At dawn, the first rays of sunlight broke through the mist.
After parting ways with Zhao Huai, the first believer of the Raven Sect did not rest. He led a vast procession around the Inner and Outer City of Jinzhou, circling them again and again.
He left no street or alley untouched, making his way through every last one.
After an entire morning of effort, quite a few people had finally gathered behind him. Most looked sallow and emaciated, dressed in ragged clothes—clearly refugees. A very small number were more richly dressed and appeared relatively normal, their eyes filled with interest and curiosity.
"Everyone, come with me."
The leading believer turned to the crowd and smiled gently.
He led them through street after street until they arrived at a broad courtyard situated at the boundary between the Inner and Outer City, where the land was wide and open.
The courtyard was merely the tip of the iceberg. This was in fact a manor, containing courtyards, inns, ancestral halls, and more. It had originally been the ruins of a Daoist temple from the previous dynasty. In those war-torn times, weeds had overrun the temple; some had died, others had fled. After the Raven Sect moved in and carried out extensive repairs, it had finally regained its former grandeur.
The leading believer walked ahead, passed through the courtyard, and arrived at an ancestral hall.
At the center of the hall stood a gilded bronze statue with a raven's head and a human body. Its feet stood upon swirling clouds, and it possessed three heads and six arms. It towered more than ten meters high. The raven heads stared sharply into the distance, while its muscular human body bore six arms upon its back, each gripping a different weapon.
"This is the Raven