In a cave abode in a secluded part of the Crimson Sun Sect, a withered old man sat cross-legged. Wisps of Deathly Aura seeped from his gaunt body, making him seem like a guttering candle in the wind, its flame of life liable to go out at any moment.
The old man was Danyangzi. Unlike his imposing presence outside, he now resembled an ordinary mortal elder, with no powerful aura emanating from him.
Sitting cross-legged opposite him was a middle-aged cultivator, Li Changfeng, the current sect master of the Crimson Sun Sect.
"Foolish child, stop using petty tricks like having Zhao Feng act on your orders. Every one of these rogue cultivators is deeply calculating. Without sufficient benefits, they will never truly join our sect. Cough, cough..."
As he spoke, Danyangzi began coughing softly, and his somewhat ashen face flushed red.
"Please calm your anger, Grandfather. I only wanted to use this opportunity to test these rogue cultivators' reactions." Li Changfeng bowed to Danyangzi, his face filled with worry.
"Cough, cough... If these rogue cultivators still haven't joined our sect before I pass away, then... Cough, cough..." At this point, Danyangzi's coughing grew more severe, and a distinctly cold, sinister glint flashed through his aged eyes.
As a cultivator who had practiced for a thousand years, Danyangzi's heart had long since become iron and stone. Countless cultivators had died at his hands; otherwise, he could never have established a sect as vast as the Crimson Sun Sect.
Slowly circulating his cultivation method, Danyangzi suppressed his discomfort. Then he fixed his gaze on Li Changfeng and asked slowly, "What are your chances of overcoming the Golden Core Tribulation Lightning now?"
Li Changfeng's expression visibly darkened. After several breaths of silence, he answered slowly, "Grandfather, with the Spirit Pills you refined to