In the heart of the Black Paradise Sect, the air inside the Matriarch's Hall was quiet—but heavy with tension.
That silence broke as the great doors creaked open. A group of Inner Court disciples entered, escorted by a stern-looking Elder. Their faces were pale, their breathing ragged from their sprint back to the sect.
None of them had ever stepped foot in the Core Court before—and certainly not inside the Matriarch's Hall. Every step they took echoed against the marble floors, making the vast, ornate space feel even more overwhelming.
The hall was grand, its high ceiling supported by pillars carved with ancient scripture and divine beasts. Gold and violet banners hung from above, and the air smelled faintly of a citrusy lavender and rose.
At the very end of the hall, seated upon a platform draped in luxurious silks and embroidered cushions, sat the one woman no one dared speak to without permission—Matriarch Shi Lan.
