Isshin kept following the group. The disciples stayed wary of him, their eyes flicking toward him every few steps. Even though his act had worked, they still didn't fully trust him. Isshin looked around as he walked, quietly scanning the forest for anything he could use to get rid of them without causing a huge commotion. The biggest threat was the elder. Isshin knew he wasn't a match for someone at the True Soul Realm, not yet. So he kept pacing forward while plotting with Raijin in the back of his mind.
Raijin suggested using beasts as a distraction, luring something big enough to panic the group and separate them. But before Isshin even tried that, he realized something important: the Divine Sword Sect members still hadn't found any Wudang cultivators. They searched and searched, but Isshin had already killed the only two Wudang disciples in the area. That gave him another idea. If he used those two bodies as proof, he could lower suspicion even more.
He thought of two possibilities. One, he could guide them to the two dead Wudang members and claim he killed them. That would show he wasn't lying about being chased. Or two, he could pretend he had no idea who killed them, but then the technique marks on the bodies might expose him later, especially if he had to reveal any of his moves in front of the Divine Sword Sect.
The second option was too risky. So he stuck with the first plan.
He led them back to the ruined temple. The two dead Wudang cultivators were still lying there where he had left them. When the elder saw the bodies, he crouched down and inspected the sword marks. His expression shifted. He could tell someone skilled had taken them out with clean, effortless strikes. Normally that would make him suspicious, but Isshin had no reason to reveal such strength if he was lying. That alone made the elder trust the story more.
"You killed both of them?" the elder asked.
Isshin nodded.
The elder stood up, looking impressed. "You handled them well. Very well."
But something still bothered him. "If your skill is this good, why were you running?"
Isshin had prepared for this question. "There was a Wudang elder," he said, lowering his voice like he was recalling something terrifying. "I barely escaped. And I… also saw them kill one of your sect members."
The elder and the disciples tensed, anger flashing through their eyes. That detail tied the whole story together. Isshin could see their suspicion melting away.
"If that is true, then you handled yourself incredibly well," the elder said. "Someone with skill like yours should consider joining the Divine Sword Sect."
Isshin almost laughed internally. Joining them would be like walking straight into the lion's mouth. But it could also be a chance to fool his way into gaining protection and resources.
"I'll think about it," Isshin replied.
They accepted that answer. They trusted him now, or at least enough to stop watching him like a criminal. After showing the two dead Wudang members, they had no reason to doubt him anymore. But the idea that other Wudang members were still lurking nearby was shaky, and the elder knew it. Still, they moved forward.
Isshin continued walking with the group. The air grew thicker as they approached the deeper part of the forest. Suddenly, a wyvern passed overhead, its wings cutting through the sky. The elder immediately ordered everyone to hide.
But Isshin realized instantly that it was the same wyvern he had spoken with.
The wyvern noticed him too. From above, her vision covered the landscape easily. When she looked down toward Isshin, she also saw, in the distance, the corpse of the Divine Sword Sect member still hidden near her den. She connected the dots faster than any human could. She understood Isshin was pulling off something cunning and simply flew away without giving him away.
Only a few days remained before the Thousand Strike Thunder would fall. Every sect nearby was waiting for it, all hoping to claim it. The temple itself looked empty, nothing but ruins, which confused the cultivators who came expecting treasure. The only visible prize was the tribulation itself.
But Raijin told Isshin the truth: the real treasures were hidden beneath the temple. They could only be accessed by someone who endured the Thousand Strike Thunder. It wasn't just a breakthrough opportunity. It granted enhancements to thunder attributes, and sometimes even a thunder spirit. The breakthrough was just the bonus Isshin personally needed.
Everyone else was here for the other benefits.
Other sects were already in the area, just not in Isshin's line of sight. Raijin suspected that the elders of those sects knew about the hidden treasures too, which was why there were no sect leaders here. This event wasn't big enough for them to personally appear, but it was important enough for many elders and powerful disciples to gather.
It was going to be a huge struggle for Isshin. But using the Divine Sword Sect might work. If he could convince them to let him undergo the Thousand Strike Thunder, they would protect him from the other sects during the breakthrough.
But he only had three or four days to earn their trust enough for that to happen.
If he could pull it off, he might get everything he needed.