Psst…!

The pillar of light shot up from the Courtyard and shot straight into the clouds, but it was completely engulfed by the black clouds all over the sky, and did not make so much as a ripple in them.

"Congratulations to the Sect Master, infinite glory over a thousand years!!"

"…Congratulations to the Sect Master, infinite glory over a thousand years!!"

"…infinite glory over a thousand years!!"

The echoes of the voices stacked over each other, and grew larger and larger in volume, like waves from a distance.

Garen sat in his Throne of Ice, the thick and grotesque Armor of Ice on his body covering his entire figure, such that his face underneath could not be seen at all.

Although he did not have long to prepare, the Second Elder did very well with the preparations. After Carthage left, the people in his faction all automatically came to Garen instead, so most people in the Scarlet Snow Sect considered him Carthage's successor. This was originally Jeros' privilege.

"It's too bad… you miscalculated…" When Garen saw this scene, he knew that Carthage could no longer return, so he would surely change his ident.i.ty. Garen had more or less gained control of the Scarlet Snow Sect, so he might infiltrate another sect instead, or perhaps he might continue managing his plan in secret.

"Jeros, is there anything you need help with?" Suddenly, a sharp voice reached Garen's ears. That voice was very distinct, and anyone who had heard it once would not forget it.

It was Red Robes!

Garen instantly remembered whose voice it was.

"This is already my territory, if you don't have anything to do with me, go find Carthage yourself," Garen replied mildly through voice transmission. He noticed that a few of the Three Hearted Disciples already had a mind to leave, their gazes twinkling uncertainly, and they were obviously communicating in secret. But he did not stop them, it was good if they left too. Right now, the Scarlet Snow Sect needed a large-scale clean-up operation, from the top to the bottom, so that he could grasp all the power before the danger arrived.

Since he had already inherited his ancestors' Will of Ice, he should naturally fulfill his promise, and do everything he can to bring glory to the Scarlet Snow Sect, in order to meet his elders' expectations.

It did not matter in the bigger picture whether these disloyal Three Hearted Disciples left or not, they were of no great importance. In fact, it would help to gather up the sect's power, so that they could advance to the next step.

"Hehe, looks like your control isn't stable enough yet…" Red Robes began to laugh piercingly.

"Don't forget Master Carthage's plan. You must move on cue during the Major Battle, since the Scarlet Snow Sect is one of the three central figures, you and I both understand what will happen if you don't complete the mission." Red Robes actually started transmitting his voice to Garen boldly, even though everyone was right there and watching.

"Do I need you to tell me what to do?!" Garen's palm gripped the armrest it was resting on lightly.

Bam!

A large hail of white snow and ice exploded from a certain spot in mid-air, and countless clear white shards scattered everywhere, accompanied by the screams from a red figure. The red figure was instantly torn to pieces, turning into several shards of red cloth that floated down, and moved no more.

"Here, I have 64 gla.s.ses of Scarlet Snow Wine, it's a reward specifically for the elite powerhouses of the Scarlet Snow Sect. It can boost the body's qualities significantly." Garen gave a sweep of his hand.

64 ice-crystal wine gla.s.ses suddenly appeared, floating before him, filled with what looked like a fragrant emerald liquid that emitted an intense aroma of wine.

The 64 ice-crystal gla.s.ses of wines just stayed floating there underneath the Throne of Ice, and with a whoosh, the gla.s.ses suddenly shot downward, some portions naturally landing in front of everyone present, floating in mid-air.

"In order to celebrate my official ascension to the throne today, this is the Secret Scarlet Snow Wine that I have obtained from the Frost h.e.l.l. I will now share it with all of you, and I hope that we will be united as one, for the glory of the Scarlet Snow." Garen's icy-cold and deep voice had a hint of authority, and it spread like a tremor from underneath the Armor of Ice, spreading throughout the entire Basilica.

"This…" King Cat frowned, his instincts were telling him that this wine would not harm him, and instead the chill emanating from it was extremely tempting, as though that was the tastiest delicacy in the world. But his logic was telling him that Garen would never be so generous, if he was trying to hand it this wine with strengthening effects to everyone equally, he must surely have a motive behind it.

He glanced at Alice, she was the leader of Moons.h.i.+ne, so not only did she have influence and power with the Scarlet Snow Sect, she also had her own financial group and power in the mortal world. She could survive independently even if she did leave the Scarlet Snow Sect, and her gaze clearly said she wanted to leave, but right now she was being suppressed by that huge aura, and could not get away from it at all. She had just escaped from the ice statue, but now the danger was this choice that might lead to poisoned wine.

"Garen would never let a Non-Falling Level like Alice leave, this meeting is no conference at all, he's just using this chance to take over, and control all the higher-ups at once…" King Cat lamented inwardly, glancing at Aloran and Eva, and seeing that they were looking at him too. He thought back to the mission he had gone on with Garen recently, as well as that terrifying, bottomless potential. Helplessly, he reached out his hand and took the gla.s.s. Instantly, a sharp cold came through the gla.s.s and pieced through his body. He could not help but s.h.i.+ver.

Psst!

In one gulp, King Cat finished all the wine without any hesitation. He did not even taste the wine, and just drank it all in one go.

At about the same time, the Demon Spirit Solomon also drank it with a nonchalant smile. She never really had a fixed stance, she just went where the best benefits were. She did not have any fixed likes or dislikes, her personality was strange, and she did not really matter who was in charge, as long as they were strong enough.

After two of the Three Hearted Disciples drank it, the Ballfish's huge body frowned unhappily, glancing at Alice, and then looking at Garen's thick, ferocious-looking Armor of Ice. He knew that he would not be able to leave this place without drinking it.

"I'm sorry, Alice," he said inwardly, and he had no choice but to finish all the wine in one gulp.

Everyone present actually understood that they would not be able to leave the Basilica without drinking the wine. Garen's rampaging, terrifying chill above them was the proof, the chill had turned to a solid white smoke, and had completely surrounded the entire Basilica, making the peak of the mountain look like a divine realm.

Once the few Three Hearted Disciples led the way and drank it first, the remaining few could only follow suit reluctantly. Only Alice, Eva, and Aloran remained steadfast.

"It tastes good! As expected of the wine to come out of the Frost h.e.l.l! New Sect Master! Do you have any more, how about seconds?!" Of the Three Hearted Disciples, the Energy Machine Imprint master, Mandi, was all flushed and drunk, yelling at Garen without pretense.

This guy was rather blunt in nature, although he was often isolated, that was mostly because he did not mix around enough. It was not as though he did not understand the way the world worked, he just happened to only trust his own instincts, and his instincts were telling him that this new Sect Master, Garen, had no ill intentions. That was why he decided to just not think about it, and he never did care two hoots about the battle for Moons.h.i.+ne and Star Plate.

Now that the Second Elder, who was the support pillar behind Star Plate, had completely thrown his lot in with Garen, that meant that Garen had gotten the support of most of the Sect. Moons.h.i.+ne's Alice could not support much on her own, the situation had practically already been decided, and there clearly was not much of a fight. That was why he decided to take the initiative and offer his allegiance.

"I have wine, but only that gla.s.s can increase your powers, the rest can't." Garen laughed exasperatedly, and raised his hand lightly, sending another gla.s.s of wine sliding up to Mandi, who made sure to taste it carefully. Standing there alone, he stood at the Three Hearted Position, and watched with a smile as Alice and the rest continued to hold on, trying not to surrender in the face of that terrifying pressure.

Nothing happened to those who drank the wine, and this confused Alice and the others slightly. Perhaps this wine really was harmless, and Garen was just using it to confuse them?

The situation here now was that Garen had the whole area suppressed, and you could not leave unless you drank that wine. Be it Alice or Eva, none of them could see where Garen's limits were anymore. Such rapid growth could no longer be explained by saying he was a prodigy. There must be a huge secret behind this.

Alice gritted her teeth, and glanced at Eva.

"If we drink it, will you let us leave?" she asked icily, looking at Garen.

Surprisingly, Garen actually raised his hand lightly.

"You can choose to not drink, just make sure you don't regret it later." He actually acted as though he did not care whether they drank it or not.

"It's up to you too if you want to leave. Of course, you are still considered a member of the Scarlet Snow Sect even if you're away. Everything you have was given to you by the Scarlet Snow Sect, even if you don't admit it, unless you throw away all your powers, your roots are still in the Scarlet Snow Sect in the eyes of others. This will never change," said Garen calmly.

Just then, there was the continuous sound of people drinking, and this meant everyone, including Hong Guo. Nothing strange at all happened. On the other hand, this allowed Alice, Eva, and Aloran to relax ever so slightly.

"Fine, I'll drink it!" Aloran grabbed a wine gla.s.s decisively, tossed her head back, and drained it.

Smack!

She smashed the gla.s.s onto the ground, turned around, and left. She flew straight out of the Basilica, turning into a bolt of light and flying off.

From the beginning to the end, Garen just watched coldly from the side, without any intention of stopping her.

When they saw that, Eva and Alice also took their gla.s.ses decisively, draining it on one go, and they rose into the sky at the same time, leaving the Basilica.

After the three of them left, there were only nine out of the original fifteen Three Hearted Disciples left.

The few strongest ones had all left, and now the strongest one was King Cat. He sighed, looking around, and felt as though it was instantly a lot quieter now.

"Second Elder, you can start to organize all the Inherited Levels in the sect now, and order all those Inherited Level and above to gather at the headquarters, Planet Scarlet Snow,within aa week. Those who disobey will be punished as traitors!"

Garen ordered calmly.

The armor on his body grew thicker and thicker, as though it was getting thicker, bigger, and bulkier as time went by. It had almost merged together with the Throne of Ice.

This was activation proof that he was constantly sensing the higher realm and fundamental qualities of the Scarlet Snow Technique in the armor. He needed to understand how the ancestors could reach the ninth level without understanding the Board. Normally, anyone Level Eight and above would need to understand the Board, but the ancestors had somehow directly crossed this hurdle. This was an extremely precious bit of experience, even if he had all sorts of trump cards and immense confidence that he could make it past this challenge, he would still like to save some time wherever he could.