of their Sect Head and instantly kowtowed in front of her in a show of deep respect.

“Sect Head, forgive our cowardice!” they all shouted.

They had been arguing about the risks of such a trip since those three were only at the Advanced Stage of the Mantis Realm. Linda herself, although in the Oriole Realm with her Magical Cultivation, wasn’t guaranteed to survive.

But everything came at a price. Linda knew that they had to start pushing, and pushing hard. What would have happened if the Vermillion Tyrant had been an enemy? And what would happen if she met an enemy as strong as the Vermillion Tyrant?

While others were focused on Jacob, Hektor and Epagogia, Linda couldn’t help but feeling as if she was slowly drowning. She felt a heavy weight on her chest that told her ‘you are not enough, you are going to die’.

Maybe, if they had been on their past Earth, this sense of impending doom and crazy urgency would have been unmotivated. But here, in a world where strength was everything, Linda wasn’t so sure about taking things slowly.

They would need to risk their life at one point or another. And she would rather risk it multiple times against Demonic Beasts compared to risking it the one time against a true monster and having the guarantee of certain death.

“Sect Head, have you told your nephew about what we discovered?” Elder Thousand Leaves asked.

“No, I told him that that place has nothing and that I would send some people there to hunt from time to time. He will keep it free for us.”

“Sect Head, isn’t Jacob supposed to know?” Elder Eternal Autumn asked.

“I’ll have someone tell him we are going out to cultivate for a while and clean out some low-levelled places. He will know at some point, but for now we need the freedom to grow and risk our lives.”

“We have to make sure people will behave in our absence, Sect Head. It will take at least a day before we will sort everything out. We will pick out some promising disciples to be interim Elders. And we’ll have to better sort out the hierarchies once we come back. We still lack an Outer and Inner Court. And, most importantly, Core Disciples.”

Elder Boundless Will was the best at organizing things and putting disciples in line.

“Don’t take a minute more than necessary. We have to go as soon as possible,” the Head of the Hell Devouring Sect said.

The Elders nodded and bowed toward the Sect Head. Then, they went to arrange things for their absence. They had no idea how long the Sect Head planned on staying in the Forbidden Grounds, but they might as well plan for multiple weeks.

…

“Mark,” Elder Thousand Leaves said toward Elder Eternal Autumn as soon as they were left alone. The two were brothers and had been teachers, the same as Linda.

Elder Boundless Will was a woman in her thirties who had been introduced to the world of web novels by Linda. Her name was Karen.

“What?” Mark looked at him, surprised that his brother had used his actual name.

“Do you think this is a good idea?” Elder Thousand Leaves asked.

“Linda is strong, Simon. We know she’s right. This world, for the best or for the worst, works like the books. And if we don’t start putting our lives on the line, we will sorely regret it later,” Mark shook his head.

“Yeah, I’m just…” Simon was struggling with his words.

“It’s fine. I’m scared too, little brother,” Mark put his arm around his younger sibling’s shoulders. “But we are doing all the things we always dreamed of. If the apocalypse was the lowest point for most humans, it was also the greatest occasion for us. If we die, let us die while fighting for something that matters, not in a hospital because of diabetes, cancer or just plain obesity.”

“You are right, Elder Thousand Leaves,” Elder Eternal Autumn said. “Sect Head is the wisest and strongest of us. Save for those reincarnators, there is no one who compares to Sect Head. If we have to die, better to die following someone worthy of our lives.”

“All hail the Hell Devouring Sect!” Elder Thousand Leaves shouted in assent.

“All hail the Hell Devouring Sect!” Elder Eternal Autumn shouted in return.