At the main temple of the Poison Demon Cult.
Venom Master Xun walked out of her chamber and into the dimly lit corridors, her black and purple robes bearing the insignia of her Arachnid Branch trailed behind her like a venomous shadow as she moved.
It was deep in the night but the other two Venom Masters, Kang and Gao, stationed with her called for a meeting in the temple's central hall.
The acrid scent of simmering poisons filled the air and the walls lined with jars of wriggling spiders and venom sacs pulsed faintly in the light.
Her steps were confident as her mind replayed the High Priest's audacious plan and the treachery she had orchestrated against Gao and Kang.
If the old man succeeded, the cult would shift irrevocably and she intended to be on the winning side. In their cult, there's not so much camaraderie that was prevalent to all those Righteous Faction cultivators.
They only had their own benefit in mind below their faith in the Great Poison Demon.
As she entered the chamber, Venom Master Gao's serpentine gaze snapped toward her, his thin frame coiled with tension beside the cauldron.
"Xun," He hissed as his voice dripped with suspicion. "You've been quiet since that messenger left. What game are you playing?"
Venom Master Kang, lounging against a stone pillar, twirled his scorpion-tipped dagger with a lazy grin. "She's scheming, Gao. Always is. Probably thinks she'll slink into the High Priest's favor while we do the dirty work."
Venom Master Xun scoffed as she crossed her arms, her alluring posture drawing the two men's gaze, "Must I report to you what I am busy with? So, why are we here? Who called for this meeting?"
Kang flicked his dagger into the air, catching it deftly as he straightened from the pillar. "I did. We've got a problem, Xun. You were the one who sent that messenger out, were you not? It's got everyone not here spitting venom. They think you're cozying up to the old man too quickly."
Gao's eyes narrowed, his voice a low hiss. "You've always been slippery, Xun. The High Priest's sudden obsession with this store reeks of weakness and now you're backing him? Explain yourself before the rest of our conclave assumes you've turned traitor. We're supposed to be the checks in power over his position. He cannot simply back out of our plan to expand our territory beyond the forest. If you give no satisfactory explanation, we'll deal with you before the High Priest returns."
Upon saying that, his peak Core Formation Stage aura flared up, bearing down pressure on Xun's shoulders.
Unbothered, Xun simply released her own aura, deflecting Gao's pressure as her lips curled into a faint, mocking smile.
As Venom Masters heading their own branch, their strength wasn't that much different from each other.
She's confident that even if the two worked together, they could only push her back, not defeat her.
She stepped closer to the bubbling cauldron, the greenish glow casting shadows across her face.
"Traitor? Gao, your paranoia's as predictable as your poisons. I admit. I let that messenger go before you two deliver your rejection. I believe that the High Priest is right. This store's power is real. I've seen it myself through my Priests' reports. You'd know that if you bothered to look beyond your cauldron."
Kang chuckled, though his eyes remained cold. "Real or not, it's a distraction. The Great Poison Demon demands blood, conquest and the proliferation of his divinity through poisons, not commerce. If we let the High Priest chase this folly, we'll lose our edge. He spent how long in that stronghold to prepare? And after one setback he's going to retreat? Do we have a coward for a High Priest?"
Xun tilted her head as her smirk stretched further, "Heh. Calling the High Priest a coward? Kang, have you forgotten why two of your limbs were crafted from demonic beasts' bones?"
As though she hit a sore spot, Kang visibly frowned. His playful demeanor was immediately swept away, glaring at the woman before them.
Still, Venom Master Xun remained unintimidated.
"Pray tell. What do you think we should do? Force our way into the plains and wage an all-out war against the cultivators there? Have you not read the High Priest's message? The store's wares turned the tide there. Talismans, brews, tools we don't have. Blind aggression gets us nothing but corpses. The High Priest sees a longer game."
Gao slammed a fist against the cauldron's rim, the venom inside sloshing dangerously. "A longer game? He's gone soft! Snacking on breadsticks and sipping brews while we waste time. I say we strike now—burn the store, take its secrets, and use them ourselves. No need for this groveling."
Xun's smile vanished, replaced by a steely glint in her eyes. "Burn it? You'd destroy what you don't understand. Who among us has heard from the Great Poison Demon? Do you think the High Priest would decide all these matters alone? If you are inclined towards such reckless defiance, do as you will. Prepare to oust him. Call everyone from our conclave but my Spider Branch shall take a step back. We will lend aid to neither side."
Inwardly, Xun sinisterly smiled. She had already set them up on the platter. If they made a move before the High Priest returns, that's just them speeding towards their doom.
She'd anticipated their resistance but their boldness bordered on madness was laughable. Gao and Kang, and perhaps the rest of the Venomous Conclave, were too entrenched in the old ways, too eager to spill blood rather than adapt.
The High Priest's plan relied on subtlety, on using the store's influence to strengthen the cult and expand its influence here inside the inner ring of the Abyssal Forest.
Kang snorted as he gripped his dagger tightly, "Hmph. Sounds like you're just being a coward as well. A selfish bitch who only knows how to bend over for security."
Ignoring his remark, Xun turned around, acting disinterested, "Fine. But don't cry to me when the divine wrath falls. The High Priest will soon return with store wares that'll make your poisons look like child's play. If you're smart, you'll wait and see."
Gao sneered, his serpentine tongue flicking briefly. "Proof? I'll believe it when I taste it. Until then, I'm rallying the Serpent Branch. We'll be ready to move if this farce fails."
Kang nodded, sheathing his dagger with a flourish. "Same here. Scorpion Branch stays loyal to the old ways until the High Priest proves this isn't some senile whim. And don't think it will be just us. The rest of the conclave follows. You're on your own, Xun. Hope your spiders can weave you out of this mess."
Xun watched them stalk out of the chamber. The moment they left, the spying talisman hidden in a crevice returned to her hand.
She then waved her hand and a Priest appeared and kneeled in front of her,
"They're set in their ways. Let the High Priest's return handle them. Keep the Arachnid Branch ready. Loyalty to me is loyalty to him."
The Priest bowed deeper. "As you command, Venom Master. By the way, we've procured store products. It is in your chamber."
Hearing that, her expression brightened once again, "Is that so? Have you gotten that [Xingxing Glimmer Bundle] that I had heard of?"
"Yes. And there is a new product that our people believe to be revolutionary. The Viewing Jade."