Ravihiro and Rumina finally entered the formidable grounds of the Sky Demon Sect, the most powerful sect in the realm. Towering structures loomed above them, each building imbued with ancient, unyielding energy. As they walked deeper into the sect's grounds, the ambient energy thickened, a clear testament to its centuries-old power and the formidable cultivators who called it home.
Rumina led Ravihiro through the expansive sect, attracting curious stares from disciples and masters alike. Her beauty and fierce reputation were well-known, but what piqued everyone's interest was the man at her side—a stranger in the Sky Demon Sect, and one who radiated an intensity they couldn't quite place.
"Wait here, Ravihiro," Rumina said, nodding toward a courtyard surrounded by stone pillars. "I need to speak with my father. He's been waiting for me, and I don't want him getting any ideas about you just yet." She flashed him a teasing smile before turning to head toward the main hall, leaving Ravihiro alone.
As he waited, Ravihiro noticed a few figures lurking around the edges of the courtyard, their eyes glinting with a mix of curiosity and disdain. They were disciples from other sects: one from the Crimson Blood Sect, known for its brutal cultivators who revered blood sacrifices and power at any cost; another from the Venom Serpent Sect, infamous for its poison arts and deadly techniques; and a third from the Phantom Moon Sect, a sect feared for its illusory arts and assassins who struck without leaving a trace. Each of them was a powerful disciple in their own right, and each of them was rumored to be a pursuer of Rumina.
One of the Crimson Blood Sect disciples, a young man with dark red eyes and a mocking smirk, approached Ravihiro. "So, you're the one walking around with Lady Rumina. She sure knows how to pick them," he sneered. "What makes you think you belong here, outsider?"
Ravihiro ignored him, maintaining his usual stoic expression as he observed the sect's architecture, unimpressed by the disciple's provocations. But when a second disciple, a 5 stage cultivator from the Venom Serpent Sect, sneered, "You should know your place before you get hurt. Rumina isn't someone for a nobody like you," Ravihiro's patience began to wear thin.
As the disciples continued to taunt him, Ravihiro's aura started to shift, his calm exterior giving way to something far darker. Without warning, he released a chilling, murderous aura—a force so powerful and malevolent that it seemed to darken the very air around him. His aura wasn't just murderous; it held a twisted combination of darkness and a faint, eerie light, creating a sensation that was both terrifying and unnatural. It was as if the energy itself was laughing at them, taunting them to recognize their insignificance.
The Crimson Blood Sect disciple's smirk faded, his face paling as he felt the weight of Ravihiro's aura pressing down on him. His bravado faltered, and he took an involuntary step back, his heart pounding.
The Venom Serpent Sect disciple, usually so confident, felt a chill crawl up his spine, unable to comprehend how someone who looked so calm moments ago could radiate such a force. The disciples from the Phantom Moon Sect, despite their training in illusions and stealth, felt their instincts scream at them to back away.
"What… what is this?" one of them whispered, fear evident in his voice. "It's like… death itself…"
Ravihiro's eyes gleamed, a dangerous glint flashing as he spoke, his voice low and filled with deadly intent. "Know your place. Or you may not get a chance to correct it."
The disciples were frozen, the weight of Ravihiro's aura so intense that it felt as if an immense shadow loomed over them, threatening to crush them entirely. They sensed no hesitation, no mercy—only a lethal calmness that was far more terrifying than any overt aggression.
One by one, the disciples backed away, leaving Ravihiro standing alone once more in the courtyard, the eerie quiet of his aura lingering in the air long after they had gone.
Just as the tension faded, Rumina returned, unaware of what had just transpired. She raised an eyebrow, noticing the silence and the absence of her usual followers. "Did something happen here?"
Ravihiro glanced at her, his aura having returned to its usual calm. "Nothing worth mentioning."
A smirk tugged at her lips as she noticed the slight tremor in the air, a remnant of his dark aura. "Well, my father is expecting us. Let's not keep him waiting."
As they made their way to the main hall, Ravihiro felt the eyes of disciples trailing after him, but this time, no one dared approach or utter a word.