The morning sun filtered weakly through heavy clouds as the group gathered in the provisional main hall of the Beast Taming Sect.
The air was thick with anticipation and quiet tension. Though the ruins around them still bore scars of hardship, inside the hall, the flicker of hope and resolve burned steadily.
Feng Yin stood at the head of a roughly carved wooden table, maps and talisman charts spread before her.
Tian Shen stood beside her, his eyes sharp and calculating.
Elder Su leaned against a broken pillar, arms folded, her gaze steady and unyielding.
Feng Yan, with his elder advisors, sat around the table, their expressions grave but determined.
"This is what we know."
Feng Yin began, pointing at the sprawling map of the Eastern Region.
"The Demon Sect has been growing bolder, expanding their territory for the past few years. Their leader—supposedly the strongest cultivator in their ranks—is at the Core Formation Realm."
