Now Han Yu had over a thousand disciples aligned with him.

Not bound by oath.

Not forced.

But willingly.

Alongside them were several junior elders, and even a couple of senior elders who had chosen to associate themselves with his faction. Of course this was excluding the elders of the Second Kidney Peak and the Puppet Peak.

It was not the largest faction within the sect.

But it was growing.

And more importantly...

It was stable.

The High Elders still remained distant though.

Their positions were entrenched, their loyalties tied to older structures of power. Shifting those would take time, or something far more disruptive.

Han Yu did not push.

He observed.

For now, what he had was sufficient.

Combined with his status as a Legacy Disciple, his influence had reached a point where he could no longer be ignored in the sect’s internal dynamics.

He was a player.

A significant one.

And his contributions only strengthened that position.

The mining puppets had fully entered operation.

The once crippled mines had begun producing again, steadily and efficiently. The losses from the past disaster were being recovered, and the sect had regained a critical part of its resource flow.

The income from Violet Spirit Quartz alone now accounted for roughly ten percent of the sect’s total income.

When converted into the value of the slaves and jiangshi created from it, the actual impact was far greater, reaching levels that could not be easily measured.

Han Yu’s involvement in this had not gone unnoticed.

Recognition followed.

Respect deepened.

Among the Legacy Disciples, there was no official ranking.

But everyone understood.

Ju Fan stood among the top.

Top five at the very least.

And he had reached that position in less than three years.

A rise so rapid that it continued to unsettle many.

Han Yu exhaled softly, his thoughts shifting again.

His progress had not been limited to Qi and influence.

He had continued studying Blood Arts.

Refining Curse techniques.

Delving deeper into the knowledge he had gained from the Stelae.

He had not forgotten.

The Doll Seal.

The problem remained unresolved.

While he had taken control of the seals during the escape, that had only been a temporary solution. The core structure remained intact. The danger persisted.

Over the past months, he had worked relentlessly to understand it fully.

To dismantle it.

To surpass it.

And now...

He had reached that point.

He could remove it.

Completely.

Without triggering alarms.

Without leaving traces.

Without killing the host.

That realization brought a quiet sense of completion.

It had been a long standing task.

A lingering responsibility.

And today...

He would finish it.

Han Yu turned away from the terrace, his expression settling into calm determination.

He had already prepared everything.

A nominal mission had been taken.

Routine.

Unremarkable.

Assigned near one of the cities under the sect’s influence.

A place where Qing Luan had quietly established control.

Where the freed slaves had been hidden.

Protected.

Waiting.

The perfect cover.

No one would question his presence there.

No one would suspect the true purpose behind it.

Han Yu began to move, his steps steady as he left the peak.

This was not a battle.

Not a spectacle.

But in its own way...

It was just as important.

A final step.

Toward closing a Chapter that had begun deep within the mines.

And ensuring that those he had saved would finally be free.

A few days later, Han Yu arrived at Chained Gorge City under a quiet sky that carried the faint red hue so common to the southern edges of the Blood Continent. The journey itself had been uneventful, which suited him just fine. He preferred it that way now. Spectacle had its uses within the sect, but outside of it, subtlety held far more value.

Chained Gorge City spread out before him, built along the jagged cliffs that gave it its name. Massive chains hung between stone pillars, old relics from an era when the gorge had been used to transport resources across treacherous terrain. Now they served more as a symbol than a necessity, swaying gently with the wind, creaking softly as if whispering to those who passed below.

Two years ago, this place had been little more than a distant idea in Han Yu’s mind. A weakly controlled city at the far edge of the sect’s influence. Too far for strict oversight. Too insignificant to draw constant attention. Perfect.

Now it had changed.

Subtly.

Quietly.

But undeniably.

Han Yu stepped through the main street, his appearance simple, his aura restrained. He did not announce himself. He did not need to. This visit was not meant for the public eye.

Even so, the city itself reflected the work that had been done here.

The markets were livelier. The shops better stocked. The guards more organized. Trade routes that had once been unreliable now functioned smoothly. There was an undercurrent of order that had not existed before.

And at the center of it all... was Qing Luan.

Han Yu walked through a side street and entered a large courtyard complex that belonged to the Fen Clan. The moment he crossed the threshold, the atmosphere shifted. The guards at the entrance stiffened, their expressions tightening before they quickly bowed.

"Welcome, Senior."

They did not know who he truly was.

But they knew enough.

Han Yu nodded lightly and continued inward.

Inside, the changes were even more apparent. Disciples and workers moved with purpose, records were being maintained carefully, and the entire operation carried a sense of discipline that had been cultivated over time.

Then, she appeared.

Qing Luan stepped into the courtyard, her presence drawing attention even before her identity was fully recognized. She had grown. The little girl who had once followed instructions with quiet determination had matured into a woman whose bearing carried both authority and restraint.

Her beauty had sharpened as well, though it was not the kind that invited approach. It was distant and cold. The kind that made others hesitate before even speaking.