Chapter 15: Abyss Pit Sect

Chapter 15 - Abyss Pit Sect Lordi Payne felt as though he'd plunged into an icy abyss. He stood rigid beside the door, hardly daring to breathe. Through the veiled hat, Fairy Lith's expression remained hidden, and the room fell into a silence so deep you could hear a pin drop. After a moment, Fairy Lith abruptly flicked her hand, tossing something toward him. Startled, Lordi Payne reacted on instinct, swatting it away with a swift hand. ~ Ding! *System Notification Chime* But in that very instant, a long-absent chime rang in his mind. [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] > Detected external data. > Analyzing... > Pattern identified: [External Blade Art Technique] > Technique Recording initiated... > Progress: 10%... Lordi Payne: "..." He glanced at the scroll he'd knocked to the floor, then back at Fairy Lith, still seated calmly in place. A wave of despair washed over him, urging him to drop dead right then and there. "Master it within ten days—or die!" Fairy Lith's voice cut through the air like a saber of frost. With a sweep of her sleeve, her form shattered like a burst bubble, vanishing without a trace. It wasn't until a few moments after her departure that Lordi Payne cautiously shuffled over to retrieve the fallen scroll. The cover bore four bold characters in ancient cloud calligraphy: "Blood Fiend Blade Art." Recognizing the ancient writing, his expression grew grave. The Payne Clan's school had only collected about a hundred or so cloud calligraphy characters, which meant... Flipping through the scroll roughly, Lordi Payne let out a heavy sigh. As expected, he couldn't read most of it. The text was an incomprehensible jumble to his untrained eyes. Thankfully, the system chimed again. ~ Ding! *System Notification Chime* [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] > Progress: ... 50%... 100% > New cultivation technique added to database: [Untitled Technique #0002] > Recording complete. > Please rename the technique! "Blood Fiend Blade Art," Lordi Payne replied, for the first time he finding the system somewhat not intolerable. Yet after a brief pause, he decided not letting the system to take over his body and training right away. This Bone Tomb Vessel was far too perilous. If that brain-dead system stirred up trouble again, he couldn't even imagine what kind of mess he'd end up in. So Lordi Payne closed the scroll and tucked it into his robes. Just then, he felt a faint tremble from the entire flying vessel. Not long after, Hugo Payne knocked on his door. "We've reached the The Square of Eternal Severance. Hurry up and grab your things—head to the deck. We never wish to keep Fairy Lith waiting." Lordi Payne had packed for an escape attempt earlier, but when the system had hijacked his body to rush to the Evergreen Courtyard, he'd brought nothing but the now-used Seven Ends Soul-Suppressing Powder. All he had now were the clothes on his back, a Spirit Nourishing Pill, the Blood Fiend Blade Art scroll, and his Blade of Life Hater. The pill and scroll were already stashed in his robes. He grabbed the blade from cabin and followed Hugo Payne to the deck. The walk was eerily quiet—no sign of Joanie or Willow lurking nearby, and the doors lining the corridor remained still. Stepping out of the cabin, Lordi Payne's gaze swept the scene before him, and he couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath. A boundless sea of clouds stretched before his eyes, vast beyond imagination! This sea of cloud roiled restlessly, waves crashing and howling in fury. Jagged mountain peaks pierced through it like reefs in a stormy ocean, scattered like stars across the sky, too numerous to count. Amid the clouds, beyond the mountains, rare birds and exotic beasts soared freely—creatures Lordi Payne had never heard of, let alone seen. One peak, lush with verdant forests and faintly crowned with flickering flames, stood out. A colossal figure flashed briefly through the mist beside it. Just the tip of its tail sent the surrounding clouds into a boiling frenzy, surging wildly for a long moment! The Bone Tomb Vessel glided over this endless cloud sea. Before long, it veered toward a peak that seemed subtly central among the cluster. This mountain was shorter than its neighbors, its summit flattened as if sliced clean by a mighty hand, forming an immense plaza. Flying vessels of all kinds buzzed about, landing and taking off in a chaotic dance—yet the moment they spotted the Bone Tomb Vessel, they scattered in a panic to give way. "This is The Square of Eternal Severance," Hugo Payne said casually. Having been studied in the sect for years, he was long accustomed to the Abyss Pit Sect's wonders and lacked Lordi Payne's awe. "All new disciples enter the sect from here. From this point on, the line between immortal and mortal is drawn. The place got its name 'Severance', that's because the sect's hope that we disciples cut away all worldly ties and pleasures, ascend ahead boldly, and bid farewell to the mortal world forever." Mid-sentence, a thought struck him, and he frowned. "By the way, how will Senior Brother Wexford and the others settle you?" Meanwhile, on the third floor of the vessel, within the railing, Kinson Wexford bow respectfully before Fairy Lith. "Senior Sister, we've arrived at the sect. What should be done with Lordi Payne?" Fairy Lith's black skirts fluttered as she stood with her hands clasped behind her back. After a pause, she replied in an icy tone, "Send him to the outer sect." "Aye." Kinson Wexford nodded, then sent a voice transmission to Hugo Payne: "Take Lordi Payne to the outer sect!" Moments later, the Bone Tomb Vessel soared skyward once more, streaking deeper into the cloud sea like a bolt of lightning. Left behind on the Square of Eternal Severance, Lordi Payne couldn't help but gaze after it for a while. "Is that where the inner sect lies? It looks so far off." Hugo Payne, in a sour mood, ignored the question. "Keep up ." He led Lordi Payne with practiced ease to a two-story gazebo building at the square's edge. Inside, the place was stark and empty, furnished with little more than bare essentials. An old crone with white hair and wrinkled, chicken-like skin slumped in a recliner, clutching a wine gourd. She sipped lazily, half-asleep. Hugo Payne stepped forward, bowed accompany with a forced smile. "Greetings senior tutor. Kinson Wexford, bloodline lord of the inner sect, has instructed me to lead my clan brother Lordi Payne to join the outer sect." "Sigh.. These young brats, always giving this old bag more work," the crone rasped, her voice hoarse. With a sigh, she didn't make things difficult. Slowly sitting up, she revealed a face creased with wrinkles—but her eyes held a strange, magnetic pull. One glance, and both brothers froze, entranced, staring blankly at her, unable to speak. After studying them for a moment, she spoke flatly, "Follow." Snapping out of their daze, Lordi Payne and Hugo Payne regained their senses, their expressions uneasy. Trailing the crone pass the building, they found another structure behind it. From the outside, it seemed modest, but stepping inside revealed a space shockingly vast. Countless lampstands floated in midair, each cradling a blood-red flame. They hung at varying heights, densely packed. The flames differed in size, the smallest is as fragile as a seed. While the largest blazing high above like a midday sun, Lordi Payne couldn't even look at it directly or gauge its true scale; a mere sidelong glimpse hinted at the terrifying power within. Farther off, over a hundred giant portraits lined the walls, vivid and lifelike—men, women, young, old, and even some figures that didn't seem entirely human. The crone waved her sleeve, and a lampstand identical to the others drifted over from somewhere unseen. "Since you're a Payne Clansman with Kinson Wexford vouching for you, we'll skip the usual interrogations," she said dully. "Go pay respects to the ancestors, then offer a drop of essence blood to light this soul lamp. After that, you're one of the Abyss Pit Sect." Lordi Payne had a million reasons not to join this demonic sect, but at this point, fleeing thousands of miles was no longer an option. Resigned, he stepped forward. Following the crone's instructions, he kowtowed to the sect's founding ancestor, the past patriarchs, the current Grand Elder, and the reigning sect elders and lord masters in turn. Finally, he sliced his fingertip and forced out a drop of essence blood. The droplet fell onto the lampstand, igniting into a small flame—larger than a sesame, about the size of a bean. The crone asked for his name, birth date, and zodiacs. As she spoke, lines of detailed information appeared beneath the lampstand, concluding with a note of when and by whom he was brought into the Abyss Pit Sect. With that, it streaked upward in a flash of light, slipping from her grasp to join the myriad lampstands overhead. "Now that you're in the Holy Sect," the crone glanced at him, ignoring Hugo Payne, and waved him closer. In a weary tone, she advised, "Mind your words and actions from now on. Stick to the sect rules. Especially someone of your background—break them, and the consequences will be terrible. Do you understand?" Lordi Payne replied cautiously, "May I ask, Senior tutor, what are the rules of Abyss Pit Sect, our Holy Sect?" The crone snorted. "Too many to list. Go read them yourself." She pulled a book a full three inches thick from behind her and shoved it into his hands. "Memorize it from cover to cover," she said gravely. "This place is not your little family back home. The sect's rules are strict, and its laws show no mercy." "Aye!" Lordi Payne nodded. Feeling the weight of that thick tome book in his hand, his gnawing anxiety heart eased. Yes, he wasn't afraid of rules at all—the more the better. For a cautious, low-key survivor like him, the more laws, the safer. As long as there was a clear regulation to follow, it gave him a sense of security. What he feared most was a lawless place where whims ruled, chaos reigned, and disaster could strike from nowhere. Gratefully, he thanked the crone and clutched the rulebook like a lifeline. So thick, so detailed—surely the Abyss Pit Sect had thought of everything. For the first time, he felt a flicker of reassurance settle in his chest.