30 minutes later,

About thirty minutes had passed since the students had eaten breakfast. There were still some students arriving at the cafeterias and eating, but by now the vast majority of those who had stood in line earlier had already finished their meals and returned to their daily routines.

Of course, not every student had eaten the food prepared by the sect.

A few hundred students had skipped the cafeteria entirely. Some came from powerful and wealthy families and lived in private residences where personal chefs prepared meals for them. Others simply were not hungry enough to bother standing in long lines for breakfast. This was a completely normal occurrence within the Night Rider Sect.

In fact, the higher a cultivator’s realm was, the less they depended on ordinary food.

Many powerful students could go days without eating if they wished. Because of this, it was not unusual for some disciples to miss breakfast altogether.

Even so, the overwhelming majority of students had eaten. From Aditya’s perspective, the operation had already succeeded.

The poison had reached most of its intended targets, and the number of students who avoided it was small enough that it would not significantly affect the overall plan. At this point, the success rate of this phase of the operation was well above ninety-five per cent.

Meanwhile, Aditya sat quietly while staring at a sand clock placed in front of him.

Every movement of every person involved in the operation had been calculated beforehand. Each group had been given a specific task and a specific time frame in which that task needed to be completed.

After roughly three and a half minutes had passed, Aditya knew that this was the time. Based on the schedule they had prepared, he was now completely certain that the three Elders of the Night Rider Sect had already teleported to the territory of the Wind Dragon Clan. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

A faint smile appeared on his face. Everything was proceeding according to plan.

Nothing had happened earlier than expected, and nothing had happened later than expected. Each piece was moving exactly where it was supposed to move.

Aditya had spent a lot of hours calculating the timing of every step. Athena had played a huge role in making everything this precise.

Together, they had examined every possibility, estimated travel times, accounted for delays, and created multiple backup plans. As a result, every person involved in the operation knew exactly what they needed to do and when they needed to do it.

That was the reason the entire operation had progressed so smoothly until now. Everyone was simply following the schedule that had been prepared long before the first move was ever made.

"It’s time." Aditya silently stood on top of the library. The library was empty. The library was protected by rune formations. So there was no danger of anyone sneaking into the library to steal valuable cultivation manuals or obtain a rare skill book.

Even the two guards of the library had gone to get their meals.

[The Night Rider Sect is under Attack. This is a Level 7 Red Alert.] - Level 7 red alert meant that all students of the Sect must be ready to defend the Sect at any given second. There might need to fight at any given second.

Aditya and everyone else within the Sect heard the announcement. Except for Aditya, everyone else was stunned.

How could this happen? Today was the day of the grand ceremony, yet someone dared to attack them on such a joyous occasion.

Aditya watched from a far distance as all the students gathered outside and got ready for battle. Seeing this, he was amused.

At the same time, all 11 barriers of the Sect had been activated. Each of the Mountain Peaks had its own Barrier.

This was well within their expectations.

And they had a perfect counter for this as well.

The moment the barriers were activated, a countdown started. All the exploding runes that Aditya had asked the Wind Dragon Clan members to plant around the Sect were activated. There were exploding runes everywhere in the Sect.

The only place where he did not place any exploding runes was the libraries. From the very beginning, he had forbidden anyone from placing runes anywhere near them.

The reason was simple. The libraries contained thousands upon thousands of books, cultivation techniques, historical records, research materials, and valuable knowledge that had been collected by the Night Rider Sect over countless years. Destroying all of that would be a terrible waste.

Unlike buildings, walls, or training grounds, those books could not easily be replaced. Once they were burned, much of that knowledge would be lost forever. Aditya had no intention of allowing that to happen.

Rather than destroying the libraries, he planned to take everything for himself. Every valuable book, cultivation manual, and historical record would become part of his own collection. After all, knowledge was often more valuable than gold, spirit stones, or treasures.

And Aditya had no intention of leaving such a valuable resource behind.

Boooooooooom!!!!!!!

Everyone was startled by a huge explosion. When all the students looked back, they realised it was their dormitory that exploded.

However, this was just the beginning. As soon as the students rushed to get inside the dormitory to save some students and also get their belongings, which they hoped would still be intact, a series of explosions followed.

BOOOOOM!!!!

BOOOOOOOM!!!!

BOOOOOOM!!!!

BOOOOM!!!!

BOOOOOOOM!!!!

-

-

Scene Change_____

A few moments before the explosion,

"Sect Leader, what should we do?" In the entire history of the Night Rider Sect, this was the first time that the sect itself had come under direct attack.

For countless years, the mountains that housed the sect had remained untouched by war. Enemies might challenge the sect’s influence, interfere with its territories, or cause trouble in cities under its control, but nobody had ever dared to bring the battle directly to the heart of the Night Rider Sect.

The last time any hostile force had shown open aggression toward them was many years ago at the borders of their territory. Even then, the conflict had taken place thousands of miles away from the sect’s headquarters.

The moment news reached the sect, powerful cultivators had been dispatched to deal with the problem. Within a matter of hours, the enemy force had been crushed, and the situation had returned to normal before it could escalate into anything serious.

Because of this, most members of the Night Rider Sect had grown accustomed to a sense of security. The sect was simply too powerful.

Its Elders were feared throughout the region. Its disciples numbered in the thousands. Its influence stretched across vast territories. For many people, attacking the Night Rider Sect was no different from seeking death.

That was why nobody expected what was happening now. Even the experienced fourth Elder was at a loss. She did not know what to do.

However, Victor remained calm. "Don’t worry."

"The enemy cannot directly attack our Sect. This is why they are targeting cities nearest to our Sect." Victor replied with a small smile.

He was sure that when the enemy saw three Elders of his Sect, whether it was Boris or Malakor Harrington, or both men, they would have no choice but to abandon their mission and flee.

"This is the fortress that no one has ever broken through. This place will remain undefeated for many, many centuries to come." The Fourth Elder nodded. She felt reassured by the words of the Sect Leader and by his calm demeanour.

But the next second, the sound of hundreds of explosions changed their expressions at once. When they turned toward the three mountain peaks that housed the students of the Outer Court, Inner Court, and Core Court, their expressions immediately changed.

All three mountain peaks were burning. Massive flames could be seen spreading across buildings, training grounds, and residential areas. Thick black smoke rose into the sky and covered large portions of the sect. From a distance, the scene looked like a nightmare. Explosions continued to erupt from different locations while countless disciples ran in panic.

The sight alone was enough to make their hearts sink.

The three courts formed the foundation of the Night Rider Sect’s future. Every year, talented youngsters were recruited and trained there. Among them were the future Elders, future leaders, future experts, and future pillars of the sect. Losing those students would be far more devastating than losing buildings or resources.

"Elder Fourth, I will head to the Core Court," Victor wanted to face this enemy by himself. Even if it was Boris or Malakor Harrington, he was not afraid. At this moment, the thought of how the enemy entered the Sect no longer came to his mind. Because that was no necessary for now.

The Core Court contained the most talented disciples of the younger generation. Many of them possessed extraordinary talent and had already become important figures within the sect. If something happened to them, the damage to the Night Rider Sect would be immeasurable.

"In that case, I will go to the Inner Court." The Fourth Elder replied without hesitation.

Neither of them wasted any more time.

At this moment, saving the students was their highest priority.

As long as the disciples of the Inner Court and Core Court survived, the Night Rider Sect would still have a future. Resources could be recovered. Buildings could be rebuilt. Even damaged formations could be repaired over time.

But talented cultivators were different.

Many of those students represented decades or even centuries of investment. Some possessed rare physiques, powerful bloodlines, or exceptional talent that appeared only once in a generation. Under no circumstances could they be allowed to die here.

With those thoughts in mind, the Sect Leader and the Fourth Elder immediately separated and rushed toward their respective destinations, hoping that they had not arrived too late.

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